SAP Activate/ Agile/ Scrum Methodology of SAP Implementation

ASAP (Accelerated SAP) methodology is waterfall method for IT Projects (All five phases are
interdependent on previous phase). We cannot jump on next phase before completion of current phase

Project cost is higher and Mid-size companies don’t want to invest huge implementation cost.

ACTIVATE (Agile or Scrum Methodology): It is low cost methodology to implement SAP in any kind of
industry.

In SAP Activate Methodology; all phases are independent or self-dependent. Second phase is not
dependent on completion of first phase. You can start.

SAP Activate Methodology emphasis on Cross-functional consultants.

SAP Activate is the latest implementation methodology recommended by sap. With the advent of
enhanced business functions, faster deployment, exceptional in-memory platform SAP HANA, SAP
Activate is the preferred implementation methodology (Agile method) rather than the ASAP
methodology (waterfall method) of software implementation.

There are 2 variants of SAP Activate Implementation Methodology:

1. SAP Activate Methodology for On-Premise solutions

2. SAP Activate Methodology for Cloud solution. (Software as a Services)

SAP Activate is an implementation methodology used in SAP S/4HANA and unique combination of 3 core
pillars,

1. SAP Guided configuration

2. SAP Best Practices &
3. Methodology

1. SAP Guided configuration

SAP Activate contains complete and consistent pre-configured best practice scenarios and
functionalities, which speed up the migration path.

The Best Practices includes the following

 Business process Structure with technical steps.

 Accelerates your project implementation.
 Integrated Information with other Cloud solutions, such as Ariba Network, Success Factors
Employee Central.
 Migration documents, which help to migrate your SAP or Non-SAP systems.
 Graphical representation of all the business process.
 Test Automation process in SAP S/4HANA.
 Pre-defined test scripts.

2. Guided Configuration: - It is a set of tools, accelerators, and assets, which helps the
implementation of SAP S/4HANA. Depending upon your landscape (On-Premise or Cloud), there
are a different set of tools.
a. Cloud Edition: - Self-service configuration user interface’s & expert configuration allows best
practice processes to be altered, while expert configuration allows new process to add to
the existing set.

b. On-Premise Edition: - SAP implementation guide and Solution Manager provides

configuration activities to do in-depth custom configuration. SAP best practices provide a set
of rules and best practices for the efficient and effective data migration and integration to
SAP S/4HANA along with many other best ways to configure your own sap standard
 processes. The approach fills the gap between IT group and business for successful S/4HANA
implementation.

3. Methodology: - Above two elements provide real value to your business. In my opinion,
Methodology is the key component for initiating any SAP S/4HANA implementation.

Compared to ASAP & SAP Launch, SAP Activate has the following improvements in the following areas

 Based on the use of SAP Best Practices.

 Only-4 phases - Reduced project lifecycle.
 Not more than 10 key deliverables per phase.
 Replace Blueprint activities with solution validation.
 Agile as a default implementation methodology.

How SAP Activate methodology deployed?

According to different IT leaders and businesses, the roadmap to get to SAP S/4HANA varies in order to
maximize benefits. For example, the client may be new to SAP, or already using SAP legacy system, or
may have a mature SAP landscape that you have to plan to simplify and transform.

There are 3 main adoption roadmaps at these different starting points.

1. New Implementation: - In this situation, you are installing a completely new S/4HANA system
and migrate your data. Most of the clients will benefit from the new implementation of
Industry-leading Business Suite and process simplification based on ready-to-run business
processes.
2. System Conversion: - In this situation, you may already use SAP Business Suite on in-memory
platform SAP HANA, and wants to convert your existing system into a S/4HANA system. Clients
can leverage Rapid Deployment Solution and benefit from migration without any disruption and
reimplementation for existing business processes, re-evaluation of existing business process and
customization over time.
3. Landscape Transformation: -In this situation, we may want to use S/4HANA as your central
finance system or move an application to S/4HANA, or you might want to simplify your existing
system landscape by integrating multiple business processes into one new S/4HANA instance.
Based on your SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server, upgrading to latest
enhancement package and the migration to SAP HANA are supported by services. It has many
other advantages as they would gradually move to S/4HANA with the existing business
processes, can also carve out of single entities of the company to S/4HANA & simplifies the
process.

For each of the above situation, we will take 4 phases of the project lifecycle
 Prepare: - Start with SAP Best Practices.
 Explore: - Move into preassembly, solution validation workshops, rapid prototyping, and delta
backlog.
 Realize: - Iterate delta scope implementation & E2E integration testing.
 Deploy: -Finally phase of project lifecycle where the rollout is done.