1. Keep the best, transform the rest – The Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory
The announced regulations for the conversion of products and contracts to SAP S/4HANA have created a major challenge for companies: The SAP S/4HANA Business Suite, launched in February 2015, will replace existing ERP systems by the end of 2027 – SAP will discontinue support for older systems at this point. But the transformation is worth it – it supports organizations in handling their current and future challenges and opportunities in the digital age in a fast, flexible, innovative way. As a result, customers now face the task of migrating their systems and data to the new IT environment efficiently and securely.
The choice of migration approach and the long-term strategic planning have major impacts on the success and duration of the transformation project. So far, companies have focused primarily on the greenfield (new implementation) and brownfield (transformation of existing system) approaches. In our S/4HANA Transformation Factory, we have developed a reproducible, audit-compliant procedure that combines the best of the greenfield and brownfield approach in order to handle all the challenges involved with the transition quickly and efficiently.
The end result is a simplified changeover to SAP S/4HANA, in which significant quality gains, cost savings, and time-related advantages all reduce the project team’s workload. Thanks to an automated process, IT landscapes are tested faster than ever before, streamlined, and made fit for the future. Critical and sensitive data is migrated and updated in a single go-live project.
With our S/4HANA Transformation Factory, we can make any enterprise fit for SAP S/4HANA, regardless of size – and entirely risk-free.
The following illustration shows the most important benefits for the customer, the various phases of the data transformation platform CrystalBridge® from SNP, and the decisive steps of an SAP S/4HANA Factory project from initial preparation to implementation to the Hypercare phase:
Figure 1 - Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory – Overview
2. Key components of the Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory
In addition to the familiar SAP tools, a central component of the S/4HANA Transformation Factory is the data transformation platform CrystalBridge® from our partner SNP. It provides efficient analyses for a precise examination of the SAP landscape. The collected, analyzed results then create the template for the transformation roadmap and enable the subsequent implementation of the SAP S/4HANA transformation project with a high level of standardization.
Another important component is the transformation knowledge base, which points out the known pitfalls that can arise during an SAP S/4HANA transformation and can be avoided thanks to our years of experience. Our customers also benefit from the team of experts in the Factory, which consists of dedicated, certified transformation consultants and solution architects.
The project phases are based on SAP Activate, but have a much more streamlined schedule overall. The following figure shows the many benefits of the SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory
Figure 2 – Benefits of the Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory
3. Adding values for customers: Rapid conversion to SAP S/4HANA
With the SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory approach, we can integrate up to eight preliminary projects directly in the S/4HANA transformation project. Specifically, this means that preliminary projects, which used to have to be planned and conducted separately in the past, can now be grouped together in a single transformation project. This results in a reduction of the project duration as well as the total effort of up to 80%.
With our methodology and the suitable software, we can either carry out these preliminary projects (for new general ledger, for example, or the conversion of business partners) within the project or seamlessly pick up at the point that the customer has currently reached.
The following figure shows the preliminary projects that can be integrated directly in a SAP S/4HANA transformation project:
Figure 3 – Integrable preliminary project of the Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory
4. SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory packages for your specific needs
With our trove of knowledge and our experiences from many different projects, we can offer you an approach that is tailored to your enterprise size and your specific needs. It gives you a full overview of the expected costs and benefits and enables you to choose the package that best fits your enterprise and its needs. Many packages include an option of booking optional services, to help find the best possible solution for you. We focus primarily on the SME segment, but all of the packages can be scaled from small business to major corporation.
The software-based approach within the framework of standardized packages leads to efficient project implementation. This transformation approach based on separate project systems means that your productive system landscape remains unaffected and a flexible go-live can be realized with minimal risk.
Figure 4 – Overview of packages
5. Summary
Our Scheer SAP S/4HANA Transformation Factory approach is highly automated, cost-efficient, and audit-compliant. With it, we can offer every company – independently of size and enterprise structure – a risk-free, efficient, and comparatively inexpensive alternative to the existing greenfield and brownfield approaches. We combine the best of both worlds.
You can find additional details for the S/4HANA Transformation Factory here!
Authors: Marco Jacob and Gereon Linnemann
