Wondering what the most efficient approach is to start the implementation of an Advanced SAP Customer Center of Expertise (CCoE)?
According to SAP, the common starting point of all implementation journeys is a clear understanding of the as-is situation of your processes, tools and skill. In general the recommended first step is the completion of the CCoE self-assessment. In the SAP Service Marketplace you have direct access to the IT Operations Self-Assessment.
The results will give you a clearer picture of your current situation, with maturity indicators for each service process (thumb-up or down). As a side effect the self-assessment questions are fully synchronized with the onsite assessment service (SAP Operations Planning Workshop, SOPW) and the answers can be used to save time and financial effort for this service.
This can certainly be useful when going for accreditation but your non-SAP fellows may start asking questions about CMMi, ITIL, COBIT, DevOps, and the likes. Now this is the type of IT Governance topics ENSEAD Advisory is specialized in. How does an Advanced CCoE fit into your company’s bigger picture? What’s the business case for this certification anyway? How to best manage organizational change?
Anyway, in case the results of the self-assessment indicate already a high maturity in your operations processes, you could continue with an evaluation of your processes against the audit criteria. If you want to create a full roadmap towards the advanced audit the roadmap can be generated using a SAP Operations Planning Workshop (SOPW). SAP recommends to secure your Advanced CCoE implementation at least with an Active Embedded contract to ensure you get quality assurance for the project, a named expert contact and all useful services that support your project. But for the bigger IT Governance picture and for elevating IT processes to the next maturity level, make sure you have consulted ENSEAD Advisory. Why? Have a look here.