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
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.
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.
1303 results
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Manage User Exits for Multiple Projects
The maintenance of user exits often becomes a time-consuming chore. The author shows a simple way to manage your company’s user exits through a custom control table. He enhances his solution with an example. In an ideal SAP world, standard SAP fills all your needs and you never write user exits. The reality, however, is...…
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Two SAP-Enabled R2P Process Controls for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance
Requisition-to-pay (R2P) is a key operational process that auditors for Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance will expect to see controls. Fortunately, R/3 Materials Management (MM) has a number of configuration controls that you can use for this purpose. The author explains two, recording purchase requisitions and releasing purchase requisitions, and shows how you might use them in...…
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Managing the Challenges of Payroll Application Maintenance
Companies that implement SAP payroll also have to plan and execute a strategy for application maintenance of the payroll systems. When implementing it globally, they have even bigger challenges for keeping the payroll applications up to date with regulatory and other changes. Compared to other applications, payroll applications need higher maintenance and upkeep due to...…
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Configure a Customer-Specific Transaction Type for Problem Management in SAP Solution Manager 7.1
ManagerSAP Solution Manager 7.1 IT Service Management has a new transaction type, SMPR, for configuring the Problem Management process to find out the real cause of incidents occurring due to the same problem. Problem messages assist in quick, easy ticket resolution during support. You can create a customer-specific transaction type for Problem Management via a...…
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Track Cross-Company Sales Using BW’s Return Tables
Reporting on cross-company sales is sometimes confusing in BW because of the way company codes are assigned. It can be difficult to see from which division sales are being received. BW has a feature called “return tables” that can get you around this problem, and the author explains how. A global company often trades goods...…
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Streamline Your Company Awards in SAP Payroll
See how to maintain, monitor, process, and report on monetary and non-monetary awards in one infotype. Key Concept Infotype 0183 allows you to track both monetary and non-monetary awards in one place. This makes it possible to combine both types of awards in one report. If you have not implemented the Compensation Management module in...…
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Secrets to Successful Data Conversions
Converting data from a legacy system to an SAP system can be a daunting task. Follow experienced advice for planning and executing your data conversion strategy, from developing project scope to testing and monitoring the data conversion. Included with these tips are two downloads: a sample Microsoft Visio data dependency planning chart and a conversion...…
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Configure User Statuses to Increase Compliance Control of Production Orders
Use SAP status management to bring greater flexibility to your SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) applications and control business transaction processing to meet the specific needs of your organization. Learn how to define user statuses and assign them to SAP objects. Key Concept SAP status management includes system statuses and user statuses. System statuses are...…
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Lessons Learned in Implementing SAP Enterprise Compensation Management
Become familiar with SAP Enterprise Compensation Management (PA-EC). Take away tips about how to optimize annual merit plans, variable pay plans, budget reconciliation, approval processing, promotions, and lump sums. Consider how EC affects your other modules. Key Concept SAP Enterprise Compensation Management (PA-EC) is not an add-on to the Compensation Management (PA-CM) module in SAP...…
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Key Metrics for Reducing Errors and Cutting Costs in Accounts Payable
ManagementSAPexperts/FinancialsMark Twain famously wrote that the three kinds of mistruths were lies, damned lies, and statistics. If he were alive today and analyzing the enterprise business world, he may well have added metrics to the list. The problem isn’t that companies aren’t using metrics, according to Jonathan Casher of Casher Associates, an accounts payable (AP)...…
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