The poles of the community
Bipolar mission statement: ALM
SAP is currently placing high demands on the competence of existing customers and partners. On the one hand, a technical release change from ECC to S/4 is to be completed in record time; on the other hand, innovations such as IIoT, blockchain, machine learning, process mining and cloud computing are to be adapted. The SAP product ALM, Application Lifecycle Management, is a good paradigm for this enormous span: At one pole is the innovative Signavio tool for business process reengineering, at the opposite pole is an IT tool for operational and automated testing. A responsible SAP customer has to face these bipolar challenges. The task is to organize the simultaneity of process mining and automated testing with SAP ALM.
Key: Automation
One solution at the SAP base for managing the different flows is automation. Never before have so many SAP partners addressed this topic. The topic of automation and monitoring can not only guarantee secure SAP operations, but also cushion the current IT skills shortage. In preparation for the June E-3 cover story, SAP partners Avantra and Nagarrothat automation can achieve significant savings of two-thirds or more in basic customizing. It therefore makes a big difference in operations whether the CCC manager has to schedule 15 or only five man-days.
More information on automation at SAP Basis is available at the June 1 and 2 in Salzburg on the Competence Center Summit. The follow-up event to the legendary CCC Forum brings all the answers for successful SAP operations.
ALM and steampunk
SAP itself is dancing on many high tides at the moment. With ALM and Steampunk, the ERP world market leader shows the entire bandwidth between the operational and innovative pole. The entire SAP community is working on this bipolar roadmap. With IT tools such as automated testing, monitoring and license measurement at one pole and innovative app development on the BTP, Business Technology Platform, with low-code/no-code and steampunk, the embedded Abap, at the other pole, SAP, its partners and existing customers are trying to do justice to the digital transformation.
End-to-end
Luck in misfortune. If a bipolar challenge also exists, the two poles do not repel each other. Those who can harmonize the operational with the strategic will reap added value. As is so often the case in the SAP community, it is necessary to orchestrate different currents, trends, visions and poles. The challenge lies in the complexity of a Hana database and an ERP system S/4. Those who can connect the two poles end-to-end will be able to use the digital transformation to their advantage.
