Have you ever wondered if there is an ideal time to do your SAP BW implementation?
Most customers are faced with this difficult choice and get conflicting advice. Our recommendation is that, like all good consultants tell you, is it depends on your situation, specifically where you are at in your SAP implementation or perhaps even if you are doing a SAP ECC implementation at all.
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Three Key Planning Phases
There are really three primary time zones you should know about:
- During the core SAP ECC implementation (SAP BW being implemented in conjunction with the implementation).
- Immediately after the SAP ECC Go-Live
- 6 months or more after Go-Live, meaning you are in the Continuous Business Improvement Phase.
Advantages vs Disadvantages
Each of these three implementation time zones has advantages and disadvantages to consider. There are also variations on the time zones, i.e., you may be doing a multi-phase roll-out, so Go-Live is actually a series of events.
|
During |
Immediately After |
6 Months After |
|||
|
Advantage |
Disadvantage |
Advantage |
Disadvantage |
Advantage |
Disadvantage |
|
Can establish Netweaver Environment Earlier. Can actively work with SAP Implementation team to make sure everything is NOT saved for BW. |
ERP Implementation Not Stable. Business processes not actually yielding data to work with. |
Few. Easier to make the transition as some of the SAP ERP implementation may still be onsite doing post implementation support |
Business still very much in transition. Data quality not under control. |
Business Processes stable and Business Content much easier to leverage. SAP BW team can typically handle non BW task with a few SAP Consulting resources |
The SAP ERP implementation team will not be available to make process improvement changes |
Start Six Months After Go-Live - Usually
Clearly, our recommendation would be to start your SAP BW implementation about 6 months after Go-Live for maximum effectiveness at minimum cost. Others might disagree.
Make It Easy On Yourself
However, you can start your implementation during any of these time zones and still have a successful implementation, but with varying degrees of difficulty.
SAP BI Implementation Tips From The Experts
We have developed an extensive set of SAP Project Management Tips and Hints to help you through both your BW implementation and your core SAP ECC (R/3) implementation.
Appreciate your comments and feedback!
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