SAP Active Quality Management

Driving Excellence in ImplementationsThe Underlying Quality Principles

2Driving Excellence in Implementations

AchIEvIng ExtrAorDInAry rESultS

The 10 Principles of Quality

1. understand the business objectives as well as the technical requirementsThroughout a project, many design and implementation decisions have to be made. All involved parties must fully understand the strategic importance of the project as well as its business objectives, key success criteria, and technical requirements. This will help ensure that the proposed solution meets the specific needs of the business it is to support. The business case for the investment should also be clear to everyone involved.

2. Agree on what can be delivered, in what time frame, and how timely delivery can be ensuredThe timetable, along with the deliver­ables and their respective acceptance criteria, must be agreed upon and signed off by all parties. This will ensure that the implementation is delivered on time and with the expected quality and scope. The impact of implementing the pro­posed solution as well as any changes that occur as the project progresses must be communicated formally. This information will guide decisions con­cerning project scope, setting up the timetable, and adjusting the timetable to keep it realistic and acceptable. Activities and tools must be in place to monitor time, budget, and development of the deliverables.

3. Work cooperatively with all stake-holders to achieve project objectivesEveryone working on the project must be focused on achieving the project’s objectives and must communicate clearly and transparently throughout the implementation. This includes communication with subcontractors, business partners, and the stakeholders in organizations involved in and impacted by the implementation.

4. Apply a suitable project governance model Roles and responsibilities must be de­fined in the initial engagement phase so everyone involved in the project clearly understands the team structure, the lines of communication, and who has the authority to make which decisions. Formal reporting, clear escalation mech­anisms, and a project team empowered to make the necessary decisions in a timely manner are instrumental in achieving project success. Key perfor­mance indicators for the project should be defined and audits scheduled to fulfill compliance requirements.

5. Staff the project with sufficient resources with the right skills and experienceThe project team must receive training up front so they understand the possi­bilities available to them and the impact of their decisions. The skills and compe­tencies of the implementation team members should be reviewed regularly to verify that they continue to meet the demands of the project. Similarly, assess­ments of team members’ commitment and time allocation must be carried out regularly and adjusted if they are not adequate. A project management plan must be maintained to align stakeholders, which also facilitates the onboarding of new resources. 6. Manage the project professionally using a formal methodologyBefore implementation begins, it must be agreed which project standards and methodologies will be used to guide project planning and interaction between team members. The ASAP methodology from SAP or an equivalent proven imple­mentation methodology could contribute valuable support. A project management methodology together with such tools as the SAP® Solution Manager application management solution and backed by industry­recognized project management training and certification would con­tribute to a professionally and efficiently managed implementation.

Achieving extraordinary results isn’t a matter of luck. It requires superior planning and a commitment to the 10 principles of quality detailed below. By applying these 10 principles of quality, you establish predictability in your implementation and keep your effort and achieved business value in the right balance.

3Driving Excellence in Implementations

AchIEvIng ExtrAorDInAry rESultS

The 10 Principles of Quality

7. Identify and manage risks and issues jointlyCareful identification, analysis, and man­agement of risks and issues are key to the success of all implementations. The implementation project should follow a formal risk management process. It should involve all relevant parties – the organizations affected by the implemen­tation as well as implementation part­ners – throughout the implementation phases and should be supported by an effective governance policy. All parties must be prepared to acknowledge risk honestly; committed to recommending pragmatic, rigorous actions to mitigate risk; and ready to help in implementing those recommendations.

8. Develop and execute a quality planEveryone involved must work according to the same quality management plan, which outlines how the quality of all project deliverables will be measured and specifies the review methods and criteria to be used. This plan sets up a neutral framework for evaluating the new software solution and the deliverables against agreed­upon standards. It helps leverage lessons learned in later stages of the implementation, in regional rollouts, and in new implementation projects.

9. Ensure that the project team understands where standard SAP software functionality and industry-specific best practices will best suit its needsBecause the possible configurations of SAP software are so versatile and far reaching, many unique business require­ments can be satisfied through configura­tion alone or the use of solution templates, with no major software modifications necessary. This means that a more sus­tainable solution can be delivered more quickly, at lower risk, and at lower total cost of ownership in the long term. All parties must be aware of the potential offered within the standard SAP software and committed to leveraging it.

10. Achieve operational readiness with training and change management activitiesTraining for the end users, technical staff, and the support organization is key to a successful implementation. Training and communication strategies must be care­fully chosen to prepare end users for wholeheartedly embracing new ways of working. The person responsible for organizational change management should be a long­standing member of the project management team. The impact introducing the new solution will have on employees, partners, customers, and management systems must be discussed. Appropriate assistance must be given to ensure the success of the new solution and new processes it supports. Technical staff and support teams must be proper­ly trained to maintain and support the SAP software environment, although seasoned resources with past experience in operations should also be included in the teams.

“The principles of quality provide customers, partners, and SAP with an effective implementation framework that leads to success.”Henrik Wilken, Vice President, Active Quality Management Customer Care, SAP

4Driving Excellence in Implementations

IMPlEMEntAtIon ExcEllEncE

Key Areas of Success

Implementation success is the sum of the success achieved in eight different areas – five dealing with transformation success and three specific to technical success.

trAnSforMAtIon SuccESS

1. Architecture and It strategyIs the business strategy aligned with the application landscape and system architecture?

2. Program and project managementHave plans for implementation, work (including data cleansing), resources, and budget been made?

3. functional and integration readinessWas the functional test successful? Were processes and data quality successfully tested end to end?

4. organizational change managementAre key users integrated into the project team? Was the user acceptance test successful? Are the end users well pre­pared and ready? Has data quality been validated?

5. Support readinessIs the operation of the solution optimized in respect to both cost and quality? Is the support organization prepared for soft­ware changes and upgrades? Is the help desk ready to assist end users?

tEchnIcAl SuccESS

6. Solution feasibilityAre business process objectives being met by the new solution? Is the delivery schedule aligned with the project plan?

7. technical readinessAre project milestones feasible and aligned with the cutover plan? Has an operation strategy been worked out for the time period before and after going live? Has the technical integration of core business processes, the solution landscape, and critical interfaces been performed?

8. operational readinessIs the backup and recovery strategy finalized? Has the technical robustness of the production environment been ascertained – covering optimized per­formance, availability, and consistency of core business processes?

Achieving extraordinary results isn’t a matter of luck. It demands superior planning and a commitment to following 10 principles of quality and achieving excellence within 8 key areas of success.

5Driving Excellence in Implementations

rEcognIzIng cuStoMEr AchIEvEMEntS

In Search of Excellence

SAP’S coMMItMEnt to QuAlIty

Delivering software solutions that bring significant benefits to the business does not just happen. It takes careful planning and execution measured against estab­lished criteria for achieving excellence.

Drawing on the experience of tens of thousands of organizations that have successfully implemented SAP solutions, we developed a set of quality principles and identified key areas of success. These principles have been confirmed as fundamental for achieving excellent results.

A commitment to quality underpins everything we do at SAP. It is a core value of our organization. The focus on quality principles in implementations – rein­forced through effective cooperation among all stakeholders – is intended to help our customers, our partners, and SAP achieve success together.

SAP QuAlIty AWArDS

SAP presents quality awards to celebrate customers who apply these quality princi­ples to manage software implemen tations that meet or exceed their business pro­cess requirements and, in the end, deliver significant business value. The panel of experts who select the winners includes industry experts, primary figures in aca­demia, leading SAP partners, SAP experts, and former quality award winners.

NomINatE Your ProjEct

If you have completed an SAP® software implementation, consider nominating it for a quality award to gain acknowledgement within your organization and recognition externally in the marketplace.

The SAP Quality Awards offer opportunities for winning within a local region or country, and then for a chance to go on and win at the overall regional level for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

For more information about winner benefits, award categories, criteria, and timeline, please visit www.sap.com/qualityawards2012.

www.sap.com/quality

rQ 19104 (12/04) ©2012 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

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