11 Mistakes to Avoid when Upgrading SAP
SAP upgrades can be challenging, especially in a large, global or otherwise complex environment. Avoid these common mistakes in SAP upgrades and get your organization on the quickest path to ROI.
Here are the eleven most common mistakes companies make in implementing SAP upgrades, and how to avoid them.
1. Ignoring “low-hanging” functional fruit in a technical upgrade.
SAP technical upgrades require less time and money than functional upgrades because they tweak data flows and how applications are processed, with minor (if any) changes to workflows or user interfaces. But many companies forego benefits by performing technical upgrades without considering functional changes to address new business processes and requirements.
Don't: Plan a major functional and technical upgrade at the same time, because this much change risks failure and organizational resistance.
Do: Ensure that even a technical upgrade explores relatively easy functions upgrades such as a new built-in report or a checkbox to automate workflow.
2. Not getting industry-specific consulting help.
Not all industries face the same challenges, have the same priorities or confront the same upgrade challenges. Assess your technical needs, skills requirements and the extent of customization you'll require.
Don't: Assume that any consulting firm with prior experience will be the right fit.
Do: Choose a consulting partner with experience and customer references in your industry and your version(s) of SAP. Evaluate two or three by having them walk you through their upgrade methodologies.
3. Not holding your partner fully accountable.
A consulting partner should approach your upgrade as seriously as you do, and not let it get swallowed in a sea of projects or a finger-pointing exercise between vendors.
Don't: Let your vendor escape responsibility for your upgrade success.
Do: Consider asking your partner to “own” the implementation and assume collective responsibility for its success. Consider performance rewards and penalties.
4. Failing to ensure robust test management.
Many organizations fail to ensure that their test environments match their production environments, learning too late that custom objects do not work properly when deployed.
Don't: Let your users just “dip their toes” in your development sandbox and mistake this for “testing”.
Do: Provide a complete testing environment that mirrors your production environment. Create a tight feedback loop to incorporate user concerns and address bugs. Ensure testing is complete and consistent from the PRD (product requirements document) through pre-deployment testing.
5. Allowing scope creep.
Scope creep can overload an upgrade with so many “nice to have” features that the “must have” features are never fully implemented. Freeze SAP development early enough to eliminate changes that could stall progress or cause errors.
Don't: Let parallel projects muddy the upgrade waters.
Do: Declare a development freeze period (such as a month after the start of the quality assessment that begins the upgrade) and communicate it to all stakeholders.
6. Failure to kill custom code.
Many companies routinely create objects or functions not provided by SAP. Because some won't work with the new version of SAP, eliminating such unneeded custom code saves time, effort and trouble.
Don't: Assume that your custom code and interfaces will work in your upgraded SAP version.
Do: Examine previous application documentation to identify custom code. Ask consultants if they have tools to help find such code or can perform code discovery. Test all custom code and third-party interfaces in a testing sandbox or with upgrade simulation software.
7. Delivering one-size-fits-all training.
Forcing experienced users into basic training, or throwing specialized information at users who don't need it, wastes time and money and discourages adoption.
Don't: Provide the same amount, or type, of training to all users.
Do: Provide online training that shows seasoned users only the changes that impact them. Build an internal “center of excellence”, use virtual SAP events and online education, and encourage users to tap experts inside and outside the company.
8. Ignoring change management.
Change is difficult for users, and failure to help them cope can doom an upgrade.
Don't: Wait until hands-on training has begun to address change management, or leave change management and upgrade training to IT.
Do: Create an internal change management and training team. Begin change management sessions early so users can provide feedback on new processes or reporting structures.
9. Insufficient skills assessment.
Assuming (or hoping) employees have the upgrade skills they will require can be a disaster.
Don't: Cross your fingers and hope that a bit of internal training is enough for those in lead roles.
Do: Ask outside vendors and use SAP's talent management functionality to evaluate your skill requirements.
10. Insufficient infrastructure planning.
More than half of customers need to make changes such as resizing the application server, deploying new front-end components or making network adjustments to maintain system performance.
Don't: Just hope SAP's recommended system requirements are accurate.
Do: Move to 64-bit hardware, as its scalability and power will ease future enhancements. Running the NetWeaver Java stack is required for more complex requirements such as accessing Adobe Document Services. Unicode conversions are time- and resource intensive, but not terribly difficult.
11. Ignoring support packs.
Installing the proper support packs in your current version is critical to ensuring your upgrade installs and runs as expected.
Don't: Upgrade until you catch up on your support packs and OSS (online support) notes.
Do: Ensure you are up-to-date on all error fixes and are running the latest version of the Solution Manager support platform, if you make extensive use of it.
Too many organizations miss important business benefits by making common errors during SAP upgrades. By setting the proper scope, providing the proper training and getting the proper help you can help assure your organization realizes all the value SAP builds into its upgrades.
Read 11 Mistakes to Avoid when Upgrading SAP (PDF) and learn more about Cognizant's SAP practice and SAP Upgrade Services.