SAP Business ByDesign Implementation Methodology
Acclimation is the premium SAP ByDesign partner and winning ByD partner of the year for 2015-16 and 2016-17.
As such, our business-bred consultants and extensive customer implementation experience has allowed us to refine the standard SAP Cloud implementation methodology to account for the specific requirements of each country / business.
The Acclimation Cloud Methodology has evolved from extensive review of our many successful customer implementations. Each of these implementations has provided Acclimation with a unique insight in how to more effectively implement SAP ByDesign into each business category.
This insight can now be leveraged by your business when you select Acclimation as your implementation partner.
Stages
Prepare
Finetune, Integrate & Extend
Verify & Test
Go-Live
Prepare
The customer and Acclimation review the scope of works, ensure the tenant is functional, all resources are available and expectations are agreed. We coordinate and align the business processes to the final solution.
Project Management
- Sales to delivery handover: We review the Statement of Work (SOW) and meet with the sales team to discuss any scope questions. Then we confirm that all necessary solution partner agreements are signed by the customer.
- Business drivers, goals, objectives & success metrics: We’ll attain what the customer’s reasons for implementing a new solution are from the sales team.
- Project schedule: Then we’ll finalise the project schedule timeline and responsibilities, as per the project scope defined within the Statement of Work.
- Project resource identification: Together we identify the core and extended implementation project team members and schedule them as needed, per the project schedule.
- Infrastructure provisioning: Finalising the tenant provisioning strategy and obtaining the test tenant details are next steps. We deploy the business packages scope in the tenant and set-up service agents for project team members.
- Project document repository and other sites: We’ll set-up the site where project documentation / information will be shared and invite the project team members. Where needed, we provide access to other sites such as the Business Center and Service Marketplace.
- Project execution: Holding status meetings, updating the project schedule and tracking any issues and risks on an ongoing basis are core part of project management.
- Project kick-off workshop: The project managers hold a call to plan for the project kick-off workshop. Together we’re officially kicking off the implementation project with the entire team by delivering this workshop.
- Q-Gate execution: We confirm that all stakeholders agree to the implementation scope before proceeding with the project.
Solution Design
- Best practice review: We review the to-be processes with the customer during the business scenario workshop and complete the initial design of the organisational structure.
- Configuration definition: Also, we request solution- & configuration-related values from the customer during the business scenario workshop.
Project Scope Confirmation
- Project scope confirmation: The customer must agree that the reviewed processes meet their requirements and where there are gaps, an acceptable solution is identified. During the data migration workshop, we determine the migration objects included in the project scope, the source systems and the migration / replication process that will be used. The project manager confirms that the resulting scope is still aligned with the Statement of Work. If it is not, then a change order must be executed.
Integration Preparation
- Integration prerequisites confirmation: We compare the recommended system requirements document with the customer’s IT infrastructure and make any necessary system, security and infrastructure changes. Afterwards, we review master data replication and business scenario data synchronisation requirements during the integration workshop(s) to confirm the systems of record and data flow directions. This is also how we confirm the fields that will be integrated and where necessary, we complete the mapping. If non-standard fields or new integration are required, a change order may be necessary.
Finetune, Integrate & Extend
All stakeholders agree that the business scenarios in the solution meet the requirements to be delivered by the project and that all configuration questions have been addressed. Any required extensions have been identified and solved.
Project Management
- Project execution: We continue to hold status meetings, update the project schedule and track any issues and risks.
- Q-Gate execution: All stakeholders agree that the business scenarios demonstrated in the solution meet the requirements to be delivered by the project and that all configuration questions have been addressed.
Project Team Enablement
- Project team enablement: We complete key user self-enablement via documentation and other materials. In order to assure this, we hold various solution workshops to supplement the enablement of the key users, such as system administration, analytics and / or other functional topics. Just prior to initiating solution testing activities, we hold the incident management workshop to prepare key users for logging incidents with SAP Support.
Solution Configuration
- System configuration: We finalise the scoping questions in the test tenant based on business requirements obtained during the business scenario, system administration and other workshops. We configure the solution by working through the finetuned activities, using the key user tools to adapt forms and / or UIs, and finalising other system administrator settings such as the single sign-on and printing process. We also setup the mobile devices so that they can communicate with the system. Then we configure the connections to other systems such as Jam, SAP ERP, SAP CRM, knowledge databases, online booking tools, etc.
- Configuration testing: Testing the configured settings with sample data to ensure that the end-to-end processes works as expected is a major part of testing.
Solution Walkthrough
- Solution walkthrough: We’ll demonstrate the configured solution, gather feedback and update configuration as needed. The demonstration is preferably driven by the customer’s key users, but alternatively can be delivered by SAP. When the configuration cannot yet be completed due to dependencies on other systems / providers, the project manager may decide on a case-by-case basis to provide a conceptual walkthrough instead so that the Q-Gate can be completed.
Verify & Test
The solution has been fully configured and verified through test plans. All issues are resolved and data, people and system have been confirmed as fit for go-live transition. All stakeholders are informed and ready for production cut-over.
Project Management
- Project execution: We continue to hold status meetings, update the project schedule and track any issues and risks.
- Q-Gate execution: All stakeholders agree that the systems, data and people are ready to execute the cutover from the legacy system(s) to the new system.
Data Migration
- Data preparation: We cleanse and extract the data from legacy systems. When necessary, we populate the data migration templates.
- Data migration testing: We load all customer data into the test tenant to proactively identify and resolve issues with the data, mapping, etc. before cutting over to the production tenant.
Integration Setup
- Integration setup in test tenant: We perform standard integration setup in the cloud test tenant and all connecting systems.
- Integration setup in production tenant: Once the integration is fully tested in the test tenant, we perform the standard integration setup in the cloud production tenant and all connecting systems.
Solution Testing
- Solution test preparation: We prepare the test plan based on the end-to-end scenarios in scope, including all output settings, critical analytics, integration, extensibility, etc. Then we assign resources to the steps in the test plan and schedule them accordingly.
- Solution test adjustments and extension: We may modify test plans where found inadequate during the test phase based on the end-to-end scenarios in scope, including all output settings, critical analytics, integration, extensibility, etc.
- Solution test execution: Then we execute test scenarios as defined in the test plan and document the results. All issues are logged. We then resolve identified issues and retest the end-to-end scenario. This is often an iterative process that involves updates to the configuration, data, integration and / or SDK content.
Cutover Planning
- Cutover preparation: Acclimation develops a detailed cutover schedule, identifying all tasks required for a successful transition from the legacy system(s) to the new SAP cloud solution. We assign resources to tasks in the cutover schedule and schedule them accordingly. When the integration is in scope, we begin to prepare the production infrastructure with the applicable prerequisites that were applied to the test environment during the preparation phase. After the solution testing is complete and all configuration is finalised, we provide the cloud production tenant.
Go-Live
Data migration of the production data is completed, the client’s staff takes responsibility for management and operations of the solution. All stakeholders are informed of the go-live and the SAP Business ByDesign tenant is set to complete and released to production.
Project Management
- Project execution: We continue to hold status meetings, update the project schedule and track any issues and risks.
- Delivery to support handover: The SAP Support will contact the customer and manage the handover.
- Project close out: We sign the acceptance protocol document, stating that the contracted services are fully delivered. Then we close the implementation project in the cloud production tenant. Lastly we submit the internal go-live announcement and trigger the close of the service order in CRM.
- Q-Gate execution: All stakeholders agree that the cutover is complete and the organisation is prepared to use and the support the new solution.
Solution Adoption
- Adoption preparation: Develop a transition plan for impacted roles which includes an internal support process, a training plan for end users and the necessary materials to execute the rollout of the new SAP cloud solution.
- Adoption execution: Execute the transition and training plans and communicate the internal support process. Monitor solution adoption after go-live to proactively address concerns.
Cutover Execution
- Production system preparation: Execute the tasks as per the cutover schedule to prepare the production tenant for operational use. This includes loading all data and verifying its accuracy and completeness.
Go-live
- Begin entering live transactions in the cloud production tenant. Set the SAP cloud production tenant live so that SAP Support is aware that it is being used operationally.
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