Turning S/4HANA Go-Lives Into Momentum Through Early Wins

Proof in Practice: Early Wins That Build Momentum

For many organizations, the move to S/4HANA begins with high expectations and ends with familiar frustration. The system goes live, yet planners still export data to spreadsheets to build schedules, inventory mix is still off, exception messages are rising and we still can not make a promise and keep a promise to our customers The technology has been modernized, but the business operates much the same.

The difference between disappointment and value is not in S/4HANA alone. It is also determined by whether organizations choose to address the behaviors, data, and decision rules that otherwise quietly follow them into the new system. Good news: It doesn’t have to be this way, and S/4HANA offers some great advances that produce results worth fighting for.

Early Wins Are Not Optional. They Are Strategic.

Organizations that take a deliberate, performance-first approach before and during  the transition to S/4HANA are seeing tangible results early, not years later. One U.S. manufacturer preparing for S/4HANA uncovered more than $14 million in unproductive inventory and improved MRP accuracy by 27 percent before go-live. By cleaning master data, simplifying planning rules, and holding teams accountable to working inside SAP, they shortened stabilization and created sustainable cost reductions without adding new technology.

These early wins matter. They do more than improve metrics. They build executive confidence, restore trust in SAP, and create momentum for continuous improvement after cutover instead of post-go-live firefighting.

Why Value Stalls After Go-Live

As discussed in Reveal’s recent leadership conversation, many teams reach S/4HANA only to realize that while the interface changed, the work did not. Processes still rely on custom transactions while data is exported to external tools to “make it usable.” Teams struggle to adopt a new way of working, finding a rhythm in the chaos and know where to start with all of the “new capabilities.”

This is not a failure of technical implementation. It is the result of migrating complexity at scale when you don’t know what you don’t know.

When master data fields are misused, custom transactions are preserved “just in case,” and planning policies are left untouched, organizations limit their ability to take advantage of SAP’s native capabilities. The system becomes something team members work around rather than rely on.

From Technology to Transformation

A journey to S/4HANA done right is not about going live. It is about getting better every day after.

Organizations that align master data, simplify processes, and standardize execution behaviors before cutover unlock measurable business outcomes:

• Improved confidence and commitment in decision making for the new S/4HANA environment
• Realizing value and return on investment in the preparation for moving to S/4HANA and in the new way of working beginning day one
• A clear road to improving inventory position, alignment of planning and execution and commitments to customers

When technology, process, and behavior move in sync, S/4HANA becomes more than a digital core. It becomes the engine of continuous improvement and strategic growth.

Turning Migration into Momentum

S/4HANA migration will either replicate legacy frustration or redefine how the business performs. With clean data, simplified rules, and teams prepared to use SAP as intended, migration becomes a launchpad for growth rather than a reset of old problems.

This is how organizations move from compliance to confidence and from technology investment to business performance.  We know the path ahead.  Let us be your Sherpa and help you successfully navigate any tricky paths to value.

To hear real-world perspectives from leaders who have guided organizations through this journey, listen to Reveal’s recent conversation featuring firsthand experiences supporting companies in the appliance, consumer goods and food and beverage industries as they transformed their S/4HANA journey  into measurable results. Learn what worked, what did not, and how early wins created lasting momentum.

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