ASAP Implementation Methodology

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ISSUES MANAGEMENT
SUBSIDIARY PLAN PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN DEFINITION

PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
Delete Project Identification table if not applicable for the document!

Project Name CPI Project Number

<Project Name>
Customer Name Customer Number
<Customer Name>
SAP Project Manager Customer Project Manager
<SAP Project Manager> <Customer Project Manager>

Author Document Location (repository/path/name)

<Author> <Document location>
Version Status Date (YYYY-MM-DD) Document Classification
0.1 Final <Date> Confidential

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

REVISION HISTORY
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Version Date Description

0.1 February 4, 2010 <Text here>
0.2

REVIEW AND APPROVAL

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Name Date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Customer Project Manager

Name Date (YYYY-MM-DD)

SAP Project Manager

Name Date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Key Stakeholder

Name Date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Key Stakeholder

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. ISSUE MANAGEMENT PLAN ............................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4
1.2 Purpose........................................................................................................................................ 4
1.3 Procedure .................................................................................................................................... 4

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

1. Issue Management Plan

1.1 Introduction
Issue Management is key to project success. Issues are the barriers in place that restrict completion of the
objectives of the project. On many project, people are reluctant to raise issues, they are concerned about
how to raise them and what the consequences are, therefore they do not raise the issues they see. As a
good project manager, you should forester just the opposite. Issues recognized early can be managed most
efficiently, issues discovered much later in the process, become much larger and require more effort to
resolve. Issues should be manage early and often, this prevents issues from restricting the success of any
project deliverables.

1.2 Purpose
Issues management within Project <<Project>> serves the purpose of highlighting problems that, if not
addressed, will jeopardize the success of the project and resolving them or defining actions must to be taken
urgently.
The issues management concept applied in project <<Project>> is that the entity recognizing the issue is as
a first level responsible for its resolution. Only if the recognized and consequently registered issue cannot be
resolved in such a manner (e.g. time, effort, nature, etc.) that it does not jeopardize the success of the
project, it is escalated to the next level of the project structure.
It is the responsibility of the <<Project>> project managers, <<Customer>> and SAP Consulting, that this
concept is applied throughout the project.

1.3 Procedure
Issue Management is a continuous process composed of 4 steps including regular reporting:

Issue Issue Issue Issue

Planning Identification Resolution Monitoring

Identify, Regularly
Define Issue Define
categorize review the
management processes
and issues and
approach in to resolve
document make sure
the project issues in a
Issues the issues
timely are actively
manner monitored
and
controlled

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

Issue Planning
Issue management planning is the process of deciding how to approach and conduct issue management
activities for the project. Planning will ensure that the identification, type, priority, and visibility of issue
management are commensurate with both the issue and importance of the project to the organization, to
provide sufficient resources and time for issue management activities, and to establish an agreed-upon basis
for evaluating issues. Managing issues is an essential responsibility of the project management team and is
fundamental to the success of an implementation.
Each project, its scope, project manager, and project team, have unique characteristics and qualities, and
consequently, the procedures many vary from project to project. Because of this variance, the project
manager, team leaders, and team members take on different responsibilities, depending on the situation.
<<Assess whether the customer has an existing issue and defect management database containing issue
and defect status, control information, issues and defect resolution, and action item results. If so, review
customer issue management process and procedure to assess whether customer issue management plan
needs to be updated or is consistent with the below issue management plan. Update documentation to
reflect final issue management process, procedure, and communicate to the project team>>
An issue is a certain event (no uncertainty) with a negative effect on at least one project objective, such as
scope, time, cost, or quality. Issues are items that are identified during a project and may influence the
success of the project. Typically, they fall into one of three areas:
They were not anticipated.
They are normal tasks that cannot be completed.
They are external factors that need to be overcome.
Issues will be documented and maintained in the issue register, a single central register utilized by the
project team. NOTE: No other issue register, log, or issue listing will be maintained outside of the issue
management register by project team members during the project implementation.
Monitoring of the issue will occur in the weekly project and team status meetings, along with reporting high
issues in the weekly team status reports.
The <<Project>> will utilize this issue management plan to manage project issues throughout the life of the
project implementation.

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

Issue Identification
Issue identification determines which issues might affect the project and documents their characteristics.
Participants in issue identification activities can include the project manager, project team members, issue
management team, subject matter experts from outside the project, end users, stakeholders, etc. An issue
should only be reported into the log if it affects or requires:
Scope
- Design and integration of the solution
- Decisions outside of the project scope and charter
- Dependencies with other projects or business units

Cost (budget & resources)

Time
Quality

Normal day-to-day project problems that can be resolved within a timely period should not be considered an
issue for follow-up. Team members should review with consultants before recording the issue. The following
procedure describes the issue identification process:
The team member identifies, opens, and documents issue in <<Project >> issue register
The team member or team lead will assign issue to a team member, consultant, subject matter expert
or business owner with agreed upon resolution date based on priority. NOTE: No issue will be
opened without an issue owner being assigned and that there is acknowledge by issue owner that he
or she is responsible for closing and/or resolving issue.
Individual responsible for resolution will document the solution and change the status of the issue to
Closed in the issue log.
Whenever an issue or conflict arises that cannot be resolved within normal channels, the project
team will strive to work out the problem internally through the escalation management process.

The following conditions are essential to record an issue in the <<Project>> issue management register:

Issue Name: Title of Issue (short name or description)

Date Issue Opened: Enter the date Issue Created By: Enter the person's name who initially
(XX/XX/XXXX) the issue is entered into the entered the issue into the log
log
Issue Status: Definition of Impact Levels:
Open - Issue recorded and assigned to a Critical - Major impact on the implementation target
team member date with several teams unable to proceed, immediate

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

In progress Issue is actively being attention required and resolution within 24-48 hours
worked on High Definite impact on the implementation target

Completed Team member updates issue date, which requires quick attention and resolution
with a description of the resolution and is within 2-3 business days.
reviewed by the project manager. Medium Medium impact on the implementation, not
Change Control The issue was closed impacting timeline at this time, should be resolved
and a change request was created to deal within 2 weeks.
with the issue. Low No critical impact on the implementation but
should be resolved prior to the go-live date or possibly
defer issue until after Go-live
Team: Team impacted (e.g., Finance, Order Definition of Phase: Project Preparation, Blueprint,
to Cash, Change Management, Basis, etc) Realization, Final Preparation, Cutover, Go-live &
Support
Issue Owner: Person Assigned Date To-Be Resolved: Enter the date (XX/XX/XXXX) the
Responsibility for Resolving Issue issue is to be resolved. The date selected should
minimize any negative impacts to schedule and/or cost.
Type of Issue: Identifies the type of issue (e.g., business process or procedure, functional area,
technical area, training, etc.)
Definition of Issue: An issue or significant matter of importance that will impact the project, which should
be brought to the attention of the customer.
Definition of Impact: How will the issue impact the project scope, cost, time, and quality.
Definition of Recommendation: Potential solution or corrective action of issue, including identifiable
benefits and/or enhancements to the existing business process.
Resolution: Describe the resolution when the issue is closed. This field should contain a complete
history and how the issue was resolved. If applicable, include references to supporting documents.
Issue Status Notes: Input and document update issue status as part of the weekly review process.
Include any comments related to this change. Reference any supporting documentation, if applicable.

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

Issue Resolution
The focus of this issue management plan is to identify, prioritize, resolve, and/or prevent issues. Issues that
must be resolved for completion of a successful implementation are identified throughout the course of the
project. Typically, issues must be resolved before phase completion and before beginning the next phase.
Issues should be closed on a timely basis, based on the issue owner resolution date that was assigned to
the issue when it was recorded. Escalation Management comprises the following aspects:

Expediting

If an issue is not resolved by the forecasted date, and the lack of resolution will affect other project steps,
then the issue must be expedited. The project manager evaluates the reason the issue is not resolved and
defines what must be done for the issue to be resolved. Also, the project manager identifies who is
responsible for resolution, attempts to put more people on the issue team (if this would help resolve the
issue), and ascertains whether or not the issue will be resolved in a timely manner. If need be, the project
manager raises the priority and rearranges the project schedule to accommodate issue resolution, keeping in
mind the business and project goals.

Escalating

If the issue is not resolved according to the project plan and this will significantly affect the project timeline,
then the manager may opt to escalate it to initiate the following escalation management process:
Level 0: The project team lead will create an issue in the << Name>> issue management register,
which will include minimum documentation requirements noted in the issue identification section of
the issue management plan. Only issues defined as High and Critical may be escalated.
Level 1: If the Project team lead cannot resolve the conflict within two to three (2-3) working days,
<<Customer >> Project Manager and SAP Program Manager will meet in an attempt to resolve the
issue.
Level 2: If the conflict is not resolved within three (3) working days after being escalated to Level 1, a
representative of <<Customer, Program Sponsor>> will meet with a representative of SAPs VP of
Consulting to resolve the issue.
Level 3: If the conflict is not resolved within two (2) working days after being escalated to Level 2,
<<Customer, CIO or CTO>> will meet with SAPs Executive Vice President of Services to resolve the
issue.
High or Critical issues may warrant immediate escalation to obtain timely resolution related to production
support.

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

Reporting and Escalation Channels

Steering Committee

Escalation in line with the Project Sponsor

defined Issue Management
Procedures

Business Design Quality Assurance

Project Management
Board

Project Management SAP Project Management <Client> Risk Management

Board of Architects

Project Team

Project Team Members SAP Project Team Members <Client>

Reporting to/ Escalating to: Information:

SAP 2008 / Page 4 confidential

Crisis mode
If there is a crisis, for example, the system is down, or a significant member leaves the team, the project
manager should immediately review the project, its status, and the impact of the crisis. Additionally, the
project manager should devise a workaround to accommodate the change to the project plan. In all cases,
the project manager involves the lowest-level personnel in the decision-making process. The project
manager will report any revisions of the timeline in an emergency steering committee meeting.

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ASAP Implementation Methodology

Issue Monitoring
Monitoring of the issue will occur in the weekly project and team status meetings, along with reporting high
issues in the weekly team status reports. In addition to reviewing the log, the project management team
should be talking to the team leader and team members to understand their perspectives. By asking open-
ended questions and delving into the issues at hand, the management team is able to identify obstacles in
advance and prevent any need for expediting the issues. Further, the team members may identify related
issues or additional details that have been overlooked.
In general, the project management teams primary function regarding issues management is maintaining
the project timeline and confirming that issues remain on track and are resolved on time. The project
managers and team leads must make it part of the regular (weekly) duties to review the status of issues and
to evaluate their progress. As the project progresses and deadlines approach, the review frequency may
increase.
In every project, there are issues that remain open past the Go-live date. Because these issues may
eventually affect the post implementation, they need to be monitored. The team must identify the point at
which the issue will have an impact and accordingly identify a tactical plan for issue resolution.
Issue Review meetings will be scheduled as follows:
- Weekly
- Required attendees include:
- <<Name>>, SAP Project Manager
- <<Name>>, <<Customer Name >> Project Manager
- PMO Members
- Issue owners as defined in the project Issue register
Issues with High impact/probability will be reviewed with the Steering Committee as part of the steering
committee meeting.

Issues Register
The Issues Register template can be found in the Solution Manager (SolMan). The transactions codes in
SolMan are:
SOLAR01/SOLAR02/RMMAIN create/change issues (via Messages tab)
SOLAR_EVAL Reporting

[Reference: SolMan Issue Management_Guide_2009.doc]

The usage of the SolMan is recommended in terms of an SAP implementation project. In case that is not
applicable an excel-based list can be used to register issues. With the help of that list it is also possible to
monitor all defined issues during the project.

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