TOGAF® Requirements Prioritization for SAP Implementation Projects: A Practical Guide for Enterprise Architects
A glowing 3D matrix categorizes tasks by effort and value for project management.
For Enterprise Architects involved in SAP implementation projects, the ability to structure and prioritize vast volumes of customer requirements is a critical success factor. Within the TOGAF® ADM, Requirements Management mandates prioritization based on business value and impact on organizational goals.
This article explains how to apply TOGAF-based requirements prioritization and demonstrates practical use cases in SAP S/4HANA implementation projects.
TOGAF® Requirements Management Fundamentals
The Requirements Management phase in TOGAF® ADM is a continuous, central activity that spans all phases of architecture development.
Its core objectives include:
Stakeholder alignment
Requirements collection and documentation
Traceability establishment
Prioritization
Change management
Key Principles for Requirements Prioritization
TOGAF® recommends structured evaluation based on the following criteria:
Business value: Contribution to business outcomes
Business or technical risk: Impact of failure
Implementation difficulty: Complexity and feasibility
Likelihood of success: Potential for quick wins
Regulatory compliance: Legal obligations and deadlines
Dependency relationships: Links to other high-value requirements
Urgency: Time sensitivity
Stakeholder agreement: Level of consensus
Using these criteria enables objective and data-driven prioritization.
MoSCoW Method for SAP Projects
The MoSCoW method is widely used in TOGAF®:
Must Have: Critical for system functionality (e.g., core SAP processes, compliance)
Should Have: Important but not mandatory
Could Have: Optional enhancements
Won’t Have: Deferred to future releases
SAP S/4HANA Case Study (Automotive Supplier)
Phase 1: Strategic Requirements
Business goal: Reduce product release cycle from 6 months to 2 weeks.
Prioritized requirements:
Must Have:
Global product master data platform
Standard SAP S/4HANA integration across manufacturing, logistics, finance
Should Have:
PLM integration for engineering change management
Design-to-cost optimization
Could Have:
AI-based demand forecasting
Mobile applications
Won’t Have:
Fully autonomous supply chain optimization
Phase 2: Portfolio-Level Scoring
Quantitative scoring (1–5 scale):
Example:
Product master API: High value, low risk → Must
PLM integration: Medium complexity → Should
AI forecasting: High risk → Could
Phase 3: Project-Level Definition
Example requirement:
“Expose product data from legacy systems via RESTful APIs.”
Details:
Must Have:
SAP tables (MARA, MARC)
OData/REST APIs
OAuth 2.0 authentication
Should Have:
Master Data Governance (MDG)
Version control
Managing Trade-offs
Stakeholders often expect “more, faster, cheaper.” Enterprise Architects must clarify trade-offs.
Parts of this article were developed with reference to generative AI suggestions and were reviewed, refined, and supplemented based on the author’s professional expertise and judgment.
BTEP (Business Transformation Enablement Program) provides important foundations for understanding TOGAF Business Transformation Readiness Assessment.…