The 5 most common risks after the SAP S/4HANA go-live

The go-live of the SAP S/4HANA system is undoubtedly a milestone – but it is by no means the end of the project. Rather, the real test begins now. The system must prove itself in everyday use, the processes must run smoothly and the organization must adapt to the new workflows. Many decision-makers underestimate the risks that lurk after the go-live of SAP S/4HANA – and may have expensive and long-lasting consequences. In this blog post, we highlight the five most common risks after the SAP S/4HANA go-live and explain why professional SAP Application Management Services (AMS) are indispensable as a safety net.

How to get the most out of SAP S/4HANA over the entire lifecycle

Risk #1: Specialist staff changes – the underestimated loss of expertise

During the project phase, the best minds from IT and business are usually involved. They build up comprehensive knowledge of the new system landscape, the processes and the individual adaptations. However, after the go-live, many of these experts return to their original roles, are taken away for other projects or even leave the company.

Problem:

Gaps in knowledge arise as new or less experienced employees first have to familiarize themselves – delays and errors included. When problems occur, there is a lack of people with the right expertise who are able to find solutions quickly and efficiently. Another problem: Individual adaptations and custom developments are often not sufficiently documented.

Solution:

An SAP AMS partner can provide targeted support by securing and documenting knowledge and being available as an external expert. In this way, know-how remains available even if internal specialist personnel change.

Risk #2: Unstable processes – after the go-live is before the optimization

Despite intensive testing during the course of the project, the true resilience of the new processes only becomes apparent during live operation. Unexpected problems can occur in practice. It is often not clear who is responsible for correcting errors and optimizing processes. Due to the lack of an end-to-end view, processes encounter unexpected obstacles at departmental boundaries. In order to continue working as quickly as possible, employees develop their own solutions (workarounds), which are not documented and lead to inconsistencies.

Problem:

Unstable processes result in frustration, loss of productivity and, in the worst case, errors that have a negative impact on business results.

Solution:

An SAP AMS offers continuous monitoring and permanent process support. This allows potential weaknesses to be identified and rectified before they become a serious problem.

Risk #3: Poor change management – user acceptance is crucial

Technically, everything may work – but if the users don’t go along with it, the success of the SAP S/4HANA transformation will fall by the wayside. Especially after the go-live, users show uncertainty, resistance and an increased need for support. As users encounter unexpected problems or do not understand the new processes, the number of support tickets increases. Due to a lack of training, new employees or teams joining the company do not receive sufficient instruction on the new system. Such scenarios can lead to resistance to the changes, which is often expressed in the following sentence: “The old system was better.”

Problem:

Without targeted change management, productivity drops, errors accumulate and the mood in the team suffers.

Solution:

SAP AMS can provide targeted support for change management measures, for example through tailored training, user guides, FAQ databases and regular feedback rounds.

Risk #4: Technical issues – data, authorizations, etc.

After the go-live, technical problems often arise that were not visible during the implementation project. The issues of data quality, authorizations, interfaces and performance are particularly critical. Incorrect or incomplete data migration can lead to incorrect evaluations and process interruptions. Unclear or overly broad authorizations jeopardize security and compliance. If the interfaces do not fit, external systems or legacy systems deliver unexpected data formats or do not react as planned. The performance of the system leaves something to be desired because processes are not optimally configured or there are hardware bottlenecks.

Problem:

Technical inadequacies can massively disrupt operations, lead to compliance violations and undermine confidence in the new system right from the start.

Solution:

SAP AMS takes over the ongoing monitoring, error analysis and optimization of the system landscape so that technical problems can be resolved quickly and sustainably.

Risk #5: Lack of steering after the end of the project – risk of standstill

The project organization often ends with the go-live. Responsibility for the system is handed over to IT operations – but they are usually not prepared for the special features of the new SAP landscape. The question of who decides on adjustments or priorities is not clarified. There is no further development of the system, it remains at the go-live status and necessary improvements are not implemented. In addition, many companies fail to systematically document the experience gained from the SAP S/4HANA project (lessons learned) so that they can no longer access it at a later date.

Problem:

Without structured follow-up support, the system threatens to become obsolete and the investment in SAP S/4HANA does not deliver the expected added value.

Solution:

SAP AMS ensures a seamless handover, continuous steering and structured enhancement of the SAP S/4HANA system.

Conclusion: SAP AMS as a safety net for sustainable success

The go-live is just the starting point for the practical use of SAP S/4HANA. The actual risks and challenges only become apparent in day-to-day business – and can quickly turn into real problems without targeted support. Professional SAP Application Management Services are therefore not “nice to have”, but represent a decisive success factor for the SAP S/4HANA system.

Because SAP AMS ensures:

• the consolidation and expansion of expertise
• the stabilization and optimization of processes
• user acceptance and productivity
• the security and performance of the technical platform
• continuous improvement and steering of the SAP landscape

Companies should consider SAP AMS at an early stage and view it as an integral part of their SAP S/4HANA strategy – so that the go-live becomes the start of a sustainable success story.