Master GRC Project Documentation with SAP Solution Manager

GRC GUIDEBOOK: STRATEGIES AND TOOLS TO MITIGATE RISK | SAPINSIDER SPECIAL REPORT
Master GRC Project Documentation with
SAP Solution Manager
How to Keep Your GRC Configuration Knowledge After the Consultants Leave
Geoff Wright
Director and Technical
Specialist (SAP Solution
Manager and GRC)
Island Consulting (Ireland)
W
hen organizations implement new software,
and documenting target systems. Furthermore, you
they are often most focused on getting the
can print the blueprint document, which can be use-
functionality up and running and achieving business
ful to compliance teams, as it is a record of the system
results as quickly as possible. This goal sometimes
design at a point in time.
comes at the expense of important procedures — such
When you move to configuration mode, new tabs
as properly documenting their solutions. When consul-
appear in SAP Solution Manager from which you can
tants are around to answer questions, a lack of docu-
perform configuration directly in your GRC develop-
mentation is no problem, but as soon as they leave,
ment system. You can store the entries made in the
customers are left to their own devices. If the solution
target system’s IMG next to each step and group steps
is not properly documented, the organization could
module by module into a Business Configuration (BC)
be in trouble.
Set for check-out or portability later. A printout of the
This holds true for SAP solutions for governance,
completed configuration serves as a delivery docu-
risk, and compliance (GRC). If your solution, such
ment for sign-off and comparison with the blueprint
as SAP Access Control or SAP Process Control, isn’t
document.
properly documented, you run the risk of not getting
There are a number of other standard tools that
the most out of your investment due to not being con-
you can use during various project steps. For example,
fident in updating your solution, not applying patches,
when testing GRC apps you can use the testing suite
being reluctant to upgrade, or even having to reimple-
to manage the whole testing cycle, including using
ment. You can use SAP Solution Manager to docu-
workflow for testers, test script management, and
ment your solution, regain any lost knowledge, and
not getting the
issue management. You can also use the learning suite
keep your users informed, even after the project team
to automatically distribute content, as well as collect
most out of your
has left.
Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-
If your solution
isn’t properly
documented, you
run the risk of
investment.
Use Solution Documentation to
Prevent Project Knowledge Loss
compliant data and return it to HR training records.
The Change Analyzer tool allows you to collect data
about the changes that have been made to SAP solu-
Say, for example, that you upgrade SAP Access Control
tions for GRC. It then tells you what testing is required
from version 5.3 to version 10.1 and you want to create
and which learning modules to check.
or update documentation. You would start by creating
Reporting is also available throughout all of
the blueprint for your system in the Projects application
SAP Solution Manager, with preconfigured reports
in SAP Solution Manager. You then use accelerator data
for each section.
from the repository for SAP Access Control, which sup-
S-16
plies basic business processes to populate a blueprint
Learn More
structure for user provisioning and role management.
Island Consulting specializes in SAP Solution Manager
From this structure, you can add any customized work-
and SAP solutions for GRC, with experience running
flows, interfaces, and organizational data.
them on both SAP HANA and standard ABAP imple-
In tabs within the Projects application, you can store
mentations. Island Consulting also offers reverse en-
project data such as decision-making explanations,
gineering of your solutions as well as preconfigured
which can serve as a guide for future decisions. There
solutions that can be delivered to give your organiza-
is also a graphical tool for organizing processes across
tion a rapid standard deployment of SAP solutions for
multiple systems, such as connections to LDAP and
GRC 10.1. For more information and brochure down-
identity management systems, as well as identifying
loads, go to www.islandconsulting.ie.
Reproduced from the Oct n Nov n Dec 2014 issue of SAPinsider with permission from its publisher, WIS Publishing | SAPinsiderOnline.com

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