2. ASAP – Components & Tools
SAP has provided an number of components, tools and
accelerators for supporting ASAP implementations
ASAP components, which can be used in any type of SAP
Projects, include Forms, Questionnaires and Guides
ASAP Tools and Accelerators, which can be used to
streamline and improve implementations
ASAP Components, functions and org structure can be
tailored or deactivated to suit individual requirements
3. Project Estimator
This is a pre-sales that is used to estimate the
resources, time and cost required to
implement sap at a particular site.
The Project Estimator relies on a series of pre-
defined interview question that are posted to
the company’s senior executives, business and
technical managers, as well as project team
members.
4. Exceptions
Company Expertise: Strengths and Weakness
Degree of Complexity of Business Processes
Project Scope
Development Time Desired
SAP Team Expertise
Risk Factors
Project Estimator
5. Implementation Assistant
It serves as a navigation tool for the ASAP
Implementation Roadmap, which provides
guidance during various implementation phases
Project Plan – Which contains the budget,
resource and work plans
Knowledge Corner – Which is a warehouse of
information encompassing configuration,
technical tools, customizing wizards etc
6. Implementation Assistant
It has the following features:
Include a description for each Roadmap task
Provides guidance through every Roadmap task
Indicates which tasks are to be performed, who need
to be designated to do it, and how long it should take
to finish
Include a detailed “How-To” for each Roadmap task.
It shows how to perform a specific tasks, complete
checklists, check with technical guidelines etc
7. Linked Documents accessed through the
Roadmap
Includes specific examples, templates, forms
and checklists
Provide hyperlinks from tasks to tools,
templates and documents
Contains extensive testing guide that can help
configure associated business process
Implementation Assistant
8. This is a tool that is used to gather requirements for
Business Processes
Conversions
Reports
Interfaces
Enhancements
Authorizations
The questions and answers are stored in a database, which
serves as a useful repository for information. This Q & A
are in incorporated in the Business Blue Print Documents
Question & Answer - Database
9. Issues Database
• This tool is used to document issues and
concerns that arise during Project
Implementations.
• A common and central location ensures that all
identified issues receive high visibility.
• It also ensures easier assignments, monitoring
and updating for the recorded issues
10. ASAP - Roadmap
This ASAP components defines a systematic
approach and methodology that incorporates a
project plan for an SAP implementations.
What is to be done ?
Why it is needed ?
How it is to be performed ?
Who should implement it ?
12. Roadmap of ASAP
• The Roadmap is a step-by-step guide that is
divided into five phases.
• These are:
Phase 1 : Project Preparation
Phase 2 : Business Blueprint
Phase 3 : Realization (Simulation & Validation)
Phase 4 : Final Preparation
Phase 5 : Go-Live & Support
14. Project Implementation
The implementation time required for each phase
depends on the total project implementation time
that, typically ranges between 06 to 18 months for
ASAP projects
Ex. A mid-cap company projects for which the total imp.
Time was one year, the appx. time spent on each
phase as follows
Project Preparation 1 Month
Business Blueprint 2 Months
Realization 6 Months (2 Simulation + 4
Validation)
Final Preparation 3 Months
Go-Live & Support
15. Other Project at a 2 Billion Dollar company,
which lasted 18 months
Project Preparation 1 Month
Business Blueprint 5 Months
Realization 9 Months (4 Simulation +
5 Validation)
Final Preparation 3 Months
Go-Live & Support
Project Implementation
16. Phase 1 : Project Preparation
There are many factors that can lead to the
success or failure of an ASAP or any other type
of software projects
One of the critical factors epically for SAP
projects is organizational readiness and project
preparation, this includes
Project Planning
Project Organization
Determination of Project Standards
17. Organizational Readiness:
Getting Decision Makers On Board
An ASAP project is doomed to failure if the
organization, where it is to be implemented, is
not ready to implement SAP
One of the first tasks should be to determine if
all the key decision makers are on board for
the implementation team internal and external
members
18. Management Tasks:
Management and key decision makers, whose
support is critical, should provide a firm
commitment that till increase the profitability of a
successful implementation. They should:
Provide top management commitment and
support
Clearly define Project goals and objectives
Agree on the different project steps
Create an environment that is ready for change
Setup a team that is qualified and represents the
various functional areas
19. Project Planning
Identifying Critical Elements:
These are a number of steps that need to be
taken during the initial (Planning) Phase of the
Project
These are the cornerstones upon which the
success of a project is built
Weakness in any of the area can lay the seed
for problems or even outright failure
20. Strategic Principles
Strategic Principles becomes easier for the
implementation to achieve its business objectives.
The Following are and example to set:
Implementation an integrated enterprise system
First phase implementation
Need not replace all the legacy system
functionality
Must run the business and built on an expandable
foundation
Buy Not Make, When Possible
Adhere to Open Standards
21. Always wear the company hat first, your
functional hat next
Think globally – enterprise-wide and not just
headquarters
Core modules must be implemented within a
year
Have clear signoff criteria
Strategic Principles
22. Project Business Drivers
These are the business drivers for selecting the ERP
Software for a particular project implementation
Ex. For set of Project, Business Drivers used:
Increase customer loyalty
Improve revenue and earnings growth
Increase profitability growth
Improve performance
23. The role of the project manager is one of the most
critical roles in the project.
The PM leads the project as both a friendly leader
and also a process manager
PM Recruit project staff and consultants
PM manage co-ordination of the partners and
working groups engaged in project work
PM do detailed project planning and controlling
PM manage project deliverables in line with the
project plan
Project Manager
24. Project Manager
PM resolves cross-functional issues at Project level
PM manage project issues and escalating where
necessary
PM provides project status report to project sponsor
PM works closely with users to ensure the project
meets business needs
PM handles all work flow diagrams
PM as a leader is responsible for managing and
communicating a clear vision of the project
PM will be motivating the project team to achieve
them
25. • PM shouldn’t require a strong technical background
but only needs the authority to assign and approve
project activities that will be carried out by the
technical staff.
• PM might facilitate inevitable changes and
processes with well-defined scope management
procedures, and also provide continues leadership
• PM facilitate for the development team and
motivate a productive project environment.
• As a result, the PM needs to be a very good
communicator, an experienced negotiator and also
a perfect leader
Project Manager
26. Team Membership
SAP Implementations, team membership is split
into the following main group
Client Personnel
Client Employees
Client Contractors
Implementation Partner
Employees of the Partner Company
Employees of the Partner Comp Sub-contractors
27. Team Membership
The Clients team usually consists of 2
types of members
Core Team Members: 100% of their time
dedicated to project
Extended Team Members: 20 – 50% of their
time depending on the project phase of the
project
28. Selecting Consultants
It is important that consultants should be
selected with a great deal of care
Too many issue can arise if consultants are not
properly selected or if they are not adequately
monitored and controlled.
Knowledge transfer is negatively impacted
Excessive travel bills, overhead expenditure ..
29. How Teams Are Organized
The Project team is usually organized by modules
or functionality. Ex.
Finance
Logistic
Sales & Distribution
Project System
Basis (Infrastructure and System Admin)
Quality Assurance
Training
Communication
30. There are 2 common approaches
First Approach
They are grouped by Functional Module
Second Approach
All Developers are grouped into a single group
How Teams Are Organized
31. Team Building
During the project preparation phase, team
building activates are initiated.
Get the team together for an offsite meeting
lasting 2 – 3 days.
During these days team members get to know
each other
The importance of working as an integrated,
mutually dependent, team is highly stressed during
such meetings
32. Training For Team Members
In order to introduce the internal team
members to SAP Functionality and features,
they are put through level 1 training during the
project preparation phase.
It is recommended that this training starts as
early as possible
33. Key Deliverable of This Phase
Project charter (Mission, Business drivers)
Project procedure and standards
Detailed project plan
Technical requirements planning (order pc’s)
Project kickoff
Project team training plan (Level 1 & 2)
Project room set up
Project team structure and roles
Signoff of project preparation phase