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The journey of implementing a new ERP such as SAP Business One (SAP B1) is a transformative process that requires not just technological integration but a deep understanding of your business’s unique needs and processes. Following the project preparation phase, the next step in this journey is the SAP Blueprint phase. The Blueprint phase is crucial not only for its role in defining the SAP Business One system’s configuration but also for ensuring that the implementation aligns with the business’s specific needs and processes. It is a collaborative effort that lays the baseline for a successful ERP implementation, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking, clear communication, and strategic foresight. In this blog post, we discuss the intricacies of the Blueprint phase, outlining the deliverables, roles, and steps necessary to ensure a seamless transition to the next phase, Realization.

What Happens in the Business Blueprint Phase of an SAP Implementation?

In this critical stage, your completed Blueprint Questionnaire becomes the icebreaker for our detailed workshops. These sessions are where the magic happens: aclaros consultants showcase SAP’s standard processes and best practices for ERP implementations, while your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) provide deep insights into your unique business operations. This synergy allows us to tailor SAP Business One precisely to your operational needs, ensuring that the final system configuration resonates with your business goals and processes.

Phase Objectives and Activities

ERP Blueprint Workshops

The intention of the ERP blueprint workshop sessions is a mutual educational process. We at aclaros will provide guidance on SAP functionality while focusing on best practices. Your subject matter experts will provide context and the specific requirements. We teach you about SAP Business One and you teach us about your business, including external systems like your e-commerce or Point of Sale requirements, resulting in a better understanding of how SAP will support your business.

Business SAP Blueprint Document

Similarly to an architectural blueprint, the business blueprint document defines how the system will be used, and configured, including setup data, to meet the objectives outlined in the SOW and refined in the blueprint workshops. The document ensures that all business requirements are captured and the supporting configuration and setup data is complete. This becomes the baseline of the project that the realization phase relies on. Any deviations from the blueprint document will have impact on scope, effort, and timeline.

Planning

The acceptance of the business SAP blueprint document marks a critical milestone in the implementation process of SAP Business One. With a clear and more detailed definition of the requirements, the project plan needs to be reviewed and refined to consider additions or removals of deliverables from the scope. This updated plan will have more granular effort estimates and timelines for deliverables going into the remainder of the project.

Phase Sign-Off

At the end of each phase, a mutual sign-off is completed to ensure that everyone is in agreement that the above deliverables have been met and the project is ready to move on to the next phase.

Preparing for Phase 3:
Realization

As we look forward to the ERP Realization phase, it’s essential to prepare for the practical application of our planning. This includes extracting Master Data, preparing for Super User Training, and formulating test cases to put SAP Business One to the test. These steps are critical in ensuring that the configured SAP Business One system will meet your business needs and that your team is ready to leverage its full potential.