Many companies are either considering a migration to SAP S/4HANA or are already migrating. These are complex processes with a high risk for error. Indeed, in recent years there have been regular reports in the IT trade press about projects that had to be delayed or even stopped, despite a considerable investment of both time and assets. Even though each project is different in its own way, there are three general pitfalls that often stand in the way of a successful migration. These are: sub-optimal Master Data Management, ineffective Change Management and a lack of stakeholder alignment.
The importance of effective Master Data Management
Master Data Management focuses on the correct and central recording of clean business data in areas such as finance, logistics, supply chain, production, CRM and HR. The aim is to have a consistent and uniform set of data across the company, creating one single point of truth. A company will then have a 360° view of all activities. If this is not in place, the SAP migration will cause problems sooner or later because it is impossible to know which data is leading. Ultimately, the organisation will be in the dark about what it’s doing and there will be no choice but to stop and start again.
The importance of effective Change Management
People in organisations are not usually eager for change. If something works, why fix it? However, in recent years there has been more traction for change management in the world of IT, with the aim of adopting new ways of working, or stimulating new software. This calls for a thorough program that will enable broad support to be created across the organisation. Globally, there have been dozens of models developed to make a success of change management. Many of these indicate the importance of communicating the urgency of change to everyone involved, as well providing constant reassurance. Change management is an ongoing process that follows the developments in an organisation, which after all, never stands still.
The importance of stakeholder alignment
A project such as SAP migration involves many different people and departments. They will all have indicated their wishes with regard to certain functionalities at the start of the project and will expect to see these being met as the project progresses. Good stakeholder alignment can anticipate this by, for example, accurately recording the scope of the project and determining milestones. In the past, projects were regularly dropped because the scope had changed during the process, with the result that earlier objectives could no longer be met.
ERP migrations demand a lot of time, resources, expertise and above all, preparation. Eswelt, as the leading staffing and consulting organisation in the world of enterprise systems, can offer assistance. Want to know more? Please contact us.
