Change Request Management (ChaRM) is an application within Solution Manager (SolMan) which is used to manage the hardware and software changes within your IT Landscape.  Changes are requested, approved, scheduled, assigned, test results tracked, and final implementation into production plus post activities are captured in this application.  The audit logging in ChaRM will provide an accurate audit log of who, when, where, why and how changes were implemented.

The benefits of ChaRM

  1. SAP software changes management from development, testing and production are incorporated with transport management systems (TMS).
  2. ChaRM utilizes workflow-based management within project management to combine developed solutions
  3. ChaRM utilizes quality-gate management to ensure proper sign-off and approvals are given and documented thus ensuring better transparencies of changes made to SAP and non-SAP software
  4. ChaRM Retro-Fit functionality can ensure synchronization of N+1 environments with transports imported into production
  5. ChaRM Cross Systems Object Locking (CSOL) functionality prevents software change leapfrogging between production support and project landscapes
  6. ChaRM can be leveraged by the other SolMan applications such as:
    1. Problems specific to SAP Software which cannot be resolved by internal staff can be forwarded to SAP Online Support Services (OSS) for resolution.
    2. Defects detected in the Test Management workbench will trigger change request for development fixes.  These fixes will be managed through ChaRM documents
    3. IT Service Management (ITSM) problem documents can be transferred to Request for Changes once the service technician determines that a software or hardware change is required to resolve the problem

Work Sample

We implemented a ChaRM solution which allowed our telecommunication client to work within the Agile project management methodology.  This solution aligned their three-week project sprints using N+2 Development instances, five Testing Instance and production plus retro-fitting.  By utilizing CSOL they reduced over-writes of older ABAP code.  Using the enhanced CTS we were able to move Java and HANA code through the same change documents.  We dramatically reduced the project import time in production by using the ToC technique.  We streamlined the workflow because we engineered the solution to allow developers to move Toc and final transports into Test thus eliminating emails and Basis’s help.