ASAP- Accelerated SAP

Vanessa Hong

What is ASAP? What is ASAP Methodology?

ASAP, accelerated SAP implement, means to go through the SAP implementation process

efficiently. Accelerated SAP Methodology is proven, repeatable and successful approach to

implement SAP solutions across industries and customer environments. Accelerated SAP

provides content, tools and expertise from thousands of successful implementations. Based

Accelerated SAP (ASAP) Implementation Methodology, there is a timeline which includes five

paths.

1. Project Preparation

2. Business Blueprint

3. Realization

4. Final Preparation

5. Go Live & Support

1. Project Preparation

In the first phase, Project Preparation, it will begin building up a core project team to go

through the whole implement process. In this stage, the objectives should be providing initial

planning and preparation for the project. The activities in this level are developing core team

training plan, defining a change management strategy and plan that identifies key change

management activities and support tasks by ASAP phase. In addition, the core team will design

communication strategy and plan which will include goals and objectives, principles,

stakeholders, approach, themes, messages, channels, communication vehicles as well as

measures of success. Designing implementation communication plan which will include what

to communicate to whom, by whom, through what and at what time will be done in this level.

The core team will design project measurement strategy and plan which will support project

management in the development of a project measurement scorecard at the same time. To

develop project logo and project initiation which is to design a project brand and logo that

coordinate the project kickoff is an activity that will be done in this phase too. The project team

may start to order initial hardware. The key deliverables are providing high-level project plan,

and organizing the project team. All the things happen in this period are about preparation.

2. Business Blueprint

In the second phase, Business Blueprint, the project team will provide formula which is about

the detail of the implementation project. The objective goal is to achieve a common

understanding of how the company intends to run SAP to support their business. The result is

the Business Blueprint, a detailed documentation of the results gathered requirements workshops.

The project team should provide Business Blueprint, workshop, and prototype. In this level, the

project team should have implement and modify communication plan which is based in interim

feedback. The team should develop a roles strategy establishing the process by which role

profiles will be developed, validated, and tracked and establishing the process by which end user

will be matched to roles.

In addition, the team should conduct a training needs analysis to assess training needs by

functional area, by organizational operating unit, by ERM functionality. The team will develop

an end user training strategy to correspond with other project activities such as design
documentation development. The learning solutions strategy will address building, delivering

the learning solution. At the same time, the project team can design a super user strategy

outlining which include super user’s role and responsibilities, selection criteria and training

requirements. The key deliverables in this path are the business process definition/ flow

diagram what are used as input into configuration during Realization Phrase, and FRICE (Form,

Report, Interface, Conversion, and Enhancement) control list.

3. Realization

The next phase, Realization, which is to implement all the business process requirements base

on the Business Blueprint. In this level, the project team should have activities as follow, unit

test; integration test; FRICE developments, data cleaning, preparation, collection, validation and

testing; train the trainer, such as process owner and super users. The project should develop

end user training in accordance with the end user training strategy. The core team should work

with process teams to segment work processes into roles, develop jobs and determine key

behaviors/ pre-required to sustain performance as well. The job role development should work

with process teams and security to develop job role profiles identifying role based training,

responsibilities, and job impact table. The project team will form job matching teams to assess

end users skills, match employees to redesigned jobs and validate job role profiles. The key

deliverable in this stage is final user acceptance.

4. Final Preparation

In the forth phase, Final Preparation, it will complete the final preparation which include

testing, end user testing, system management and cutover activities, to finalize the readiness to
go live. In addition, this step will resolve all critical open issues, on successful completion in

the live SAP system. The main activities in this level will be final system rehearsal which is to

implement and monitor site specific communication plan. Modify plan based in interim feedback.

The core team will communicate job role profiles to end users. At the same time, the core team

will roll out training and will coincide with transition phasing to minimize the delay between

receipts of training and actual use of the new functionality. Additionally, in this level the

project team will cutover and set up help desk support preparation.

5. Go Live & Support

In the last path, Go Live & Support, project team should move from a project pre-production

environment to live production operation. The main activities in this level will be conduct sites

specific implementation OCM activity. The project team will integrate new organizational

chart and job profile information performance management system. In addition, the help desk

will support end user. The important issue of after implementation is to review system

processes and continuous improvement which means the core team will design high level

structure, job hierarchy, role, responsibilities and performance metrics for post implementation

support personal.

Lessons learned from the ERP implementation decisions presentation

In the lessons we have learned about timeline that module implementation can be done in

three ways. In phases, there are three ways to do the implementation process, roll out, big-bang,

and mini big bang. Phased (Roll out), modules are implemented in a step wise manner, one
module at one time. Big bang, all the modules are implemented together in once. Mini big

bang, which is a combination of both of Phased and Big bang, like a bunch of key modules

implemented in big bang and then subsequent roll outs.

Pro's and Con's:

Phased (roll out)

- Chances of successive modules implemented being less unique

- Lose out on standardization with different modules implemented at different times

- Lingering implementation, could take long time

- Implementing one module after another enables opportunity to learn from drawbacks of

previous module implementation and make changes as needed for the consequent

module implementation

Big bang

- More uniqueness and standard in each module implemented

- Lesser timeframe (comparatively)

- Rapid process

- Risk of all modules being implemented at one go, could lead to encountering of lots of

changes to both system and processes.

Before the SAP system implementation process, staff/ resources issues are as follow:

Brainstorm and consider following questions:

 - Will the company require consultants for the implementation?

- Who and how many people must be involved in house?

- Should the company consider outsourcing the ERP implementation?

- How many people in house and from outside should form the project team?

In the implementation process, the company should consider about customization level.

The company has to choose appropriate customization level, depending on company size,

processes, market presence and culture. In general, there are three types of 'Technical

Customization'- system customized to fit the process

- Module selection: companies choose to implement 1 or more modules keeping the

default configuration provided by the ERP vendors (requires minimum alterations, suits

small scale companies better)

- Table configuration: select configuration options in the tables so that the system fits

organizational needs

- Code customization: source code of the ERP system is altered, the functionality is

broadened, or a new interface is developed to allow the ERP system to interact and

connect with other systems. This provides for the greatest flexibility in adapting the

system to organizational needs and allows integrating the ERP system with other

production systems. At the same time, it’s also a high risk in terms of up gradation,

support, failure as well as results in higher costs.

On the other hand, there are three types of 'Process customization': degree to which the

business process is changed to fit the system.

 - No change: involves only changes in tasks and resources, but no changes in relationships

amongst tasks and configurations of resources.

- Incremental change: improvements made not only in tasks and resources, but also in

relationships among tasks and resources (example, Total Quality Management)

- Radical change: involves the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of the elements

in a business process (example, Business Process Reengineering)

In the class, we have learned about SAP Implementation and Consultants, such as how to handle

consultant during an SAP implementation, proper selection base on experience and overall

knowledge, and how not to let them (the consultants) take over the implementation.

Conclusion

In the class lessons, we have learned since Accelerated SAP (ASAP) implementation is such a

complex process; the company should understand the concept of it and know if they have to

implement the system, and go through the process. ASAP implementation Methodology has

clear roadmap that helps the company going their SAP implementation project. During the

ASAP implementation process, communication is always the most important key to lead the

success.