SAP Activate: What, Why, How & Where?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sap-activate-what-why-how-where-asha-basavanthappa

As part of partner Customer and Partner Testing Services held in SAP Walldrof, SAP presented the SAP Activate Methodology. This document is an extract of contents of that presentation and represented in a method which is easy to understand.

High level description: What is SAP Activate?

SAP Activate is a methodology used in S/4 HANA and is a unique combination of SAP Best Practices, Methodology, and SAP Guided Configuration delivered with a reference solution. It enables customers to start fast, build smart, and run simple while continuously innovating in the cloud and anywhere.

SAP Activate is a successor of the ASAP and SAP Launch methodology. SAP introduced SAP Launch methodology one year ago for SAP cloud based solutions. Now, these 2 methodologies are not the SAP suggested methodologies. In other words, SAP Activate Methodology is designed to support a broad coverage of SAP solutions starting with SAP S/4HANA. The methodology also enables co-innovation with customers and is accessible for partners like us.

Deep dive information: 3 key elements

SAP Activate, which is a combination of SAP Best Practices, guided configuration, and methodology optimized for S/4HANA. Let's deep dive into these 3 key elements of SAP Activate.

1. SAP Best Practices: SAP Best Practices baseline for SAP S/4HANA contain complete and consistent configuration settings and assets to use as enablement and accelerators in your implementation projects. So what does it include?

• Business Process Structure with technical steps that include finance and logistical areas.
• Accelerators for your implementation project.
• Integration information with other cloud solutions, such as Success Factors Employee Central or Ariba Network.
• Migration documents which help to migrate either from Non SAP systems or from legacy SAP systems.
• Graphical representation of all the business processes.
• Pre-defined test scripts
• Testing automation process available in S\4 HANA.

2. Guided Configuration: It is a set of tools, assets and accelerators which assist the implementation of SAP S\4 HANA. This will help right from the initial setup all through after go live support. This guided approach helps to bridge the gap between business and IT groups to have a successful implementation. The entire process of collaboration will be recorded, thus supplying a configuration history.

3. One Methodology: SAP Activate Methodology is the used for initiating any implementation of SAP S/4HANA. It is the successor of the ASAP methodology and SAP Launch methodologies, and caters to the usage of SAP’s premium engagements, etc.

Why is SAP Activate needed?

As explained SAP is succeeding all variants of ASAP 8 methodology and SAP Launch.

• ASAP 8 will be replaced with SAP Activate methodology for on premise edition. This will be supported in SAP S/4 HANA and SAP Business Suite (ERP, CRM, SRM,…)
• SAP Launch will be replaced with SAP ACTIVATE methodology for cloud enterprise edition and SAP Activate methodology for project services edition. This will support implementations in SAP S/4 HANA, cloud editions (currently excluding Cloud marketing edition) and in H2 2015 will be transitioned for SFSF, C4C and Ariba.

Now, it is better to understand what the difference between these with SAP Activate is. Compared to ASAP and Launch, SAP activate has improvements in the below areas:

• Based on use of SAP Best Practices
• Reduced project lifecycle – only 4 phases
• Up to 10 key deliverables per phase, thus easier access to key guides and accelerators
• Blueprint activities replaced with solution validation
• Agile implementation as a default

SAP will continue to provide access to the last version of ASAP 8 methodology in SAP Service Marketplace for project teams that are using it today. There will be no further content enhancements made to ASAP 8 going forward as all the new implementation methodology assets will be made available through SAP Activate framework.

How does SAP Activate be deployed?

The Roadmap to get to SAP S/4HANA in order to maximize benefits will vary according to different business and IT drivers. E.g. client may already use SAP Business Suite on SAP HANA today, client could be new to SAP, or client may have a mature SAP landscape that you plan to simplify and transform. In order to support the different starting points there are three main adoption roadmaps.

• New Implementation: In this scenario you are installing a new SAP S/4HANA system and migrate your data. Clients will benefit from new implementation of industry-leading Business Suite and Reengineering and process simplification based on ready-to-run business processes and reference solution delivered with the product.
• System Conversion: In this scenario you are already using SAP Business Suite on SAP HANA or any database, and want to convert your current system into a SAP S/4HANA system. They can leverage RDS [Rapid Deployment Solution] and benefit from migration without reimplementation, no disruption for existing business processes, re-evaluation of customization and existing process flows and transformation over time.
• Landscape transformation: in this scenario you might have more complex requirements. You may want to use SAP S/4HANA as your central finance system or move selected applications to SAP S/4HANA. Or you might want to simplify your system landscape by consolidating multiple business units into one new SAP S/4HANA instance. This would be similar to RDS approach however the upgrade to the latest enhancement package and the migration to SAP HANA are supported by services based on SAP Landscape Transformation Replication Server. This also have few benefits like, they would stay with current business processes and move gradually to S/4HANA innovations, harmonized business processes and shared master data through consolidation, carve out of single entities of the company to SAP S/4HANA and leverage process simplification.

For each of the above scenarios, will go through the 4 phases

• Prepare: Start with Best Practices by re-using knowledge assets and prebuild content
• Explore: Moving into pre assembly, rapid prototyping, solution validation workshops and delta backlog.
• Realize: In this phase iterative delta scope implementation and E2E integration testing
• Deploy: This is the final phased where the roll out is done

Where to find SAP Activate methodology content?

Assets / accelerators are linked to different phases of the methodology. They are freely accessible:

• SAP Best Practices assets and accelerators are directly accessible through the “Manage Your Solution” Fiori application of SAP S/4HANA. Additionally these assets are available through Solution Manager templates and online on SAP Service Marketplace
• SAP Activate Methodology assets are available through standard documentation of the implementation methodologies.

In addition, SAP Activate Methodology project management accelerators are made available through SAP JAM. The complete documentation of SAP Best Practices through Solution Manager Templates and online on SAP Service Marketplace will be made available.

• Request Access - http://bit.ly/SAPActivate
• Public Access - http://sap.com/activate

 Conclusion: SAP Activate

In short, SAP Activate is a combination of SAP Best Practices, guided configuration, and methodology which allows building smart and running simple. SAP Activate gives the freedom to run fast with Fiori UX and with a lower TCO and continuous innovation with built-in extensibility to fit different needs.

The key take away will be that SAP Activate is one methodology for any deployment mode – cloud, hybrid, on premise, or mobile for S\4 HANA.