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When maintenance organizations talk about digital transformation, the conversation often jumps straight to tools, systems or SAP S/4HANA.
But in practice, the biggest differences I see between organizations have little to do with technology, and everything to do with maturity.
Over the years, working with maintenance teams across industries, I’ve noticed that organizations tend to move through a number of recognizable stages. Not as a checklist, and not always in a straight line but as a pattern.
Understanding where you are today makes it much easier to decide what actually helps next.
Level 1 — Reactive by necessity
At this stage, maintenance is dominated by breakdowns.
Work orders are created late, planning is minimal, and information is often fragmented or paper-based. SAP is present, but mostly used after the fact for registration and reporting.
Technicians rely heavily on experience and local knowledge. When something breaks, people react, and that reaction keeps the plant running.
Digital tools at this level don’t need to be sophisticated. What helps most is clarity: clear work orders, basic structure, and less manual administration.
Level 2 — Introducing structure
Here, organizations start planning preventive maintenance and creating more consistent work orders.
SAP is used more actively, but often supported by Excel sheets, emails or local planning boards to fill the gaps.
This is usually where frustrations begin to surface:
planners spend time reconciling information, technicians don’t always see the latest instructions, and data quality becomes a concern.
The focus at this level is not on “advanced digitalization”, but on reducing friction and making daily execution easier and more consistent.
Level 3 — Structured and standardized
At this point, maintenance processes are clearly defined and largely standardized.
Work orders flow in a consistent way, roles are clear, and planning is reliable.
What often becomes visible here is the limitation of disconnected tools.
Organizations want real-time insight, mobile execution, and better collaboration but only if it fits naturally within SAP.
This is where SAP-native solutions like R4AM often play a role: not by changing the process, but by making the existing standard work in daily practice.
Level 4 — Data-driven and future-ready
The most mature organizations work with real-time data, mobile execution, and embedded safety and compliance.
Technicians, planners and supervisors all work from the same information, and decisions are based on facts rather than assumptions.
Interestingly, these organizations are not necessarily the most complex, but they are the most consistent.
Their focus is on simplicity, adoption and scalability, especially when preparing for or transitioning to S/4HANA.
Maturity is not about speed, it’s about direction
Every organization wants to improve.
The key is not to jump levels, but to take the step that fits your current reality.
That’s why we created a practical maintenance maturity self-check, based on what we see in the field, not on theory. It helps you identify your current level and explore logical next steps, without overengineering.
Digital maintenance is not about being “fully mature”.
It’s about moving forward in a deliberate and sustainable way.
