Many organizations are still considering or in the process of conversion to S/4HANA. The road map for this complex project is fairly well-defined at this point. However, we recommend taking a closer look at the plan with functional and technical experts to validate the business case and fine-tune the scope, focus, and project plan.
Why Is It So Complex?
The move to S/4HANA is not like previous system upgrades. It’s a complete platform change that impacts every area of the business – from finance and logistics to HR and manufacturing. What’s more, it’s not just a technology upgrade. The new functionalities and processes need to be designed and configured to take advantage of the underlying technology. This requires new skills and knowledge across the organization.
Upgrading to S/4HANA will allow organizations to simplify their IT architecture, access the business suite enhancements as possible, and implement Fiori for all their users with their own apps. But before making such a significant investment in time and effort, it’s critical to ensure that experts who understand the state of the current systems and current ways of working are involved in planning out all required activities.
Business Case Validation Is Critical
Depending on the size and complexity of your organization, you may have multiple systems running on different versions of SAP software. These systems need to be integrated into a cohesive whole that takes advantage of all that S/4HANA offers in terms of functionality, performance, security, etc. To do this right, you need consultants or experts who has done it before and who understand both the current state of your systems as well as how they fit within your overall business operations. Validating the business case with functional and technical experts will help ensure that you have a realistic project plan that considers all required activities – from data migration and system integration to user training and testing. This may lead to an adjustment of the plan for improved scope, more refined focus, and a more realistic project plan.
Conclusion: Implementing S/4HANA requires much more than just upgrading your technology. It’s a chance to simplify your IT architecture, take advantage of new functionalities and processes,and improve the way you work. But because it’s such a complex project, you need to make sure that you have expert help in order to create a realistic plan that takes into account all required activities necessary for a successful conversion. Failing to do so could jeopardize the entire project – not to mention your job!
(First article from a series of articles focusing on S/4 HANA Conversion)
