Defining the Standardized Framework

The purpose of RISE with SAP Methodology is to give businesses further confidence to go live with predictability and help them apply the full potential of cloud-based innovations. RISE with SAP Methodology uses existing proven implementation best practices such as principles from SAP Activate and the RISE with SAP adoption framework. Customers benefit from expert guidance throughout each stage of their transformation journey, using an extensive array of self-directed and assisted services and tools, all backed by a highly skilled partner ecosystem.

As stated earlier, the RISE with SAP Methodology enables an optimized transformation through:

• Standardized Framework: RISE with SAP Methodology augments the existing SAP Activate roadmap tasks and deliverables by adding activities that focus on gathering important information before the implementation.
• Integrated Toolchain: The integrated toolchain enables streamlined transformation with high-quality outcomes. It is a recommended set of tools to help digitally manage the project and increase transparency and collaboration.
• Expert guidance: Get support from SAP experts and certified partners throughout your project. From the very beginning to ongoing improvements, there's guidance available at every step to ensure your project’s success.

The RISE with SAP Methodology enhances the SAP Activate roadmap by integrating activities crucial for gathering key information before implementation, onboarding the project team, and familiarizing them with clean core activities. This approach ensures improved business agility, shorter upgrade cycles, and quicker adoption of innovative functionalities.

Discover Phase: During this phase, the Digital Discovery Assessment is used to capture vital information, which guides the project and provides insights into the customer's planned journey. The onboarding team, along with customer success managers, play integral roles in this data collection process.

Prepare Phase: SAP's Onboarding Advisor hosts four personalized sessions to introduce the customer and project team, including the Project Manager from the partner or SAP implementation team, to the RISE with SAP Methodology and clean core concepts. Initial system provisioning is triggered via SAP for Me. More webinars and resources from the RISE with SAP Onboarding Resource Center support this phase.

Throughout the implementation phases (Explore, Realize, Deploy, and Run), the Project Manager, whether from the partner or SAP, verifies task completion through Clean Core Quality Gates. These checkpoints include questionnaires managed through SAP Cloud ALM, and upon submission, gather feedback from SAP’s Enterprise Support team. The feedback report provides:

1. Recommendations based on questionnaire responses and
2. System data analysis, which is reviewed with the RISE with SAP Enterprise Architect to maintain optimal system readiness for upgrades and innovations.

For a detailed understanding of the standardized framework, you can watch the following video:

Business Value & Architecture Artifacts Handover: The enhanced SAP Activate roadmap initiates with the Discover phase where the customer’s IT architecture, business processes, and operations are analyzed to refine the target implementation scope and value proposition. Presales and sales teams complete artifacts, which document requirements and technical architecture needs, and hand them to the implementation team to ensure a seamless transition from Discover to Prepare phases.

During the Prepare phase, SAP's Onboarding Advisor conducts four calls to introduce the customer to the RISE with SAP Methodology and key tasks for implementation:

1. Call #1: Get Started with SAP

   Provides an overview of solution capabilities and the entitlements included in the SAP Cloud ERP Private package, such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, SAP Signavio, and more. The customer IT contact, designated as "super admin," and core project team members, including partners, are introduced to foundational aspects and systems provisioning.

2. Call #2: RISE with SAP Methodology & Clean Core Project

   Discusses Clean Core principles and outlines the structured support of the RISE with SAP Methodology for the implementation, catered to the customer's team, partners, or SAP-led initiatives. Guides the customer IT contact and project team on setting up the Clean Core Success Plan in SAP Cloud ALM, centralizing tasks across SAP Activate phases in the Clean Core Runbook.

3. Call #3: Complete your Clean Core Quality Gate

   Assists the project team in completing the Quality Gate 1 assessment and facilitates inquiries before submission via SAP Cloud ALM. Participants include technical team members, partners, and possibly senior leadership.

4. Call #4 Review your Clean Core Quality Gate Assessment

   Reviews the Quality Gate report with the team, providing insights and recommendations for improvement. Attendees are similar to those in the previous call.

The RISE with SAP Methodology offers a reliable framework facilitating smooth transformations for customers and partners. The creation of a Clean Core Success Plan guides task completion and deliverables throughout implementation, using SAP Cloud ALM to manage over 150 recommended clean core tasks and monitor progress through a detailed runbook.

The methodology incorporates proactive, iterative quality gate checks at each phase, ensuring alignment with transformation goals and mitigating risks early by covering essential clean core dimensions and key enablers.

Watch the following video to see how SAP Cloud ALM streamlines project management and ensures success plan completion during implementation. Key highlights include project setup, task review and assignment, Clean Core runbook creation, and report generation.