How to be prepared for a Role Design Project in SAP

Blueprint for Success: How to Be Prepared for a Role Design Project in SAP

A role design project is one of the most critical initiatives an organization can undertake in its SAP landscape. Done correctly, it streamlines user access, strengthens security, ensures compliance, and simplifies maintenance. Done poorly, it can lead to business disruption, excessive firefighting, and significant audit findings.

Preparation is everything. A successful project is won or lost long before the first role is built in transaction PFCG. Here’s your strategic blueprint to ensure your role design project is set up for success from day one.

Phase 1: Foundation & Strategy (The “Why” and “What”)

This initial planning phase is about aligning the technical project with business objectives.

1. Define Clear Business Goals and Drivers

Why are you doing this? The answer cannot be “because our auditor said so.” While compliance is a key driver, anchor the project in business benefits.

• Common Drivers: Improve operational efficiency, enhance security posture, simplify user onboarding, support a migration (e.g., to S/4HANA), or pass a specific compliance audit (SOX, GDPR).

• Action: Document these goals and get stakeholder sign-off. They will guide every decision you make.

2. Secure Executive Sponsorship

A role design project requires cross-functional collaboration and will impact every SAP user. Without a visible, committed executive sponsor, the project will stall when conflicts arise.

• Action: Identify a sponsor from the business (e.g., CFO, COO) or IT leadership who understands the strategic value and can champion the project, secure budget, and resolve high-level issues.

3. Assemble the Right Project Team

This is not a one-person job. You need a blended team with both technical and business knowledge.

• Key Roles:

  • Project Lead/Manager: Drives the plan and timeline.

  • SAP Security/GRC Consultant(s): The technical experts who will build the roles.

  • Business Process Owners: Key users from each functional area (Finance, SD, MM, HR) who understand the day-to-day tasks and requirements.

  • Internal Audit/Compliance Representative: Ensures the design meets internal and external control requirements.

• Action: Define roles, responsibilities, and time commitments for each team member.

Phase 2: Analysis & Design (The “How”)

This is the core discovery phase where you move from strategy to execution design.

4. Conduct a Current State Analysis

You can’t design the future without understanding the present.

• Action: Use tools like SAP’s Access Control or Access Risk Analysis (ARA) to analyze existing roles and user assignments.

  • Identify and document “toxic” combinations and Segregation of Duties (SoD) risks.

  • Analyze existing role structure: Are they single, composite, or derived? Are they overly broad (“firefighter” roles)?

  • Create an inventory of all critical T-Codes and transactions used in the business.

5. Establish a Role Design Philosophy

This is a critical set of principles that the entire team will follow. Debate and agree on these upfront to avoid inconsistency later.

• Key Decisions:

  • Single vs. Composite Roles: Will you create single, granular roles (e.g., “Create Sales Order”) and combine them into composite roles for a job function? This is the modern best practice.

  • Derived Roles: Will you use derived roles to manage common authorizations across multiple roles? (Often used for organizational level values).

  • Naming Conventions: Establish a clear, descriptive naming convention for roles (e.g., Z_MM_BUYER_PLANT_XXXX).

  • Organizational Level Strategy: How will you handle restrictions for Company Code, Plant, Sales Org, etc.? Will you use structural authorizations or build them directly into the role?

• Action: Document these decisions in a Role Design Guide. This living document will be the rulebook for your developers.

6. Define a Target Set of Job Roles

This is where business process owners provide the most value.

• Action: For each business function, define a catalog of job roles (e.g., “Accounts Payable Clerk,” “Materials Buyer,” “Sales Order Processor”).

  • For each job role, list the specific transactions (T-Codes) and activities (Create, Change, Display, etc.) required to perform the job.

  • This becomes your “shopping list” for building roles.

7. Integrate Risk and Compliance from the Start

Baking compliance into the design is far more efficient than trying to fix it later.

• Action:

  • Work with audit to define a risk rule set (e.g., “A user cannot create a vendor and also post an invoice”).

  • Use this rule set during the design phase to validate that your proposed job roles are inherently compliant (SoD-by-Design).

Phase 3: Preparation & Readiness (The “With What”)

Gather your tools and prepare your environment.

8. Prepare the Technical Environment

Ensure your systems are ready for development and testing.

• Action:

  • Set up a dedicated development/client system for role building.

  • Establish a clear transport path (DEV > QAS > PRD) for moving roles.

  • Ensure your GRC Access Control system (if you have one) is configured and integrated with your project client for risk analysis.

9. Develop a Robust Testing and UAT Plan

Testing is not an afterthought. It is a primary activity.

• Action:

  • Plan for Unit Testing: The security team tests each new role for correct authorization checks.

  • Plan for User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Business users must test the roles in a QA system to confirm they can perform all their job duties—and nothing more. Create detailed test scripts for this.

  • Plan for a Pilot: Select a small, controlled group of users to go-live first. This allows you to iron out kinks before a full-scale rollout.

10. Develop a Change Management & Communication Plan

A new security model can be disruptive and confusing for end-users.

• Action:

  • Communicate early and often about the project’s benefits and timeline.

  • Train users and helpdesk staff on what to expect, how to request new access, and how to report issues.

  • Prepare for a temporary increase in access requests post-go-live as users discover what they need.

Conclusion: Preparation is Your Greatest Asset

A role design project is a marathon, not a sprint. Rushing the preparation phase is the single biggest cause of failure. By investing time in defining your strategy, engaging the right people, making deliberate design choices, and preparing your environment, you build a solid foundation for a sustainable, secure, and compliant SAP authorization environment that will serve your business for years to come.

Your first step? Secure that executive sponsor and start the conversation about business goals. Everything else flows from there.