SAP Integration Suite Modernization: Percentage Breakdown of Project Phases

[MichalKrawczyk]

Introduction

Introduction

In a recent session on SAP Integration Suite modernization, we received a detailed percentage breakdown of project phases, including Technical Interface Migration, Testing, Partner Communication, and Cutover. While these estimates offer a helpful starting point, the specifics can vary greatly depending on various factors. This blog will explore the key aspects that can dramatically shift these percentages and affect the overall project outcome.

The Devil Lies in the Details

During one of the recent sessions on SAP Integration Suite modernization hosted by CBS (special thanks to Stefan Münchow), the team presented a breakdown of project phases, including Technical Interface Migration, Testing, Partner Communication, and Cutover (refer to Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Percentage Breakdown of Project Phases of SAP Integration Suite migration by CBS (Stefan Munchow)

However, this breakdown significantly differs from insights provided by Gartner in the article "How to Successfully Migrate to a New Integration Platform" by Abhishek Singh (October 1, 2021 but no longer available), which noted, "Testing is a substantial part of the migration effort, consuming around 60% to 65% of the overall work." How do we reconcile the discrepancy between estimates ranging from 25% to 60-65%? Which numbers are more accurate?

Figure 2 – 65% or 25% or maybe both?

It Depends...

My family often jokes about my frequent response, "It depends," and in this case, it rings true. Several factors can explain the large variance in these numbers, and I will break them down in detail.

Scope of the SAP Integration Suite Program

One key factor that can affect the percentage breakdown is whether we are accounting for the development team's efforts alone or including everyone involved in the project. For example, if a Service Integrator or Global Service Integrator presents a project breakdown, they may focus only on their responsibilities, excluding tasks like Functional Testing, User Acceptance Testing, or Partner Communication. These tasks typically fall under the company’s project management team.

Testing performed by developers who know the interfaces may only take 25% of the development effort, but if you account for Functional Testing and User Acceptance Testing—where users must test all scenarios—testing could take up 60-65% of the overall work. Similarly, Partner Communication efforts, especially when involving hundreds or thousands of EDI partners, could stretch out over months, not days.

Figure 3 - Ask questions on the scope  

Important Tip:
When reviewing a percentage breakdown of project phases, ask whether internal resources (functional consultants) and coordination with external B2B partners for communication tests are included.

Type of SAP Integration Suite Migration (Lift and Shift vs. Modernization)

With lift and shift (and all the automation related to that: Elevate from SAP Process Orchestration and Modernize your integration platform with SAP Integration ... and Introducing the new pipeline concept in Cloud Integration) it’s hard to imagine the development effort would be 50%  (unless migrations would take a few days) but when you do a mix (lift and shift with a mix of new functions like use of AEM scenarios) then 50% of the development scope (not entire modernization as per the previously mentioned chapter) all of a sudden sounds reasonable. Some of my thoughts on this topic can also be found here: SAP BTP Integration Suite migration: don't do lift&shift!

Size of the SAP Integration Landscape (Number of Interfaces)

The size of your SAP integration landscape (e.g., 50-200 vs. 500-5000 interfaces) can greatly affect the percentage breakdown of project phases.

Figure 4 - Size is important 

Why should the percentage Breakdown of Project Phases of SAP Integration Suite matter because of the size?

The bigger you are the more important the project – that means that large (500-5000 interfaces migration projects) tend to be larger investments which means the company might be (does not mean it’s always the case) willing to invest more to make sure all goes well = potentially more skilled resources, more experience project management, more authority to push functional and business teams for testing. Is that always the case? Not at all but it might influence the percentage breakdown.

The more important your company the easier it is to communicate with partners – imagine doing an SAP Integration Suite migration being a one country company connected with 3-5 biggest retailers. Do you think they will easily allocate anytime easily? On the other hand imagine you’re a big retail company or one of the largest FMCG companies – do you think they will struggle as much with communication with their partners when they need to change something?

Important Tip:
When discussing the breakdown of project phases with a Service Integrator, be clear about your company's influence when negotiating with B2B partners.

Test Automation vs. Manual Testing

Testing manually for smaller projects (up to 50-100 interfaces) is feasible but inefficient. Automating the testing process can save significant time. Solutions like SAP's recommended automation tools - Automate over 65% of your SAP Integration Suite migration with Int4 solutions  and SAP services - Accelerate move to SAP Integration Suite with SAP Integration Suite Testing Service, can reduce testing time by over 65%, making a compelling case for automation in SAP Integration Suite migrations. They also support the latest automated migraton concepts - SAP Pipeline Concept and B2B TPM testing. 

Important Tip:
Consider automating the testing of SAP Integration Suite migrations. Learn more about testing automation through resources like the Int4 Shield Crash Course here.

Summary

The percentage breakdown of project phases in SAP Integration Suite modernisation projects can vary dramatically based on factors like the scope of the program, the type of migration, the size of the integration landscape, and whether testing is automated or manual. These factors can significantly alter the time and resources needed for phases such as Testing and Partner Communication, resulting in percentages ranging from 25% to 65%. Properly understanding and addressing these elements ensures a more accurate estimation of project efforts, reducing surprises and enabling smoother project execution.