SAUG Summit 2009 - Session 9 SAP Solution Architect

The Solution Architecture Process in a SAP Centric Organisation

Phil Gleadhill,

Principal SAP Technical Architect,

Australia Post

Australia Post:Our Business Today

Letters and associated products

5.6 billion items of mail per year

15-16 million articles per day

Parcels and Logistics

10.2 million delivery points

500,000 km per day >300 Processing

Centres 27 Warehouses

Retail and Agency Services

4,500 retail outlets 187 million banking &

billpay transactions per year

>1000 active agencies 1 million customers

served every day

Three Business Divisions

Solution Architecture @ Australia Post: Who Contributes?

Group Contribution Artefact(s)

Business Integration Program (BIP)

Setting the “Business” Course

Business Strategy

Enterprise Architecture

(EA)

Setting the “IT” Course (PIAF) - Post Integrated Architecture Framework

Business Service Units

(BSU’s)

Requirements gathering and Prioritisation with Business units

Business Requirements Statement (BRS)

Solution Architects /

SAP Services

High Level Solution Design

SAP Fit/Gap Analysis,

Solution Outline (SO)

Program/Project resources

End to End Solution Subject Matter Expertise

End to End Detailed Design Documents

Key Resourcing – The People Picture

Group Resources

Business Integration Program (BIP)

10 resources

Enterprise Architecture

(EA)

16 resources

Business Service Units

(BSU’s)

60 resources across 3 BSU’s

Solution Architects /

SAP Services

11 Solution Architects

~ 80 SAP Services Projects + Support

Enterprise Architecture: PIAF - The IT Roadmap

Enterprise Architeure - Firmly Setting The Course: Enterprise Application Function Model: For 2011+

Partner

Services

Product & Service Fulfilment

Asset & Sourcing Mgmt.

Financial Mgmt.

People Mgmt.

Corporate Support

Customer Channels

Customer Marketing & Sales Mgmt.

Customer Mgmt.

Business

Performance

Product

Address

Network

Event

Address &Network

Operations Mgmt. Channel Mgmt.

Bu

siness P

lann

ing

&

Perfo

rman

ce Mg

mt.

Product & Service Mgmt.

An

alysis &

Rep

ortin

g

Mail Services

Infrastru

cture S

ervices

Tran

spo

rt & L

og

istics S

ervices

BusinessPerformance

Person/ Org. Unit

Finance

SupplierContractAsset

Product

CustomerBrand

EventAddressNetwork

Partner

SAP Fit/Gap Analysis:Roles and Responsibilities

SAP Services

EA -

Solutions

Architects

EA -

Principals

Business Services UnitsRequirements

& Co-ordination

Strategic alignment

SAP fit assessment & SAP solution components

End-to-end solution

SAP Fit/Gap Analysis:Responsibility Matrix

$ - Initiate Phase work is funded from business as usual ^ - SAP Services will determine if SAP (the vendor) needs to be involved^ ^ - SAP Services to complete solution outline when end-to-end solution resides within SAP

Responsibility BSU EA Principal

SAP Services

EA Solutions Architect

High Level Requirements

Alignment to Future State Architecture (includes consultation with SAP Services Manager)

If SAP, high-level SAP fit assessment including licensing implications

Arrangement of feasibility funding & prioritisation

Business Requirements Specification

Detailed Fit Gap Analysis and SAP solution ^

Solution Outline for end-to end solution ^ ^

InitiatePhase

$

Evaluate and PlanPhases

The Solution Outline – Table of Contents

3. ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT REQUIREMENTS

4. SYSTEM CONTEXT4.1 Involved Actors4.2 Involved Systems4.3 Data Flows4.4 Current Systems

4.4.1 Current Systems Architecture & Scope4.4.2 Australia Post Systems to be replaced

5. IT SOLUTION5.1 High Level Solution Description5.2 System Functions5.3 Service Descriptions5.4 Detailed Solution

5.4.1 Component Responsibilities5.4.2 Actor Component Interfaces5.4.3 System Component Interfaces

5.5 Solution Commentary5.6 Client Configuration5.7 Server Configuration

5.7.1 Web Server5.7.2 Application Server5.7.3 Database Server

5.8 Infrastructure Services5.8.1 Active Directory5.8.2 MS Exchange5.8.3 WAN5.8.4 Enterprise Systems Management

6. SECURITY AND PRIVACY MECHANISMS

7. DEPLOYMENT7.1 Environments7.2 Architecture

8. VOLUMES & PERFORMANCE METRICS

9. ASSUMPTIONS, RISKS AND DEPENDENCIES

10. OUTSTANDING ISSUES

11. ARCHITECTURE DECISIONS

12. FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS

APPENDIX B: CORP SDE

APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY

Phil Gleadhill – [email protected]

Thank You!

Other definitions for architectsA Solutions Architect in Enterprise Architecture is a practitioner in the field of Solution Architecture.[1]

The role of " Solutions Architect" requires knowledge and skills that are both broad and deep. To be effective the Solutions Architect must have experience on multiple

Hardware and Software Environments and be comfortable with complex heterogeneous systems environments.

The Solutions Architect is often a highly seasoned senior technocrat who has led multiple projects through the Software development process or

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and has usually performed in a variety of different roles in that life cycle. The person needs an ability to share and

communicate ideas both verbally and in writing to executive staff, business sponsors, and technical resources in clear concise language that is the parlance of

each group.

I am reminded of someone…..

Enterprise compared to Solution Architects ?

But the job had gone

A quick trawl of the job sites

SAP’s views on this

Embodies principles from TOGAF

Documented in Solution Manager as the Enterprise Architecture Framework

R u mature enough?

Per EAF in solution manager and TOGAF

The focus of the Enterprise Architect is on enterprise-level business functions required.

The focus of the Solution Architect is on system technology solutions .

And how the roles fit into the governance framework

There are also many example docs

SAP Services also has a Enterprise Architect Roles

Principal EA Chief Enterprise Architect

Deep industry and method know-how

Deep expertise in enterprise SOA

Deep knowledge of SAP‘s roadmaps

Good knowledge of SAP solutions (strengths and weaknesses)

Good knowledge of SAP‘s competitors and their solutions

Architectural portfolio management of IT landscape

Architectural portfolio management of IT projects

Architectural definition of (bounded) change initiatives

Architectural governance of change implementation

In- and externally recognized as an expert in Enterprise Architecture field

See „Principal EA“ +

Trusted advisor for strategic customers

TCO Analysis - optimization of IT-organizations (build and run)

Design large scale transformations; program mgmt

Part of large scale enterprise transformations

Knowledge of business processes within industry

Good knowledge of application architectures

Management of SAP-internal EA teams (personal, financial, content responsibility)

T-shaped: broad view across several dimensions, plus deep capability to understand a specific area

7+ yrs 9+ yrs

History as Principal BSA or Principal TSA See „Principal EA“

Enterprise SOA, mySAP Business Suite, specialty certification

See “Principal EA”

Just in case….Homer doesn’t fit the profile

Homer: Operator! Give me the number for 911!

Questions

Thank you

Thank You