It’s a common problem in today’s complicated, high-speed work environments: everyone on a team is working on the same project, but not everyone is working together. This can result in delays, duplicated efforts, and missed deadlines.
That’s why, in 2019, SAP introduced SAP Integrated Delivery Framework. This framework lays out roles and responsibilities for the customer, partner, and SAP in projects led by a partner. It’s not a product or a package of services; rather it’s an engagement model for joint partner projects. By creating a structure for SAP and partners to position their strengths to support implementations, the framework can accelerate joint engagements from sales through delivery.
Since 2019, adoption of SAP Integrated Delivery Framework has grown tremendously. With over 70% growth and hundreds of projects in the first year since its launch, soon close to half of our premium engagement services will be delivered within the framework, which then will be central to our partner collaboration mode.
Along the way, we’ve refined the framework to make it a complement to delivering success for our customers, by blending the skills of SAP Services with those of our delivery partners.
SAP Integrated Delivery Framework works to fully address customer needs by integrating the partner’s and SAP’s solutions and services, building trust to help ensure the relationship between SAP Services and Support and the partner remains positive. It also helps to make sure SAP and partner expertise is leveraged at key points, from initial engagement to go-live. It is an umbrella framework for a variety of SAP services that remains flexible and scalable, continually evolving to meet customer and partner needs rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all approach on customers. It can make it easier than ever for customers to move to the cloud or gain the benefits of business transformation as a service through RISE with SAP.
Since 2019, SAP, partners, and customers have had some incredible outcomes thanks to the framework. But the world has changed a lot in just the last two years. In speaking with customers, SAP learned that an expansion of SAP Integrated Delivery Framework to cover cloud solutions would help customers achieve their business goals. Now, SAP is doing just that: expanding the framework to cover any SAP implementation scenario, including on-premise, RISE with SAP, cloud, or line-of-business solutions.
When the framework was first introduced two years ago, SAP included the RACI matrix, one of the essential pieces of the framework. As part of the expansion, an “S” is now being added to accommodate “who is supporting.” The new RASCI matrix provides a means of determining who is Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, Consulted, and Informed to help keep cloud implementations on schedule and moving smoothly between SAP, partners, and customers.
SAP Integrated Delivery Framework can benefit all parties involved, but, most importantly, it can benefit customers. The clearly defined roles and responsibilities outlined in the framework and implemented with support from the RASCI matrix can reduce risk through clear accountability and governance. It provides an orientation for SAP, the partner, and the customer to agree on, helping to drive results and time-to-value. It can accelerate value realization through early engagement of a partner and SAP as well as helps enhance innovation by utilizing the best of each company’s solutions and services.
Here’s one example: with the help of IBM, SAP worked with the ANTA Group to upgrade from its legacy applications to SAP S/4HANA. By implementing SAP S/4HANA, ANTA was able to reap the benefits of a smooth, secure move to a new intelligent enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that could improve business processes and enable growth. In addition, ANTA enhanced some critical functionalities in the material requirements planning (MRP) calculation mechanism to fully meet new business requirements. “SAP Integrated Delivery Framework as part of SAP Value Assurance provided clearly defined roles and responsibilities that allowed our company, IBM, and SAP to efficiently collaborate and ensure a successful go-live of SAP S/4HANA,” says Donghai Chen, senior director, IT, ANTA Group.
The expanded SAP Integrated Delivery Framework and RASCI matrix make it easier than ever for customers to solve their business challenges and reach their full potential by moving to the cloud with SAP and a trusted partner. Through the good governance and collaborative systems created through the framework, every customer, no matter where they are on their technology journey, can take advantage of SAP’s innovation by moving to the cloud, on time and with minimal risk.
Harald Martin is head of Services Partner Business Development for SAP Services at SAP SE.