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7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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5-Step Roadmap to a
Sound SAP xMII
Deployment
by Mo Ghanem, Manager, xMII Field
Enablement and Consulting Services,SAP Labs
une 15, 2007
SAPexperts/SCM
This five-step roadmap helps you
nderstand what you need to do to
mplement SAP xApp Manufacturing
ntegration and Intelligence, build aneffective team, and establish a rapid
eployment model that you can
epeat and enhance after every
eployment.
Key Concept
An SAP xApp Manufacturing
Integration and Intelligence (xMII)
implementation involves functional
synchronization and reengineering
of business processes as opposed
to being a technical application
development. A successful
deployment approach must combine
functional and technical knowledge.
Business process analysis, industry
knowledge, and best practices are
keys to build ing a useful application
and realizing return on investments.
Taking the time to prepare and
analyze business process execution
and building a repeatable
implementation model is the best
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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approach to ensure continuous
success.
SAP xApp Manufacturing Integration
and Intelligence (xMII) connects the
operation-level and enterprise data in
your manufacturing systems with R/3
and SAP ERP Central Component
ECC). It allows you to detect and
esolve schedule, material, machine,
abor, and quality issues in real time.
So, what does it take to implement
SAP xMII? My clients and partners
ave asked the same questions over he past couple of years:
How many people does it take and
what are their required skill sets?
What is the best way to approach a
project?
How do I coordinate with other
eams?
What interfaces/systems do I need?
Which architecture is best for us?
To understand what it takes toachieve manufacturing integration
and synchronization, you need to
nderstand your business. Most
kely, you execute every business
process on both sides of the
enterprise — the shop- floor and ECC
ides. Your implementation projecthould do so as well.
There is no one-size-fits-all
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sapexperts-5-step-roadmap-to-a-sound-sap-xmii-deploymentpdf 3/13
eployment strategy. Therefore, I
ave compiled the following
eployment roadmap based on SAP
ASAP methodology: project
preparation, business blueprint,
ealization, final preparation, go-live,and support. I also based this
oadmap on my own experience
managing implementations and from
projects that I witnessed or reviewed
across different industries and
hroughout the SAP xMII community
of partners and customers.
will describe each step in the five-
tep process in the context of a
ypothetical Quality Management
QM) scenario. Although you can use
SAP xMII with other manufacturing
ystems, such as manufacturing
execution systems and shop- floor
automation applications, I’ll use QM
n my example because i t’s an area
hat is equally understood and
mportant across industries.
Note
For more information about SAPxMII, including installationprerequisites, see my article, “ WhatYou Need to Know About SAP xMIIto Enable Adaptive Manufacturing.”
QM Scenario
n my example, the company’s SAP QM and the Laboratory
nformation Management System (LIMS) system are not
tegrated, so the operator must manually enter in- spectioneadings from measuring equipment into the LIMS system. The
M analyst gets the results from the operator and manually
e-enters them into SAP QM, which introduces redundancy,
rrors, and delays — for example, sometimes the QM analyst
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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nters the results long after the products have shipped. This
sconnect between the quality check on the shop floor and
he quality management in the ERP system results in
dditional costs due to reworks and scrap and low customer
atisfaction due to defective products.
he company needs to improve its quality inspection process
nd increase customer satisfaction by reducing the variation
om customer’s specifications. This reduces cost by
ecreasing the amount of reworks and scraps, and improvessibility by delivering real-time quality notification of inspection
ts results and displaying up-to-the- minute Statistical
rocess Control (SPC) analysis or out-of-spec parts and
utliers.
he following is a roadmap for implementing SAP xMII, which
lows you to quickly set up a framework and deployment
trategy. When complete, SAP xMII allows the QM and LIMS
ystems to share data with each other.
Step 1. Prepare for the Projectso ensure cross- functional and other team support for your
roject, it is useful to understand your company’s priorities and
ign your project goals accordingly. For instance, if one of the
ompany objectives is lean manufacturing and supply chain
ptimization, your project goals should include enhancing
ventory visibility, enabling flex scheduling, and improving
orecasting. If quality and customer service are the main
oals, your application should enable quality managers to
monitor and respond to problems with actionable information.
s you prepare for your project, keep in mind three key
eatures that the project must have:
ffer real benefits (i.e., it has to be meaningful)
ave a manageable scope, so the team can get it done
ave a business necessity (i.e., it has to solve a business
roblem, such as reducing rework and scrap). It’s easier to
nd project sponsors if you can prove its necessity and
uantify its results, such as saving the cost of reworks.
Step 2. Map Business Processes and
Applicationsny SAP xMII implementation has to start with defining the
rocesses that enable the business. SAP xMII can simplify
nd optimize any process to a degree, but it doesn’t replace
he know-ledge and understanding of the business intelligence
ehind the process.
o map the business processes, you need to understand the
usiness objectives behind it, the data, and systems that
nable it. Take, for example, QM. The business goal is to
ngineer quality into production and reduce defects. It requires
pplications such as Sample Management, Batch
Management, Quality Inspection, Quality Analytics, and SPC.
n addition, you can use interfaces to supportive systems, such
s Integrated Problem Management, Corrective and
reventive Action (CAPA), and Customer Complaint
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 1
Business process mapping
Management.
he business process blueprints should map the process flow,
pplications, and roles that you need to complete the
orkflow. Next, create a high-level diagram, such as the one
Figure 1, to illustrate process workflow and roles you need
o complete it. At this point, five to 10 steps are enough to
escribe the “as- is” process and enable everyone to have the
ame picture and work from the same assumptions. It also
elps in the next step when the team needs to understandhen and where to collect data.
ext, a complete data mapping is required to determine what
ata elements the business process needs to gather, post,
stribute, save, and display. This mapping starts with an
ventory of the systems and applications that enable the
usiness processes, as shown in Table 1. When the SAP xMII
mplementation is complete, QM uses it to integrate data from
hese systems and provide a comprehensive view on quality.
epeat this step for every business process in the project
cope.
Systems Processes DataQM
LIMS or Sample and
Batch Management
systems
SPC and Statistical
Quality Control (SQC)
Analytics System
Electronic test
equipment interface
•Quality planning
•Specifications and
sampling plans
•Results recording
•Test equipment
interfacing/reading
•Usage decision
•Certificate of
Analysis
generation•Trigger quality
notifications in QM
•List of QM
inspection lots
•List critical
inspection
characteristics
•Inspection test
results from
electronic test
devices
•Manual recording•Data results to
generate graphics
and chart
able 1 The systems, processes, and data involved in QM
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Step 3. Build the Teamhe mix of functional and technical roles on the team is
rucial. Understanding the business’ processes goes hand-in-
and with understanding your team requirements. An SAP
MII implementation requires both technical and functional
nowledge. Cross-functional and technical skills are the
oundation of a successful SAP xMII project.
he disparity of the shop-floor landscape with systems fromfferent vendors built on different architecture and platforms
alls for a wide range of technical and functional skills. These
kills include:
echnical Web and programming knowledge of concepts, such
s JavaScript, HTML, Extensible Stylesheet Language
ransformations (XSLT), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
trong database skills, such as SQL and Oracle
nowledge of manufacturing systems, such as Manufacturing
xecution Software (MES) and Supervisory Control and Data
cquisition (SCADA)
n addition, an SAP xMII developer should have a good
nderstanding of SAP NetWeaver servers and components
uch as Portals. An SAP xMII Solution Architect (SA) or a
unctional lead should be familiar with ECC systems focused
n the following modules: Materials Management (MM),
roduction Planning (PP), QM, and Plant Maintenance (PM).
he SA role is needed for about 20-40% of the project time
uring the business process mapping, data analysis, and
esting phases.
recommend you start with a core team of SAP xMII
evelopers with a solid knowledge of the product capabilities
nd flexibility and bring the functional skills into the team as
eeded. See the sidebar, “Project Team,” for details about
ach role on the team and the typical task each role performs.
or more information about the project management aspect of
n SAP xMII implementation project, see the sidebar, “Build
he Project Plan and Governance Model.”
Step 4. Implement SAP xMIIs best to implement SAP xMII in three phases. Build the
pplication and data interfaces, use rapid prototyping to test
ach business process, and optimize the SAP xMII
rchitecture and connectivity.
Build the Application and Data Interfaces
nderstanding the business process allows you to determine
hat application and interfaces are needed. Figure 2
emonstrates the QM inspection process that I want to build in
AP xMII. Looking at the diagram, you can see that the
pplication interfaces are QM, LIMS, electronic test equipment,
nd possibly some homegrown applications.
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 2
QM inspection process workflow using SAP
xMII
o build the application and data interfaces, follow these four
teps.
lassify your applications (current and needed) to enable
he business processes. Use the business process mapping
ou created in Figure 1 to determine all of the applications you
eed for your scenario — QM in this case. If you need
dditional applications, revisit the project scope and determine
adding the application is something you can do (using SAP
MII services to interface to the application) or if you need
nother approach, such as buying or building the application.
se SAP xMII data services to connect to the target
ystems and gather the necessary data. You can build a
ommon data interface layer to collect and share data across
pplications. SAP xMII has an extensive library of connectors
hat enable you to connect to systems on the shop floor and
oordinate communication between ECC, the shop-floor
ystem, and even third-party systems without the need to build
r maintain a middleware or separate integration layer.
efine the business process triggers. Using SAP xMII
usiness logic services (BLS), map the process data element
nd build its workflow. The system can trigger BLS
ansactions by receiving real-time inspection results to update
he inspection lot results in QM, for example. SAP xMII also
an notify production managers, customers, and sales reps if
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 3
Quality application and interfaces (Source:
SAP)
n issue occurs. I explained this in more detail in the “Quality
Management and Continuous Improvement” section in my
ovember 2006 article.
Tip!
You can build a library of common functionality that works
with many business processes — for example, to create a
“get inspection lot list” function that the system can use to
download inspection lots every time that you need a listbased on material ID or work center. You can use and reuse
this library across applications and projects to save time and
effort and to enforce standards.
sing SAP xMII visualization services, build the user
nterface and the tools you need to interact with the
rocesses. The system feeds the real-time test results and
ata that the SAP xMII data services collect into the business
gic layer, BLS. BLS combines this and other data from SAP
M and PP, such as the inspection lot numbers androduction order number (Figure 3). BLS analytics
omponents examine the inspection results and update the
PC/SQC analysis chart. The system then updates the chart
bjects in SAP xMII visualization services with the results to
eliver a real-time SPC analysis chart (Figure 4). It also feeds
erformance metrics at the portal and global KPI level (Figure
).
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 4
SPC in-line analysis dashboard
Figure 5
Real-time divisional KPI view
Rapid Prototyp ing
good practice is to start with one business process.
rototype SAP xMII with it to get the functionalities right,
reate a user test, and then finalize the user interface. For
xample, when you implement QM, start with the inspection
ts list processes, and then the lot details and characteristics
equirements. Finally, build the view and interface (Figure 6).
Mark this milestone as completed and then move on to the
ext business process. Using this model, you can phase your
roject in rapidly deployed deliverables that keep the team
motivated. Always test your model after each deployment,
ocument lessons learned, and update the governance
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 6
Inspection lots list as a first step
models.
Architecture and Connectiv ity
o optimize connectivity and reduce network traffic, you should
ace an SAP xMII server close to the shop- floor data
ources. Refer to the “SAP xMII Deployment and Architecture”
ection of my November 2006 article for additional hardware
equirements, depending on whether you have a single plant
r multi-plant environment.
AP xMII connectors optimize the communication between the
arget system and the SAP xMII server, as well as among
fferent SAP xMII servers. Figure 7 illustrates the suggested
multi-plant architecture. An SAP xMII server is installed in
ach plant to provide operational integration and visibility for
roduction personnel. An additional SAP xMII corporate server
installed at a centralized location (the corporate data center)
o aggregate and compare multi-site data and provide plant-o-plant matrix or divisional views and analytics for a complete
alanced scorecard or best-of-class comparison.
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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Figure 7
SAP xMII multi-plant architecture (Source:
SAP)
nother reason for installing an SAP xMII server at each plant
that most of the applications SAP xMII interacts with and
onnects to, such as control systems and process historians,
re operational and required at each plant. Also, the data
olume generated from some of these targets is very high and
ansferring it across the network may impact performance.
dditionally, having an SAP xMII server at each plant allows
ou the option of running in a disconnected mode in case of
ide area network (WAN) outage or ERP maintenance.
Step 5. Go-Live and Ongoing Supportfter testing your prototypes, you must perform three checks
o determine if your application is ready to face the users: the
unctional, technical, and go-live checks.
unctional check. The functional check investigates the
pplications to ensure that they meet the business process
bjectives. Functional users should perform this check.
nother important step is to identify specific risk factors
esulting from integrating legacy systems, such as continuity,
modifications, maintenance, and support. Next, you need to
entify and evaluate risk resulting from high volume
equirements. This can identify problems with the required
olume of data reads per minute and test whether the
ardware architecture is the correct size.
echnical check. For the technical check the solution
rchitect or the technical consultants perform a detailed
nalysis of technical integration by reviewing the implemented
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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terfaces, focusing on performance, throughput, availability,
nd data consistency. Use SAP’s knowledgebase as a
enchmark to identify showstoppers and improvement
otential.
o-live check. After the functional and technical checks you
eed to evaluate your hardware sizing based on project
equirements, concurrent users, data, and document volumes.
ext, follow the optimizations and configuration best practice
f implemented systems, operating system, and database.
Ongoing Operations and Support
ventually, the users have to accept responsibility for the SAP
MII application and use it for the implementation to be
onsidered successful. The best way to get your users’ buy-in
to demonstrate the impact and value of it on their day-to-
ay work. You should quantify the real change and its value
y the numbers or more easily managed processes.
ven the best new system can die quickly if the business
rocess owners do not embrace and use it. Another way to
nsure that you sustain the change is to know your users’
eeds and service them by continuing to perfect the solution
nd work out any bugs. Create an education and change
management plan and involve your user. A good practice is to
entify and encourage change agents in your user
ommunity. Involved and educated users reduce the overall
ost of operations by enabling better maintainability, freed
esources, and knowledge transfer among the user
ommunity.
Project Team
An SAP xMII implementation requires people with diverse skill
ets — from Web designers to business analysts to ECC
unctional analysts. Table 1 shows the key roles for the project
eam.
Role Tasks
SAP xMII solutionrchitect • Designs and tests systemarchitecture
• Conducts business process
workshop
• Facilitates system scalability
• Builds architecture
• As-is business process analysis
• Proof of concepts
• Creates validation master (test) plan
SAP xMII solution
onsultant
• Installation and configurations
• Builds the SAP xMII application
• Builds data connectors• Designs and builds matrix logic
• Configures ERP Integration
• Facilitates user testing
7/21/2019 SAPexperts _ 5-Step Roadmap to a Sound SAP xMII Deployment.pdf
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• Helps with user training
SAP functional analyst • Conducts business process
workshop
• Achieves consensus on business
rules
• Identifies and qualifies data and datasources
• Creates test scripts
• Facilitates user testing• Helps with user training
Plant automation
nalyst
• Attends business process workshop
• Achieves consensus on business
rules
• Identifies and qualifies data and data
sources
• Tests data and data connection
• Facilitates user testing
• Helps with user training
able 1 Project team roles and tasks
Build the Project Plan and
Governance Model
Although project management and methodology is outside
the scope of this article, it is very important to have a
project plan with defined scope and milestones. SAP xMII is
a perfect candidate for methodologies that break down a
project into manageable implementations and build
deliverable into iterative and rapidly deployed phases. I
prefer the Scrum method, but you can pick your own.
The Scrum methodology calls for breaking down your
project into small manageable incremental components
called “sprints” with deliverables at the end of every sprint.
Scrum enables you to be flexible with fast emerging and
moving requirements, as is always the case with SAP xMII
projects. When you break the project into lightweight
components, the QM inspection process, for example, you
are more agile and flexible so that you can change your
model as you discover more about the process. Also, Scrum
is a team-based approach to iteratively, incrementally build
solutions when the end requirements are not yet clear or
rapidly changing.