ASAP Methodology

Introduction to ASAP Methodology

Introduction to ASAP Methodology
AcceleratedSAP methodology is proven, repeatable and successful approach to implement SAP solutions across industries and customer environments.
It provides content, tools and expertise from thousands of successful implementations.



Phase 1: Project Preparation :
During this phase the team goes through initial planning and preparation for SAP project.
Define project goals and objectives
Clarify the scope of implementation
Define project schedule, budget plan, and implementation sequence
Establish the project organization and relevant committees and assign resources
Phase 2: Business Blueprint
The purpose of this phase is to achieve a common understanding of how the company intends to run SAP to support their business. Also, to refine the original project goals and objectives and revise the overall project schedule in this phase. The result is the Business Blueprint, a detailed documentation of the results gathered during requirements workshops.
Phase 3: Realization:
The purpose of this phase is to implement all the business process requirements based on the Business Blueprint. The system configuration methodology is provided in two work packages: Baseline (major scope); and Final configuration (remaining scope). Other key focal areas of this phase are conducting integration tests and drawing up end user documentation.
Phase 4: Final Preparation:
The purpose of this phase is to complete the final preparation (including testing, end user training, system management and cutover activities) to finalize your readiness to go live. The Final Preparation phase also serves to resolve all critical open issues. On successful completion of this phase, you are ready to run your business in your live SAP System.
Phase 5: Go Live & Support:The purpose of this phase is to move from a project-oriented, pre-production environment to live production operation. The most important elements include setting up production support, monitoring system transactions, and optimizing overall system performance.
Web-Links for SAP Project Management, ASAP Methodology & Solution Manager

• ASAP Roadmap SAP Helphttp://help.sap.com/saphelp_47x200/helpdata/en/48/623972d55a11d2bbf700105a5e5b3c/content.htm


• ASAP Methodology & ASAP Roadmap - Requires OSS LoginSAP Service Marketplace http://service.sap.com/asap &http://service.sap.com/roadmaps


• Overview of the ASAP methodology Richard W. Vawter, University of Southern California


• http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~anthonyb/itp320/ASAP.ppt


• Implementing SAP R/3 in 21st Century: Methodology and Case Studies Dr. Arzu Baloğlu. Marmara University. www.tojet.net/e-book/SAPBook.pdf


• Implementing SAP R/3 - Book Review Presentations UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY


• http://www.uky.edu/IT/AdminApps/IRISTechPortal/Presentations/Presentations.htm


• SAP Project implementation: Example Project Blueprint & Project CharterUniversity of Tennessee


• http://iris.tennessee.edu/sap_project.htm

ASAP Methodology

ASAP stands for Accelerated SAP methodology which is used to implement and deliver the project efficiently.

The five stages of ASAP methodologies are-

Project plan, Business Blue print, Realization, Final preparation & Go-Live - support.

1. Project Preparation: In this phase the system landscape will be set up.

2. Business Blueprint: It is a detailed documentation of your company's requirements. (I.e. what are the objects we need to develop are modified depending on the client's requirements).

3. Realization: In this only, the implementation of the project takes place (development of objects etc)

And we are involved in the project from here only.

4. Final Preparation: Final preparation before going live i.e. testing, conducting pre-go-live, end user training etc.

End user training is given that is in the client site you train them how to work with the new environment, as they are new to the technology.

5. Go-Live & support: The project has gone live and it is into production. The Project team will be supporting the end users.

The BW ASAP Methodology Implementation Project phases:

1.Project Preparation / Requirement Gathering

2 Business Blueprint

3 Realization

4 Final Preparation

5 GO Live & Support

1. Project Preparation / Requirement Gathering:

Collect requirement thru interviews with Business teams /Core users / Information Leaders.

Study& analyze KPI’s (key figures) of Business process.

Identify the measurement criteria's (Characteristics).

Understand the Drill down requirements if any.

Understand the Business process data flow if any.

Identify the needs for data staging layers in BW – (i.e need for ODS if any)

Understand the system landscape.

Prepare Final Requirements Documents in the form of Functional Specifications containing:

Report Owners,

Data flow,

KPI’s,

Measurement criteria’s,

Report format along with drilldown requirements.

2. Business Blueprint: 

Check Business content against the requirements

Check for appropriate

Info Objects - Key figures & Characters

Check for Info cubes / ODS

Check for data sources & identify fields in source system

Identify Master data

Document all the information in a file – follow standard templates

Prepare final solution

Identify differences (Gaps) between Business Content & Functional

Specification, Propose new solutions/Developments & changes if required at different levels such as Info Objects, Info cube, Data source etc. Document the gaps& respective solutions proposed– follow standard templates

Design& Documentation

Design the ERD & MDM diagrams for each cube & related objects

Design the primary keys/data fields for intermediate Storage in ODS

Design the Data flow charts right from data source up to Cube .

Consider the performance parameters while designing data models

Prepare High level / Low level design documents for each data model. --- follow standard templates

Identify the Roles & Authorizations required and Document it – follow standard templates

Final review of design with core BW users.

Sign off the BBP documents

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.

Functional requirements should cover minimum of the below check list

Business Objectives and Benefits

Business Scope and Events

Business Process Scope

Future state process improvements

Business KPI s

Reporting Requirements

System/Client Strategy Interface Requirements

Source System Mapping

Field availability (Master data + Transaction data)

Transformation details

Data availability frequency

Data availability type

System availability and Outage window

Data load dependencies

History Data Load availability

Data Volume

Data Reconciliation

Data retention

Contingency Planning

Authorizations

Transport Strategy

Capacity /Resource Planning

Gap Analysis

Integration and Policy/SOX consideration

Support– Service Level support /Production support

Change Management

Technical requirements - Take a BI report ,translate functional requirements in to technical design.

Map KF, Characteristics, Free Char, RKF,CKF

3. Realization

Check& Apply Latest Patches/Packages ...in BW & R/3 systems.

Activate/Build& enhance the cubes/ODS as per data model designs...maintain the version documents.

Identify& activate Info objects / Master data info sources / attributes ,prepare update rules

Assign data sources .prepare transfer rules , prepare multi providers . prepare Info packages .

Perform the unit testing for data loads….both for master data & transaction data .

develop& test the end user queries .

Design the process chains ,schedule & test

create authorizations / Roles …assign to users ..and test

Apply necessary patches & Notes if any .

freeze& release the final objects to quality systems

perform quality tests .

Re design if required . (document changes, maintain versions)

4. Final Preparations:

Prepare the final check list of objects to be released .identify the dependencies & sequence of release

Perform Go Live checks as recommended by SAP in production system

Keep up to date Patch Levels in Production system

Test for production scenarios in a pre-production system which is a replica of production system.

Do not encourage the changes at this stage.

Freeze the objects.

5. GO Live & Support:

Keep up to date Patch Levels

Release the objects to production system

Run the set ups in R/3 source system & Initialize Loads in BW

Schedule Batch jobs in R/3 system (Delta loads)

Schedule the process chains in BW.

Performance tuning – on going activity

Enhancements- if any