From guard rails & to-be capabilities via the process model to the reference architecture

What? How? With what? Three simple questions with which we clarify what you want to do in the future in your sector – or perhaps also have to do – how you want to do this and on what (technical) basis, i.e. with what. Once we have found the answers to these questions, all we have to do is derive the goals of your project from them and we can begin with the implementation.

Since it is of course not quite that simple, we find the answers in three steps that build on each other:

Drawing up your to-be capabilities map (WHAT?)

We derive your to-be capabilities from your strategic guard rails and from the challenges you or your sector will face in the future. In other words, we answer the question of what you want to be able to do in the future, or perhaps what you need to be able to do. And from the sum of the answers, we derive your to-be capabilities map.

The following to-be capabilities could be relevant for you, practically illustrated by the example of omnichannel:

• Order management through central reservations
• Central services for all channels in real time for availabilities and stock forecasts
• Central storage and determination of prices and promotions
• Support Click & Ship
• Support Click & Collect

Designing your process model (HOW?)

Your to-be capabilities map is the basis on which we develop your business process model

– i.e. we deal with the question of how exactly you want to build up the required capabilities and how you want to establish the necessary processes in your company.

This is done end-to-end, i.e. on the basis of integrated process chains. You benefit from our consenso Best Practices – standardised, industry-specific business processes that we individualise together exactly where it is necessary and beneficial for you.

Examples of integrated process chains:

• Order to Cash (from order to receipt of payment)
• Procure to Pay (from purchase requisition to invoice processing)
• Record to Report (from data extraction to the preparation of financial and management reports)

Deriving your reference architecture (WITH WHAT?)

The last step is quite technical. Based on your process model, we design your future IT application architecture.

In doing so, we draw on SAP Best Practices, industry-specific packages that already contain standardised business content such as scenarios, processes, libraries, business process documents or test cases. Content of these best practice packages (excerpt):

• System configuration – master and structural data as well as relevant process customizing.
• Flow (BPMN2) – representation of the business process in the process modelling application
• Test scripts – procedure for testing the defined business process

Here, too, we take on the role of "guardian of the standard". Whenever you want to deviate from this standard, it is our job to ask why your company cannot work on the basis of the best practice approach presented. Based on this controversy, we jointly develop an architecture that follows the idea of harmonisation and standardisation exactly where it is possible and deviates when your customised processes make it necessary.