The Benefits of Using a Proven Implementation
Methodology for the UC Flex Program

The new UC Flex system is being implemented using IBM's Ascendant™SAP implementation methodology, one of the most comprehensive method sets ever developed. It brings together best practices and project methods from over 50 years of management consulting experience. Ascendant™SAP incorporates SAP's Accelerated SAP (ASAP) method and commercial best practices to provide a comprehensive framework for implementing SAP solutions. Based upon the SAP R/3 Reference Model, the methodology delivers a repeatable, and proven approach to implementing the mySAP Business Suite, by providing a roadmap complete with phases, activities, milestones, and deliverables which address key project areas. By using the methodology, UC has been able to cut time and effort (and therefore cost) while increasing project quality.

Ascendant™SAP also contains a web-enabled project support system (the Ascendant™SAP Toolset) with Project Management Information System (PMIS) functionality and a central repository that aids in managing the project and maintaining documentation and deliverables. The documentation and deliverables generated during the implementation of UC Flex are owned by the University and will be available for future use and reference after the implementation of the system is complete. The toolset provides the UC Flex Project Team with access to methods, documents, templates, standards and accelerators (materials used on previous SAP engagements that serve as templates and guidelines for UC Flex). By utilizing the components of the toolset to complete planning and preparation activities, UC has been able to get the Financials and Human Resources projects up and running more quickly. This has allowed more time to focus on execution activities such as blueprinting (mapping the University's as-is processes to the to-be processes contained in SAP), configuration and deployment of the new system and its technical infrastructure.

With IBM's inclusion of two additional phases (Evaluation and Sustainment, coming before and after the implementation) and additional material, the Ascendant™SAP methodology enhances the ASAP method, specifically in the areas of Change Management, Risk Management, Technical Infrastructure deployment and Post-Implementation Sustainment.

At the beginning of the UC Flex Financials implementation, the UC Flex Sponsors and Management indicated the need for the transition to the new SAP environment to be as smooth as possible, and made this one of the Critical Success Factors for the project. The Change Management approach contained in Ascendant™SAP, which is being used for the UC Flex project, emphasizes the importance of managing the change process from the very beginning and ensures that change management is an integral part of all project activities. The UC Flex program has a dedicated Change Management and Training Team that works closely with Program Management, the Business Process Teams, and the Technical Teams to design and implement activities to help minimize the organizational impact of the new system. These activities are also designed to help the user community prepare in advance of the implementation, in order to minimize risk, promote ownership, gain support and acceptance of the new system, and provide long-term value by leveraging the system's capabilities to gain efficiencies more quickly.

In addition to mitigating risk through effective change management, the UC Flex project is taking a proactive approach to risk management by utilizing the risk management techniques contained in Ascendant™SAP, specifically in the areas of risk identification, impact assessment, and risk review. During the planning stage of the UC Flex initiative, a Risk Log was created. It identifies potential risks and the probability of them occurring, an assessment of their impact (e.g., cost, schedule, quality, satisfaction) and an action plan including mitigation strategies and an assigned Action Manager. The Risk Log is reviewed on a regular basis throughout the project lifecycle to identify new risks and to analyze and monitor existing risks on an ongoing basis. Continuous risk management will help to increase the likelihood that the goals, objectives, and benefits of UC Flex are achieved.

By using the Ascendant™SAP methodology and toolset, the University of Cincinnati is obtaining the knowledge and skills to implement the new UC Flex system, while ensuring that there is a framework in place to sustain and improve the performance of the system after the initial go-live.

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