The Prepare and Explore phases are over.
The noses are pointed in the same direction.
Both the De Kuyper and Quinso project teams know what is expected of each other and what the scope of the project is.
Time for the next step: the realization phase.
The processes mapped out during the first phases are now linked to the best practices in SAP S/4HANA.
The system is being set up.
Dick Verburg talks about the success and challenges during the realization phase.
10 weeks, 5 sprints
In the Explore phase, we mapped which standard processes best fit De Kuyper’s business processes. Now it’s time to set up the system. The realization phase of S/4HANA Cloud lends itself perfectly to an agile approach – 5 sprints spread over 10 weeks in which we set up the system and prepared it for going live. During those sprints, we helped the key-users accurately define how the system supports their work for each process. For recognition, we used as much real data as possible, such as items, ingredients and suppliers. After each sprint, the key-users gave the Quinso project team a demo. This way we saw not only whether the system worked well, but also whether the users were using it correctly. After 10 weeks, we had activated all the best practices we determined during the Explore phase and the users had pushed the limits of what is possible within the system.
Connecting third parties
Of course, during the implementation phase, not everything runs perfectly. The key users can never devote 100% of their time to setting up the new system. The “normal” work must not suffer. So it was important to keep everyone on their toes. Fortunately, thanks to the agile approach, this went well.
We don’t just work on the internal processes. We also include external parties, such as suppliers or logistics providers, in the process. The challenge in this is that if we want to make a delivery or shipment, they have to be ready at the same time we are setting up the system. This can cause considerable delays. One way to tackle this in advance is to include those third parties early in the project as well.
Preparing for Go-Live
We are now ready to test, modify and finalize the system to ensure that all processes are working properly and that the organization is ready for the transition. We are beginning what is known as the SIT phase, the System Integration Tests. For the first two weeks, Quinso’s team will go through the entire system. Every process will be scrutinized. And we also conduct an end-to-end test of a sales process. From warehouse, to customer to final invoicing. Then we go through this process again, but with De Kuyper’s project team present. They look over our shoulder, so they see how the process works, which issues can occur and how to solve them immediately. This is good preparation for the final UAT test, the User Acceptance Test, which will take place in September. The direction of this is entirely in the hands of De Kuyper and we support where necessary. If there are questions from key users, or issues that need to be solved, we will help remotely.
Key-user certification and summer drinks
To conclude the realization phase, we will have a summer drink with De Kuyper. During this occasion we also hand out the key-user certificates to those who passed the exam. The key-user exam takes place at the end of the realization phase and was created to encourage key users to dive seriously into the system. The exam consists of 12 questions, including 8 multiple-choice, 2 open-ended and 2 assignments to perform in the system. We took this exam while we were working on the SIT test, and for the key-users, this is the beginning to work independently in the next phase.
In the next blog, Dick talks more about how the testing phase went. Benieud how the previous phases went? You can read about that in the blog “A new standard: De Kuyper’s transition to S/4HANA Cloud.
