The processes are the focus of S/4
SAP's ongoing S/4 strategy change is also impacting processes.
The original "cloud-only" approach was changed under pressure from the user association DSAG to
"Cloud-first" changed. As a result of past developments, SAP has had to acknowledge that hybrid system landscapes are predominantly gaining acceptance, at least among existing customers in Europe. The cloud and SaaS solutions concerned must be integrated into the on-prem processes.
For ERP software developers such as SAP, the tools and software solutions for process handling must naturally also be a focus. However, the changes in product strategy and the short product life cycles cause many problems for customers. The new approaches multiply the already large effort for the complex topic. For many years, due to the personal, friendly relationship between the SAP founders and Scheer, business processes were processed and documented with the Aris solution in various releases. The development even ended with an integration in Solution Manager.
After the software solutions for processes also underwent major technological redevelopments, Aris was replaced by one of the European market leaders, Celonis. The big announced cooperation and the advantages through the new product didn't last long. The new star solution Signavio in the eyes of SAP was immediately bought and should be immediately integrated into ALM. All companies and people who have already dealt with process surveys, documentation and their ongoing maintenance know what such "agile" developments mean.
The situation is somewhat different with the processes for various project approaches such as greenfield, brownfield (and their variants) or a transition. Originally, the processes were only processed for the greenfield variant, i.e. new implementations, because all technical table changes at document level can be taken into account immediately. In this regard, it should also be noted that the topic of processes is associated with increases in project costs and project duration.
Therefore, in the course of the transition years, new processes have become established, which are associated with advantages, but also with disadvantages. Many customers avoid the greenfield variant because of the additional effort involved in the processes and divide the project into two phases. The technical transition takes place first, and only then are the affected process changes implemented. However, this only makes sense if few corrections are necessary. The reason for this is that in the case of a process change after a transition or in the course of brownfield variants, all affected documents have to be changed programmatically, which involves a lot of effort. Often, however, such follow-up projects are no longer approved by management or "the air in the project is out".
Apart from the side effects mentioned, the processes remain the main focus because they have a direct impact on the success of the business. A structuring and classification at least according to control, core and support processes is necessary.
The basis for successful processing is a complete recording of the current situation and documentation, whereby an up-to-date status is a prerequisite. This means that the focus is on determining the target processes with all specialist departments. In this most difficult and time-consuming phase, experience has shown that qualified, motivated and decisive people are the most important factors. The documented target processes are compared with the system processes by means of a GAP analysis and implemented in terms of system technology. Missing standard applications for target processes require in-house developments or the modification of the target processes.
