The announcement of the end of support for SAP ECC In 2027, this has added new urgency to the need for businesses to migrate to SAP S/4 Hana. This shift is not simply a software upgrade, but a complete transformation that can have a significant impact on all aspects of a company's operations.

Roadmap with end-of-support dates that SAP gives to different scenarios.

Migrations to SAP S/4 Hana are more than a technical necessity

Migrating to SAP S/4 Hana is more than a technical necessity; it's an opportunity to transform your business and prepare for the future. With the end of SAP ECC support on the horizon, now is the time to begin this journey.

This is a large-scale project requiring careful planning and meticulous execution. Critical processes for this project include:

The evaluation of the preparation.
Detailed planning.
The training.
The tests.
Post-migration support.

Each of these processes plays a vital role in the success of the migration and requires special attention.

In this blog series, we'll delve deeper into them and the tools that can help, providing an overview of what each entails and how they can be managed effectively.

In the first entry, we are going to focus on tasks ex ante, such as initial assessment, planning, and training. Leaving aside the testing and support aspects for later, without forgetting the influence of sponsors and colleagues, to ensure the project's successful execution.

Assessment of readiness

Readiness assessment is the first critical step in any SAP S/4 HANA migration. This involves three key aspects:

Analysis of the current system.
Infrastructure assessment.
Data cleansing.

Analysis of the current system: The tool SAP Readiness Check is essential to this process. This tool provides a detailed analysis of the existing SAP ECC system, identifying areas that require attention, such as custom configurations, use of obsolete transactions, and code complexity.

Look and Feel of the analysis performed by the Readiness Check tool

On the other hand, the suite SAP Signavio It is a comprehensive process transformation solution that enables you to understand, improve and transform all business processes quickly and on a large scale.

It provides insight into process flow, root causes of problems, and performance bottlenecks, making it valuable for various scenarios and organizations.

SAP Signavio Business Suite

Lessons learned here include the importance of fully understanding the existing system and its customizations before migration, which helps inform decision-making during process reviews.

Infrastructure assessment: It's crucial to verify whether your current infrastructure can support migrations to SAP S/4 HANA. This may involve checking hardware compatibility, storage capacity, and network speed. You can use tools such as SAP Quick Sizer to assist in this assessment.

SAP Quick Sizer Tool Questionnaire.

An important lesson learned here is that the infrastructure must be adequate not only to support the new system, but also to handle the migration process itself.

Data cleansing: Before migration, it is important to cleanse and normalize data in SAP ECC. This involves removing obsolete or duplicate data and correcting data inconsistencies. Tools such as SAP Advanced Data Migration can be helpful in this process.

Advance Data Migration Tool.

The lesson learned here is that good data cleansing can significantly reduce problems during migrations to SAP S/4 Hana and improve the performance of the new system.

Detailed planning

Detailed planning is another critical aspect of migrations to SAP S/4 HANA. This involves:

The development of the project plan.
The definition of scope.
Resource planning.

Development of the project plan: Creating a detailed project plan is critical to the success of SAP S/4 HANA migrations. This plan should include a schedule, budget, and risk management plan. Tools such as Microsoft Project either Tour can be useful for organizing and tracking progress.

One lesson learned here is that a well-structured project plan can help avoid surprises and keep you on track for SAP S/4 Hana migrations.

Microsoft Project tool.

Jira Tool.

Scope definition: It's important to clearly define the scope of the migration. This may include which modules and features will and won't be migrated.

One lesson learned here is that a clear scope definition can help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that all team members are on the same page.

Resource planning: Ensuring you have sufficient resources for the migration is crucial. This can include personnel, hardware, and software.

In addition to serving as a guide throughout the project, the methodology SAP Activate It can be useful for resource planning, providing an agile approach, a framework with best practices based on experience, and fostering effective collaboration and communication among teams.

SAP Activate, It consists of several phases that guide organizations through the process of implementing SAP solutions.

One lesson learned here is that proper resource planning can help ensure that the project is not delayed due to a lack of resources.

SAP Activate Landscape.

SAP Activate Guided Configuration.

Training

Training is an essential component of migrations to SAP S/4 HANA. This includes:

The development of the training plan.
Implementation of the training plan.

Development of the training plan: Developing a comprehensive training plan is crucial to ensure that all end users and the IT team are prepared for the migration. This plan can include workshops, online training sessions, and self-study materials. Tools such as SAP Learning Hub can be useful for providing online training and self-study materials.

One lesson learned here is that proper training can help minimize errors and accelerate adoption of the new system.

Implementation of training: The training plan must be implemented before the migration. It is important to ensure that all end users and the IT team are familiar with SAP S/4 HANA before the migration.

One lesson learned here is that training should be timely to ensure users are prepared, but not so early that information is forgotten before migration.

We hope this first blog on SAP S/4 HANA migrations has been helpful and provided a clear overview of the tasks covered. In upcoming posts, we'll delve deeper into testing, support, and the crucial role of sponsors in successfully executing the project.

We want this to be a journey of shared learning, so we invite you to join us in upcoming posts. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them with us.

See you next time!