As we saw earlier, the SAP Activate methodology is a well-structured approach that outlines the various stages of an SAP implementation's lifecycle. Each stage has a specific purpose and set of deliverables, which must be completed before proceeding to the next stage.
The enablement team plays a crucial role in a project. They’re responsible for ensuring that business users have the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources for efficiently using the SAP system to run the organization at go-live. To achieve this goal, it’s important for the enablement team and all different roles involved in the project to effectively work together.
Working closely with different roles in the project and the business helps the enablement team with various tasks:
- Create an enablement strategy that meets business objectives.
- Analyze learning needs accurately.
- Create correct and sufficient enablement content with business-relevant, real-world scenarios.
- Support delivery to provide additional insights, incorporate practical examples, and enhance the learning experience.
- Commit to continuous improvement.
- Ensure a smooth transition to normal business operations.
A governance model is a framework that defines the decision-making process, assigns responsibilities, and ensures accountability in an organization. It provides a set of guidelines and processes to govern the overall management and operations of the organization. In an SAP implementation project, the governance model specifies each team member's roles and responsibilities, outlines the decision-making process, and ensures project completion in the specified time frame and budget.
The following figure shows an example of a simple governance structure and how the enablement team fits into it.
Enablement Governance Model with Roles and Responsibilities (Example)
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Program management | Responsible for overseeing the entire SAP implementation project and ensuring that it's complete on time and in budget, while meeting the business requirements |
| Program sponsor | Responsible for providing executive-level support and guidance to the project team, ensuring that the project aligns with the organization's strategic goals |
| Project management office (PMO) | Responsible for establishing and maintaining project management standards, processes, and tools, ensuring consistent and effective project delivery |
| Functional workstreams | Responsible for defining and configuring the SAP system to meet the business requirements of specific functional areas, such as finance, HR, and the supply chain |
| Testing | Responsible for planning, executing, and reporting on all testing activities, ensuring that the SAP system functions correctly and meets the business requirements |
| Architecture | Responsible for designing the technical architecture of the SAP system, ensuring that it's scalable, secure, and meets the organization's IT standards |
| Deployment | Responsible for managing the rollout of the SAP system to production, including data migration, cutover planning, and post-go-live support |
| Organizational change management | Responsible for ensuring that the organization is prepared for the changes that the SAP implementation brings, including communication and stakeholder engagement |
A governance model typically includes the following components:
- Structure and Roles:
It defines the organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities of various stakeholders, including executives, managers, committees, and teams. This includes defining decision-making authorities and reporting lines.
- Decision-making processes:
It establishes the processes and procedures for decisions in the organization. This includes defining how decisions are made, who is involved in decision-making, and the criteria used for decision-making.
- Communication and reporting:
It outlines the communication channels and reporting mechanisms in the organization. This includes how information flows, how stakeholders are informed about decisions and actions, and how feedback and concerns are addressed.
- Risk management:
It addresses how risks are identified, assessed, and managed within the organization. This includes establishing risk management processes, risk appetite, and risk mitigation strategies.
A well-defined governance model helps organizations streamline decision-making processes, promote transparency and accountability, ensure compliance, and align activities with strategic goals. It provides a framework for effective management and helps in achieving operational excellence. The specific details of a governance model can vary depending on the nature of the organization, its size, industry, and regulatory environment.
You’ve learned about the governance model and the different roles within the SAP implementation. To learn how enablement roles and responsibilities operate within each SAP Activate phase, play the video.
The video provided an insight into the importance of different roles and stakeholders during the various phases of SAP Activate. It emphasized that the number of roles and specific roles required for a project can depend on your unique needs.
It presented a general overview of the roles required during the different phases of SAP Activate. This helps project teams understand the necessary roles during each phase. By identifying and assigning appropriate roles and working with relevant stakeholders, project teams can ensure that the implementation process runs smoothly and efficiently.
In summary, collaboration between the enablement team and different project team members is vital in several ways: for aligning learning needs, creating enablement content, incorporating user feedback, enhancing delivery, and ensuring a smooth transition to post-implementation support and enablement in normal business operation.
By working closely together, the enablement team and project team members can leverage their collective knowledge and expertise. This drives effective enablement, user adoption, and long-term success of the SAP system in the organization.