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Issue
A decision is required whether to develop a new PPM custom app for Item creation & maintenance in-house or whether to purchase a partner solution.
Recommendation
It is recommended that a custom app is built in-house, due to the following factors:
- Significantly lower project and BAU cost
- In-house resources have experience in developing such an app
- Full influence over design to meet business requirements
Background & Context
The standard UI for creating and maintaining PPM Items is the main transaction used for working in PPM, but comes with the following shortcomings:
- Based on old WebDynpro technology; the screens are not user friendly - they are convoluted, poorly laid out and not aligned with Fiori design concepts.
- Creation of a PPM Item requires multiple steps, navigating back and forth between S4HANA and SAC Planning. The standard UI cannot guide the user through this process and gives no indication of completeness of the required data.
- Business expectations for the user interface are based on the current WeGo solution which provides a more friendly and intuitive user interface than PPM. The move to standard WebDynpro PPM screens would be considered a backward step.
SAP does not have any improvement for the UI planned on their roadmap and have suggested a partner solution from sophisTex which provides a more flexible, intuitive and user-friendly interface. The following features are included:
- S/4HANA certified Add-on by SAP ICC
- Achieves Clean Core, no impact on S/4HANA EPPM upgradability
- Delivered with a default set of configuration to reduce implementation time
- Flexibility to further customize and enhance
- Functionality for Stage Gate approval workflows.
The alternative is to develop a custom app in-house which, in conjunction with the SAP Consulting Solution for Stage Gate approval workflows, would provide the same capabilities.
Assumptions
Clearly describe the underlying assumptions which informed or limited the choices available, or impacted the decision: cost, schedule, regulatory requirements, business drivers, country footprint, technology, etc. Include links as necessary. This section is important because a future change in circumstances might invalidate some key assumptions, which then prompts a decision to be revisited.
Both options will require internal custom development for:
- Integration with OpenText
- Automation of follow-on actions on funding approval
Constraints
Capture any constraints or limitations inherent to the recommended option. This could be aspects which, if changed or removed in future, could cause the decision to be revisited or invalidated. For example, a constraint might be that a new product has significant gaps in important functionality, which caused an older alternative to be recommended. If those gaps are closed in future, this might cause the decision to be invalidated.
Impacts
Describe the impact of the decision on other aspects such as other processes, infrastructure, other SAP modules or systems, data cleansing and migration, developments, automations, interfaces, in-flight projects, etc.
N/a - the decision only relates to the UI for creation & maintenance of PPM Items and does impact up-stream or down-stream processes or data.
Financial Impact
Explain the financial impact of adopting the recommended option. This must explain both the implementation and operational aspects, i.e. both the effort & cost of implementing and operating longer-term.
Business Rules
The decision may translate into business rules which enforce the decision and will require configuration. List these business rules here. For example, "An Outline Agreement cannot be created via the RFQ process. An awarded RFQ can only result in a Purchase Order".
N/a
Options considered
List the options (viable options or alternatives) you considered. These often require a longer explanation with diagrams, or references to other documents (links are best, but attachments are also possible). Use enough detail to adequately explain what you considered so that a project or business stakeholder reviewing this decision will not come back and ask "did you think about...?"; this leads to loss of credibility and questioning of other decisions. This section also helps ensure that you considered enough suitable alternatives rather than just copy/pasting SAP's recommendations.
Option A: Option Title
Describe the option in sufficient detail for a reader familiar with the subject matter to understand it properly
Option B: Option Title
Describe the option in sufficient detail for a reader familiar with the subject matter to understand it properly
Option C: Option Title
Describe the option in sufficient detail for a reader familiar with the subject matter to understand it properly
Option D: Option Title
Describe the option in sufficient detail for a reader familiar with the subject matter to understand it properly
Evaluation
Outline why you selected a position. The best format could be a pro/con table (sample below), but is up to you as the author. You must consider complexity, feasibility, cost/effort to implement, but also ongoing operational impact and cost. You must consider the program principles and explain any deviations in detail. This is probably as important as the decision itself.
Option A | Option B | Option C | Option D | |
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| Criterion 1 |
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| Criterion 2 |
|  Con |
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| Criterion 3 |  Pro | Con | Con | Pro |
See also
Insert links and references to other documents which are relevant when trying to understand this decision and its implications. Other decisions are often impacted, so it's good to list them here with links. Attachments are also possible but dangerous as they are static documents and not updated by their authors.
