5 ways to prepare and plan for a successful S/4HANA migration

With the S/4HANA 2027 deadline looming, it can be tempting to race to the finish line. However, according to Expleo’s Director of Programme and Project Management, Paul Walsh, setting off on this complicated journey without proper preparation is a pathway to failure.

“Typically, the preparation and planning stage is about 12 to 18 months. But if you just jump straight in, you’ll inevitably eat that time up in chaos” he says. Instead, he argues that it’s essential to invest time upfront so you’re ready for the challenges ahead.

Here, Paul outlines five key steps to guide you through the process.

1. Align business and IT

For a successful transformation, business and IT must be in sync from the get-go. Neglecting this fundamental step is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. From the beginning, everyone needs to understand why the switch is happening, the benefits it will bring and the potential impacts it will have.

Teams also need to agree on how they’re going to get there. Once everyone has bought into this, it makes the change so much easier.

Business and IT must accept they’ll need to work closely together for the next two or three years to achieve this. Otherwise, friction can arise that will lead to bigger problems down the line. Get everyone on board from the very beginning and you’ve got one of the hardest steps out of the way.

To achieve this you need to create opportunities for dialogue. Meetings, presentations and emails are a given. But people will feel more considered if they can share their perspectives via surveys, interviews and focus groups. Brainstorming sessions and workshops are also a good idea to encourage collaboration and find collective solutions.

2. Have a detailed view of who you are and where you want to go

You have to know yourself before you can change. Your migration shouldn’t begin until you figure out who you are and where you want to be – your ‘as is’ and ‘to be’.

Going into this with ambiguity can result in substantial overruns in budget and time. And if you don’t grasp the business processes and technical landscape beforehand, you’ll have a lot of unknowns when you start. You want to uncover as many as you can upfront.

You need to know how much customisation you currently have and how that will translate to the new SAP world in S/4HANA. Similarly, knowing the level of customisation you want to get to will reduce tensions between business and IT, who often have different ideas.

When those inevitable debates arise, a rationalisation process is vital. An independent partner like Expleo can mediate this process, walking you through the transition from your existing processes to the out-of-the-box solution that forms the core of S/4HANA.

3. Use a competitive process to select your system integrator

Choosing the right system integrator is crucial. We always recommend using a competitive selection process to ensure you find the best fit for your organisation.

If you already have a system integrator in place and they feel the business is already theirs, you won’t get their best price. Using a competitive process means you’ll get a much better offer. And, because you’ve defined your ‘as is’ in step 2, you’ll be able to issue highly detailed tenders or requests for proposals, get competitive bids from potential partners and negotiate a fixed-price contract.

If you don’t have the controls of a competitive process, you’re essentially writing a blank cheque to a system integrator. You want to keep that control so you can mitigate the risk of budget overruns.

4. Accept that this is going to be hard and understand the web of impacts it’s going to have

Approaching migration with the mindset that this just another tough project isn’t good enough. Transformation is hard. It’s essential to acknowledge upfront that the process will be challenging and will have far-reaching impacts across your organisation.

Remember, it’s not just about SAP. In some cases that might be only a fraction of the overall change. You might be implementing a warehouse, or changing utilities functions in the energy sector. There are lots of future considerations that need to be accounted for. You also need to understand the web of impacts it’s going to have. Even seemingly unrelated areas of the business are likely to be affected. Understanding this ripple effect gives you a better chance of success.

5. Ramp up your teams to support transformation

Migrating to S/4HANA is a team effort. And you need to make sure your people are equipped to keep up with the demands of the project.

This is going to be on top of their day jobs, so figure out how to allocate the extra time needed.

Whether it’s backfilling subject matter experts, bringing in external partners, or expanding internal teams, agreeing on that resource demand from the outset is key. Otherwise the system integrator will start delivering and you won’t be able to keep up, causing delays to the project.

Partnering with an independent expert like Expleo for governance support in this process is vital. From overseeing modular delivery to evaluating designs, we’ll make sure your system integrator stays on track and that the project is being delivered correctly.

Successful migration to S/4HANA requires careful preparation, strategic planning, and strong collaboration between business and IT stakeholders. By following these five steps, you can set your organisation on a successful journey to S/4HANA.

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If you’d like help with this or any other part of your journey to S/4HANA, please get in touch