The latest findings from SAPinsider indicate that SAP S/4HANA migration has become a pivotal focus for many SAP customers. The executive report titled “The CIO’s Transformation Report Card” reveals that nearly 50% of business leaders have not yet completed their SAP S/4HANA migration, while another 30% are still in the evaluation or pilot stages of this important initiative.

In response to these findings, SAPinsider conducted a webinar to guide customers through the migration process for SAP S/4HANA and RISE with SAP. The session featured insights from executives at GyanSys, a prominent systems integration partner, and Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF). Featured experts provided practical advice tailored to organisations embarking on this transformative journey.

Panasonic’s migration project was driven by several key objectives including the need to achieve a more seamless integration of information flows, standardisation of corporate functions, enhanced product reliability, and improved employee efficiency. Anil Chowtapalli, Business Solutions Manager at Panasonic MEA, emphasised the importance of scalability and robustness for future enhancements, stating, “We wanted to provide scalability to support future ventures and make our SAP platform robust so we can be ready for all future enhancements as well as improve production reliability and employee efficiency.”

To assess the current state of their SAP systems and outline a future vision, PMMAF and GyanSys engaged in an intensive six-week workshop. GyanSys recommended a brownfield migration approach for Panasonic, given its cost-effectiveness and the minimal disruption it would bring to active business operations. The PMMAF system landscape is complex, involving various integrations including home-grown systems, third-party solutions, Salesforce, and SAP ECC, along with the use of SAP BW for analytics.

Neeraj Sahu, VP and Client Partner at GyanSys, advised for a meticulous multi-dimensional analysis before commencing any SAP S/4HANA or RISE project. He noted, “This type of analysis informs you on what you need to do from a security role perspective, from a Fiori perspective, and helps you design your approach in a model which allows you to limit risk and provide predictability for your overall project.”

GyanSys’s assessment was bifurcated into two distinct sections: transitioning SAP ERP to SAP S/4HANA and transforming the analytics function from SAP BW. A thorough evaluation of key business processes was conducted to determine how existing users were operating with the current SAP system and how improvements could be made through migration. Raghu Paide, Managing Director of the SAP S/4HANA Practice at GyanSys, highlighted the importance of this assessment, saying, “We developed very customized demos for Panasonic business processes to help the team visualize the upcoming changes.”

Further analysis focused on the potential impact on existing transaction codes, security roles, infrastructure modifications, and possible licensing changes. Additionally, custom code was scrutinised to identify what would be replaced in SAP S/4HANA to plan for the necessary development efforts.

The collaborative analysis concluded that a brownfield migration approach should be pursued, with consensus forming around this strategy for all areas except credit management and profitability analysis. The detailed joint analysis also helped pinpoint critical prerequisite projects essential for a successful migration.

Throughout this complex transformation, GyanSys and PMMAF identified several key lessons, notably the importance of early and comprehensive organisational change management and training. They employed a ‘train the trainer’ methodology, supplemented by extensive documentation and training resources.

Communication proved crucial as well; the project plan encompassed over 400 detailed lines, ensuring all stakeholders maintained a clear understanding of timelines and progress. Testing was emphasised as a critical component of the process, with GyanSys duplicating the entire production system in a sandbox environment to thoroughly assess the migration's implications.

Chowtapalli reflected on overcoming challenges through real-time collaboration with the SAP team, helping to resolve issues swiftly during the migration cutover. The collaborative effort of the GyanSys team, SAP, and Panasonic's operational staff was pivotal in achieving a smooth transition despite the complexity of the undertaking.

This multi-faceted project underscores the increasing priority of SAP S/4HANA migration among businesses and highlights the intricate planning, collaboration, and execution necessary for successful implementation.

Source: Noah Wire Services