Creating a Strategy and Plan Document

You must have the category manager role and be assigned to a specific category and region to develop a category strategy and plan.

Creating a strategy and plan has a specific workflow:

1. Category Analysis: This step involves evaluating the information gathered about the category and assessing the insights available within the company. The goal is to develop category objectives, identify value levers, and determine the necessary initiatives.
2. Market Analysis: This section presents insights from analysts regarding the category in the external market. This information will aid in strategizing and enhancing sourcing efforts.
3. Strategy: In this phase, outline the tactics that will be employed to achieve the category goals.
4. Approval: Assess alignment with stakeholders. Determine if they have any input that should be considered to enhance the strategy further.

In this video, Alex explains the value of creating strategy and plan documents in SAP Ariba Category Management.

To create a strategy and plan document, follow these steps:

1. Choose the Develop Strategy and Plan app from the SAP Ariba Category Management home page.
2. Choose a Category that shows the Status as Active and Access as Not Restrictive. You can either search for a category or expand All.
3. Select the category, then choose Create.
4. Name the plan, select the Strategy Start Date, the Strategy End Date, and the Region.
5. Choose Create.

The newly created plan now resides in the Strategy and Plan Documents table. As others are developing strategies and plans, you will see various statuses that describe the plan’s state of being. Those statuses are described in the following table:

Once your plan is created, click its name to populate the cards with the necessary information.

While some cards are optional, others are mandatory for your specific category. These mandatory cards, designated by the category manager Administrator, must be completed. You also have the option to add additional, optional tools as needed.

To add optional tools:

1. Within your plan, choose Manage Tools at the top right corner of your window.
2. Find the optional tools for each phase you want to add and select the radio button. This will move the button to the right and display a check. Repeat this step for every tool you want to display. Note: You cannot remove mandatory tools.
3. Choose OK.

For additional options, select the three dots:

Creating a strategy and plan document in SAP Ariba is a structured process that requires the category manager role and assignment to a specific category and region. Only one active strategy can exist for each category-region combination, and activating a new strategy automatically completes the previous one. The workflow includes several phases:

1. Category Analysis: This step involves evaluating internal information about the category to formulate objectives, identify value levers, and define necessary initiatives.
2. Market Analysis: Here, external market insights assist in enhancing sourcing efforts by providing strategic intel.
3. Strategy Development: Tactics are outlined to achieve the goals set for the category.
4. Approval: The strategy is aligned with stakeholders, incorporating their input to further refine the plan.

To create the strategy plan, use the Develop Strategy and Plan app from the SAP Ariba home page. Select an active category and define the plan's name, dates, and region. Once created, click the plan's name to populate mandatory and optional information cards specified by the category manager Administrator. These cards contain tools necessary for executing different phases of the plan.

Optional tools can be added by selecting Manage Tools in the plan interface, where you can choose and activate desired tools by clicking the corresponding radio buttons. Mandatory tools cannot be removed.