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Process documentationEngagement in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery Work Center Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

The engagement process determines how the customer and SAP (i.e. the SAP Support Expert Center, the customer contact person (SAP Support contact, e.g. technical quality manager (TQM)), and the SAP service delivery organization) work together in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center, to deliver services.

Prerequisites

  • You are authorized to use the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center. . For further information, see the SAP Solution Manager security guide in the SAP Service Marketplace under   http://service.sap.com/instguides   SAP Components   SAP Solution Manager   <current release>   Operations  .

  • You have performed the basic configuration of the SAP Solution Manager.

    For more information, see SAP Solution Manager Basic Configuration.

  • You have set up a connection to the SAP Service Marketplace (transaction SOLMAN_SETUP), to update the service plan from SAP, or to register a solution with SAP.

  • The customer and SAP have discussed their expectations of the engagement, and agreed the services to be delivered.

Process

The engagement process in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center comprises the following phases:

  • Definition of the IT solution and the problem items

  • Definition of the action and service plans

  • Perform the service

  • Rate the engagement

This graphic is explained in the accompanying text.

Overview: Engagement in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center

Phase 1: Definition of the IT solution and the problem items

  1. The customer specifies his IT solution, and assigns systems and business processes to it, at the beginning of the engagement.

    Note Note

    For further information about specifying a solution, see SAP Solution Manager Administration Work Center.

    For further information about displaying existing solutions and business processes in theSAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center, see Solutions and Business Processes.

    End of the note.

  2. The customer informs SAP about problems, before requesting support from SAP for serious problems which have occurred.

    He creates Top Issues, in which the problems are described in more detail. The customer can specify the business processes and systems in which the problems occurred.

    Note Note

    For further information about creating Top Issues in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center, seeTop Issues.

    End of the note.
Phase 2: Definition of the action and service plans

  1. The SAP Support Expert Center specifies a solution strategy to resolve Top Issues.

    The SAP Support Expert Center puts the solution strategy in an action plan, to make it transparent for the customer and SAP. The action plan is divided into steps to be performed by the customer, and by SAP.

    Each step in the action plan is a task assigned to the Top Issue. Each Top Issue task should have a performance date for the service, and a processor.

    Note Note

    The action plan and the Top Issue tasks are in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center. For further information, see Top Issues.

    End of the note.

  2. The SAP Support Expert Center specifies a service plan, based on the action plan. This service plan contains a service for each step in the action plan.

    Note Note

    The services in the service plan are performed later, at the time specified in the tasks.

    End of the note.

  3. The SAP Support contact of the customer goes through the action plan and the service plan with the customer.

  4. The customer can adjust the action plan steps, with the SAP support contact.

  5. The customer SAP support contact can adjust the service plan according to customer feedback.

Phase 3: Perform the service

  1. To optimize the services to be delivered, SAP must know the scope of the problems as exactly as possible. The customer creates issues for known problem areas.

    Note Note

    If further problems are identified later, this and the following steps are repeated.

    End of the note.

    Note Note

    For further information about displaying, editing and creating issues, see Issues.

    End of the note.

  2. The customer's SAP support contact assigns the issues to the Top Issues and services.

  3. To be able to deliver a service, the SAP service delivery organization performs a technical analysis of the issues assigned to the service.

    As this analysis often provides further information about problem areas, the SAP service delivery organization can create further issues, or update existing issues.

    The SAP service delivery organization recommends a solution strategy for all issues assigned to the Top Issue, based on the analysis. The SAP service delivery organization creates each recommendation as an issue task.

    Note Note

    The recommendations and issue tasks are in the SAP Engagement and Service Delivery work center. For further information, see Issues.

    End of the note.

  4. The customer implements the recommendations.

    To show the progress of, and rate issues, the processor updates issues and issue tasks (e.g. their status).

  5. To show the progress of, and rate Top Issues, the customer SAP support contact updates Top Issues and Top Issue tasks.

Phase 4: Rate the engagement

The customer SAP support contact, or the customer, generate Issue and Top Issue Analyses regularly, for an overview of the engagement status.