SAP ECC upgrade to enhancement package 6
L'Oréal USA · Upgrade Project Manager · SAP SD/MM Lead
Project manager and SD/MM lead for the upgrade of L'Oréal USA's SAP ECC 6.0 system to enhancement package 6, from workshops and modification adjustments to testing and go-live support.
- Client / organization
- L'Oréal USA
- Consulting firm
- VISEO USA
- Role
- Upgrade Project Manager · SAP SD/MM Lead
- Period
- 2015
- Duration
- Part-time
- Location
- Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, USA
- Work mode
- On site at the client
Business context
L'Oréal USA ran a heavily customized SAP ECC 6.0 system, with retail, warehouse and many custom programs. Moving it to enhancement package 6 meant checking every modified standard object, keeping the development work that was still in flight, and proving that sales, purchasing and warehouse flows still worked. It was the second upgrade cycle I worked on at L'Oréal USA, after the enhancement package 4 cycle in late 2011.
Key contributions
- Managed the upgrade of SAP ECC 6.0 to enhancement package 6 as project manager and SAP SD/MM lead.
- Ran the workshops and adjusted modified SAP objects and configuration after the upgrade.
- Tracked the changes still in flight during the upgrade so none were lost between systems.
- Organized regression testing of the sales, purchasing and warehouse flows, then supported the go-live.
Responsibilities in detail
Project management
- Planned the upgrade phases, the test cycles and the go-live with L'Oréal USA IT.
- Coordinated the SD, MM, WM and FI developers on the adjustments.
Upgrade
- Workshops on the impact of the upgrade on custom developments.
- Adjustment of modified standard objects and configuration.
- Retrofit of in-flight changes onto the upgraded systems.
Testing & go-live
- Regression testing of order-to-cash, purchasing and warehouse flows.
- Go-live and post-upgrade support.
The upgrade
An enhancement package upgrade changes standard SAP code that years of custom development depend on. The work started with workshops on what the upgrade would touch, then the adjustment of every modified standard object and of the configuration, and the retrofit of the changes that teams were still developing while the upgrade ran, so that nothing was lost between the old and new systems.
Testing and go-live
Before go-live, the main business flows were tested again end to end: order to cash, purchasing and the warehouse flows. I coordinated the developers on the fixes, then supported the business after the switch. It was my second upgrade cycle on this system, after the enhancement package 4 cycle in late 2011.