General Maintenance for SAP Solution Manager 7.1 is running out by end of 2017. SAP Solution Manager 7.2 has been available since August 2016. Now is a good time to take a look at what SAP Solution Manager 7.2 has to offer and what options you have. I will “
Assess the new Solution Documentation tools” and “
Assess the Business Blueprint options in SAP Solution Manager” at the Managing your SAP Projects event in Copenhagen and Las Vegas. I also will discuss “
Building a business case and road map for your SAP S/4HANA implementation” in my preconference session.
Quo Vadis Business Blueprint?
“SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is ideal for S/4HANA” is a statement I hear regularly at conferences and seminars. What does this mean for customers who are “still” using ECC 6.0 or older SAP versions? That is one of the key questions I will answer in my SAP Solution Manager Sessions in Copenhagen. I will also discuss how we can start our Solution Documentation for ECC 6.0 and older SAP ERP versions and prepare for a future S/4HANA Migration/Implementation in the most efficient manner. Since 2005, I’ve worked with customers in the US to establish a Business Blueprint or Solution Documentation in SAP Solution Manager. Starting out with MS Excel Uploads based I now use a cloud-based Process Modeler to create the json File needed by SAP Solution Manager 7.2. There are different ways to create your Business Blueprint, and I will take a look at the options and discuss the pros and cons.
No matter which option you use, the most critical topic is how to keep the documentation up-to-date. We’ve seen it in the past and tools alone will not improve the situation either. Documentation typically comes as the last step in a project, if at all, and stale documentation is not only worth less but worthless when it comes to upgrade and test preparation. If you can’t rely on your documentation, you are playing with fire! It might require some training and discussions to change some of the current procedures and mindsets to build and maintain a sustainable Solution Documentation in SAP Solution Manager.
SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is relatively young but not everything has changed. There are many changes in the Solution Documentation area and some features from Solution Manager 7.1 are no longer available in 7.2 (i.e. Solution Documentation Assistant and RBPD or Reverse Business Process Documentation). In version 7.2, SAP has changed/updated their terminology from Business Blueprint to Solution Documentation and from Business Blueprint Generator to Library Generation Cockpit. The new terminology is more accurate, since the Business Blueprint Generator actually generates the library, not a business blueprint.
I invite every customer and partner interested in Solution Manager 7.2 to participate in
SAP’s Customer Influence program. SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is pretty stable, sleeker than 7.1, but still with room for improvement.
It is a jungle out there!
Together with Windie Wilson from SAP, I will take a look at the accelerators and tools available from SAP to help you build a business case and road map for an S/4HANA implementation. There is no lack of offerings for S/4HANA Migrations or Implementations, and we will outline when to use which offering and what synergies can be taken advantage of. Windie and I have prepared a slide presentation, but will also spend an hour on LIVE Demos to provide real life examples and encourage detailed discussions.
SAP STAR+ (
System
Transformation,
Assessment &
Realignment) is the program which is aligned with Value Assurance, Digital Transformation Engagement and accelerates Total Cost of Operations and Industry Value Engineering offerings. SAP also offers self-service tools like Business Scenario Recommendation, Transformation Navigator, S/4HANA Readiness check and Pathfinder, which will be discussed as well. SAP STAR+ is a High Value and Low Touch tool-based program from SAP. The IBIS HANA Innovation Analysis, the RBE Plus System and Process Usage Analysis provide the fact-based and objective input for SAP STAR+. Quantifiable facts, reduced effort and time are the direct results of this analysis. Instead of filling out multiple questionnaires and answering system and process-related questions, SAP STAR+ keeps the burden on the customer low and enables detailed workshops with well-prepared participants. Forget generic value statements and non-specific business cases and project plans. SAP STAR+ will utilize your system information and your input to propose tailored roadmaps and recommendations.
Hope to see you in Copenhagen and Las Vegas. Save Euro 550 by 29
th of September to register for
Copenhagen