Smart change management with SAP Cloud ALM: Start small – grow with structure

[stefanthomann]

Three proven approaches from practice

Three basic models have established themselves in many projects resp. in the maintenance, after the project phase.

1. Feature-driven
A lean approach in which the feature is the central control element. This is particularly suitable for agile teams with a high implementation speed and low formal approval requirements. The status flow of the feature enables transparent implementation without unnecessary complexity.

2. Requirement-driven
This approach adds the requirement element to the feature level. It serves as a control instrument for approvals and can bundle multiple features. Particularly suitable for organizations with moderate compliance requirements or increasing complexity.

3. Fully integrated
A comprehensive variant in which SAP Cloud ALM is integrated into an existing ITSM tool. This creates a continuous process chain from incident to change management to deployment in production. This option is particularly useful for companies with complex IT landscapes and high governance requirements.

An overview of these models is shown in the following figure.

 

Practical example: Fixed process flow (requirement-driven)

A practical example of the requirement-driven approach is the fixed process flow. This describes how changes – for example, corrections resulting from an incident – are controlled from the requirement to implementation in production.

The process comprises the following steps:

1. Creation of a requirement in maintenance (or implementation project)
2. Approval of the requirement
3. Creation and development of the associated feature
4. Transport and testing of the feature
5. Approval for production and finally deployment

The possibility of automation, e.g., with SAP Build Process Automation, is also provided for in this process to reduce manual effort.

The process steps are summarized in the following diagram

 

There is no universal standard approach

Organizations should choose the entry point that suits their current requirements. The scalability of SAP Cloud ALM makes it possible to start with simple structures and add more complex control elements and integrations step by step as needed.

For companies that are currently considering optimizing or introducing change management, the models described offer proven approaches that can be flexibly adapted to different conditions.