Lesson 1 of 5
Agile in SAP Activate
8 min
SAP Activate is often described as "agile", which confuses people who have run a pure Scrum project. Activate is a hybrid. At the top it has phases and quality gates that executives and contracts can rely on. Inside Explore and Realize, the work runs in sprints with a backlog, a product owner and regular demonstrations to the business. Knowing where each mode applies is the first step to running an SAP program that is both predictable and responsive.
- PrepareSet up the agile frameTeams, roles, sprint calendar and tools such as SAP Cloud ALM; backlog approach agreed
- ExploreBuild the backlogFit-to-Standard workshops produce the prioritized product backlog; Explore sprints are typically shorter
- Realize: build sprintsDeliver in incrementsTwo- to four-week sprints that configure, extend, test and show a slice of scope
- Realize: closing sprintsIntegrate and acceptSprints for integration testing and final user acceptance on migrated data
- DeployCut overShort, often weekly, sprints coordinate cutover, testing, training and change tasks
Why SAP programs need a hybrid
An ERP system is one integrated product. A change to pricing affects billing, revenue accounting and the dealer portal interface. Pure team-level agility cannot see that. So Activate keeps one integrated product backlog, one shared definition of done and one sprint calendar for all teams, and it keeps phase-level checkpoints where the whole is judged. SAP's agile Activate content calls this scaled Scrum: several teams working on the same product.
Roles
SAP's content places the Scrum teams inside the Application Design and Configuration workstream and recommends splitting teams by end-to-end process. Other workstreams, such as Data Management, Integration and Testing, work across the teams. Teams coordinate through a Scrum of Scrums, where each team sends a representative to discuss progress, dependencies and blockers.
Contoso's setup
| Team | Process area | Product owner |
|---|---|---|
| Team Order to Cash | Sales, delivery, billing, credit for sales area 1710 / 10 / 00 | Maria |
| Team Record to Report | General ledger, ledgers 0L and 2L, close, intercompany with 1810 | Dan |
| Team Plan to Produce | Planning and production for CMC-ALT-100 in plants 1710 and 1720 | Manufacturing lead |
| Team Source to Pay | Purchasing org 1710, Lakeside Components, invoice verification | Procurement lead |
Contoso's Scrum teams, split by end-to-end process, each with a business product owner.
Grace acts as project manager. Priya leads the Testing workstream and places a test analyst in each team, so testing happens in every sprint rather than only at the end. A senior business leader nominated by the program sponsor acts as chief product owner and settles priority conflicts between teams.
| Topic | Phase level (predictive) | Sprint level (agile) |
|---|---|---|
| Planning horizon | Whole program, phases and gates | Two to four weeks |
| Scope control | Baseline at the Explore gate; change requests | Product owner ranks backlog within the baseline |
| Evidence | Gate checklists, SIT and UAT exit criteria | Definition of done per story |
| Who decides | Steering committee and process owners | Product owner, with the team |
What would you do?
Contoso's partner proposes that each of the four teams keep its own backlog, its own sprint length and its own definition of done "to stay autonomous". Grace has to respond. What is the best answer?
- SAP Activate is a hybrid: phases and quality gates at the top, Scrum inside Explore and Realize.
- Scaled Scrum: one integrated product backlog, a shared definition of done, one sprint calendar.
- Roles: chief product owner, product owners, Scrum masters (no more than three teams each), Scrum teams and project manager.
- Split Scrum teams by end-to-end process and coordinate through a Scrum of Scrums.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. How does SAP Activate combine predictive and agile delivery?
2. In scaled Scrum as SAP Activate describes it, teams share:
3. How many teams should one Scrum master cover at most, per SAP's guidance?
4. How does SAP recommend splitting Scrum teams?