Job Aid

ASAP Roadmap Enhancements

Purpose: Use this job aid to examine the changes that have been made to enhance ASAP Roadmap.

1. SolMan and changes to ASAP

AcceleratedSAP (ASAP) is the widely accepted implementation methodology developed by SAP for SAP projects. It is based upon standard templates, tools, training, and processes that help a company optimize resources in the implementation of an SAP R/3 system. Because the methodology is based on rigid phases, new deployment methodologies such as Continuous Business Improvement and Evaluation have more recently been created to provide a more flexible approach. SAP Solution Manager (SolMan) was released in 2001 at the same time that SAP released Web Application Server (WebAS). SolMan evolved to include multiple implementation roadmaps and even new content. New templates, a repository for standardized business processes, and enhanced project management tools are some of the improvements. Solution Manager functions as a separate mySAP application system based on SAP WebAS. Whereas SolMan did not ship as part of SAP R/3, it is now included with SAP ERP 6.0, and use of it is now included in maintenance fees. Meanwhile, the basis behind ASAP has changed. With SAP ERP 6.0, ASAP is based on a different four-step process: 1. Project Preparation 2. Business Blueprint 3. Configuration 4. Testing

1. Project Preparation
In the Project Preparation phase, you define the project and set up the system landscape. This phase roughly aligns with the project preparation phase in the ASAP methodology of SAP R/3.

2. Business Blueprint
In the Business Blueprint phase, you define the SAP solution based on SAP processes. Defining the solution in this way aids in the overall documentation of the implementation from a project management perspective because it more clearly ties your business processes to the SAP solution you're implementing. This phase roughly aligns to the original ASAP business blueprint phase. Using SolMan greatly eases the process by providing the Business Process Repository (BPR) which includes relevant documents, transactions, and configuration support based on specific business scenarios, and has seen multiple improvements between SAP R/3 and ERP 6.0.

3. Configuration
In the Configuration phase, you configure business processes and coordinate customizations to match particular business processes to SAP best practices settings. Based on the documentation developed during the Business Blueprint phase, this is accomplished in two sub-phases: baseline configuration, which defines approximately 80% of your specific configuration, and fine-tuning, the remaining approximately 20% of your specific documentation which was not covered in the baseline configuration It is also during this phase that you begin working through the SAP Implementation Guide (IMG).

4. Testing
In this final phase, you perform testing of all business processes. This includes final testing and what was the Go-Live phase in the original ASAP methodology.

New roadmaps in SAP ERP 6.0

SAP continues to evolve its implementation roadmaps by offering new methodologies as new products are developed. Some of the new methodologies include ASAP roadmap for SAP Enterprise Portal ASAP implementation roadmap for SAP Exchange Infrastructure Solution Manager Roadmap Global Template Roadmap, and Upgrade Roadmap

2. Other considerations for SAP ERP 6.0

When defining your project team, you typically want to have experts from various fields. With SAP ERP 6.0, you must consider adding the Java developer as a consideration because SAP ERP now supports the Java stack along with the ABAP stack. In addition, you should also consider a WebAS expert because WebAS is now the underlying platform under NetWeaver. In SAP R/3 implementations, it was the Basis application server that was of main concern.
Course: SAP Project Planning and Implementation Topic: The Project Preparation Phase

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