SAP PartnerEdge Channel Partner Value-Added Reseller (VAR)

Partner Center of Expertise

(Certification Checklist)

Partner Name
City, Country

Copyright
Copyright 2011 SAP AG. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG. SAP AG reserves the right to change the information contained in this document without prior notice.

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Table of Contents

1. Purpose and Prerequisite ..............................................................................................4 2. Self-Assessment............................................................................................................5 3. PCOE Certification Process............................................................................................6 4. Engagement..................................................................................................................7 5. Confirmation..................................................................................................................8 6. General Information .....................................................................................................9 7. Information Management............................................................................................11 8. Marketing and Communications..................................................................................13 9. Customer Support Readiness......................................................................................15 10. Support Organization.................................................................................................17 11. Support Infrastructure...............................................................................................20 12. Combined Certification Infrastructure .......................................................................22

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1. Purpose and Prerequisite

To ensure that all indirect customers receive the same high quality support, SAP introduced a dedicated Partner Center of Expertise (PCOE) certification, which is exclusively available for SAP PartnerEdge Channel Partners providing support for SAP Business All-In-One and SAP BusinessObjects solutions. PCOE certification ensures that the minimum set of SAP Support standards, tools and solution-related skills, quality, and requirements for the delivery of maintenance are met by Partners. These requirements are defined in Exhibit 4 of the PartnerEdge Channel Agreement and a clear roadmap for certification outlined in the Technical Support Guide. Partners should additionally leverage information from the Partner Guide, Setting up a Partner Center of Expertise, in establishing the necessary support infrastructure, tools, and operations in alignment with Exhibit 4 of the PartnerEdge Channel Agreement. The prerequisite for this checklist assumes a clear understanding of the PCOE certification requirements and its successful implementation and operation in current support operations. This checklist then attempts to request relevant data to allow an SAP PCOE Auditor to review the fulfillment of these identified prerequisites.

For Partners with Combined Support Operations: Partners providing maintenance across different subsidiaries can apply for combined PCOE certification. To qualify for this scope, please additionally complete Section 12 of this document.

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2. Self-Assessment
This self-assessment exercise contains the Please indicate a check () mark to verify compliance to the following mandatory elements for elements before proceeding with the checklist: evaluating certification readiness of your support Yes No organization. All Mandatory Components components should be Partners currently delivering support services, 1. For fully established before have at least one (1) maintenance do you the checklist can be customer? completed and as a 2. Do precedent for initiating you have SAP Solution Manager upgraded to the latest* support package? (* latest support package the PCOE Certification -3) process.
3. Is the SAP Maintenance Optimizer operational and demonstrable? 4. Do you have a fully operational Incident Management System? 5. Can the SAP Solution Manager Service Desk system forward messages to SAP successfully? 6. Do you have available test systems within your organization that has remote connection with SAP? 7. Do you have at least two (2) support consultants certified under either C_PXSUP_90 and/or C_BOSUP_90? 8. For Partners currently delivering support, do you have at least 85% remote connectivity between your productive customer base and SAP? 9. For Partners currently delivering support, do you have at least 85% of your productive customer base transferring SAP EarlyWatch Alert data regularly to SAP? 10. Do you have a valid customer maintenance agreement that is fully aligned with SAP maintenance offerings? 11. Do you have full 7x24 support availability? 12. Do you have a fully demonstrable and documented support process?

I M P O R T A N T!

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3. PCOE Certification Process

After completing the stated prerequisites in Chapter 1, you should fully complete the questions from this checklist and attach any supporting document(s) required for evaluation. Upon completion, you can trigger the certification process following the steps outlined below:

Step 1: Register for Certification

Submit your request for PCOE Certification by posting a message to SAP Support with the following details: Component : SV-BO-REQ Short Text : Request Partner COE Certification Attachment : PCOE Checklist and supporting documents

SAP analyzes the response resulting in either of the following results: Assessment Passed. You receive an email stating the Assessment phase has been completed with satisfactory results and are invited to schedule for an audit session. Continue to Step 3 of the process.

Step 2: Assessment Phase

Assessment Failed. You receive an email stating the Assessment phase

has determined critical areas for improvement. An Assessment Report is provided and a maximum of three (3) months is given to complete the recommendations before moving to the Audit phase.

Step 3: Audit Phase

You improve the support setup based on Assessment recommendations and resubmit the checklist / documents for the audit session. An audit schedule is agreed with a PCOE Auditor. Remote audit is completed within 5-6 hours Audit requires attendance of Support Manager and some support staff Demonstration of tools, processes, and presentation is required Audit findings are based on existing documentation and actual demonstration of systems Certification Report is generated after the audit Certification Report is forwarded to the judging team for review and evaluation. Judging takes 2-3 weeks completion with the following results: Judging Passed. You receive an email granting support authorization with a two (2) year duration. Certification report is submitted and certificate is couriered to your address. Judging Failed. You receive an email of certification failure. A Certification Report is provided and a maximum of six (6) months is provided for a ReAssessment of PCOE certification.

Step 4: Judging

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4. Engagement
Responses should be as detailed as possible and preferably written in English. Attachments and exhibits may be referenced and appended to the checklist as separate files. Please do not provide information that is not requested. Unclear points and answers will be discussed in detail during the audit call. The results of the audit call will be added to the checklist, by the Partner or SAP. For more information about the program, please visit the Channel Partner Portal Support pages and the SAP Service Marketplace for available documentation on the Partner COE program. Relevant documents are as follows: PCOE Certification Prerequisites (.ppt) SAP Maintenance Harmonization Guide (.doc) SAP Technical Support Guide (.doc) Setting up a Partner Center of Expertise (.doc) You may also contact your Partner Services Advisor for any needed assistance.

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5. Confirmation

I, a duly authorized employee of XXX, declare herewith, and guarantee that all information listed on the following pages of this certification checklist is correct and provided in good faith.

Date, City

Signature of Partner / Title

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6. General Information
This section deals with general partner information and clearly identifies key contact points within SAP and the Partner COE as well as the solution areas included in the certification scope. Partner Company Data
6.1 Partner Number 6.2 Partner Name

6.3 Address (indicate address of support unit)

6.4 Please attach a file containing the logo of your company.

Partner Support Manager

6.5 Support Manager Position/Title

(as stated in calling card)

Phone Number Mobile Number Email Address

SAP Contacts

6.6 SAP Channel Manager 6.7 Partner Services Advisor

Supplementary Information for SV-BO-REQ message

6.8 Please provide the name of the Solution in your SAP Solution Manager that was registered with SAP?

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6.9 Identify which solution areas will be supported by your support organization. SAP Business All-In-One SAP BusinessObjects 6.10 Is this an initial certification or a re-certification? Initial Certification

Re-Certification

6.11 If this is a re-certification, when was the start date of your first initial certification? the expiry date of your most recent certification?

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7. Information Management
Internal marketing and information management ensures the efficient distribution of all SAP related information within the Partner organization. The information should be filtered and modified according to the Partner specific needs and then channeled within the Partner organization. Providing information efficiently as well as positioning and establishing the competence center as the main internal contact for all SAP related issues is a key responsibility for certified PCOEs.

Understanding of Support responsibilities through SAP contacts

7.1 Has your Channel Manager / Partner Services Advisor discussed your responsibilities as a Support Provider to your customer base? 7.2 Have you discussed the maintenance instructions (Exhibit 4) of the PartnerEdge Channel Agreement with your Channel Manager / Partner Services Advisor? 7.3 Do you clearly understand support provisions for customers under SAP Standard Support and SAP Enterprise Support? Yes Yes No No

Yes

No

Access to knowledge base and general information through SAP Portals

7.4 Does your support organization use the SAP Service Marketplace?

Yes

No

If yes, list the areas within the SAP Service Marketplace that are regularly used by your support staff.

7.5 Does your support organization use the SAP Channel Partner Portal?

Yes

No

If yes, list the areas within the SAP Channel Partner Portal that are regularly used by your support staff.

Participation in SAP-related events and sessions

7.6 Has your company been involved as a sponsor or a participant in any local SAP events such as the SAP World Tour, SAPPHIRE, User Group Sessions within the past 12 months?

Yes

No

If yes, please provide a list of sponsored / participated events within the past 12 months.

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7.7 Has your company participated in events, sessions (onsite or remote), training with respect to the following SAP support and / or SAP maintenance? SAP Solution Manager? Application Lifecycle Management Yes Yes Yes No No No

If yes to any of the above, please identify the event, session, training received for any of the above topics:

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8. Marketing and Communications

Customers expect quality services, excellence in performance and execution, strong competencies, and clear value and return on investment. Partners should always strive for excellent feedback and offer premium services backed by solid and factual experiences from end customers. Thus, having not only an informative and compelling presentation material / collaterals on support operations backed by a solid maintenance agreement are key elements for keeping customer interest and substantiating support offerings.

Introducing your Support Organization and Operations

8.1 In the sales cycle, which role / position is responsible for introducing your support offerings and operations?

8.2

Please attach presentation material / collaterals / documents that are used for introducing your support offerings and operations.

8.3

Describe how new customers are educated on support operations and processes.

8.4

Please attach presentation material or collaterals that you provide to customers in relation to your support offerings and processes excluding any material with pricing information.

8.5

Does your company have a support portal which describes your support services and/or provides access to your incident management system? If yes, please indicate the URL below.

Yes

No

Maintenance / Support Agreements

8.6

Please attach support agreement templates provided to your customers.

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8.7 Does your maintenance / support agreement clearly indicate the following that support is provided by the Partner (and not by SAP)? scope of SAPs support offerings; SAP Standard Support or SAP Enterprise Support? 8.8 Yes Yes No No

Which role is responsible for discussing the maintenance / support agreement with customers?

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9. Customer Support Readiness

In preparation for delivery of various maintenance services, customers should be guided in establishing the necessary infrastructure, tools, and processes. The Partner should ensure these are achieved and fully operational especially in critical situations.

Support Infrastructure
9.1 Please provide a list of your maintenance customers under SAP Business All-In-One or SAP BusinessObjects if any. If more space is needed, please attach a file following the data template as provided below. Customer No. Customer Name SAP Support Offering
Standard / Enterprise 827911* Adams Clothing Ltd.* Enterprise*

Remote Connection Available?

Yes / No Yes*

SAP EarlyWatch Alert Enabled?

Yes / No Yes*

* sample entry

Yes 9.2 Do you maintain a customer information database? If yes, which role is responsible for maintaining this database? If yes, please attach a template of the data maintained for your customer base.

No

9.3

Are your customers solution landscape(s) defined in SAP Solution Manager*? If not, please explain why.
*SAP Solution Manager can be hosted by the Partner or owned by Customer

Yes

No

9.4

Are your customers core business processes (solution documentation) defined in SAP Solution Manager*? If not, please explain why.
*SAP Solution Manager can be hosted by the Partner or owned by Customer

Yes

No

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Understanding of SAP Support

9.5

Are your customers sufficiently informed about the value of SAP Standard Support and SAP Enterprise Support? If not, please explain why.

Yes

No

9.6

Have you performed the Initial Assessment Service for your customer base? If not, please explain why?

Yes

No

9.7

Are your customers informed about the Application Lifecycle Management concept and strategy by SAP? If not, please explain why.

Yes

No

Licensing and Contract Administration

9.8 9.9

Who or which role is the contact for license auditing? Does your company have a clear understanding about the license auditing process with SAP?

Yes

No

9.10 Does your company have employees who can execute the license auditing transaction on SAP systems?

Yes

No

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10. Support Organization

Partners should have the necessary resource and communications capabilities to enable smooth and seamless interaction with end customers at all times. Customers should be well-informed of the various contact methods and information for accessing support when needed.

Contacting the Support Organization

10.1 List support contact information for your customers

Support Hotline Fax Number Email Address URL

10.2 What are your regular business hours? 10.3 What are your regular business days? 10.4 Please describe how support can be reached after business hours?

Identifying Key Support Resources

10.5 Please attach a copy of your support organization chart identifying key support roles.

10.6 List all relevant support roles and their responsibilities. If a document can be provided with this information, this document can be attached instead.

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10.7 Please provide a list of your full-time support staff. If more space is needed, please attach a file following the data template as provided below. Years of SAP Experience Support Consultant Certification
PXSUP or BOSUP PXSUP*

Area

Employee Name

SAP Education Certification

Year Certified Level Associate*

BC*

John Adams*

8*

2007*

* sample entry

Understanding the Support Process

10.8 Please attach the documentation of your support processes and procedures. 10.9 Please explain your complaint handling process. Alternatively, you may attach documentation for this purpose.

10.10 Please explain your escalation handling process. Alternatively, you may attach documentation for this purpose.

10.11

Please attach (or indicate) the document which includes the service levels (response and resolution times) committed to customers and/or those followed by support staff.

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Monitoring the Support Performance

10.12 Please list the KPIs defined for your support staff.

10.13

Who or which role is responsible for monitoring the support process on a day-to-day basis? (if any)

10.14 Please attach different support reports according to what is generated on a regular basis. a. Service Level Reporting

b. Customer Reporting

c. Individual Staff Reporting

d. Team Performance Reporting

e. Others

Support-Specific Surveys

10.15

Are there regular customer satisfaction surveys executed by your support organization? If yes, please attach your survey template.

Yes

No

Current Statistics
10.16 Please indicate the average number of messages received by your support organization on a monthly basis. Please feel free to attach recent statistical data, if available. Please indicate current average resolution rate of your support organization. Please feel free to attach recent statistical data, if available.

10.17

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11. Support Infrastructure

A support organization needs different tools, applications, and systems to provide an efficient and streamlined operation. Availability of applications for storing and tracking customer incidents are at the heart of a support operation. The variety of tools such as portals, knowledge bases, applications, connectivities are likewise relevant to ensure that support staff have the necessary means to effectively resolve an incident in the soonest time possible.

Incident Management System

11.1 Name of incident management system 11.2 Vendor 11.3 How long has this system been in use by the customer base? 11.4 It is mandated that the SAP Solution Manager Service Desk is used for performing First and Second Level Support. If not using SAP Solution Manager Service Desk as your first line incident management system for customers, please explain the reason(s) for this choice.

11.5 Please attach the internal user guide for your incident management system (if any).

11.6 Please attach the user guide provided to customers (if any).

11.7 Have you defined URL of your incident management system in the SAP Service Marketplace following SAP Note 1285423? If not, please explain why.

Yes

No

11.8 As the primary tool for communicating with SAP Support, the facility for forwarding of incidents from the SAP Solution Manager Service Desk to SAP should be tested. Please indicate a sample notification number from your SAP Solution Manager Service Desk and the corresponding message number at SAP for any incident that has been successfully forwarded recently. SAP Solution Manager Notification Number SAP Message Number 11.9 Have you successfully tested the automatic forwarding facility of the SAP Solution Manager Service Desk to enable forwarding of Very High messages after business hours? Yes No

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SAP Solution Manager

11.12 Complete the following SAP Solution Manager details

Version

Support Package

Installation No.

System ID

w/ Remote Conn?

11.13 Has the SAP Maintenance Optimizer been tested successfully? 11.14 Does your company know how to perform solution documentation via the SAP Solution Manager? 11.15 Do you allow routing of the SAP EarlyWatch data transfers to your SAP Solution Manager system?

Yes Yes Yes

No

No

11.16 Please identify other functionalities used for your customers in your SAP Solution Manager system?

11.17 Please indicate trainings received by your staff on the SAP Solution Manager.

Remote Connectivity to the Customer Base

11.18 Please identify different strategies used for establishing remote connectivity with your customer base.

Test Systems
11.19 List down all test systems within your company that can be used by your support staff for simulating incidents. If there are more test systems available, please create a file with the data template as provided in the table below. Installation No.
0020555879*

System ID
SM7*

Product Installed
SAP ERP 6.0*

With Remote Connection?

Yes*

* sample entry

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12. Combined Certification Infrastructure

Partner should identify the different subsidiaries for which this certification shall be applicable to and to identify support operations following a combined support operation scenario. Based on the information in this checklist, the SAP PCOE team shall evaluate whether approval can be granted for a localized or combined certification scope.

Partner Subsidiaries
12.1 Indicate subsidiaries included in this combined certification scenario.

Do note that the SAP PCOE team reserves the right to amend the subsidiary list below following the results of the PCOE certification. Thereafter, amended subsidiary list herein will attain the certification results and recommendations as awarded to the lead support office through which the certification exercise was conducted.
Country Code
DE*

Partner ID
1048877*

Partner Name
SAP*

*sample entry

Support Operations

12.2 Which subsidiary / country is identified as your lead support unit?

12.3 Please provide details on resources / infrastructure that is shared amongst different subsidiaries, if applicable

12. 4 If any customer data (e.g., messages, system information, project data) is visible or is maintained by another subsidiary, are your customers made aware of this setup?

Yes

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