The Fit-to-Standard Analysis workshops are an essential part of making sure the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition system fits the customer's needs. In these workshops, the partner line of business (LoB) configuration experts demonstrate the SAP standard business processes the customer executive sponsors have selected on the Digital Discovery Assessment to customer LoB experts who are responsible for the job tasks covered in each business process.
"Fit-to-Standard" means "fitting" or teaching the customer LoB experts how the standard business processes work in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition system. The customer LoB experts are in the best position to identify small changes that may be necessary to make the system work for their requirements.
We are not rebuilding entire business processes here, but we can make small changes to tailor the standard processes to what the customer requires.
It's important to remind the customer LoB experts that any change to a standard process is going to create more maintenance work for the organization through future release upgrades, so we are only looking for critical requirements that are absolutely necessary for the customer LoB experts to be able to accomplish their job tasks in SAP S/4HANA Cloud after go-live.
Important activities in the Prepare phase
In the Prepare phase of an SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition implementation, project teams focus on setting the foundation for upcoming workshops. This phase involves reviewing initial assessments, gathering requirements, and ensuring the technical environment is ready for the Fit-to-Standard Analysis.
Review the Digital Discovery Assessment
The Digital Discovery Assessment (DDA) serves as the primary source for the project scope. Partner Line of Business (LoB) configuration experts must review the DDA to identify the specific business processes and integrations selected for their area of expertise.
While LoB experts focus on their specific functional areas, the partner lead configuration expert is responsible for cross-functional topics. These include the organizational structure and Human Capital Management (HCM) workshops.
Additionally, Finance configuration experts must specifically address the Chart of Accounts workshop to ensure the financial core is properly defined.
Gather Business-Driven Configuration Questionnaire (BDCQ) Responses
The BDCQ process ensures that the project team understands the customer's specific business requirements before workshops begin. Partner LoB configuration experts follow these steps:
- Identify Customer Experts: Work with the customer project manager to identify two to four employees (customer LoB experts) for each business process. These individuals should represent the business roles covered by the scoped processes.
- Conduct Meetings: Schedule and lead meetings with these customer experts to complete the BDCQ responses. This data provides the necessary context to personalize the starter system for later demonstrations.
Prepare for Fit-to-Standard Analysis Workshops
Thorough preparation for Fit-to-Standard workshops ensures that the sessions are productive and focused on standard SAP best practices. Partner LoB configuration experts are responsible for the following activities:
- Organize Sessions: Group one to three related business processes into individual workshops and invite the relevant customer LoB experts.
- Develop Presentation Material: Create a presentation deck for each workshop. Each session should begin with a brief overview of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition to explain why the customer's active participation is vital to the project's success.
- Access Documentation: Download the latest test scripts for each process from the SAP Signavio Process Navigator.
- Prepare the Starter System: Create test users for every business role involved in the scoped processes.
- Verify System Readiness: Before the workshop, run through each test script in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud starter system using the new test users. This step confirms that the processes work as expected and that the environment is ready for demonstration.
Important Activities in the Explore Phase
In the Explore phase of an SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition implementation, the primary goal is to conduct the Fit-to-Standard Analysis workshops. These sessions validate the solution's scope and identify any configuration or extensibility requirements.
Deliver Fit-to-Standard Analysis Workshops
For every business process in scope, Partner Line of Business (LoB) configuration experts perform the following tasks:
- Review Process Documentation: Demonstrate how to access essential resources - such as process flows, test scripts, and tutorials - within the SAP Signavio Process Navigator.
- Demonstrate the Solution: Execute the business process in the starter system by following the standard procedures outlined in the test scripts.
- Discuss Process Fit: Collaborate with customer LoB experts to determine how well the standard SAP Best Practices align with the customer’s business needs.
- Document Requirements: Capture and record any specific configuration or extensibility requirements in SAP Cloud ALM.
- Finalize Configuration Values: Gather any remaining responses for the Business-Driven Configuration Questionnaire (BDCQ) to ensure all necessary data is available for the Realize phase.
- Assess Change Impact: Collect feedback regarding the perceived impact of the new system on business users. These insights are shared with the Change Management Team to prepare for user adoption.
Independent System Exploration
Following the workshops, the focus shifts to hands-on validation by the customer:
- System Access: Partner LoB configuration experts provide the customer experts with their test user credentials and starter system login information.
- Hands-on Testing: Customer LoB experts log into the starter system to independently test and familiarize themselves with the processes demonstrated during the workshops. This ensures a deeper understanding of the system's functionality before moving into the configuration phase.
Important Activities in the Realize Phase
During the Realize phase, the focus shifts to building the actual solution based on the requirements gathered during the Explore phase. This involves technical configuration, resolving customization needs, and conducting rigorous testing to ensure the system is ready for the customer.
Implement Configurations and Customizations
In this phase, the project team builds the solution in the development environment. Partner Line of Business (LoB) configuration experts are responsible for the following:
- Activate Content: Use SAP Central Business Configuration to activate the scoped business process content and enter the specific configuration values identified in the BDCQs.
- Address Customization Requirements: Identify resolutions for the customization and extensibility requirements that were documented in SAP Cloud ALM during the Fit-to-Standard workshops.
- Execute Builds: Perform the necessary configurations and customizations in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud development system tenants.
- Requirement Management: As each item is completed and verified, close the corresponding requirement in SAP Cloud ALM to maintain an accurate record of project progress.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and Sign-off
User Acceptance Testing is the final validation that the configured system meets the business requirements. This process involves a collaborative effort between the partner and the customer:
- Test Preparation: Partner LoB configuration experts set up manual test cases in SAP Cloud ALM that reflect the customer's specific business scenarios and customizations.
- Conduct UAT: The partner invites the customer LoB experts - the same individuals who participated in the Fit-to-Standard workshops - to test the configured processes. This ensures that those who defined the requirements are the ones validating the solution.
- Formal Documentation: Customer LoB experts execute the test cases and document their formal sign-off directly in SAP Cloud ALM, confirming that the solution is fit for purpose and ready for the next stage of the implementation.