Four Key Phases of SAP Application Management Services

Increasingly complicated SAP environments, a shortage of competent people searching for work, and increased technical department demands imply that in-house IT departments are reaching their capacity.

Through our Application Management Services (AMS), we manage the whole IT operation and support for your SAP system reliably, professionally, cost-effectively, and with the potential to expand with you. It allows your CIO and SAP professionals to focus on the most critical areas of your organization.

Keeping the same in mind, this blog explores more about SAP AMS support in the following sections. Continue reading as we learn more about the four key phases of SAP AMS in the following sections.

SAP Application Management Services

SAP application management services streamline businesses through different firms. It is primarily for businesses that need to outsource some or all of their SAP application support.

AMS providers provide their technical prowess to IT and other enterprises. The SAP AMS services are categorized into four phases: Operations, Stabilization, Transition, and Closure.

Engagement Management Preparations

The contractor delivering the AMS Service and the business or client opting for the same will hire an engagement manager to take over the operations.

The Engagement Manager is an individual who has the power to make decisions and organize their execution within the business. The Engagement Managers from both sides collaborate closely to carry out the contents of all Order Forms.

Here’s an overview of the different phases of the operation:

Transition Phase

The Development of all roles, procedures, and instruments necessary for the adequate provision of Application Management Services takes place in tandem with the Transition. At this stage of the transition, no messages have been handled. Thus, it qualifies as a preparation.

To ensure that the resources needed to deliver application management services are accessible and possess client-specific knowledge about the managed applications, the firm providing the services sets up a support structure. One of the responsibilities in this stage is choosing the engagement manager.

The knowledge transfer about the SAP solution tailored at the customer’s location—including internal advancements and industry-specific add-ons, etc.—comes next.

All services are tracked during the transition period by starting with a shared project plan produced in-depth with the customer during these meetings. The transmission of information is an essential component of the transition period. This section lets the SAP Application Management Services team become acquainted with the SAP solution they will work with at the customer’s location.

The client needs enough time to become acquainted with the client’s IT environment. These system landscapes demand in-depth familiarization because of their variable complexity (business processes, number of systems, application scenarios, modifications inside the SAP solution, number of non-SAP apps and interfaces, etc.).

The engagement manager of the business offering the AMS service works closely with the customer or its designated contact person to organize the knowledge transfer phase. The linked scope document lists the business procedures principally related to knowledge transfer.

Transition Planning and Transition Execution are the two fundamental processes that comprise the Transition phase, represented as a distinct project. The intricacy of the AMS interaction determines how long each step will take. Agreeing on and/or reverse shadow support with the client is optional. In Shadow help, the Contractor offers on-site or remote (to be chosen) help while keeping an eye on the Client Team.

Stabilization Phase

For productive SLA measurements to start in the Operations Phase, all components of the solution’s functioning must be stabilized during the Stabilization Phase.

At this stage, messages are managed per the processes for the event, change, incident, problem, and fulfillment of requests. In this stage, application landscapes become more stable, and consultants get more used to and knowledgeable about the system landscape.

The intricacy of the AMS interaction determines how long this phase will take. The stabilization phase is broken up into tasks, including kick-off activities, completing IT Service Management (ITSM) paperwork and prior phase documentation, and ending the stabilization by accepting it and getting the customer’s signature.

Operations Phase

The contractor’s real work in the AMS engagement occurs during the Operations phase.

During the Operations Phase, the services above are rendered remotely and recorded in a ticket system. The communications are managed following the request fulfillment, change management, event management, incident management, and problem management procedures.

Every message follows the agreed-upon SLAs and the resolution scope outlined in the related scope document. Tasks are continuously monitored throughout this period to prevent SLA breaches. Furthermore, frequent control meetings are conducted. These meetings, which take place with the contractor internally and externally—that is, with the customer—serve to guarantee the quality of the AMS and to find, talk about, and decide on optimizations as a process of ongoing improvement.

Every message is handled as per the SLAs that have been agreed upon and the resolution scope that is outlined in the related scope document. Tasks are continuously monitored throughout this period to prevent SLA breaches.

Furthermore, frequent control meetings are conducted. These meetings, which take place with the contractor internally and externally—that is, with the customer—serve to guarantee the quality of the AMS and to find, talk about, and decide on optimizations as a process of ongoing improvement.

Additionally, the documentation is routinely reviewed and updated. Regular intervals are used to deliver information to the consumer through reports. It might be agreed that on-site support will also be provided for a predetermined number of days.

Closure Phase

The last phase of an AMS engagement is called the Closure Phase. The completion of activities determines the length of this phase; the start and end dates are not predetermined at the time of contracting but rather are agreed upon when the contractor or client submits a Closure Notice.

The Closure Phase aims to mutually close the AM Service at the Contractor and transfer responsibilities to the Client. During this step, all documentation obtained from the Client will be returned, and the Contractor will assist the Client with knowledge transfer sessions as requested during the Closure Phase of the engagement.

Service delivery proceeds as outlined in the Operations Phase during the Closure Phase. This includes processing messages in compliance with the protocols for:

• Event Management
• Incident Management
• Problem Management
• Change Management
• Request Fulfillment
• Others

A project will have more tasks. All services are monitored throughout the closure phase, beginning with developing a shared project plan (exit plan) and talking with the customer in thorough talks.

This implies that the client receives a transfer of the information that the contractor has amassed through knowledge transfer sessions. Ultimately, a meeting is called, and the customer signs to accept (terminate) the engagement. After that, everything is finished, and an invoice may be created. Furthermore, the client has disabled every user across the system landscape – SAP and non-SAP.

In Conclusion

SAP AMS is the future of running streamlined business operations at every level. Free up your business from all the core hassles of managing SAP modules. Tap into the future of operations today!