Exploring Agile for ERP roll out e.g., SAP

According to the latest annual State of Agile Report™, the top three benefits cited by survey respondents for adopting agile are the ability to manage changing priorities, increased team productivity, and improved project visibility.

Why not get the benefits from ERP-based projects, e.g., SAP or Cloud rollout?

Most of the time, team members think that agile is incompatible with ERP rollout.

Organizations can get quantifiable improved results on the application of agile to ERP programs.

Agile approaches, until recently, were looked at to be more suitable to software product development than ERP implementations. SAP AG itself started adopting Agile development around 2010, releasing Agile extensions to ASAP 8 as an essential part of SAP Solution Manager.

When we are thinking of Agile for SAP projects, businesses require to realize that Agile, as it pertains to SAP, is distinct from Agile for a new software solution development.

Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) is greatly different from a packaged application like SAP versus a new software solution development we make by ourselves.

In the new software solution development, there is no delivered functioning application; We have to develop a working solution by ourselves. In the SAP world, a working solution has been brought to us by SAP.

What we’re looking at is we’re picking up the functioning application, considering the specifications, and later making a fit/gap analysis. Then we’re picking up that and extending into the next set of exercises around process design, configuration, and master data definition. Even though SAP delivers the solution, it has to be configured to meet the requirements of our business.

Core building activities really consist of setting up a business process that crosses business units and spans functional areas. Then there’s the testing, which is an unquestionably substantial part of the entire project.

In the conclusion, there’s a considerable foundation that has to be established to bring the minimum system of functionality required to add business value. It is always good to move into the MVP model. MNP1…MVPn to demonstrate the incremental value generation.

Large SAP Projects usually progress through numerous stages: project preparation, scoping (Blueprint), realization, Final Preparation, Post Go-Live support, and closure.

With agile, projects are spread in smaller blocks that experience delivery in small iterations known as sprints. Therefore, businesses require to acknowledge uncertainty when dealing with agile and also admit that solutions will emerge. By this, the risk of publishing improper work also gets reduced

The formation of teams is an essential element. It should be in a manner where collaboration can be increased. Team members need to find ways or mechanism that work for them. Cross-functional teams need to operate together in a smaller chunk for specific requirements and resolve value delivery.

Stakeholder mapping is one of the essential elements of this cycle. In the rollout process, all the critical stakeholders need to be present for all the rollout cycles.

Advantages of Agile in SAP implementation:

· Fast results within 4 weeks of each sprint cycle.

· Priority-based development as per client requirement. Hence immense gratification.

· Lower the overall IT cost.

· High visibility and quantitative outcomes.

· Stronger coordination. All partners are connected from the initial setup of the project.

· Risks are analyzed in the introductory stage and hence handled efficiently.

· Resilience to accommodate changes in each sprint.

· Periodic release of the software.

A few challenges we need to address in the SAP project:

· Formation of the team members consisting of business and partners and product team members

· Incremental goal definition and agreed by all stakeholders

· Identify maximum core functionalities and start working on those in iterative manners.

· Continuous adaptation and learning from mistake

· Silos mindset among the various departments and team members. Collaboration is the way forward.

· Old school of thoughts has to be eradicated with proper training.

· People have to participate in all the events and they need to find time to contribute.

· Old way of working has to be re-looked at and optimized wherever possible

· Team members have to find a way to implement an Agile way of working on SAP roll-out

· Too many Product Owners could cause issues, let us find one decision-maker in decision making.

· Accept the disruption and changes, find a way out

· Priorities are established on the basis of the most added value for the organization.

· “agile” does not mean forgetting about actions, organization, and documentation.

· Establish Governance model and design Agile organizational structure

· Project Manager to take care of schedule, status report, project cost, consultancy recruitment, project status meetings, cut over-elaboration, integrated testing stages, go, hyper-care, etc.

· Writing user stories in SAP projects for 4 weeks sprint delivery needs to discover and learn from the experiment

· SAP typically requires more upfront preparation before “sprinting” can begin. By building a baseline, we provide an architectural runway for the agile SAP program and enable sprint teams to start delivering user stories related to system functionality. Be ready with this.

· Some business processes in an SAP system are extremely complex and take significantly longer than a single sprint to design and build. It is crucial we have an early and ongoing dialog between the business and scrum teams to stay organized and keep the program on track. Have patience and keep collaborating with all the stakeholders.

· “Agile” is an attitude of flexibility and nimbleness.