Author: Johannes N. Szalachy

The time is ripe to also address the details of the new framework for S/4 Hana operations. Many customers underestimate the lead time and complexity.

An S/4 project at the customer's is only successful if the expectations of management and users are met. Therefore, the numerous SAP facts should be critically scrutinized right at the beginning of a project.

In all ERP transformation projects, the focus is on the business processes, whether there are changes or not. With S/4, this is necessary at least because of the new SAP technologies or the possibility of simplifications.

S/4 migration projects have different starting points and objectives. Experience shows that many common denominators are implemented accordingly in project management, but some work packages are underestimated.

SAP’s success is rooted in systems integration, which has fallen by the wayside in recent years because of numerous cloud acquisitions. S/4 transformation, however, only adds value through integration.

The importance of project management for the S/4 transformation is currently misjudged. Sensitive factors, such as the framework conditions and communication, are given too little consideration.

Most SAP customers have relied on countless customizations to optimize their business. With S/4 transformation looming on the horizon, they are facing a complex challenge.

Many companies are still deciding on an ERP transformation. For various reasons, the majority of SAP customers seem to be in favor of the new SAP technology, while the decision-making process for new customers is more complex.

According to SAP, there are currently more than 10,000 productive S/4 systems. The proportion of R/3 to S/4 migrations thus already provides sufficient empirical data on some key issues that are underestimated.

The global transformation of the IT industry to the cloud has also reached SAP customers. In retrospect, interestingly enough, S/4 Hana also came onto the market at almost the same time.

SAP S/4 Hana is now in its seventh year. In the fast-paced world of IT, such a time span is usually referred to as a technological generation, which is why many SAP customers are asking the same question.

For around half of SAP customers, it is still open which system architecture should be used for the transformation. Decision-making can be facilitated by prioritizing and weighting the parameters involved.