Define target architecture and to-be processes with SAP Signavio and SAP LeanIX, guided by fit-to-standard workshops and reference models.
Introduction
In this phase, you define the target architecture and the to-be processes identified in fit-to-standard workshops. This guide outlines the high-level steps to achieve that.
Program and Road Map Setup
- Start by defining a global template that fits most of your organization, especially if your landscape is diverse due to mergers and acquisitions. The global template typically progresses through the realize phase and includes testing.
- Use the SAP Activate road map SAP Cloud ERP Private - New Implementation as your implementation framework.
- Select a pilot scope, for example, one or more legal entities or regions, based on factors such as legal requirements, legacy systems, local specifics, or political considerations.
- Run the selected pilot through all SAP Activate phases, beginning with fit-to-standard workshops to identify local or legal deviations from the global template.
- Define the target process scope and target architecture for each entity as input to the transformation.
- Use SAP Signavio to support fit-to-standard workshops, planning, cross-functional collaboration, and enable a streamlined and efficient initiation of the transformation journey.
Design Target Processes in Fit-to-Standard Workshops with SAP Signavio
In fit-to-standard workshops, SAP Signavio plays a key role in helping teams understand and validate SAP best practice processes. The SAP Signavio Process Explorer (SPX) provides access to standardized SAP process content, such as end-to-end process models, business capability mappings, and accelerator links, serving as the starting point for designing your to-be processes. To learn more, see Value Accelerators in a Fit-to-Standard Scenario.
Managing As-Is and To-Be Processes
For transformation planning, it’s essential to clearly distinguish between as-is and to-be processes.
- Create dedicated folders for as-is processes and to-be processes to organize and manage different versions of processes efficiently. Alternatively, you can work on a new revision of the existing as-is process.
- If you opt to use SAP Best Practices, import these templates into the to-be processes folder and customize them as needed.
- When developing to-be processes, create new revisions for existing as-is processes. Ensure both versions are clearly labeled and stored in their respective folders.
Once the structure is set up in SAP Signavio, configure SAP LeanIX to differentiate between as-is and to-be processes. You can do this with tags or attributes.
Design Target Application Architecture in SAP LeanIX
Leverage SAP LeanIX Architecture and Road Map Planning to plan your target architecture in detail and visualize how the transformation will impact your landscape.
Enrich your inventory with transformations and impacts to compare different scenarios and visualize future states of your application landscape through reports. This approach helps you to answer questions such as: What if you stay with an SAP standard versus adopting another system, and more. To learn more, see Getting Started with SAP LeanIX Architecture and Road Map Planning.
You have two options to create transformation items:
- From SAP Reference Solution Architecture (RSA) recommendations
- Manually
Option 1 (Recommended): Creating Transformations from the SAP Reference Solution Architecture Recommendations
For SAP-driven transformations, we recommend using SAP LeanIX’s built-in transformation planning capabilities based on the SAP Reference Solution Architecture (RSA).
When business capability fact sheets are linked to reference catalog items, SAP LeanIX automatically suggests various combinations of SAP applications that best support that business capability as recommended SAP solution options. You can easily create transformation items to roll out these suggested solutions in the to-be architecture. For a detailed guide, see Planning Transformations for SAP Solutions.
On a high level, you do the following:
- Identify and link affected business capabilities:Identify the business capabilities that are affected by the scoped processes and applications. Use the relation explorer on fact sheets to explore. Link the relevant business capabilities to the scoped processes and applications. These relationships are essential for targeted transformation planning.
- Ensure level-3 business capability mapping:Transformation recommendations are available only for level-3 business capabilities. Ensure that business capabilities are defined up to level 3 or imported from the reference catalog. Recommendations appear only for capabilities linked to the reference catalog. If a fact sheet was created manually, make sure to link it accordingly.
- Review and choose solution recommendations:Navigate to theTransformations tab on the respective business capability fact sheet. Here, you find SAP-suggested solution options. Review and choose from the suggested solutions according to your transformation strategy and objectives. You can choose between public cloud, hybrid (private cloud and on-prem), or other solution options, based on your planned transformation approach.
- Create transformation items for the selected solution option:Create transformation items for the selected solution option by choosing Next and completing the required information. This includes defining milestones and selecting an existing initiative or creating a new initiative to which the transformation item belongs.
Option 2: Creating Transformations Manually
If you want more flexibility in planning transformations, you can create them manually within your initiative fact sheets. You can use out-of-the-box templates, for example, to introduce new applications, to remove interfaces, to roll out new applications, and more. It allows you to model specific scenarios or create fully customized transformations where you define the exact scope and impact. For a detailed guide, see Transformations.
Since data is entered manually, it’s important to balance the level of detail with the effort required. Once there is clarity and stakeholder alignment on specific initiatives, you can define and detail the transformations to be implemented in later phases.
Use the transformations explorer to keep track of all modeled transformations. To learn more, see Transformations Explorer. Make sure to review and validate whether the list of transformations at the end of your planning and design phase includes all the needed changes in your landscape.
Visualize the Target Architecture of Your IT Landscape
With the reporting capabilities in SAP LeanIX, you can visualize the future state of your architecture and the impacts of planned transformations.
By overlaying your planned initiatives onto existing application landscape reports, you can generate a view that reflects how your transformations will affect the application landscape. To learn more about the reporting capabilities enabled by the SAP LeanIX Architecture and Road Map Planning, see Reports and Roadmaps.
You can also use the roadmap report to see how certain aspects of your landscape change over time, based on the selection of one or more initiatives.
Lesson Summary
- Establish a Global Template: Define a global template that fits most of your organization, especially if your landscape is diverse.
- Utilize SAP Signavio: Design target processes in fit-to-standard workshops using SAP Signavio Process Explorer (SPX) to access standardized SAP process content.
- Manage As-Is and To-Be Processes: Clearly distinguish between as-is and to-be processes by creating dedicated folders or new revisions, and configure SAP LeanIX to differentiate between them.
- Design Target Application Architecture: Plan your target architecture in detail using SAP LeanIX Architecture and Road Map Planning.
- Create Transformation Items: Use SAP LeanIX’s built-in transformation planning capabilities based on the SAP Reference Solution Architecture (RSA) or create them manually within your initiative fact sheets.