Analyze and understand SAP processes with knowledge maps
Venue:  (2002)

From the Book: The SAP Process Library is a standard reference work for analyzing and describing the basic processes of the SAP product mySAP.com, the new SAP internet strategy. The Process Library comprises the following books: Book 1. Analyze and Understand SAP Processes with Knowledge Maps This book forms the basis of the SAP Process Library and is a kmustm for those who want to understand the general methods of process analysis, knowledge management, and working with knowledge maps. The book explains what knowledge maps are, how they were derived from the MindMapping method, and how they can be used to reflect real-life situations. It describes in detail the theoretical background of process analysis within the framework of business engineering and knowledge management. An overview of mySAP.com is also included. Book 2. SAP Processes: Finance and Controlling A short theoretical introduction gives an overview of the mySAP.com product and the basics for working with processes and knowledge maps. The book describes the most important controlling philosophies and procedures, and deals with possible value flows (for different cost objects) through the SAP system. Finally, the financial accounting, and controlling organizational units and processes are explained, from overhead cost controlling and product cost controlling to profitability analysis. These are subsequently visually displayed in the form of EnjoySAP screens. Book 3. SAP Processes: Planning, Procurement,and Production A short theoretical introduction gives an overview of the mySAP.com product and the basics of working with processes and knowledge maps. The book explains the organizational units and SAP processes of logistics planning, beginning with the processes of demand management (independent requirements) and material requirements planning (independent and dependent requirements). It then describes procurement from purchase orders and goods receipt to invoice verification. Finally, production processes are explained in a logical sequence including, amongst others, production order processing and confirmation processes. Knowledge maps and EnjoySAP screens are used as visual aids. Book 4. SAP Processes: Sales and Distribution, and Customer Service A short theoretical introduction gives an overview of the mySAP.com product and the basics for working with processes and knowledge maps. The book explains the wide range of sales and distribution processes from quotation processing to billing. In the customer service section, it describes all the processes from notification processing to order settlement with the help of EnjoySAP. Knowledge maps are used to explain organizational units. An important feature of mySAP.com is the business scenarios which show a process-oriented view of the mySAP.com components. These are the standard SAP products such as the SAP system (R/3), the Advanced Planner and Optimizer, the Business Information Warehouse, Business-to-Business Procurement, etc. All these separate software solutions are part of the overall concept of mySAP.com. The core functionality, however, will remain the same. The SAP system in particular retains its importance because, as a back-end system, it integrates central processes such as financial accounting, logistics, and human resources. With the new components, these integrated internal processes will be based on cooperation and lead to collaborative process integration across enterprises. The first book of this SAP Process Library deals primarily with structured process analysis within the framework of business engineering and organizational knowledge management. This method can be applied to the complete mySAP.com product. Books 2, 3, and 4 discuss in detail the analysis of the process flows in the mySAP.com SAP back-end system and provide the knowledge required in the form of knowledge maps. The MindMapping method and the EnjoySAP user interface have been used to enable structured and simple explanations of these SAP processes. Specific ways are also shown for expanding the knowledge gained within the framework of business engineering to achieve process-oriented knowledge management. The authors also include over 200 knowledge maps in the complete Process Library. They combine general documentation, questions about process analysis, tips and tricks, and consultant experience. This enables faster process analysis and more independence for the customer. The books in this series are interconnected but each one can also be useful on its own. Process analysis is a central task in the implementation of business software. We, the authors, have jointly dealt with this topic in SAP implementation projects during our long experience as SAP consultants. The experience gained led us to rethink the process analysis procedure. New potential in the area of knowledge management directed us to a fresh approach. In particular the reference-based implementation of the SAP system calls for software knowledge, and other knowledge from both external and internal project team members, to be used more productively. Organizational knowledge within a company is considered as an additional production factor today. It is all the more important, therefore, that knowledge management be put to good use during SAP implementation. This series of books is intended for the following groups: decision makers in different departments project managers process owners management consultants, particularly SAP consultants SAP project teams SAP users students anyone interested in knowing more about the SAP system. Our roles as management consultants and our work with the target groups listed above have shown us again and again that, despite the high level of complexity shown by integrated processes, a simple form of representation must be found. The idea of using the well-known MindMapping method developed by Tony Buzan to describe standard business software inspired us to write this Process Library. Our aims were to: explain the SAP back-end system in simple terms, provide exclusive consultant expertise for business engineering, show innovative ways to structure knowledge management. We refer to this comprehensive SAP knowledge, represented using the MindMapping method, as knowledge maps. This is a pragmatic and visual method of presentation and is during SAP implementation. A whole range of information becomes evident when structured in a knowledge map, and we have tried to include our consultant experience in the form of notes (see light bulbs on the branches of the knowledge maps section 4.2.4 of this book). Before we discuss the process area of knowledge maps in the second part of the book, the reader can learn about the theory behind process analysis. In Chapter 5 we describe the procedure behind a process analysis workshop. Every project is different of course, and the process analysis steps described here should be seen as suggestions. We welcome your feedback and invite you to visit us on the internet at www.knowledge-map.de. Each of the process knowledge maps included in the series of books is shown as a LEGO brick. This is another method of simplifying the visual display of business processes. They can be joined together as LEGO chains. In Sophiems World, Jostein Gaarder refers to LEGO as lthe greatest toy in the world.n We decided to use this method for business (re)engineering and have been given permission by LEGO GmbH to use this graphic symbol. Acknowledgements For their support in putting together this series we would like to thank our colleagues Hans-Peter Thomas, mit wzdurmus, Dzenita Medusalec, Maren Vaterrodt (for the LEGO bricks design), Melanie Machold (graphics), and Susanne Lencinas (marketing). Our thanks also go to Anja Holzwarth and Christian Schneider from Addison-Wesley for editing this book. For his support throughout the entire project, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to Christian Rauscher, manager of Addison-Wesley. Thanks also to Miho Birimisa and Robert Viehmann of ASAP, as well as to Michael Jetter for supplying the MindManager tool, and to Michael Louis for his work on the CD-ROM that accompanies the series. For marketing support, we would like to thank Maithri Samaradivakara of Hardlight Multimedia, London. For their support in creating and reviewing the knowledge maps, we give special thanks to our consultant colleagues Markus Hauser (Controlling), Ralf Brechter (Controlling), Angela Wahl-Knoblauch (Controlling), Mathias Weber (Sales and Distribution), Liane Richter (Sales and Distribution), J