Lesson 3 of 5
Responsibilities: SAP, partner and customer
7 min
Every RISE program has three parties: SAP, the implementation partner and the customer. Most delivery problems that look technical are really responsibility problems: a task everyone assumed someone else owned. SAP publishes a roles and responsibilities document for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition. It is long, but a PMO lead should read the parts that touch the plan.
How SAP categorizes services
SAP's document sorts every task into categories. The words matter, because they decide whether a task is already paid for, can be bought, or must be done by the customer.
| Category | What it means | Example for Contoso |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Services | Included in the service fee and performed by SAP | Technical execution of a version upgrade, on service request |
| Optional Services | Extra-charge services only SAP can perform, contracted explicitly | Specialized performance and benchmark services |
| Additional Services | One-off extra-charge tasks performed by SAP | Zero-downtime update approaches |
| Packaged Services | Tasks the customer can do itself or buy from SAP at extra charge | Regression test execution using Contoso's test cases |
| Excluded Tasks | Only the customer can perform them | Functional conversion and the overall conversion plan |
Service categories in SAP's private edition roles and responsibilities document.
The testing lines
For testing, the document is clear in three places. First, the technical update and upgrade tasks are SAP's, but any non-technical post-installation work, such as application settings or manual activities, is the customer's. Second, regression testing appears as a Packaged Service: SAP can plan and execute tests using the customer's test case documentation, at extra charge; otherwise the customer does it. Third, even where SAP runs a disaster recovery failover test, the customer creates and executes the functional tests.
The partner in the middle
The partner usually holds the implementation contract with Contoso, not with SAP. Its scope is whatever the statement of work says: often configuration, build, data migration support and test execution support. The statement of work rarely says "accept the solution", and it should not. Acceptance is the customer's decision. Grace keeps a one-page responsibility matrix that maps each workstream task to SAP, partner or Contoso, and to the contract clause that puts it there.
| Activity | SAP | Partner | Contoso |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provision and operate private cloud systems | Responsible | Informed | Consulted |
| Raise service requests (system copy, update) | Executes | Prepares details | Approves and submits |
| Functional conversion and custom code remediation | Not in scope | Responsible | Accountable |
| Write and maintain test cases in Cloud ALM | Not in scope | Supports | Accountable |
| Execute SIT and UAT | Not in scope unless bought | Supports SIT | Accountable; key users run UAT |
| Sign off a release | Not in scope | Recommends | Decides |
Grace's responsibility matrix for Contoso, simplified.
What would you do?
Three weeks before Contoso's first dress rehearsal, Luis (cutover manager) learns that a production-to-QAS system copy needs a service request with a lead time he had not planned for. What is the best way to prevent this class of surprise?
- SAP's roles and responsibilities document sorts tasks into Standard, Optional, Additional, Packaged and Excluded categories.
- Technical updates are SAP's; non-technical post-update work and functional testing are the customer's unless a packaged service is bought.
- The partner's scope comes from its statement of work; acceptance always stays with the customer.
- Map every plan task to SAP, partner or customer, and name a customer person for every sign-off.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. In SAP's private edition roles and responsibilities document, what is an Excluded Task?
2. How does the document treat regression testing?
3. Who should sign business acceptance of order to cash at Contoso?
4. What does SAP ECS typically do for a version upgrade under RISE?