Steps in Implimentation

[Former Member]

Hi Experts,

I working in Support and i want to switch in Implimentation so i want to know that what stepsa are there before implimentation for the Technical Cosultant.and i know some steps taken by the Functional Consultant these are...

1.Project preparation.

2.Business Blue print.

3.Project Realization.

4.Final Preparation

5.Go-Live and Support.

So beside these steps,,,,tell me more..

A great point is here....

Regards

Rahul

[GauthamV]

hi,

the role of technical consultants starts after the third step .

here any devlopments required will be done.

[Former Member]

HI Rahul

This will be very helpfull to u but dont forget to reward points..

AcceleratedSAP (ASAP) is SAP's standard implementation methodology. It contains the Roadmap, a step-by-step guide that incorporates experience from many years of implementing R/3. Along with that, AcceleratedSAP contains a multitude of tools, accelerators and useful information to assist all team members in implementing R/3. Quality checks are incorporated at the end of each phase to easily monitor deliverables and critical success factors. ASAP is delivered as a PC-based package, so that - if required - an implementation project can begin prior to having an R/3 System installed.

AcceleratedSAP (ASAP): A comprehensive solution for the introduction of the R/3 System in your enterprise. ASAP and most of its tools can be used independently of an R/3 installation.

The tools available for AcceleratedSAP are:

The Project Estimator, an internal SAP tool which enables SAP consultants to accurately gauge the required resources, the costs and the time frame of implementation. The Project Estimator takes into account the project scope and several project and risk factors.

The Concept Check Tool, a tool enabling you to carry out quality checks on the project preparation, technical infrastructure and R/3 configuration settings. This is done mainly during the first two implementation phases of the R/3 project. In this way you are alerted to potential data volume and configuration conflicts that could lead to performance issues if not addressed.

The Implementation Assistant: The ASAP navigation tool that accompanies you through the five phases of implementation down to the task level. It includes a description and a detailed "how-to" for each task in the Roadmap. Along with that, many tools, templates and documents are hyperlinked to the task. The Implementation Assistant contains the following elements:

ASAP Implementation Roadmap and Project Plan. The Roadmap contains the five phases, from which you can drill down into work packages, activities and tasks. The Project Plan contains three components, a budget plan, a resource plan and a work plan. These are explained in more detail in the next chapter.

The ASAP Roadmap is the successor of the R/3-based Procedure Model, which was used until Rel. 3.1 in R/3 implementation projects.

Knowledge Corner, containing tips and tricks for configuration from consultants, detailed documentation on SAP’s implementation services, information on technical tools, as well as simplification guidebooks and R/3 Customizing wizards.

Question and Answer Database (Q&Adb). Using the R/3 Reference Model structure, the Q&Adb is used to assist in gathering requirements for business processes, conversions, reports, interfaces, enhancements and authorizations. The database provides useful questionnaires to help you define the process needs and also serves as a repository for all this information. Since it is a database, it allows for flexible reporting. The business requirements generated from the Q&Adb are collectively known as the Business Blueprint.

Business Process Master List, to manage configuration, testing and the creation of end user documentation. The Business Process Master List is linked to pre-written Business Process Procedures (BPPs), detailled end-user documentation for R/3 transactions.

Issues Database: supporting project management, this database supports the entering, monitoring and managing of issues that come up during the project.

Introduction:

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_01_e.htm

Accelerated SAP:

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_02_e.htm

Phase 1 : Project preparation

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_03_e.htm

Phase 2 : Business Blueprint

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_04_e.htm

Phase 3: Realization

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_05_e.htm

Phase 4 : Final Preparation

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_06_e.htm

Phase 5 : Go Live and Support

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_07_e.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_Implementation

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_01_e.htm

http://www.sap-basis-abap.com/sapgeneral/what-is-asap.htm

Pl go thr below links on ASAP Methodology:

ASAP METHODOLOGY:

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/48/623972d55a11d2bbf700105a5e5b3c/frameset.htm

http://www.sapfans.com/sapfans/asap/be_01_e.htm

http://help.sap.com/printdocu/core/print46b/en/data/en/pdf/SVASAP.pdf

.

ASAP Roadmap (SAP Help)

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/48/623972d55a11d2bbf700105a5e5b3c/content.htm

ASAP Methodology & ASAP Roadmap (SAP Service Marketplace) - Requires OSS Login

http://service.sap.com/asap & http://service.sap.com/roadmaps

Overview of the ASAP methodology - Richard W. Vawter, University of Southern California

http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~anthonyb/itp320/ASAP.ppt sd-fi integration

Some additional Infomation on ASAP methodology:

Phase 1 - Project Preparation

Change Charter - Goals and objectives of Organizational Change? Management

Project Plan - This is a first cut focusing on milestones and? Work Packages; details to come.

Scope - Sets the initial definition of the? project; input from sales cycle.

Project Team Organization - Sets the who? of the project: Standards & Procedures - Sets the why and how of the project.

Phase 2 - Business Blueprint - Requirements reviewed for each SAP Reference Structure item and defined using CI Templates (in the Q&Adb). Business Blueprint - This is the output of the Q&Adb and is the key document for Phase 3.

Phase 3 - Realization - Master Lists - Define business scenarios and R/3 transactions to be realized in the system. BPP - Business Process Procedures representing R/3 transactions; used for unit testing & documentation. Planning - Defines how the configuration will be done and how it will be tested. Development Programs - Provides details of the external programming requirements. EU Training Material - End User training material and process documentation.

Phase 4 - Final Preparation Stress & Volume Tests - Plans for confirming the production hardware’s capabilities

Cutover Plan - The details of how to move to the production environment and go live

Conduct End User Training - Delivery of the necessary levels of R/3 End User training prior to going live

Phase 5 - Go Live & Support: Ensuring system performance through SAP monitoring and feedback.

Hope this will help

Regards

Basheer

[Former Member]

Hi Rahul,

Phase 1 : Project Preparation

Phase 1 initiates with a retrieval of information and resources. It is an important

time to assemble the necessary components for the implementation. Some

important milestones that need to be accomplished for phase 1 include

u2022 Obtaining senior-level management/stakeholder support

u2022 identifying clear project objectives

u2022 architect an efficient decision-making process

u2022 creating an environment suitable for change and re-engineering

u2022 building a qualified and capable project team.

Senior level management support:

One of the most important milestones with phase 1 of ASAP is the full agreement

and cooperation of the important company decision-makers - key stake holders

and others. Their backing and support is crucial for a successful implementation.

Clear project objectives:

be concise in defining what your objectives and expectations are for this venture.

Vague or unclear notions of what you hope to obtain with SAP will handicap the

implementation process. Also make sure that your expectations are reasonable

considering your company's resources. It is essential to have clearly defined

ideas, goals and project plans devised before moving forward.

An efficient decision making process:

One obstacle that often stalls implementation is a poorly constructed decision-

making process. Before embarking on this venture, individuals need to be clearly

identified. Decide now who is responsible for different decisions along the way.

From day one, the implementation decision makers and project leaders from

each area must be aware of the onus placed on them to return good decisions

quickly.

Environment suitable for change and re engineering:Your team must be willing to

accept that, along with new SAP software, things are going to change, the

business will change, and information technology enabling the business will

change as well. By implementing SAP, you will essentially redesign your current

practices to model more efficient or predefined best business practices as

espoused by SAP. Resistance to this change will impede the progress of your

implementation.

ASAP- Second Phase- Business Blueprint

SAP has defined a business blueprint phase to help extract pertinent information

about your company that is necessary for implementation. These blueprints are in

the form of questionnaires that are designed to probe for information that

uncovers how your company does business. As such, they also serve to

document the implementation. Each business blueprint document essentially

outlines your future business processes and business requirements. The kinds

of questions asked are germane to the particular business function, as seen in

the following sample questions:

1) What information do you capture on a purchase order?

2) What information is required to complete a purchase order?

Accelerated SAP question and answer database:

The question and answer database (QADB) is a simple although aging tool

designed to facilitate the creation and maintenance of your business blueprint.

This database stores the questions and the answers and serves as the heart of

your blue print. Customers are provided with a customer input template for each

application that collects the data. The question and answer format is standard

across applications to facilitate easier use by the project team.

Issues database:

Another tool used in the blueprinting phase is the issues database. This

database stores any open concerns and pending issues that relate to the

implementation. Centrally storing this information assists in gathering and then

managing issues to resolution, so that important matters do not fall through the

cracks. You can then track the issues in database, assign them to team

members, and update the database accordingly.

ASAP Phase- 3 - Realization:

With the completion of the business in phase 2, "functional" experts are now ready

to begin configuring SAP. The Realization phase is broken in to two parts.

1) Your SAP consulting team helps you configure your baseline system, called the

baseline configuration.

2) Your implementation project team fine-tunes that system to meet all your

business and process requirements as part of the fine tuning configuration.

The initial configuration completed during the base line configuration is based on

the information that you provided in your blueprint document. The remaining

approximately 20% of your configuration that was not tackled during the baseline

configuration is completed during the fine tuning configuration. Fine tuning usually

deals with the exceptions that are not covered in baseline configuration. This final

bit of tweaking represents the work necessary to fit your special needs.

Configuration Testing:

With the help of your SAP consulting team, you segregate your business

processes into cycles of related business flows. The cycles serve as independent

units that enable you to test specific parts of the business process. You can also

work through configuring the SAP implementation guide (IMG). A tool used to

assist you in configuring your SAP system in a step by step manner.

Knowledge Transfer:

As the configuration phase comes to a close, it becomes necessary for the

Project team to be self-sufficient in their knowledge of the configuration of your

SAP system. Knowledge transfer to the configuration team tasked with system

maintenance (that is, maintenance of the business processes after Go-live)

needs to be completed at this time.

In addition, the end users tasked with actually using the system for day-to-day

business purposes must be trained.

ASAP Methodology - Phase 4 - Final Preparation:

As phase 3 merges into phase 4, you should find yourselves not only in the midst

of SAP training, but also in the midst of rigorous functional and stress testing.

Phase 4 also concentrates on the fine tuning of your configuration before Go-live

and more importantly, the migration of data from your old system or systems to

SAP.

Workload testing (including peak volume, daily load, and other forms of stress

testing), and integration or functional testing are conducted to ensure the accuracy

of your data and the stability of your SAP system. Because you should have begun

testing back in phase 2, you do not have too far to go until Go-live. Now is an

important time to perform preventative maintenance checks to ensure optimal

performance at your SAP system.

At the conclusion of phase 4, take time to plan and document a Go-live strategy.

Preparation for Go-live means preparing for your end-users questions as they

start actively working on the new SAP system.

ASAP - Phase 5 - Go-live and Support:

The Go-live milestone is itself is easy to achieve; a smooth and uneventful Go-live

is another matter altogether. Preparation is the key, including attention to what-if

scenarios related not only to the individual business processes deployed but also

to the functioning of technology underpinning these business processes and

preparation for ongoing support, including maintenance contracts and

documented processes and procedures are essential.

Types of SAP Projects:

We can divide the SAP projects into three categories. They are

1) SAP Implementation Projects

2) SAP Support Projects

3) SAP Migration Projects

1) SAP Implementation Projects

In this type of projects, Customers are moving towards SAP software. Previously

they might be using some

other software.

2) SAP Support Projects

Once SAP project is implemented, it should be supported by the consultants in

day-to-day business. In

Support projects, the support team helps the customer in day-to-day business.

3) SAP Migration Projects

As we see, SAP is continuously upgrading the R/3 software. Customers are

moving from the older versions

to new versions. When the customer decides to new version, it is called SAP

Migration Projects.

Now -a -days many customers are migrating from older versions like 4.5 or 4.6B,

4.6C to ECC 5.0 or ECC 6.0 versions.

Rgds

Yogesh