The SAP Solution Manager – Your Route Guide

Accelerate Your Migration to SAP S/4HANA

SAP Solution Manager 7.2 provides support throughout the entire SAP S/4HANA lifecycle.

The transition to SAP S/4HANA is much more than simply an upgrade to a new software version. Not only does it represent a technical challenge, it also affects almost every area of a company due to the new technological possibilities and often significant impact on business processes. SAP SE has a range of supporting functions to make the transition to SAP S/4HANA as structured and efficient as possible. Many of these are used directly with or via SAP Solution Manager. SAP designed SAP Solution Manager specifically to optimally support both the implementation and operation of SAP S/4HANA. SAP Solution Manager is thus designed to accompany an SAP S/4HANA implementation from the outset throughout the entire lifecycle – before, during, and after a project.


Customized Tools and Methods to Boost Efficiency

As a comprehensive, integrated application lifecycle management (ALM) suite, SAP Solution Manager 7.2 is a central tool for ensuring that the IT landscape and IT processes are fully prepared for successful SAP projects and, in particular, an efficient SAP S/4HANA migration. Process documentation, test and change management, and project management in SAP Solution Manager all have a key role to play in supporting the SAP S/4HANA implementation. In addition to the standard functions, the free add-on solution SAP Focused Build (see below) can also provide useful support in this. SAP also provides a range of tools, content, and methods in SAP Solution Manager to simplify and accelerate the transition to SAP S/4HANA. The options available can be used for any conversion scenario (new implementation, system conversion or landscape transformation).


Your Journey to SAP S/4HANA with SAP Activate

SAP Activate from SAP SE offers a new approach to S/4HANA implementation and other innovation projects. SAP Activate comes with all the tools, templates, flowcharts, and checklists required, according to SAP, to successfully complete an SAP S/4HANA project. Importing SAP Activate content into SAP Solution Manager gives you a wide range of information and accelerators that provide valuable support for your SAP S/4HANA implementation.

SAP Activate facilitates the continuous adoption of innovation throughout the project lifecycle and mainly consists of the following three pillars:

SAP Best Practices
SAP Best Practice packages offer preconfigured, digitized business processes optimized for SAP S/4HANA, which give you the benefit of SAP’s knowledge of standard processes and serve as a starting point for customer-specific modifications.

Tools for Guided Configurations
In SAP Activate, SAP SE offers a number of tools for guided configurations of the individual steps of an SAP S/4HANA implementation, including the Roadmap Viewer, Transformation Navigator, or SAP Best Practices Explorer. These make it even easier to implement SAP S/4HANA.

(Agile) Project Methodology
SAP Activate uses an end-to-end agile methodology that is equally suited to operating in the cloud, on premise, or in a hybrid environment. The methodology consists of a structured approach (out-of-the-box project plans) that offers solution-specific and product-specific content for the implementation of or migration to SAP S/4HANA and is divided into a total of six project phases. Because SAP Activate is integrated into SAP S/4HANA, you do not need additional licenses.


Get to the Finish Line Sooner with Focused Build

With the Focused Build add-on, SAP SE provides a ready-to-use method and preconfigured standard functions to manage the requirements and development process, including professional testing in agile projects. Focused Build is based on SAP Portfolio and Project Management (PPM), which can be used to efficiently manage individual projects and multiple projects. Focused Build is intended to facilitate the building of a (multiple) project like a release, and provides functions and dashboards to support this.

The core component of Focused Build is the Requirements-to-Deploy process, which supports an implementation from the requirements stage through technical implementation and ultimately to release.  Modification, testing, and operational documentation are also central to the process and linked to throughout.

Just like the SAP Activate methodology, the Focused Build add-on is designed specifically for SAP S/4HANA implementations. Focused Build therefore provides optimal support for the SAP Activate project phases of an SAP S/4HANA implementation.

Together, SAP Solution Manager, SAP Focused Build and SAP Activate make the ideal trio to support your transition to SAP S/4HANA.

Our XEPTUM experts will be happy to advise you on your individual journey to SAP S/4HANA!