What is the SAP Activate Framework? - 3 Pillars Explained | LeanIX (2024)

The Ultimate Guide

What is the SAP Activate Framework?

SAP developed the SAP Activate Framework to better facilitate SAP implementation projects. The framework provides project managers and consultants with the tools and processes to implement SAP solutions within any organization. The framework consists of three pillars; SAP Best Practices, Guided Configurations, and the SAP Activate Methodology.

SAP Activate has been designed to improve the project management quality of any SAP project. By following the methodology’s roadmap, project managers can implement SAP solutions with much more ease, resulting in a smoother process and more successful outcome. SAP Activate’s primary goal is to help organizations achieve complex business goals using the SAP solution.

SAP Project Managers, SAP Consultants, and all types of SAP Architects will benefit the most from understanding the principles behind the SAP Activate Framework. Project managers and consultants will work with the framework daily and have an in-depth understanding of how it works. If an organization has an SAP Center of Excellence, it too will benefit from understanding the framework and the changes it will bring.

Source: The Beginner's Guide to SAP Activate

The framework can be used with all transition scenarios, which cover new implementations, system conversions, or landscape transformations. Currently, the framework is a key component in facilitating the migration to SAP S/4HANA. It can also be used for cloud, on-premise, or hybrid solutions – and will have an associated roadmap to guide the process.

SAP users can access SAP Activate Framework content through the SAP Jam community and the SAP solutions manager, while the SAP Methodology can be navigated inside the roadmap viewer tool.

3 pillars of SAP Activate

The three pillars of the SAP Activate Framework are SAP Best Practices, Guided Configurations, and the SAP Activate Methodology. The framework can be used with all transition scenarios to S/4HANA. However, the methodology will differ greatly depending on whether an enterprise is using the Greenfield, Brownfield, or Hybrid implementation conversion approach.

SAP Best Practices

Source: The Beginner's Guide to SAP Activate

SAP Best Practices is a set of standardized, pre-configured solutions made for different industries to implement SAP solutions. SAP has been on the market since 1972 and has been able to develop the best practices for installing and running its products. When a company decides to adopt SAP, they are not only benefiting from the SAP system, but also over 40 years of tried-and-tested processes.

SAP Best Practices include configurations, standard business processes, and a library of detailed documentation accessed through the SAP Best Practices Explorer. SAP Activate uses SAP Best Practices as a baseline in combination with Guided configurations and the SAP Activate methodology. Utilizing SAP Best Practices allows project managers to bypass complex system configurations. This speeds up the implementation process, reduces risk, and is cost-effective.

Guided configurations

Source: The Beginner's Guide to SAP Activate

The second pillar of SAP Activate is the Guided Configuration. SAP Guided Configuration is a set of tools, assets, and accelerators, designed for easy configuration of SAP systems and business processes. SAP also provides a self-service configuration user experience for customer-specific requirements. Guided Configuration also ensures configurations of old solutions are not impacted by a newer version of best practices or processes.

Using the SAP roadmap viewer, customers can identify which SAP Activate roadmap is needed, depending on the SAP solution in question. The SAP roadmap viewer provides 15 possible roadmaps for general and solution-specific implementation. SAP then provides guided configuration tools for that specific deployment option.

Furthermore, SAP users can search the SAP Store to find solutions that can facilitate their transition. By exploring “SAP Endorsed Apps” you can find solutions such as the LeanIX EAM, which has integration with SAP Signavio.

SAP Activate methodology

Source: The Beginner's Guide to SAP Activate

The final pillar of the SAP Activate Framework is its methodology. The SAP Activate methodology is a project-implementation methodology used to plan and implement complex SAP solutions. It is built on the Agile methodology, which takes an iterative approach to continuously improve processes to increase the project’s overall quality and success.

Once the appropriate implementation roadmap has been established, the methodology is then broken down into 6 distinct phases. The 6 phases of Activate methodology are Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy, and Run.

SAP teams and consultants will work through the phases of the SAP Activate methodology to solve their business pain points. Each phase guides users through the SAP implementation and helps to identify the right solution for specific business needs.

Conclusion

The SAP Activate Framework is a vital implementation framework for SAP customers, their consultants, and project managers to successfully deliver implementation projects.

The framework has been specifically designed to facilitate the implementation of various SAP solutions – migration to SAP S/4HANA. However, the framework’s methodology has developed roadmaps for all new implementations, system conversions, and landscape transformation.

SAP Activate is continuously developing its processes and methodology for constant improvement through feedback from SAP communities and working alongside SAP-endorsed apps. Project managers and different SAP Architects can find apps, such as LeanIX’s EAM valuable because they provide key insights into company architecture and business processes.

Utilizing all available tools will elevate the outcomes and benefits the SAP Activate framework provides.

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