Fit-to-Standard workshops are a critical component of the Explore phase. As a line of business (LoB) configuration expert, your goal is to guide customer experts through standard processes, validate scope, and gather the data necessary for system configuration.
The Importance of Customer Expertise
While executive sponsors make purchasing decisions, customer LoB experts are the primary users who perform day-to-day tasks. Their participation is vital because they are best positioned to:
- Evaluate how business processes align with daily operations.
- Identify where specific, business-critical adjustments are necessary.
- Validate that the final solution will support the organization's goals.
Note
Setting the Stage: The Mini Kick-Off
Since many customer experts may not have been involved in the initial project kick-off during the Prepare phase, every workshop should begin with a "mini kick-off." This ensures everyone understands the project's context and the Cloud Mindset.
Key topics for your Mini Kick-Off include:
- Purpose: Explain that they are here to validate that SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition supports their business tasks.
- The Cloud Mindset: Emphasize that the project follows standard processes as closely as possible. This minimizes complexity, reduces maintenance effort, and ensures smooth future release upgrades.
- Participation Value: Reiterate that their feedback ensures a smooth transition to the new system.
- Project Timeline: Briefly explain that the project is in the Explore phase of the SAP Activate methodology and that their input today will drive the configuration in the Realize phase.
Adopting the Cloud Mindset
In a public cloud environment, the strategy is to adopt standard processes rather than rebuilding them.
- Avoid Customization: Deviating from the standard increases the long-term maintenance burden. For example, even a single custom field requires checking for deprecations during every semi-annual release.
- Identify "Need to Have" vs. "Nice to Have": A true business requirement is essential for operations, such as a missing data point required for a mandatory regulatory report.
- Extensibility Hierarchy: If a change is essential, prioritize in-app tools for lifecycle-stable extensions. Use SAP Business AI Platform for side-by-side extensions only when necessary, and always avoid backend customizations when possible.
Leveraging Documentation and Support
Remind users that they are not alone in this transition. Comprehensive resources are available to help them relearn tasks in the new system:
- SAP Signavio Process Navigator: Provides process flow diagrams, test scripts, and tutorials. Using standard processes ensures this documentation remains accurate for the customer.
- Embedded Learning: Within SAP S/4HANA Cloud, users can select the Help (question mark) icon and then the Learning (graduation cap) icon to access context-sensitive tutorials and simulations.
- Joule: Within SAP S/4HANA Cloud, users can select the diamond icon in the top right corner to access Joule and ask for help, or give Joule tasks to complete if the corresponding assistants and agents have been enabled.
Mini Kick-Off: Presentation Topics
The Mini Kick-Off ensures all participants - especially those who may have missed the project start - understand their role and the project's goals.
- Why are you here today?
- Context: Your organization has purchased SAP S/4HANA Cloud PUblic Edition.
- Objective: As experts in your respective business process areas, your role is to validate that each scoped process effectively supports your daily operations and requirements.
- What is the "Cloud Mindset"?
- Standardization: We prioritize using standard processes to minimize maintenance and ensure seamless future upgrades.
- Extensibility: If a business-critical change is required, we'll find a method of addressing it, but we're not rebuilding processes or building custom processes from scratch directly in the system.
- Why is your participation essential?
- Expert Insight: You are the primary users of the system. You are best qualified to critically review the processes and ensure the configuration supports a smooth business transition.
- Validation: Your feedback directly shapes how the system is set up to meet functional needs.
- Where are we in the implementation process?
- Current Phase: Explore, using the SAP Activate Methodology.
- Next Steps:
- Realize Phase: The information gathered today will be used to configure your specific system.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): You will eventually test the configured sytem to confirm your feedback was implemented correctly.
- Deploy Phase: Moving the validated solution into live production.
- Agenda: Processes we'll cover today
- [List the business process(es) scheduled for demonstration]
- [List the business roles involved in today's session]
Fit-to-Standard Analysis: Presentation Topics
Use the following structure to guide your presentation and ensure all technical and functional requirements are captured.
- Navigate to SAP Signavio Process Navigator to demonstrate how to access and use the official process documentation.
- Process Flow Diagrams: Show the visual step-by-step representation of the business process.
- Test Scripts: Demonstrate how to download the test script.
- Tutorials: If available, point out the guided tutorial for the business process.
- Navigate to the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Starter System to demonstrate the business process from start to finish.
- Test Procedures: Execute the steps directly from the downloaded Test Script to show how the standard process works.
- Embedded Support: Demonstrate how to use the Help (question mark) and Learning (graduation cap) icons to access context-sensitive help and tutorials.
- Joule: Where users can ask questions in plain language, find relevant business information, and complete supported tasks through the interface.
- Use the Business Driven Configuration Questionnaire (BDCQ) to gather remaining configuration values.
- Validate Level 2 (L2) Responses: Confirm the high-level configuration information gathered prior to the workshops.
- Gather Level 3 (L3) Responses: Collect the detailed configuration values required for the business process to function properly.
- Document and prioritize requirements in SAP Cloud ALM.
- Key User In-App Extensibility:
- Are custom fields required within specific process apps?
- Is custom logic needed to trigger specific business actions?
- Do output forms (PDFs) or email templates require custom branding (logos, headers, footers)?
- Do analytical apps require custom views or additional data columns?
- Integrations:
- Validate known integrations relevant to the current business process originally captured in the Digital Discovery Assessment (DDA)
- Capture any additional integrations (if relevant) that were not previously documented in the DDA.
- Business Role Customization: Who is the "data owner" in your business area? In other words, who do you ask when you need additional permission assigned?
Note
The line of business (LoB) configuration expert will need to set up a separate meeting with this "data owner" to define custom business roles and restrictions for their LoB. The standard business roles in the Starter System used for the Fit-to-Standard workshops are for demonstration purposes only and should never be used in a customer's productive system.
- Key User In-App Extensibility:
- Assess percieved change impact from participants.
- Will colleagues require specialized training beyond the standard scripts and tutorials?
- What potential challenges might the team face when moving to the new system?
Note
Share these insights with the Change Management Team to help them refine the user adoption strategy. - Hands-on exploration opportunity for customers in the Starter System.
- Provide the Starter System link and test user credentials.
- Encourge customer experts to independently test the processes demonstrated in the session to build familiarity and confidence.
Documenting Requirements in SAP Cloud ALM during Fit-to-Standard Analysis Workshops
During Fit-to-Standard Analysis workshops, it is recommended that two partner LoB configuration experts collaborate. One expert leads the demonstrations and discussions, while the second expert documents requirements in SAP Cloud ALM. These requirements identify the gaps between standard SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition functionality and specific customer business needs.
To record these requirements in SAP Cloud ALM, open the Processes app and select the relevant business process from your scope. Click Create and select Requirement. Ensure each requirement is documented individually. You can view the complete list later in the Requirements app.
After completing the workshops, the project moves into the Realize phase of SAP Activate. At this stage, the lead configuration expert creates projects in SAP Central Business Configuration for the development system tenants. They then activate the finalized business processes, define the organizational structure, and set the primary finance parameters.
During the product-specific configuration phase in SAP Central Business Configuration, partner LoB experts enter the values collected from the Business Driven Configuration Questionnaires (L2 and L3). Finally, they resolve the open requirements from SAP Cloud ALM within the development system customizing tenant.