SAP systems are like a big box of business processes - and your new S/4HANA system is no different.
So, if you're going to have a successful S/4HANA implementation you need a clear understanding of the processes you have today, and how you want your processes to run in your future S/4HANA system.
Here are 11 things you should be thinking about when it comes to process management and improvement on your S/4HANA migration.
1. Understand your as-is processes
Do you actually know what your as-is processes are? Is gaining a view of how your business runs today an important first step on the journey?
2. Use S/4HANA migration as an opportunity for process improvement
Are you changing how you do certain things? S/4HANA migration is a once in a generation opportunity to change how you do things making it a great opportunity to optimize your ways of working.
3. Process Automation
Are you removing people from parts of your processes or augmenting people with robots to free up resources or improve process performance?
4. Standardize your processes in S/4HANA
Are you looking to consolidate processes that vary across regions or business units so that they are more uniform so that you can improve measurement and control?
5. Reduce costs with shared services
Are you looking to bring certain (standardized) processes into a shared service capability for economies of scale, central control or to outsource?
6. Utilise process and task mining
Are you looking to mine data or tasks that your team performs so that you better understand process metrics, variations, and opportunities for improvement?
7. Add process controls in S/4HANA
Do you need to improve process controls and compliance? Are external governance factors driving a need to implement better controls? How might this work in a multi-erp world?
8. Improve process ownership
Do you have a process ownership model today? Do you need to move to a world where people have a responsibility for process performance?
9. Strive for operation excellence in S/4HANA
Is there a drive for a model of ongoing process improvement? E.g. Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen or similar?
10. Improve sustainability in S/4HANA
Have you considered which business processes will move the needle on your ESG performance, either because you want to or because you will be forced to?
11. Leverage AI in S/4HANA
Will you look at how AI can improve your processes to drive competitive advantage?
Data mining in tools like Signavio or Celonis are great ways to get insight into your business processes, but only if all your processes run in SAP. Some finance departments run 80% of their processes off-system in Excel - so the only way you'll get a complete picture of your processes if to use task mining instead.
Expert Tip
Process mapping an process improvement are just one of the challenges you face on your journey to S/4HANA. For more useful information on areas such as data strategy, code remediation, and people and change management download "50 shades of blue: the secrets to taking control of your S/4HANA migration".
