Summary:
- Q&A with Lois Bruckner – SAP Solution Delivery Center Consulting Manager – to address common questions about SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions
- The business case behind preconfigured ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions
- Start, Deploy, and Run: the project methodology behind rapid-deployment solutions; how it differs from traditional SAP implementations
- Customer tips & challenges
A little bit about me:
Let me introduce myself, my name is Lois Bruckner and I am the Consulting Manager for SAP’s North America Solution Delivery Center, focused on delivering rapid-deployment solutions. In this blog, I will address the 3 most common questions I am asked about SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions.
What are SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions?
Watch this 2 min video for an overview of SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions:
In sum, rapid-deployment solutions are characterized by:
- Predefined content based upon SAP best-practice business processes
- Fixed scope, with certain customer adjustments and options allowed to tailor delivered content to the company’s business situation
- Fixed price based upon the fixed scope
- ‘Out-of-the-box’; step-by-step methodology and accelerators which enable the consulting team and the customer to work intensively together and go live within weeks.
The predefined scope addresses a significant portion of a company’s business requirements. Customers can implement the rapid-deployment solution package as a complete solution, or, can start with the core functionality rapid-deployment solutions deliver as an initial phase of their roadmap, later extending and customizing the solution to cover unique, and/or changing business needs.
The point is: it makes good business sense to start quickly, at a fixed price with low risk of scope creep, and expand as needed, where it will support real competitive differentiation.
What is the project methodology for rapid-deployment solutions?
The methodology is based upon three phases: Start, Deploy, and Run.
The Start phase includes project preparation where SAP consultants and the customer team review the project scope, schedule and milestones, plus establish a governance body. The customer also sets up their landscape and installs the software. Then we conduct an onsite project kick-off meeting to align business users, IT, and the consulting team for the rapid-deployment implementation. Next, in a 1-4 day time span, depending on the package, the consulting team leads an on-site scope-validation workshop, where optional customer adjustments are defined and the scope is finalized.
Once the customer signs off on the scope, the Deploy phase starts. Over a few short weeks (working remotely – i.e. not on the customer’s location) the consulting team activates the solution, builds the customer scope-adjustments, and conducts knowledge-transfer training with the customer core team. Customer representatives then conduct testing to confirm the solution is ready for go-live. Meanwhile, the customer’s technical team prepares for production cut over.
In the Run phase, the customer conducts end-user training leveraging enablement materials and guides from the rapid-deployment solution, and then takes the solution live. Throughout the project, the entire team takes advantage of accelerators such as a pre-built project schedule, pre-written test cases, and business-process documentation. A Step by Step Guide details each step of the methodology, which we follow like clockwork.
And it works! You can see from the chart below that the rapid-deployment methodology can save 40% or more time and effort compared to a similar-scope, traditional project.
What challenges can a customer expect when following the rapid-deployment methodology, and what tips can you offer?
Based upon my experience, it is really important for the governance team to align on and accept the rapid-deployment solutions scope and methodology. There often are additional scope requirements that arise, if not a full laundry list. Being practical about phasing in requirements that go beyond the rapid-deployment scope is key to getting the solution implemented successfully, quickly and within budget, and then prioritizing and addressing new requirements during follow-on phases. This allows the organization to realize the business impact delivered by the rapid-deployment solution quickly, and then motivating the organization to move forward to address new areas, incrementally.
After the customer goes live, it may be advisable to engage SAP consultants to plan for the next phase(s) of the functional and technical roadmap. There are additional, related rapid deployment solutions that can be considered as well (click here for the full list – filter by Industry or Line of Business).
Check out this link to read more.
Follow SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions on Twitter: @SAPRDS
