Performance abap

20 tips for upgrade success

11 Feb 2002, Rating 4.40 (out of 5)
1. Hey! This is a project too.
An upgrade is a project and it needs to be managed as such. All the normal project management rules apply; from roles and responsibilities to detailed planning and scheduling. If you did not manage your own implementation and you do not have access to experienced project managers internally ensurethat you have this skill set available, you will need it.

2. Take me to your leader!
The consensus approach is great but when it comes down to it someone will have to make the calls when the going gets tough or issues get hot. Ensure that you have an empowered Project Manager who can make decisions.

3. Spend a dollar to save ten
The costliest phase of any project is the execution(realization) phase when you have a large team engaged. Problems and issues can impact many people, and delays are costly (and high profile). Emphasize learning and discovery during the assessment phase when only a core team is engaged. Use tools like the Uptimizer to check out your custom developed code, do functional overviews, put together a training plan, etc. A great deal of work can be done inadvance; you will lower the risk, save money and impress the boss.

4. Get the GUI out early
A big difference for the end users upgrading to 4.6c or beyond will be the look of the GUI and screens. Look in to the possibility of rolling out the new GUI early in the upgrade project. It will help the users get used to the look and feel. Don't forget you have the option of "turning it down" to reducebandwidth costs.

5. Target training
It's almost a given that you have users on the system. And it is also possible that they would like to know where all the key fields have moved to! Target training to the changes ? and create a training plan and curriculum as early in the project as possible. Web based and CBT training have come a long way and are a lot easier to set up and create than a fewyears ago. Other training options:
* Classroom training, especially if you are introducing new functionality or processes
* Lunch time learning ? most users will turn up if you order pizza
* Super user ? train the trainer
* Newsletters, posters, web sites
* On line context sensitive help
* And don't forget the project team!

6. Get a fix on your development
You may not believe it butthere is a good chance that since you installed that pristine SAP system for the first time, many moons ago, those sneaky developers have been creating all kinds of custom objects and hiding them in the production system. And you said this was "vanilla!" These custom objects (reports, tables, enhancements, BDCs etc) have a nasty habit of playing dead when you upgrade. So the sooner you know the impacton these objects the better and more efficient the upgrade will be. Use the Uptimizer in your assessment phase to root out all those nasty bugs and create your Repair/Replace/Redesign strategy before you get to the realization phase.

7. Give equal emphasis to all components
These are the major areas ? someone should own them.
Business: Activities that are directed to the business ororganization
Technical: Activities that involve systems, hardware or their environment
Functional: Activities that relate your SAP functionality
Development: Activities that relate your custom developments for SAP

8. Look for helpful tools & services
It may be only a couple of years since the original implementation but a lot has changed. I remember when I first installed SAP; we had to trainusers on how to use the mouse and they thought that solitaire was a really cool game. Now they have PDAs and trade futures on the Albanian Stock Exchange. So it is a given that there are new products and services targeted at upgrades. Look around for new tools and services that will help you. SAP is much more focused in this area now. The new on-line help, e-learning and documentation tools look...