Navigating Transformation: The Crucial Role of Support

With decision-making surrounding the SAP ECC deadline and the impending transformations, organisations are rightly focused on their future solutions and end-game scenarios. Migrations to SAP S/4HANA and departures from SAP altogether are on the table, with critical choices looming and time ticking away.

However, amid this urgency, it’s essential to shine a spotlight on an often-overlooked aspect of transformation planning – the need for robust support not just after the project concludes, but also during its execution.

As organisations grapple with the myriad decisions involved in a transformation, the key question arises: How can a legacy or heritage solution be adequately supported throughout the journey? This is a critical consideration, involving complex issues such as the utilisation of internal teams or Centre of Excellence (CoE) resources, the need for staff augmentation, the requirement for specific skills at particular project stages, and the challenge of maintaining continuity within the user community.

While the importance of long-term partnerships is undeniable, there’s an equally pressing need for short-term, agile support partnerships that seamlessly integrate into the broader transformation journey. In the evolution of support services, partners must adopt a more agile approach, offering tailored services spanning 12–24 months to complement the ongoing transformation and provide dedicated support for legacy and heritage solutions.

In recent conversations with various organisations facing these challenges, it’s become apparent that assistance is required to support existing solutions alongside the ongoing transformation project. Interestingly, some of these companies are not currently engaged as support customers, underscoring the point that your support partner doesn’t necessarily have to be the same as your S/4 implementation partner. The crucial realisation here is that legacy/heritage support is a distinct need, and partners must incorporate short-term, agile options into their service portfolios to address this requirement.

Hence, the essence of support transcends the post-transformation phase; it is equally vital during the transformation itself. These short-term, essential services not only fulfil immediate needs but also lay the groundwork for establishing a long-term partnership. For the sake of simplicity, let’s refer to this as ‘support,’ although it could just as easily be termed ‘business continuity services’ or something similar.

In conclusion, recognising the necessity for support during transformation is a strategic move that ensures the resilience and effectiveness of legacy systems in tandem with the evolution of new solutions. Balancing the urgency of immediate project needs with the foresight of long-term collaboration is the key to a successful and sustainable transformation journey.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.