Creating a Request for Change in a PPM Project Task

You can create an SAP Solution Manager transaction of type request for change, from a task in an SAP Portfolio and Project Management (PPM) project. Then, you can manage new requests for change in the PPM project. You can also assign an existing request for change to a PPM project task. The task types of a PPM project can be mapped to an SAP Solution Manager transaction type (for example SMCR) in the corresponding IMG Customizing activity Map Transaction Types onto Task Types. (For more information, see Integration of SAP Portfolio and Project Management (PPM).) This allows you to map your own transaction types for requests for change. One PPM task type can be mapped with one SAP Solution Manager transaction type.

Activities

Creating a Request for Change

Start the PPM and select a project with an assignment to an SAP Solution Manager project. A new window with the project information opens. The project is already selected in the navigation tree.
There is an entry with information about the SAP Solution Manager project, on the SAP Solution Manager Project tab at the right-hand side.
In the navigation tree, select the project, or a phase in the project.
Right-click on the link in the selected item, and choose Create Task .
A new entry is created. It is displayed in the navigation tree and you have to maintain at least the name and task type.
When the project and the task are released, the request for change is created. In the customizing activity Map Transaction Types onto Task Types, you define the following for each task and SAP Solution Manager transaction type:
- Whether the request for change is created and synchronized automatically, when the task status is set to Released,
- or whether the request for change is created and synchronized manually, by a button, after the task status is set to Released.

Creating a Request for Change Automatically

With task type 1, the request for change is created automatically as soon as the task status is set to “Released”.

To change the task status to “Released”, go to the Basic Data tab and choose Release from the Change status drop-down box. Press the button Save in the upper button row on that screen. The request for change is created automatically. Check this by clicking on the Transaction tab. There should be an entry with the request for change. For each task only one request for change can be connected.

Create a Request for Change Manually

With Task Type 2, a button to create a request for change manually appears as soon as the task status is set to “Released”.

To change the task status to “Released”, go to the Basic Data tab and choose Release from the Change status drop-down box. Press the button Save in the upper button row on that screen.

Navigate to the Transaction tab. To create the request for change, click on the Create ChaRM Transaction button. Save the project. An entry with the request for change appears on the tab. For each task, only one request for change can be connected.

After the creation of a request for change, the tab displays its header information, which is the ID, the description (title) and the transaction type. There is also a navigation hyperlink to the request for change, like the hyperlink to an SAP Solution Manager project on the SAP Solution Manager Project tab.

The SAP Portfolio and Project Management project and a link to the SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task are added as two read-only fields in the transaction, in the Details Assignment block in the Project Planning area. You can use one field for the related SAP Portfolio and Project Management project, and one for the task, to navigate to the task. If an SAP Portfolio and Project Management project is locked, all related tasks are also locked.

Fields in the Request for Change Details Assignment Block

The following fields are available under the header, Project Planning, in the Details Assignment block of a request for change, to link it to a SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task:

Project Management Project
The assigned SAP Portfolio and Project Management project
Project Management Task
The assigned SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task ID and the task name
Start Date
Date when the SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task starts
Finish Date
Date when the SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task ends
Task Duration
Duration of the SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task
Estimated Work
Estimation of the time taken to realize the task.

This information is synchronized from the task to the request for change, and can only be changed in the task.

Total Work
This field shows the sum of the actual effort recorded on the request for change and the assigned change documents. The time recordings are transferred to the SAP Portfolio and Project Management project task.