ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSINGPREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 1 The ASAP provides the methodology for implementing and continuously optimizing your SAP System. It divides the implementation process into five phases Accelerated SAP (ASAP) is SAP's standard implementation methodology. It contains the Roadmap, a step-by-step guide that incorporates experience from many years of implementing. Accelerated SAP contains a multitude of tools, accelerators and useful information to assist all team members in implementing. Quality checks are incorporated at the end of each phase to easily monitor deliverables and critical success factors. ASAP stands for Accelerated SAP. Its purpose is to help design SAP implementation in the most efficient manner possible. Its goal is to effectively optimize time, people, quality and other resources, using a proven methodology to implementation. ASAP focuses on tools and training, wrapped up in a five-phase process oriented road map for guiding implementation. ASAP stand for Accelerated SAP and it is an implementation methodology. If you’ve worked on RFP (Request for Proposal) then you would certainly know that Requirement Gathering (Project preparation), Business blue printing, Realization, Final preparation & Go-live are the typical stages of project implementation. And that’s what ASAP all about. Accelerated SAP (ASAP) provides a proven, comprehensive, repeatable and rich implementation methodology to streamline projects. The implementation of your SAP System covers the following phases:- 1. Project Preparation 2. Business Blueprint 3. Realization 4. Final Preparation 5. Go-Live and support ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSING PREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 2 1. Project Preparation: - i. In this phase you plan your project and lay the foundations for successful implementation. It is at this stage that you make the strategic decisions crucial to your project. ii. This phase initiates with a retrieval of information and resources. It is an important time to assemble the necessary components for the implementation. Define your project goals and objectives Clarify the scope of your implementation Define your project schedule, budget plan, and implementation sequence Establish the project organization and relevant committees and assign resources Some important milestones that need to be accomplished for this phase includes:- • Initial Project Planning • Project Procedures • Project Team Members & their Training • Project Kickoff • Technical Requirements • Quality Check 2. Business Blueprint:- i. In this phase you create a blueprint using the Question & Answer database (Q&Adb), which documents your enterprise’s requirements and establishes how your business processes and organizational structure are to be represented in the SAP System. You also refine the original project goals and objectives and revise the overall project schedule in this phase. ii. Each business blueprint document essentially outlines your future business processes and business requirements. Create a blueprint using the Question & Answer database (Q&Adb) Establishes how your business processes and organizational structure are to be represented in the SAP System. Refine the original project goals and objectives and Revise the overall project schedule in this phase. Some important milestones that need to be accomplished for this phase includes:- • Project Management • Organizational Change Management • Training ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSING PREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 3 • Develop System Environment • Organizational Structure Definition • Business Process Analysis (AS-IS) • Business Process Definition (TO-BE) • Quality Check 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. Configure the requirements contained in the Business Blueprint. Baseline configuration (major scope) is followed by final configuration (remaining scope). Conduct integration tests and drawing up end user documentation. Some important milestones that need to be accomplished for this phase includes:- 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. Baseline Configuration and Confirmation System Management Final Configuration and Confirmation Development of external Programs & Interfaces ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSING PREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 4 Unit Testing & Documentation Final Integration Test Business Scenarios & Process Documentation End User Training & Documentation Quality Check 4. Final Preparation:- This Phase also concentrates on the fine tuning of your configuration before Go-live and more importantly, the migration of data from your old SAP system or other systems to SAP. Complete your preparations including testing, end user training, system management and cutover activities. Ensure that all the prerequisites for your system to go live have been fulfilled. Some important milestones that need to be accomplished for this phase includes:- System Management Stress & Volume Tests Cutover Strategies & Plans End User Training Quality Check 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. 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. 5. Go-live and Support:- In this phase you move from a pre-production environment to the live system. The most important elements include setting up production support, monitoring system transactions, and optimizing overall system performance. ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSING PREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 5 Migration to production environment Support Monitoring Performance optimization Towards continuous improvement and to overcome the organizational, business & technology changes the followings are covered under this phase: 1) Post go-Live Support 2) Improve System performance Following are the tools which are used in the ASAP Methodology:- 1. ASAP Roadmap 2. Implementation Assistant 3. Question & Answer Database 4. SAP Reference Structure 5. Knowledge Corner 6. Concept Check Tool 1. ASAP Roadmap:- The ASAP Roadmap provides the methodology for implementing and continuously optimizing your SAP System. 2. Implementation Assistant:- The Implementation Assistant is a key ASAP navigation tool. It allows you to access the ASAP Roadmap along with many other tools and accelerators. 3. Question & Answer Database:- The Question & Answer database (Q&Adb), through which you navigate using the, SAP Reference Structure, is the key tool you use to define your business requirements when implementing your SAP System. You can use it to set your project scope in a process- specific manner and to draw up your Business Blueprint. 4. SAP Reference Structure:- ACCELERATED SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS AND PRODUCT IN DATA PROCESSING PREPARED BY: SHIV MANDOWARA- SAP CONSULTANT DATE: 22.02.2013 P a g e | 6 The SAP Reference Structure is a hierarchical structure containing all the elements that customers need to create their Business Blueprint. It contains substructures with structure items, such as enterprise areas, scenarios, process groups, processes, and objects. These items are in turn assigned associated items, such as questions, IMG activities and organizational units, depending on the level concerned. 5. Knowledge Corner :- The Knowledge Corner is a collection of additional material that will help you implement your SAP System. 6. Concept Check Tool:- The Concept Check Tool is an analytical tool with which you can carry out quality checks on your implementation project during the first two phases of the Implementation Roadmap. By answering a series of checklists, you can pinpoint and react promptly to issues or potential conflicts.