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S/4HANA: enabling transformational change

Sameera Simjee

Making the case for investing in the move to S/4HANA can often be hard. By their very nature, S/4HANA programmes are typically multi-year, expensive and risky, and the direct benefits can be difficult to define. By taking a broader perspective to your programme and understanding the potential for it to deliver wider organisational transformation, you can consider both direct and indirect benefits that will be of value to your organisation. You will then be able to answer the question: “How do I build a persuasive and compelling business case that will gain senior stakeholder buy-in?”

Direct benefits of S/4HANA migration

Indirect benefits of S/4HANA migration

It is usually very difficult to build an S/4HANA business case in purely financial terms. Or you may be writing a business case for S/4HANA migration from a non-SAP platform, rather than an ECC6 upgrade.

This is where you’ll need to set wider boundaries around your business case to make it more compelling. Consider the indirect benefits: even if they’re not directly dependent on S/4HANA, what outcomes would a migration better enable? Below are some major indirect benefits you could consider for your business case.

Building the best business case for S/4HANA investment

Many people will find it challenging to acknowledge to their senior leaders that an S/4HANA business case can be complex. In purely financial terms, S/4HANA investment is usually neutral at best and extremely costly at worst. However, by expanding the view of S/4HANA to include its role as an enabler, the discussion can become much more persuasive and compelling. A strong business case will cover both direct and indirect benefits, aligned with the organisation’s overall vision and strategic goals. In our experience with clients, taking this approach to an S/4HANA business case maximises the chance of success, achieving not only initial approval but also helping secure ongoing senior buy-in.

The author

Sameera Simjee

Sameera Simjee, Partner