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Wherever you are on your technology journey, from the orientation phase through to the transition phase, an SAP S/4HANA implementation project is bound to have its challenges. This is because every business is different and therefore every implementation project is different, making it hard to predict how smooth your conversion journey will be and what challenges you may face. In an ideal world it would be useful to know what the best things are to implement during each phase. Wouldn’t it be good if someone could pool all the experience from past SAP S/ 4HANA projects and see what lessons have been learned to give some practical guidance?
The ultimate guide
We decided to use our extensive experience and knowledge in our SAP S/4 HANA conversion projects to show businesses the main lessons we’ve learned from carrying them out. We’ve analysed over 20 customer projects and what key factors helped their projects run more smoothly and created a practical guide highlighting our top tips for each phase of the project.
Have a clear long-term strategy
Arguably the most crucial stage is the Orientation phase, as it is important to decide your long-term strategy and make sure you ask the right questions to create the best roadmap for your technology transformation. Important inputs can help you with this, such as a live demo to see first-hand how the technology can help your business. You can also use support tools to understand what impact an SAP S/4HANA conversion will have on your organisation and which areas will bring the greatest business value. Powerful tools such as Performer for S/4HANA can help you identify the value of an upgrade and create a business case, allowing you to accurately plan your journey using fact-based evidence. MIGNOW automation software can also be used to ensure your technical conversion is rapid and accurate.
Build an expert team
Lessons from the Planning & Budgeting phase highlights the importance of preparing well and carefully considering the optimum conversion method that will suit your business and what impact it will have during implementation. It is essential to build an expert project team around you and ensure rigorous testing and training is carried out so you can start using the technology effectively from day one.
Take a steady approach
From our experience during the Transition stage, managing your risk in phases is key, so rolling out the new technology gradually will help to mitigate these risks. It is also important not to underestimate the effort and benefits of intelligent technologies and the options available. These include Fiori apps and Machine Learning which can be added easily and quickly in the future, so not only making your upgrade flexible, but can also save you money.
To learn more about each phase of a transition to SAP S/4HANA, read our latest ebook: Top 15 lessons learned from over 20 Customer conversions to SAP S/4HANA and let it guide you on your technology journey.
