SAP Process Integration

Role of Process Integration in Creating the Connected Enterprise

As organizations grow, so does the complexity of business processes that help organizations function efficiently. Organizations today want to embrace agility and resiliency to mitigate business uncertainties. To achieve these goals, they need to build end-to-end visibility and flows. Integration of siloed business processes is critical for building end-to-end views with the enterprise. This is where process integration comes into play. Process integration capabilities allow organizations to weave multiple processes into one flow, often tracking how information flows within enterprise systems. This integration, hence, provides a cohesive, end-to-end view of the business.

Role of Process Integration in Creating the Connected Enterprise

What Is Process Integration?

Point systems and applications within organizations have grown exponentially in the last few years. This has built fragmented business process data across multiple systems within organizations. Business process integration (BPI) enables organizations to weave their people, data, and applications in one cohesive view. Not all integrations are that comprehensive. Process integration can be simple as well, known as native integration, where the integration focuses on data flow, or it can be comprehensive like third-party integrations. SAPinsider Process Automation SOM research report covers this aspect in detail.

Key Considerations for SAPinsiders

Map and understand process interdependencies. While the focus is on integrating processes and increasing end-to-end efficiency, it is critical to understand process interdependencies. Comprehensive business process mapping on key processes needs to occur simultaneously to understand interdependencies. Build swim-lane-style process maps that clearly illustrate how each process interacts with the other. Leverage best-in-class process mapping and design methodologies like SIPOC diagrams.

Use process integration to facilitate process automation. It is important to understand what the drivers are for inefficiencies and errors in a process. Methodologies like Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma can be useful to perform the analysis. Some of the most widely used and effective root cause analysis methods are Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Scatter Plot diagram, Fishbone diagrams, and Pareto charts. These need to be developed in conjunction with process maps.

Formulate a process visibility strategy. Process visibility remains a key aspect of any process transformation. However, it is important to realistically pre-define what is the desired level of process visibility and evaluate the feasibility of attaining that level of visibility.

Embrace intelligent automation. Technology today allows us to take process automation beyond merely automating manual, non-value-adding tasks. Process automation enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning allows you to further stretch the boundaries of process enhancement and move towards building a truly intelligent enterprise of the future.

- SAP Application Maintenance
Plan and Schedule a Sustainment Program for Complex Assets to Increase Uptime

Published: 28/March/2012

Reading time: 21 mins

Managing a fleet of complex assets requires a well-organized and detailed approach to document maintenance requirements and to schedule their execution. The aim is to balance uptime for the asset and leverage the use of the repair facility. These capabilities are available using SAP’s Maintenance Program Definition (MPD) Workbench and Maintenance Event Builder (MEB). Using...…
SAP CRM 7.0 Enhancement Package 1: A Detailed Introduction to SAP CRM Service Request Management

Published: 27/September/2011

Reading time: 12 mins

Learn about use cases and technical features of the service request, based on CRM 7.0 and SAP enhancement package 1. Understand which use cases the service request is suited for and how it differs from other service transactions, such as the service ticket. Key Concept From a business perspective, an SAP CRM service request is...…
Demystify the CRM Configuration Behind the Service Desk

Published: 01/April/2009

Reading time: 15 mins

ManagerBuild on settings in SAP Solution Manager to roll out a central support system to administer both SAP and non-SAP trouble tickets. Learn effective practices for preparing and designing a comprehensive support system for issue reporting. Key Concept Many SAP users operate multiple issue-tracking tools, allowing SAP Solution Manager’s role in incident management to be...…
A Quick and Easy Guide to Enhancing External List Management

Published: 15/August/2008

Reading time: 15 mins

See how easily you can enhance External List Management transactions to incorporate virtually any additional requirements to the objects it was designed to process, such as business partners. With just four steps you can customize External List Management to meet your needs. Key Concept External List Management (ELM) is an SAP CRM functionality that allows...…
Guard Against Nonpayments with Credit Data Error Detection

Published: 30/August/2011

Reading time: 16 mins

Learn the techniques for determining the root cause of credit errors within SAP sales and distribution (SD). The SAP credit management functionality primarily resides in the SD module, but from a business process perspective, finance staff are a lot more interested in it than sales teams. Often analysts from the SAP finance team take responsibility...…
CRM Middleware Demystified

Published: 15/January/2008

Reading time: 12 mins

CRM Middleware contains important functionality to help SAP CRM share data with other systems. Learn about the components involved with CRM Middleware and then see how it helps to transfer data between SAP CRM and R/3 or SAP ERP Central Component. Key Concept CRM Middleware provides software to enable the transfer of data to and...…
How and Why You Should Archive Data in SAP CRM

Published: 15/January/2008

Reading time: 11 mins

Get an overview of the SAP CRM data archiving process and learn an eight-step method you can use to archive data. Also, find out what you should consider for your SAP CRM data archiving project. Key Concept SAP provides the archive service technology Archive Development Kit (ADK) for implementation of secure and efficient archiving processes....…
- SAP CS
Effectively Manage Your Customer Service Business Function by Using SAP’s Integrated Service Order Functionality

Published: 17/June/2011

Reading time: 16 mins

See how service order functionality integrates with the controlling function to record, track, and manage both costs and revenues resulting from service functions for some of the common customer service scenarios. Key Concept Customer service (CS) order functionality helps you capture the desired level of detail pertaining to activities and resources used to carry out...…
Use Top-Down Distribution in CO-PA to Report Overhead Costs at Lower-Level Characteristics

Published: 15/June/2010

Reading time: 11 mins

Discover top-down distribution functionality and execution in day-to-day operations with two business examples. The first explains the allocation of expenses from cost centers to material groups through profitability analysis (CO-PA) assessment, with material group being a higher-level characteristic. The second explains how to distribute these expenses, posted through CO-PA assessments, from material group to material...…
See All Your Incomplete Sales Orders with Just One Transaction

Published: 15/July/2007

Reading time: 8 mins

See how you can use the incompleteness procedure along with the application log to quickly find incomplete transactions in SAP CRM. This process provides similar functionality to the R/3 Sales and Distribution transaction V.01. Key Concept The incompleteness procedure is a list of incompleteness checks against fields contained in a transaction. You can use it...…