SAP PLM Implementation Tips

]
ATUL PATANKAR[
ASUG INSTALLATION MEMBER
MEMBER SINCE: 2000
LINDA WILSON[
ASUG INSTALLATION MEMBER
MEMBER SINCE: 1999
JUERGEN LINDNER[
SAP POINT OF CONTACT
MEMBER SINCE: 1998
SAP Product Lifecycle Management:
Implementation Tip, Tricks and Lessons
Learned
Eric Stajda, LeverX

2
[What We’ll Cover …
Introduction
Selecting SAP PLM as your tool
Defining the right project scope
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Organizational change management
Key SAP PLM functional areas
Training
Wrap-up

3
[What’s in This Session?
Get expert advice on how to avoid common pitfalls and obstacles as
you begin or continue an SAP PLM implementation project
Selecting SAP PLM
Implementation team
Project scope
Project methodology
Look into key functionality
Material, BOMs, CAD, Document Management, etc.

4
[What’s in This Session? (cont.)
What you are going to get today
My views based on working with customers
The goal of the presentation
To help you avoid common mistakes
To provide some tips and insight into making your PLM project
go smoother

5
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

6
[Selecting SAP PLM As Your Tool
Before you start building, you must select the right tools
Engineering mindset about SAP
It is for Manufacturing, Finance, Purchasing, and Sales
Not an Engineering system
In general, Engineering departments typically have a great deal of
control of their systems
Sometimes they have their own Engineering IT group
Since SAP is large and complex, there is a vision that things
cannot be done fast and the system may not be flexible
This is true to some degree
Before looking at SAP, many companies will look at best of breed
solutions like Matrix One, Teamcenter,
Smarteam, etc.

7
[Selecting SAP PLM As Your Tool (cont.)
At an earlier conference this year, an attendee asked why choose
SAP PLM over another competing product
Here are the key points that I gave
Integration to the rest of the organization
Easy access to engineering data throughout the organization
Engineering has access to supporting information for
decision making
One infrastructure and one support team
Fewer interfaces to build and support
Utilizing an asset in which you have made a large investment

8
[Selecting SAP PLM As Your Tool (cont.)
In the end, SAP PLM is a tool
Most of the software packages contain the same basic
functionality
The success of your project will not be based solely on the
functionality of the software

9
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

10
[Defining the Right Project Scope
Before starting a project, you must define the right scope
Selecting your scope can be based on the following drivers
Business benefit derived from the implementing
Resources you have available
People, money, time
Scope is also based on what current systems or processes you have
in place today
Do you have a system that manages your processes that is no
longer supported?

11
[Defining the Right Project Scope (cont.)
If you have nothing in place, do you need a baseline system?
A baseline system is what I consider Product Data Management (PDM)
Materials, BOMs, Document Management, Classification, Engineering
Change, CAD Management
When thinking of your project scope, think of phased implementations
If your organization is not big on change, then start with smaller projects that
can bring success quickly
“Big-bang” projects work, but they are tough
Require most amount of change management, resources, time,
and risk
Many projects fail because the scope is too large

12
[Sample Scope Options
Document Management
Scope: Bring all Engineering documents into a secure vault and associate to the
product structure
Benefit: Engineering documentation is easily accessible by all users of the SAP
system (Manufacturing, Purchasing, Sales, etc.)
CAD Management with Engineering Change Management
Scope: Integrate your CAD systems to the SAP system
Benefit: CAD data is managed is secure and controlled environment
PDM baseline system
Scope: Manage creation and change of all Engineering product data
Materials, BOMs, Classification, Documents, CAD, Engineering Change
Benefit: Based on business environment — many
Common processes, part reuse, change controlled environment, etc.

13
[Tip for Initial Implementations of SAP Systems
If your organization is using a SAP system for the
first time, start with the smallest scope to build some initial success and momentum
Small successes can lead to bigger gains
This also allows the project team to gain knowledge and confidence
Tip

14
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

15
[Setting up the Team
Success begins with your team
Make sure you have your top resources on the team
Many times, the project team members are selected from
who is available and who will be least missed from the core
business
Top resources bring the following to the table
Have the best information
Can drive decisions
Get buy in from others
Team must be supported by top management
This gives them credibility when they go out to the business
areas, ask tough questions, and propose changes to
processes

16
[Setting up the Team (cont.)
Success begins with your team
People with a positive attitude and willing to learn
If they have not been exposed to SAP systems, they should
be excited about learning something new
They should not have a negative disposition towards SAP
systems
It is true — one negative person can bring down a team
Set the correct expectations
What will they be responsible for?
How long will they be assigned?
What will occur after go-live?

17
[Example Project Team for a Common Project
Project champions trumpet the message of why the project is
being done
Executive Steering Committee helps make the tough decisions
ProjectChampions
SeniorManagement
Applications
Team Lead
CAD
Team Lead
Training
Team Lead
Organization
Change
Management
Leads
Data
Conversion
Team Lead
Infrastructure
Team Lead
SAP PDM
Functional
(Business)
Consultants
ExecutiveSteering
Committee
SeniorManagement
ProjectManagemt
IT & Business

18
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Case study
Wrap-up

19
[Project Methodology
Many projects follow the ASAP methodology, going through these
phases:
Project Prep
Blueprint
Realization
Go-Live
I have noticed a few issues as projects proceed through this
methodology
Specifically, issues tend to appear during the Blueprint phase

20
[Blueprint Phase
During Blueprint, business users do not spend enough time in the system
They are asked to make decisions about functionality or concepts that
they are not familiar with
My recommendations:
Spend more time in the system upfront
Spend a short time gathering requirements and build a quick
prototype
Use the prototype for a conference room pilot and then find out
what needs to be tweaked
The purpose of the Conference Room Pilot is to validate the prototype
against the business processes of end-users of the software, by allowing
end-users to use the software to
carry out typical or key business processes using the
new software
This cuts down overall length of project
Project team members become more knowledgeable
and make better decisions

21
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Case study
Wrap-up

22
[Organizational Change Management (OCM)
Many projects have no organizational change management process
or do not consider it important
As important as technology and functionality, the organizational
change management team keeps communication clear, dispels
rumors, and keeps all participants feeling like they are part of
the project
Keeps us from working in a vacuum
Worst thing is to come back to the business after six
months and say, “Here is your system…”
OCM keeps them in the loop
OCM is a continuous process
Continues after go-live

23
[Activities Carried Out by the OCM Team
Establish and execute communications plan, including communication
toolkits for the team and business to use as needed
Maintain project Web site
Assist project management in preparing for and facilitating events,
such as face-to-face workshops or system demos
Conduct business readiness surveys
Conduct team effectiveness surveys
Establish and lead business readiness team
Design and conduct leadership alignment workshops

24
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

25
[Key SAP PLM Functional Areas
In this section, I’ll talk briefly about key SAP PLM functional areas
Document Management
CAD Integration
Material Master
Classification
Bill of Material (BOM)
Workflow

26
[Document Management System (DMS)
SAP provides you with an enterprise DMS system
Start with management of a small number of documents
Issue: I could manage everything, but how do I set the system up
in meaningful way?
Expand documents that are managed after go-live
Opportunities will present themselves

27
[CAD Integration
SAP sells CAD interfaces to a variety of packages
CATIA, UG, I-deas, Pro/E, Autocad, etc.
SAP is not the main developer of the interfaces
DSC, .riess, CIDEON, Tesis
When implementing, best support comes directly from the
companies that develop these packages
If modification or add-ons are required, they know how to
modify the software quickly and efficiently

28
[Material Master
From an initial look, the material master seems complex
There are many views that capture data for different areas of
the organization
In general, the Engineering area is only interested in 3 views
Basic Data 1, Basic Data 2, Classification
Have a decision on a part number scheme before going into the
project
Smart number vs. unintelligent
Understand how material revisions work in the system
Materials are not inventoried by revision

29
[Classification
Classification is defined as adding additional attributes to aid in
searching for materials
Major business benefit is part reuse
Lesson learned is that this is difficult process for business owners to
define
In a large global company, getting agreement from all parties on
defining the attributes and when they are required is difficult
From a technical standpoint, this is an easy area to implement

30
[Bill of Material
Best practice is to use an Engineering BOM
There will be multiple bill materials for plant-specific BOMs
Use the Engineering BOM and copy it into the production BOM

31
[Workflow
SAP Workflow is great for getting the right information to the right
people at the right time
Start simple — do not attempt to workflow-enable everything
Find a good resource who has experience in developing workflows
for multiple areas of SAP
Build up your internal staff so that they can support workflows after
go live

32
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

33
[Training
Many companies use the “train the trainer” concept
Knowledge needs to be transferred from core team to trainers so that they can
carry out the training
Before training can begin, material must be developed
The main knowledge holders of how to develop the training material are those
who are building/developing the system
One issue I’ve found is that this core team is busy and knowledge must be
transferred to dedicated training developers
In some cases, areas of the system are still being developed while training
development is going on
System and process should be locked down as much as possible before
training development begins to eliminate the frustration of continual
rework of training material

34
[Training (cont.)
The average amount of training required per user depends on the
scope of the project
2 to 3 daysCAD Management with Engineering
Change
2 to 3 daysFull PDM Scope
(DM, BOM, Material, Classification,
ECM)
6 to 8 hoursEngineering Change Management
6 hoursDocument Management
Training Per UserProject Scope

35
Introduction
Setting up the team
Project methodology
Training
Wrap-up

36
[Resources
10 PLM Pitfalls
http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/exclusive/read/1
0_PLM_Pitfalls_11403265
Registration required
10 Best Practices for Successful PLM Evaluations
http://www.meta-fore.com/education/wpreg.php
Registration required
PLM Interest Group (PLMIG) — The PLMIG is a neutral
organization, independent of all providers of PLM products
and services
http://www.plmig.com/welcome/abouttheplmig.shtml
CIMdata® — A definition of PLM
http://www.cimdata.com/PLM/plm.html

37
[Key Learnings
SAP PLM is all about integration
Make sure to bring your best resources to the team
Make you have a project champion that can manage noise and drive home the point
of why the project is being undertaken
Select the right size scope
Don’t be afraid to select something small to get a quick win
Get into the system early and build a prototype
Organizational change management should start early and continue on through the
life of the project
Learn from other customers
Come to conferences such as this or request reference calls from your SAP
Account Executive

38
[
[
]Thank you for participating.
SESSION CODE:
3607
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For ongoing education on this area of focus, visit the
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SAP PLM Implementation Tips

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