SAP-Solution: Brownfield

The standard S/4 brownfield approach provides for the current ECC 6.0 system to be technically converted to the new S/4 Hana software as a whole or in two steps. This means that data and in-house developments as well as customizing in S/4 are retained.

Last year, the productive system at SAP's existing customer Nordzucker was transformed to S/4. With a mix of greenfield and brownfield approaches as well as various in-house developments, this was a complex matter.

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.

German managers have a problem: They demand the impossible from their IT teams when it comes to data. This endangers the future of companies, as the example of the switch to S/4 Hana shows.

The S/4 conversion knows a wide color spectrum. The cover of this issue reads: Power of Orange. But the origin is the white sunlight, which goes through a glass prism and throws the spectral colors on the wall - including green, brown, blue and orange, see also house message. Here is an E-3 cartoon by Robert Platzgummer (1975 to 2016) that is up to date again...

S/4 Hana is SAP’s fourth ERP generation. Most companies want to master the digital transformation to S/4. Rightly so in my opinion, because the new solution is leading in the market—both in terms of technology and functions.

SAP's color theory finds a continuation. On the current cover is "Power of Orange" and Gregor Stöckler, member of the SNP management, writes on page 14 about the other field variants and naturally ends his text with: Power of Blue.

The SAP community not only wants an answer to the question of whether Hana and S/4 are still up to date, but also a consolidation of S/4 conversion tools. There are many good approaches, but it remains laborious and in part also not very efficient.

cbs combines specially developed and proven method modules.

Classic entitlement projects are based on a monolithic approach with a linear sequence of project phases with milestones. In an ideal project environment, where both the project drivers and the end state are known, this may work.

Modern ERP systems such as SAP S/4 Hana not only combine smart software solutions for a wide range of business areas, but are also the technological basis for a successful transformation to an intelligent company.