SAP Cloud ALM for Service – A Brief Recap
SAP Cloud ALM provides a cloud solution to manage cloud and hybrid system and solution landscapes. It is a newly designed solution built on modern cloud technology with scope:
- SAP Cloud ALM for service, which is the main scope of this article,
- SAP Cloud ALM for implementation, which helps to implement and apply Build Operations (Transport Management, Test Management, etc.) (Dev),
- SAP Cloud ALM for operations, which helps to implement and apply Run Operations (Event Management, Continuous Improvement, etc.) (Ops).
Please note: SAP Cloud ALM for implementation and operations is not in scope of this article. However, some more information can be found in the appendix.
SAP Cloud ALM for service offers the following general benefits:
- operations and maintenance of this managing system centrally by SAP (not by each customer individually), as it is an on-demand solution (in contrast to your on-premise or private-cloud SAP Solution Manager system for example),
- collaboration platform to share deliverables, action items, and results with all stakeholders involved in end-to-end SAP service delivery,
- standardization and digitization of end-to-end SAP service delivery.
SAP Cloud ALM for service offers all roles (customer, partner, SAP) the same, shared view on current SAP services and SAP service history – in one interactive user experience. A central point to navigate to all information, assets, and applications which are needed to conduct SAP Service delivery end-to-end. Especially issue and action management improves collaboration with customers, partners, and SAP around issues identified and actions recommended. Simplified tracking of issues and actions with integrated notifications supports governance and further facilitates continuous improvement.
SAP customers are invited to be onboarded onto their own SAP Cloud ALM tenant if they have not done so already. If the customer gives consent for data replication between SAP and Customer tenants, any service results can be automatically published. Moreover, if the customer does not give consent for data replication, SAP service delivery personnel can export the report from the internal SAP Cloud ALM for service tenant and share it with the customer using traditional methods.
Kindly be aware that, starting from December 20th, 2023, the consent for data transfer from SAP to customers’ Cloud ALM tenants is automatically granted for all SAP Cloud ALM tenants requested by our customers. However, customers have the option to revoke this consent if desired. Please note that the synchronization between SAP and the customer’s Cloud ALM tenant relies on the active data transfer between the two tenants. When the data transfer is active, service-related, non-personal information is exchanged between SAP and the customer’s Cloud ALM tenant.
Once the data replication is active the following information is sent from SAP to customer’s Cloud ALM tenant:
- Scheduled SAP services,
- Service scope along with the other service details like delivery team etc.
- SAP created service preparation tasks for the customer,
- Notes created by SAP, which includes meeting minutes,
- Service relevant documents provided as attachments,
- Service results published by SAP, after the service,
- Issues and actions published by SAP, during and after the service.
The following information is sent back to SAP, if any changes were made to the information provided by SAP:
- Service preparation tasks,
- Notes created by SAP,
- Documents provided as “attachments”,
- Issues and Actions.
Personal information is not sent back to SAP. For example, assigning an issue or an action to a user will not result in the replication of assignment information back to SAP. Similarly, assigning a preparation task to a user will also not lead to the replication of assignment information back to SAP.
SAP Cloud ALM for Service – An Exemplary Delivery
In the following an anonymized SAP Service delivery example based on SAP Cloud ALM for service is outlined. We choose a Run Operations service in the Operations Control Center context. This service is integrated into either an onsite or remote workshop, known as the Operations Control Center Configuration workstream. Typically, this workstream is part of a larger project focused on implementing or improving Run Operations. As such, this delivery covers the implementation of a certain Operations functionality in a managing system, e.g., SAP Solution Manager, SAP Focused Solutions, SAP Cloud ALM for operations or implementation, SAP Build Process Automation for IT Operations, SAP Signavio Business Transformation Suite, etc. Its outcome is mainly activities and tasks performed during the duration of the delivery but can also include Premium Access Requests or equivalent requests and information for SAP product management and development to follow up on.
One advantage of using SAP Cloud ALM for service is the central outline of service details and preparation tasks. Service details covers the scope of the service, systems information, delivery team and the preparation tasks include the pre-requisites steps customer need to fulfil before the service delivery.
Service Details
Preparation Tasks
Information and tasks are outlined and can be executed by assigned experts. A simple status management indicates the completion of the preparatory tasks and readiness for service delivery.
After the service delivery, once the service is published by SAP service delivery team, the service report is made available in the service results tab.
Service Results
Issues & Actions
SAP Cloud ALM for service provides a comprehensive set of features and capabilities to manage issues and actions effectively. More conveniently, issues and actions are listed for follow-up, such that nothing is forgotten. These issues and tasks can be further distributed via any enterprise task management solution.
Details of an Issue
Overall, using the Issues & Actions feature in SAP Cloud ALM for service helps organizations streamline their issue management processes, improve collaboration and communication, and ensure timely resolution of issues, leading to increased efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Service Closure
For documentation and governance, the last tab outlines the service status, in this case SAP Services has successfully delivered the service and the corresponding service instance is closed.
At any point in time during service delivery, collaboration between the service consultants and the customer representatives is facilitated by creating and updating actions and statuses – leading to the often demanded but rarely achieved single source of truth.
Service Results – A Sample Customer Report
In SAP Cloud ALM for service, Service Results refer to the outcomes or findings of the service activities performed by SAP service engineers. It is a feature that allows service engineers to document the results of their service activities in a structured manner. Service Results provide a standardized way to capture and record information related to the service performed. This includes the management summary, details about the tasks completed, issues & actions, and any additional recommendations or follow-up actions required.
After the Management Summary, the details of the service are listed in subsequent chapters. These chapters follow a well-maintained service content template.
In our example, the outcome of the configuration in SAP Cloud ALM for operations are documented.
A section of the report is covering the various use cases activated for the managed systems, in this case the SAP Cloud services in scope.
Example Use Case: Real User Monitoring
Specifically, it has been proven that documenting issues and recommendations in the service report, but also directly in the Service Results, saves time and facilitates follow-up.
The proficiency in using this delivery platform useability is a short learning curve. Overall, Service Results in SAP Cloud ALM for service help streamline service processes, improve service quality, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Finally, the recommended next services are listed (if applicable) as well as the delivery team.
SAP Cloud ALM for Service – Some Further Recommendations
There are ongoing improvements published by SAP Services. If not already done, 2024 would be a good time to start the transition from SAP Solution Manager to SAP Cloud ALM for service delivery as well as using SAP Cloud ALM side-by-side with SAP Solution Manager for Build Operations and Run Operations. SAP will provide support. SAP Cloud ALM’s initial setup effort is minimal, and its functional configuration and utilization can be extended gradually as required.
