Assessing the Change Impacts

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Perform a detailed change impact analysis in a workshop setting
  • Derive practical implications from a detailed change impact analysis

The Realize Phase of SAP Activate

After exploring SAP's best-practice standard and agreeing on the to-be processes and solutions, the 4S project team steps into the Realize phase of the 4S project.

The graphic shows the SAP Activate implementation methodology with the six phases. The fourth phase realize is highlighted.

During this phase, the project team starts configuring and testing the future solution based on the business scenarios and process requirements identified in the explore phase. Besides, the realize phase involves preparation of data, planning of operations, and adoption activities.

In the change management workstream, Sandra and Paul identify what will change for the different user groups at their workplace. The results of this assessment help to derive specific communication and support activities to reduce risks and uncertainty regarding the transition to the new cloud solution. In addition, the change management team facilitates the process of mapping new SAP user roles to the business users. In general, the focus of the change management team during the realize phase is to make the changes tangible for the impacted business users and to prepare the business well for the upcoming changes.

Conduct a Detailed Change Impact Analysis

Objectives of the Detailed Change Impact Analysis

As the first go-live in the 4S project approaches, the change management team starts preparing to conduct a detailed change impact analysis. This analysis builds on the first insights from the high-level change impact analysis in the SAP Activate explore phase. Besides the timing, the two analyses also differ in their focus. Whereas the high-level change impact analysis detects expected changes per business unit, the detailed change impact analysis is on the business process level, comparing the current as-is with the future to-be situation.

In a workshop-based setting, implications of the cloud implementation are identified and ideas for supporting activities documented, differentiating between specific stakeholder groups (if required). Thus, the detailed change impact analysis allows the mitigation of project risks before the new solution’s go-live and facilitates employee transition to the new work methods.

Situation at BriscoBikes

The 4S project team decides to start the detailed change impact analysis with the finance processes. Therefore, Sandra offers to conduct a short info session for Tonya and Lucy, including a presentation of the approach and an explanation of the next steps for preparing the workshops.

It's Your Turn: Time to Practice!

Sometimes, the project leadership team or the business leaders underestimate the added value of a detailed change impact analysis and are reluctant to allocate the required resources. Therefore, a change manager should be able to explain the risks of skipping the detailed change impact analysis in a cloud project.

Can you argue in favor of this activity?

Take five minutes to complete exercise 29 in your workbook.

The picture reminds you to do exercise 29.

Planning the Detailed Change Impact Analysis for BriscoBikes and the Brisco Bikes Holding

Sandra, Tonya, and Lucy discuss the approach and added value of the detailed change impact analysis for the 4S project.

Right after the call, Sandra provides the guiding questions to Lucy and Tonya. The following chart gives you an overview of typical topics to be discussed during a change impact workshop.

The picture shows a chart that gives you an overview of typical topics to be discussed during a change impact workshop: process, technology, organization and people. Examples of typical questions for process, are: Which processes will change compared to the current status? and Which responsibilities, accountabilities and tasks will change?. Examples of typical questions for technology are: What new systems and features will be launched? and Which systems will be replaced or completely removed?. Examples of typical questions for organization are: Which departments and roles are impacted? and What might be the resulting changes regarding the organizational set-up?. Examples of typical questions for people are: What new skills and know-how are relevant due to new system and processes? and How do people need to act differently when working with new processes or tools?.

Follow up upon a Detailed Change Impact Analysis

Objectives of Following up the Detailed Change Impact Analysis

After the discussion and assessment of the change impacts, the change management team documents and visualizes the results in a results report. A compelling visualization of the quantitative change impact ratings (for example, in a process landscape) enables the project stakeholders to get an initial overview of the degree of change for the different business processes.

In addition, aggregated descriptions of the changes provide further information and create a shared understanding of the to-be situation after go-live. Besides the development of the results report, the change management team also drives and facilitates the definition of follow-up activities. Assigning clear responsibilities fosters commitment for the execution of these activities and contributes to preparing the users well for the upcoming go-live.

Situation at BriscoBikes

After the first change impact analysis workshops for the BriscoBikes Finance processes are conducted, the project leadership team is very interested in the results. Sandra already started documenting the workshop outcomes for the finance processes in scope of the 4S project. She visualized the change impacts per scope item, differentiating between high, medium, and low. The resulting process landscape is depicted in the following chart.

The picture shows a chart of the process landscape of change impacts for process areas of the target group user finance. Scope items with high impact are general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, overhead cost accounting and SAP fiori analytical apps for financial accounting. Scope items with medium impact are accounting and financial close, asset accounting and asset under construction. Scope items with low impact are basic cash operations and lease-in accounting. The scope item internal order actual is not in scope or has no data.

Sandra also aggregated the change impact descriptions related to specific scope items. An example of the scope item operational cost accounting is provided below.

The picture shows change impact descriptions related to the scope item operational cost accounting. Examples for those change impact descriptions are: new overhead cost accounting process means switch from stand-alone solutions to integrated approach and budgeting process will have to be clearly structured; roles and responsibilities must be assigned accordingly.

In addition, she has scheduled a call with Paul to talk about the next follow-up steps and to explain to him how to proceed.

It's Your Turn: Time to Practice!

A thorough follow-up on the detailed change impact analysis is key to derive the right conclusions and assign activities to the right people. The exercise in the workbook gives you an overview of typical activities resulting from a change impact analysis. Do you know who is responsible for executing these activities?

Take five minutes to complete exercise 30 in your workbook.

The picture reminds you to do exercise 30.

Derive Practical Implications from the Change Impact Analysis

Sandra and Paul talk about the follow-up activities after the detailed change impact analysis and the respective responsibilities.

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