Methods To Leverage SAP Workflow

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Methods to Leverage and Optimize SAP Business Workflow in Your SAP PLM Environment

Eric StajdaLeverX

1

What We’ll Cover …

• Introduction

• Thinking about SAP Workflow?

• Using SAP Workflow in the engineering environment

• Reviewing basic workflow concepts

• Looking at available tools

• Comparing out-of-the-box and custom methods and

events

• Demo: Creating a simple workflow

• Determining types of resources required

• Wrap-up

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Introduction — Today’s Discussion

• Learn how to use SAP Workflow in your engineering

environment to improve processes such as document

approvals, engineering change management, and master

data creation, and make them faster and less error-prone.

• Find out how to use SAP’s Visual Workflow Builder to

create workflows that map to your organization’s

product development processes.

• Gain insight into how much workflow functionality you

can deploy out-of-the-box to support a PLM scenario.

• Learn how to locate standard business objects quickly

and easily and how to put them to use in creating a PLM

workflow.

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Introduction — Today’s Discussion (cont.)

• Determine if and when it makes sense to custom-

develop additional business objects, methods, and

events.

• Step through a live demo of how to create PLM

workflows that route documents for approval and

expedite the creation of the material master with

multiple views.

• Learn what type of roles you will require in your

organization to build and maintain efficient PLM

workflows.

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

5

Why SAP Workflow?

• Here is my mantra about SAP Workflow

� It is all about getting the right information to the right people

at the right time

• Many processes are still based on paper or email

� Not efficient

• SAP Workflow can take these processes and formalize

them with many benefits

� Let’s take a look at some benefits

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Benefits of SAP Workflow

• The quality of the process is assured by pushing the

relevant information together with links to related

transactions directly to the user.

• Cycle time is reduced by pushing the process directly to

the users.

� The users receive notification of a task immediately.

• The tasks are performed consistently and diligently by

the users.

� The workflow system pushes all the necessary information

needed to perform a task, including a clear description of what

has to be done, how to do it, and the impact this task has on

the business process for your company.

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Benefits of SAP Workflow (cont.)

• The process instance is transparent.

� At any time, any user can check how far the process has

progressed and which stage the process has reached.

• Deadline handing ensures that users perform the tasks

within the time planned.

• Intelligent reporting highlights the weaknesses of a

process.

• The process definition is transparent.

� You can see at a glance how the process works and who will

be selected to perform the different tasks.

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

9

SAP Workflow in the Engineering Environment

• There are many places where workflow can be used in

the engineering environment

• Many processes require data being sent for review or for

further processing

• Getting the data to the right person at the right time is

the key

• Some example processes where workflow can be used

� Document reviews

� Requesting a new material number

� Engineering change management process

� BOM review

• More details on next slides

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SAP Workflow in the Engineering Environment (cont.)

• Document reviews

� Scenario: A document is created in the SAP Document

Management system. At a certain point, it must be sent to an

individual for review.

� This can be accomplished by a status change or manually

starting a given workflow. Once reviewed, the document is set

to be released.

• Requesting a new material number

� Scenario: At a certain point in the design process, new

material numbers are required.

� A workflow process could be created to allow input of

required material data to be input into a form and then sent

over to a department that creates the material master in the

SAP system.

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SAP Workflow in the Engineering Environment (cont.)

• Engineering change management process

� This is the main process that usually gets workflow enabled

during a project

� Processes are typically somewhat similar, and usually an

industry standard

� However, each company usually has minor tweaks based on

business requirements

• BOM review

� Scenario: Similar to a document review. Once the SAP BOM is

created, you may want to send it to another individual for

review. This is to make sure that the content and structure is

correct.

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Basic Workflow Concepts

• With SAP Business Workflow you can map business

processes in the SAP system and process them

(several times if required) under the control of the

workflow system

• A workflow management system can process and

monitor structured processes that:

� Encompass a sequence of activities

� Reoccur in the same or similar forms

� Involve several people or groups of people

� Require a lot of coordination

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Key Elements

• Workflow definition

� Triggering event

� Workflow template

� Tasks

• Elements of the task

� Business object

� Methods

� Events

• If you understand the key elements, you will know

everything necessary to build a workflow

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What Is a Triggering Event?

• A triggering event identifies when the workflow is to

start

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What Is a Workflow Definition?

• A workflow definition is a combination of single-step

tasks

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What Are Tasks?

• Tasks are made from business objects and events

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What Are Business Objects and Methods?

• Business objects and methods are used to act upon an

object

� For example, the business object “DRAW” is for the document

information record.

In the business

object, we have a

method called

“Display.” If we

execute this method,

it will display a

document

information record.

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Tools Available

• SAP provides standard tools for developing workflows

in the system

• The main tool is the SAP Visual Workflow Builder

� Graphical modeler with drag-and-drop functionality

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Tools Available (cont.)

• Any process imagined can be modeled through the workflow builder

• Standard steps that can be inserted provide a great deal of flexibility

• Some of the steps that can inserted include:� User Decision

� Condition

� Container operation

� Event creation

� Process Control

� Loop

� Fork

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Table of Standard Business Objects

• SAP provides you with many standard tasks, business objects, methods, and events

• The table below shows the most important business objects in SAP PLM

NotificationBUS7051

ClassBUS1003

Change MasterECM

BOMBUS1080

Material MasterBUS1001

Document managementDRAW

AssociationBusiness Object

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What’s Out-of-the-Box and What’s Custom?

• For each business object, SAP provides a standard set of events and methods for acting upon the object� Methods: Change, Display, Create, Get Details

� Events: Created, Changed

• Standard events and methods can vary by business object

• What is considered custom?� Business objects you create

� Your own methods or events that you add to a standard business object

�Example: I would like to set a certain status on all documents associated with an engineering change master when it is set to the status of closed

� For this example, you would have a custom method that could be called through a task to set all documents associated to a change master to a certain status

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Demo: What’s Out-of-the-Box and What’s Custom?

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Creating a Simple Workflow

• Now I’ll show you a simple demonstration of creating a

workflow in the SAP system

• Workflow scenario

� When the status of document information record changes

from “Draft” to “Review,” I would like to be sent a notification

to review the document

• Elements we will use:

� SAP Workflow Builder

� Business object “DRAW” with method “Changed”

�Standard SAP Task

� SAP Document Management to create and change a document

� SAP Inbox

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Demo: Live Demo of Creating a Simple Workflow

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Types of Resources Required

• As demonstrated, workflow can be very simple or

complex

• Your resource requirements will be based on the

complexity of the workflows you intend to implement

• Resource requirements could be met by one individual

or many

� You may find or have a resource that can configure the

system, build workflows, and write any of the required ABAP

• In any workflow implementation, there is usually a small

amount of Basis team support required for the initial

configuration in the system

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Types of Resources Required (cont.)

• After go-live, plan to have a workflow administrator to

monitor the system for workflow errors, provide support

if a task cannot be executed, or execute reporting

requirements

SAP Workflow Creator

ABAP

Complex:

Use standard plus custom-developed

SAP business objects, methods, and

events

SAP Workflow Creator

Simple:

Only use standard SAP business

objects, methods, and events

ResourcesWorkflow Complexity

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• Introduction






events



• Wrap-up

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Resources

• Book: Alan Rickayzen, Jocelyn Dart, Carsten Brennecke,

Markus Schneider, Practical Workflow for SAP (SAP

PRESS, 2002).

� Put together by the Developers Of SAP Workflow

� #1 Book anyone interested in SAP Workflow should have

� www.sappress.com/product.cfm?account=&product=H950

• The SAP Fan Club has a very active forum on SAP

Workflow

� www.sapfans.com

• SAP Business Workflow FAQ from SAP SDN� www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/wiki?path=/display/HOME/SAP%2bB

usiness%2bWorkflow%2bFAQ

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7 Key Points to Take Home

• SAP Workflow is all about getting the right information to the right people at the right time

• SAP Workflow can be used in the engineering environment to help formalize and manage the processes surrounding document management, engineering changes, material creation, and other PLM processes

• SAP provides a graphical Workflow Builder for modeling your processes

• There are many standard tasks, business objects, methods, and events that can be used

• Standard items delivered by SAP can be enhanced to facilitate additional process requirements

• As demonstrated, creating a workflow in SAP can be simple

• Resource requirements will be based on the complexity of the workflow you plan to implement

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Your Turn! Questions?

How to contact me:

Eric Stajdahttp://www.linkedin.com/in/estajda

Methods To Leverage SAP Workflow

Technology

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