Analysis of Fiori applications – Production Planning LOB

Fiori is a new SAP User interface offers a simplified and unified user experience that will at least partly replace standard SAP transactions. The standard Fiori apps are more of plug and operate for the end user and it does not require much  effort which are developed on user interface framework, UI5. SAP lists three types of Fiori applications

• Transactional apps: Allows users to perform SAP transactions on mobile devices as well as on desktops. For example Scheduling MRP runs, Maintaining MRP controllers, release production orders
• Fact sheets: Display information of key business objects in SAP. Display production orders, Production order confirmations.
• Analytical apps: Allows to display key performance measures and other aggregate information about the business.

SAP Fiori design principles:There are five design principles for SAP user UI5 that decompose the different SAP transactions into simple task based UI applications.Role based – SAP has decomposed various SAP transactions that show the most relevant information to the user. For example in manufacturing the roles defined are material planner, production planner, and production operator and master data specialist. Material planner role will be to maintain MRP controller, manage internal and external requirements, and schedule MRP runs.Responsiveness – When SAP Fiori combined with the power of HANA, the execution time will be unmatchedSimple – SAP advocates a design principle known as 1-1-3. It means 1 user role, 1 user case and maximum three navigation screens.Seamless experience – SAP has provided all the Fiori apps based on the same language and it does not matter on the deployment and platform.Delightful – SAP Fiori was designed to work with S4HANA and ECC 6.0 and easy to deploy, out of the boxApplications that can provide instant value to the customer.Some of the production planning apps are analyzed here to see how best it will be helpful to the material planner of internal and external requirements.Planning Apps:

1. 1.       Monitor internal requirement (F0263)

Monitor internal requirements is a transactional app that provide information that helps to ensure that components are available in right quantity and in time to meet the internal needs resulted from production/process orders, maintenance orders and network orders. This app will be more similar to MDO4 transaction and will be helpful to material planners/MRP controllers

The filters that can be applied select the required information is by component, Planning plant, MRP controller, MRP area, storage location, order type, Material for order, order status etc..

Output screen:

2.       Monitor material coverage/material shortages (F0247)

This transactional app is primarily designed for both external and internal material planner roles. The output of the transactional data can be controlled by using filters Plant, material, MRP area, material type, material group etc…

The outcome of the report display Material, vendor, current stock, shortage quantity, and stock availability, days supply along with the other relevant material-plant and MRP data.

3.       Schedule MRP runs (F1339)

This Transactional app will be useful for material planners to create and schedule a job to execute MRP run. The MRP run has been improved a lot in the last few years, but never eliminated batch runs. But with SAP HANA, it improved manifolds and the MRP can be executed in the foreground using MD01N transaction or can be scheduled using Fiori app

4.      Display MRP key figures (F1426)

With this transactional app, the material planner can view the detailed information on each MRP run such as MRP run status, number of materials planned, documents created, updated and deleted and the duration of MRP run.

5.     Display MRP material issues (F1425):

It is a trasactional app with which the material planner can view the issues of different materials during the last MRP run. The analysis will be helpful to the planner to quickly take corrective action.

6.      Manage external requirements (F0250)

It is a transactional app that monitors the uncovered requirements originating from sales orders and stock transport orders.

Apart from the above planning Apps, some of the apps that will be helpful to material and production planners are

My observation is that these apps are going to be very helpful to material and production planner, but there is a lot of improvement that can be carried out on the screen designs so that it will be more effective for the end user. Some of the apps are of SAP GUI transactional screens and needs to be refined to look better.