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Capital assets can take the form of bricks and mortar, a manufactured product, consumer packaged goods and even IP protected services. While assets are infinitely variable - the selection, planning, execution and monitoring of the projects that control their creation and ROI are not. Cross-functional collaboration is essential for effective capital planning. However success can be compromised when we make it too difficult for users to provide or consume project information.

 

New S/4 SAP HANA Capital Planning Solution:
Available on S/4 HANA, Suite on HANA, & Oracle Platform
 

Case Study: 5B Consumer Products Company

Topics Covered:

  • Example Enterprise EPPM Roadmap Objectives

  • Example EPPM Solution and Journey

  • How the Success of a SAP EPPM Project Is Measured

  • Construction Industry Best Practices

  • Example Key Deliverables by Sprints

  • Example Lessons Learned

Example Enterprise EPPM Roadmap Objectives:

Example EPPM Vision

  • Design and implement an SAP Project and Portfolio Management Solution to support Investment Projects

  • The objective of this project is to replace the current home grown Portfolio Management Solution.  Our team had been using a stand alone solution that manually integrate with SAP Project System.  This solution was replaced with a robust Integrated EPPM solution.

  • Web based enhanced interface accessible across multiple platforms (tablet, smart phone, laptop, etc.).

  • Desire to implement a flexible approval process utilizing sequential and parallel approval tiers.

  • Ability to develop project funding.

  • Automating the interface between PPM and PS for creating projects, updating additional WBS elements, and transferring approved budgets.

  • When implemented, the solution must be able to support multi-national users and multiple currencies.

Example EPPM Solution Architecture: Integration & Data Flows

Live Blueprinting: Example Flow

Example EPPM Journey Milestones

How the Success of the Project is Measured

Capital Project Process: CII Process Supported by External Tools

Engaging Users in Iterative "Sprints"

1. Engaging the users community early & frequently to:

 

  • ​Better understand User needs and goals & validate assumptions.

  • Maintain a User Focused Design.

  • Demonstrate and validate work completed.

  • Measure and improve Usability & Utilization.

  • Deliver better Application Quality.

  • Achieve Greater User Satisfaction.

 

2. Capture user feedback at end of each sprint review

Sprint Deliverables

 

  • The team decided to address the more complex pieces in the early sprints in order to have time to work through any issues if found.

  • The velocity of the team increased with each sprint, resulting in quicker development as each sprint was completed.

Sprint 1: Manage Project & Funding Request

System Requirement:

 

  • Maintain the project attributes.

  • Maintain the funding estimate for preliminary and full funding of the project. 

  • Easy to use Fiori UI.

 

Functionality Delivered (5 weeks):

 

  • Integration of PPM dashboard and custom Fiori UI.

  • Project create/edit application.

  • Project estimating application.

  • Automated creation and update of PS project from PPM.

Sprint 2: Checklists, Questionnaires, & Approvals

System Requirement:

 

  • Checklists for each Phase Gate to ensure the CII tasks are completed at each gate.

  • Questionnaires to drive approvers for project subject matter experts.

  • Automate approval processes to control which projects are approved for execution and related funding.

  • Implement a flexible approver matrix that is easy to maintain.             

 

 

Functionality Delivered (4 weeks):

 

  • Annual Operating Plan dashboard to control which projects get past the idea phase.

  • Gate approval checklists.

  • Questionnaire UI (Safety, Environmental, etc..)

  • Business Rules Framework (BRF+) solution for maintaining approver matrix by 10 different project attributes.

  • Approval processes in SAP Business Workflow (Preliminary Funding, Gate Approval/Full Funding, Change Request Financial, Change Request Time).

Sprint 2: Checklists

Sprint 2: Questionnaires

Sprint 2:  Approvals

Sprint 3: Change Requests, Documents, & Admin Applications

System Requirement:

 

  • Manage the change requests for a project for both Time and Financials.

  • Manage documents attached to a project.

  • Administrative applications to manage project approvals.

  • Reporting

   

Functionality Delivered (4 weeks):

 

  • Document management Fiori application.

  • Change Request Time dashboard, application, and approvals.

  • Change Request Financial dashboard, application, and approvals.

  • Close out process/notification.

  • Portfolio Dashboard Fiori application.

  • Visual approval log application.

  • Project snapshot application (snapshot taken at each gate).

  • Administrator applications (Mass schedule update, replace approvers, and schedule delay notifications).

EPPM Lessons Learned:

  • Automation of the business processes with a BPM or Workflow solution helps the client to standardize their business process and control business expectations.   For example, client reworked their business process to align themselves with the CII stage gate process, resulting in a quicker design process as compared to starting with a blank slate.

 

  • On-site presence during the design phase of the project is critical.

 

  • Delivering prototypes and mockups during the design phase are critical to understanding the proposed solution and to gain true understanding by the business and the vendor.

 

  • Dividing the build phase into smaller sprints allows the project team to see progress and to ensure that the vendor is on the right track with the final solution. Engaging users In iterative sprints is critical to business buy-in.

 

  • Go-Live Support (Hyper Care) is essential when working with an Integration partner to assist with minor adjustments after go-live and support questions regarding the new functionality delivered. 

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