S/4HANA Public Cloud Tools

Implementation checklist for S/4HANA Public Cloud

I've created an end-to-end reference guide for SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementations.

I worked through SAP's 12-hour implementation learning journey and additional reference documents to capture the main implementation activities.

I ordered and summarised activities by SAP activate phases.

I then added additional steps and notes based on my experience of R/3, ECC, and S/4HANA project management as well as broader finance transformation.

Even trying to be concise, this high level list of activities reached 639 lines, which showcases the complexities of these programs. In a real world scenario each phase would be broken down into a more detailed plan with detailed deliverables, workshops, sign-offs, etc.

Here are the download links:

• Download the PDF
• Download the Excel

And here is a preview:

Key points for the interpretation of the list:

Activities will vary widely depending on organisation size and complexity:

• Smaller/simpler organisations with minimal developments would be able to filter out a lot of activities
• On the other hand, a larger, more complex organisation, may need to consider all points, and break many down into more detail.

Change management:

• I've included a number of change management activities. However, many change activities come from situation specific change impacts.
• Change impacts analysis should lead to the addition of more specific steps.

Validations and sign-offs:

• Validations and sign-offs are critical for SAP programs
• Scope, requirements, design options, and build should be carefully scrutinised and validated. Many additional steps can be added to put more rigour on this.

Resources:

• A checklist doesn't quite capture the importance of a correctly resourced team.
• SAP experts must be involved with solid knowledge of in scope modules
• Business experts must be involved with solid knowledge of the existing business process, systems, data, and reports
• Other specialists may be needed (data, integration, developers, roles, etc.).

If you are considering or implementing S/4HANA public cloud I'd be interested in your thoughts on this.