Agility, Speed, and Efficiency in SAP Projects

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) for SAP S/4HANA Projects – Why Not?

Do you believe that complete agility is not possible in S/4HANA projects and entire companies? We beg to differ. And we’ll show you that it works much better than you might think – you just need to be bold.

S/4HANA projects usually focus on implementing and optimizing processes. To this end, the necessary changes to current processes or SAP Best Practice processes are ideally recorded as requirements for the process in question itself and evaluated accordingly. Sounds like backlog management and estimating requirements based on their value, doesn’t it? Accordingly, an agile approach is pursued right from the start – with reference to individual processes or value chains. The appropriate technical solution for this in the SAP world is, for example, the requirements-to-deploy process (R2D) from SAP Focused Build, an add-on for SAP Solution Manager that is geared towards agile processes. With this solution, SAP aligns its approach with the SAFe framework and thus squares the circle, achieving agility with simultaneous stability by embedding agile processes in release management with major and minor releases.


Agile and Stable – It’s Not a Contradiction

With agile project methods from the start, you can also get your SAP S/4HANA implementation project to the finish line faster. In accordance with the agile approach, the economic contribution of process implementations and individual functions is constantly re-evaluated, thus ensuring a focus on the essentials. The proven Pareto principle also comes into play here: Relevant changes are implemented first, while “nice-to-have” features and details are implemented later.

In addition, the interaction between product owners, agile teams and business owners envisaged by SAFe means that all relevant people who can assess processes from a technical, functional and business perspective are involved in the respective assessment. This creates transparency that reliably leads to meaningful and value-adding results and solutions.

In terms of processes, this can be optimally supported by SAP Focused Build, so that the focus is on processes and required process changes and maximum transparency is ensured for all parties involved at all times.

SAFe provides a framework for companies to become more agile and bring products to market faster!

SAFe provides a framework for organizations to become more agile and deliver complex projects quickly and efficiently

Structured Processes for Project Success

In SAP Focused Build, a link is established between requirements and the relevant business processes throughout the S/4HANA project. The individual requirements are evaluated according to effort and value, so that priority is always given to the added value of a change. In order to structure the necessary implementation steps in a meaningful way and to be able to work through them incrementally, requirements are first bundled into work packages and then broken down into work items and implemented. The reference to the requirement is easy to track from the beginning to the end.

At the latest when work packages are created, the respective implementation period also comes into focus, with the main focus being on the intended major release. The Solution Readiness Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the progress of the implementation at all times and provides both a simple overview and detailed information on the individual implementation steps.

Completed implementations and modifications are then handed over to the release process together with the associated business and technical documentation and tested jointly.


Agile yet Stable – SAFe for Faster S/4HANA Implementations

With agile approaches, better solutions can be realized faster in S/4HANA projects. The SAFe framework in combination with the Focused Build solution by SAP SE is an ideal approach to conducting S/4HANA projects in an agile manner while ensuring maximum stability and flexibility.

Our XEPTUM consultants will be happy to show you how you too can make your company more agile and how SAFe and SAP Focused Build can help you make the transition to SAP S/4HANA easier, faster and more efficient.

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