This book provides project managers and project team members with comprehensive information on upgrade projects to SAP ERP 6.0. You’ll learn everything you need to decide whether an upgrade is the right option for your organization, and you’ll find all information necessary to prepare, manage, and execute an upgrade project, while avoiding costly mistakes.

After explaining the SAP tools and services for determining the value of an upgrade, the author details the tasks of the individual project phases. You’ll explore how to schedule the project, and how to estimate costs and risks. You’ll also learn how to build the project team and organize test cycles, plus, how to plan for a smooth cutover. And, of course, upgrade execution is also dealt with extensively: Managing the system landscape while minimizing downtime shouldn’t give you much trouble after reading this book. In addition, SAP Solution Manager, the technical upgrade tools, testing tools, services and more are covered in a separate tools chapter. This invaluable resource is nicely complemented by a collection of detailed customer case studies.

Highlights

• Determining the Value of an Upgrade: Reasons for an upgrade, discovery process, SAP enhancement packages
• Planning an Upgrade: Strategy and scope, scheduling, cost estimation, risk management
• Managing an Upgrade: Building a project team, quality assurance, testing, cutover planning
• Executing an Upgrade: System landscape, upgrade realization, production cutover, downtime minimization, incremental conversion, Unicode conversion, training, and more
• Tools: SAP Solution Manager, SAPup, SAPjup, ASU Toolbox, Business Process Change Analyzer, Upgrade Dependency Analyzer, testing tools, and more

About the Author(s)

As Senior Vice President, Martin Riedel heads the Global Upgrade Office at SAP. The organization focuses on the SAP installed base, helping to position and execute projects to implement the most current SAP products.

Table of Contents

1 ... Introduction ... 13


2 ... Getting Started ... 17
... 2.1 ... Introduction to SAP ERP 6.0 ... 17
... 2.2 ... SAP Enhancement Packages--Concept and Overview ... 25
... 2.3 ... Discovery Process ... 29
... 2.4 ... Why Upgrade Your ERP Software? ... 34
... 2.5 ... Determining the Value of an Upgrade ... 48


3 ... Planning an Upgrade Project ... 57
... 3.1 ... Determining the Upgrade Strategy and Scope ... 58
... 3.2 ... Resourcing Models and Approaches ... 86
... 3.3 ... Scheduling an Upgrade ... 92
... 3.4 ... Estimating Cost and Effort ... 99
... 3.5 ... Project Standards and Procedures ... 108
... 3.6 ... Risk Management ... 110


4 ... Managing an Upgrade Project ... 117
... 4.1 ... Building a Project Team ... 118
... 4.2 ... Quality Assurance and Testing ... 122
... 4.3 ... Cutover Planning ... 140
... 4.4 ... Best Practices ... 149


5 ... Executing an Upgrade Project ... 159
... 5.1 ... Managing the System Landscape During an Upgrade Project ... 160
... 5.2 ... Downtime Minimization ... 169
... 5.3 ... Training ... 187
... 5.4 ... Lessons Learned ... 194


6 ... Upgrade Tools and Services ... 199
... 6.1 ... SAP Solution Manager in Upgrade Projects ... 201
... 6.2 ... Technical Upgrade Tools ... 214
... 6.3 ... Supporting Upgrade Tools ... 219
... 6.4 ... Testing Tools ... 224
... 6.5 ... Tools for Downloading and Installing SAP Enhancement Packages ... 235
... 6.6 ... Upgrade Services ... 241
... 6.7 ... SAP Testing Services ... 250


7 ... Customer Cases and Upgrade Communities ... 253
... 7.1 ... Customer Cases ... 253
... 7.2 ... Upgrade Community ... 297


A ... SAP ERP Upgrade Checklist -- Project Preparation ... 323


B ... SAP ERP Upgrade Checklist -- Blueprint ... 327


C ... SAP ERP Upgrade Checklist -- Realization ... 333
... C.1 ... Realization 1 ... 333
... C.2 ... Realization 2 ... 336


D ... SAP ERP Upgrade Checklist -- Final Preparation for Cutover ... 341


E ... SAP ERP Upgrade Checklist -- Production Cutover & Support ... 343


F ... References ... 345
... F.1 ... SAP Service Marketplace ... 345
... F.2 ... SAP Community Network ... 345
... F.3 ... SAP Help Portal ... 347
... F.4 ... Detailed Information ... 347


G ... Authors and Contributors ... 351