Change Record & Management of Change: Unraveling the Transformation Tango - A Feature-Fueled Faceoff!

[raviprakash]

Navigating organizational change can be confusing, especially when it comes to choosing between Change Record (CR) and Management of Change (MOC). Both processes aim to drive transformations, but they differ in focus and usage.

SAP MOC, prioritizes Operational Safety and follows OSHA's Process Safety Management standards. It handles modifications and deviations related to process chemicals, technology, equipment, procedures, and facility changes. Three main types of changes are distinguished: technical, administrative, and organizational.

On the other hand, CR, concentrates on Functional Safety, abiding by standards like IEC 61508, primarily focusing on products or components. It oversees changes to the Bill of Material, Router, Work Instructions, and manufacturing processes, categorized into engineering and production changes.

However, there's no universal solution. Each company has unique needs. This blog is tailored for Business Analysts seeking a feature comparison to choose the right fit for their organization.

In this blog, let's navigate through the waters of change, uncovering the wisdom to make informed decisions and charting a course to successful change management."

 

Change Record & MOC - Feature by Feature Comparison

Evaluated against Parameter(s)	SAP Change Record	SAP Management of Change
Technology
UI Technology	Core application develop in Fiori UI	Core application developed in WebDynpro
Backend Framework	Based on IAM Framework	Based on IAM Framework

Functionality
Impact Analysis (IA)	Visualizing Change Impact: CR presents a framework for conducting "graphic-based visuals," enabling organizations to assess the impact of changes. This visual approach provides a clear and intuitive representation of how alterations cascade across various elements within the system. Configurable Real-Time Application: The flexibility of CR shines through its user-friendly configuration options via application to configure Impact Analysis Models via the application Manage Impact Analysis Models (App ID: F5753). Outcome-Based Impact Analysis: With CR's Impact Analysis (IA) being outcome-based, organizations can identify and understand the implications of modifications comprehensively. The IA process not only highlights the direct impacted objects but also reveals additional objects that could be added back into the Change Record, promoting a more comprehensive approach to change management.	Dynamic Questionnaire and Comment Recording: The Impact Analysis process within MOC is powered by a dynamic questionnaire framework. It prompts users with relevant queries about the proposed changes, and if an answer requires further attention, the system records the comments. This streamlined approach ensures that critical information is captured, facilitating thorough impact assessment. User-Driven Identification of Impacted Objects: The system relies on end-users to actively participate in the process by identifying affected objects by the change and establishing their linkage back to the MOC.
Change Hierarchy	Split: CR allows splitting of Complex Changes into multiple simple changes. One may choose to split the Change Records using Change Scope. CR keeps track of the Splits by organizing the Change Records as a Hierarchy of Change. Merge: Change Records can originate via multiple sources at different times. In order to manage multiple Change Records with a similarities in Scope and Approvals, one can choose to merge them into a single Change Record.	Parent - Child Changes: MOC allows maintenance of Complex Change in a Hierarchical form where a Child Change request allows one to organize and manage changes as part of a major change. Child Change Requests are created from the Parent Change Request.
Scope Management	Streamlined Scope Management: With Change Items, CR effortlessly supports as ~30+  SAP objects, enabling a comprehensive view of change's impact. Enhanced Data Entry: Users can easily include additional information like Change Relevance and Processing Status, enriching the scope details and facilitating better decision-making.	Scope Management with Referenced Objects: MOC efficiently manages scope using Referred Objects, encompassing around ~18 SAP objects. Additional Object Types can be added by utilizing BOL (Business Object Layer) Framework. This ensures seamless handling of changes across various aspects of the organization. Remote Object Referencing: Additionally, the referenced Objects can reside in other SAP systems. In CR, the needs to be in same SAP S/4HANA instance
Questionnaires & Characteristics	Extensible Attributes with Characteristics and UI Adaptation: CR offers the flexibility to extend its application by incorporating additional attributes through Characteristics and UI Adaptation frameworks.	Robust Questionnaire Framework for Impact and Risk Analysis: MOC presents a powerful framework to manage Questionnaires for conducting Impact and Risk Analysis. This versatile framework empowers users to handle Questionnaires for both Changes and Activities, enabling comprehensive assessments to make informed decisions.
Manage Teams & Responsibilities	Simplified Team Management & Collaboration: CR makes use of an application - Manage Teams and Responsibilities (App ID F2412) for easy team management. Users can assign functions, create team hierarchies, and collaborate seamlessly, enhancing the change management process. This is a generic Fiori based application which could be used to define teams and responsibilities across multiple business areas like Sales, Sourcing and Procurement and Change Record. Integration of the Teams with Flexible Workflow: The Teams and Functions defined in the application - Manage Teams and Responsibilities can be included in the Flexible Workflow, hence providing an option to route work items originating from Change Record to the Teams or Functions defined within Teams.	Streamlined Collaboration with "People Involved": MOC's "People Involved" functionality simplifies team member assignments for both CR and Activities, fostering seamless collaboration in change management. Rule based determination of Business Partners: In MOC, one can carry out a more complex business partner determination by using Business Rule Framework plus (BRF+). If applicable, one can define further persons involved that are assigned to a change request or an activity. One can define rules to pick people based on context, location etc. parameters, hence reducing the administrative efforts.
Change Execution	Streamlined Change Master Generation from CR: CR streamlines the process of generating Change Masters upon reaching an applicable status (mainly approval relevant status). Attributes from the Change Record are automatically transferred to the corresponding Change Master. Impacted objects can further also be transferred from Change Record to the Change Master. Change Master can be created both at the overall Change Level and as specific Change Item Type (example: BOM, Material, Recipe, Specification, Master Recipe etc.). Change Masters generated from CR come with additional controls on the target objects, enhancing object management capabilities.	Defining Follow-Up Actions: Follow-up actions are actions or functions that are triggered from an activity of category Task. One can create the following follow-up actions like Maintenance Notification, Maintenance Order, Risk Assessment and Change Master (ECN), in the Edit Activity app The reference objects that have been created as follow-up actions are displayed under Related Objects.
Activity/ Workflow Management	Two Workflow Approaches: Flexible Workflow: CR offers a flexible workflow (App ID: F3402) option which is not rule-based, allowing organizations to tailor the simple workflow process to suit their specific needs. Rule-Based Workflow (BRF+): Alternatively, CR provides a rule-based workflow (process route templates) powered by BRF+ (Business Rule Framework plus). This intelligent approach automates decision-making based on predefined rules, streamlining the workflow process and promoting efficient handling of changes.	MOC provides a Simplified & Robust Activity Management: Gain a comprehensive overview of activities and effortlessly search for specific ones. Highly configurable, allowing customization to suit individual requirements. Activities encompass tasks, approvals, notifications, or structure nodes necessary to complete a change request. Create hierarchical structures for activities, promoting well-organized change activity management. Describe each activity and set due dates for efficient planning. Add essential details, such as related objects, attachments, and involved individuals, facilitating smooth execution. Document decisions and completions, ensuring a transparent audit trail. Efficiently manage sub-activities and track their statuses to ensure progress and completion. Rule-Based Activity Determination (BRF+): In MOC, one can carry out a more complex activity determination by using BRF+. These activities are determined by the data of the change request or by the answers from the questionnaires in the change request.
Inbox and Task Management	"My Inbox" App: Centralized Workflow for SAP S/4HANA. CR integrates with "My Inbox," providing a centralized workflow management solution for SAP S/4HANA Objects. This streamlines change management, simplifying tasks, approvals, and notifications across other objects within SAP environment.	MOC's Change Activities Dashboard: MOC offers the "Change Activities Dashboard" app (App ID: F5761), providing a user-friendly interface to accomplish the following: Utilize visual filters to analyze change activities based on type, status, overdue status, and main responsible person assignments. Add an additional visual filter to analyze change activities by due date, enabling efficient scheduling and planning. Seamlessly switch between integrated chart and table views to customize how search results are displayed. Easily navigate to the Edit Activity app by selecting an item from the table, ensuring effortless access to detailed information and editing options.
Analytics	On-Demand Analytics with Engineering Cockpit and CDS Views: CR comes equipped with an out-of-the-box Engineering Cockpit, facilitating a comprehensive and insightful view of engineering data. Additionally, it offers multiple CDS (Core Data Services) views, enabling users to generate on-demand analytics with ease. These flexible views empower organizations to extract valuable insights and make data-driven decisions efficiently.	On-Demand Analytics with Analysis Path Framework (APF): MOC offers ready-to-use analytics through the Analysis Path Framework (APF). This powerful framework allows users to effortlessly access insightful data analytics, enabling data exploration and informed decision-making without the need for extensive customization.

 

In summary, we have delved into the distinctions between Change Record (CR) and Management of Change (MOC), uncovering their unique functionalities and areas of focus. The choice between these processes is crucial, as each organization has specific requirements.

If you seek a more comprehensive feature-based comparison complete with UI screen grabs, I encourage you to get in touch via the comments. As Business Analysts, you hold the key to successful change management within your organization. Embrace these insights with confidence and don't hesitate to reach out for further information.

Thank you!!!