Insights from the SAP Transformation Excellence Summit 2024
Did you know that 70% of business transformations fail? The reason is surprisingly straightforward: many organisations focus only on specific areas, leaving out critical aspects that are essential for a true overhaul.
Successful transformation requires addressing four key areas: processes, data, applications, and people. Miss even one, and your transformation could fall short. Fortunately, SAP’s end-to-end approach tackles all these dimensions, giving businesses the tools they need to succeed where others falter.
SAP’s Recipe for True Business Transformation
At SAP’s Transformation Excellence 2024 event in Frankfurt, the message was clear: real transformation isn’t just about upgrading technology—it’s about rethinking how your entire business functions. SAP has designed a suite of tools that work together to make this happen, covering everything from process optimisation to application management, and even helping employees embrace change. Here’s a closer look at how it all fits together.
Supercharging Your Processes with SAP Signavio
Process transformation is the backbone of operational excellence, and SAP Signavio is built to deliver just that. It’s not just about mapping out processes—it’s about instantly identifying inefficiencies and providing actionable insights, all within one platform. With its “plug and gain” approach, Signavio integrates seamlessly with SAP systems, delivering real-time data on how your processes impact key performance indicators (KPIs). By leveraging SAP’s extensive knowledge base, Signavio allows for quick root cause analysis, pinpointing inefficiencies and offering immediate recommendations for remediation. This integration means that businesses can address issues within the same platform, drastically speeding up the process of optimisation.
But the benefits don’t stop there. SAP Signavio also includes AI functionalities AKA “Joule”, enabling users to build process models, query data, and extract valuable insights using natural language. This intuitive feature accelerates the way teams interact with data, making it easier to generate and act on insights without needing deep technical expertise.
The result? Businesses can move beyond reactive problem-solving to proactive process improvement, driving smoother execution, continuous optimisation, and value realisation—all powered by real-time, data-driven decisions.
Navigating Application Chaos with SAP LeanIX
If your IT landscape feels more like a tangled web than a streamlined machine, SAP LeanIX is here to help. LeanIX offers an intuitive way to map out your entire enterprise architecture, assess what’s working, and create a roadmap for where you need to go. Its capability mapping and target architecture design features ensure that every application supports your broader business goals.
By visualising your current setup and planning for the future, LeanIX helps cut through the complexity that often stalls transformation efforts. It allows organisations to consolidate, modernise, and optimise their application portfolio, so you’re left with an IT landscape that’s efficient, scalable, and aligned with your strategy. In short, it’s your guide to making informed, data-driven decisions about your tech infrastructure.
Empowering Your People with WalkMe: The Human Side of Transformation
Let’s be honest—technology isn’t the hardest part of transformation, people are. Employees are often resistant to change, and without their buy-in, even the best-laid transformation plans can falter. SAP addresses this with WalkMe, a digital adoption platform that makes sure your employees aren’t left behind.
WalkMe integrates with your existing applications, offering in-app guidance to help users navigate new tools and workflows. Its analytics allow you to track how well employees are adapting and pinpoint where they might need extra support. This not only reduces friction but ensures higher adoption rates and a smoother transition. With WalkMe, you’re not just implementing new systems—you’re empowering your people to embrace them.
A Holistic Approach: Aligning Process, Data, Applications, and People
The key takeaway from the SAP Transformation Excellence event was that real transformation must be holistic. It’s not enough to just improve processes or update your IT systems—everything must work together. SAP’s transformation platform offers a suite of tools that seamlessly integrate, allowing businesses to tackle transformation from every angle: process excellence with Signavio, application management with LeanIX, and user adoption with WalkMe.
This alignment across all areas—processes, data, applications, and people—creates a unified vision that fosters meaningful change. When these pillars are in sync, businesses become more efficient, more agile, and more prepared to scale and grow in an increasingly competitive market.
The Bottom Line: Think Big, Transform Fully
The future belongs to companies that understand transformation isn’t just about swapping out old systems for new ones. It’s about orchestrating a comprehensive shift across every facet of your business. SAP has shown that with the right tools and strategies in place, this level of transformation is not only achievable—it can be scaled across the enterprise.
By focusing on the complete picture, and addressing all four key areas—processes, data, applications, and people—your business can unlock new levels of efficiency, agility, and innovation. So, if you want to avoid being part of the 70% that fail, it’s time to embrace a more holistic approach to transformation. The tools are there—now it’s up to you to use them to create lasting success.
For expert guidance on successful transformations and maximising value realisation from your SAP ecosystem, contact Zeb Khan, zeb.khan@enfusegroup.com
The graphics featured in this article are based on those presented during the SAP Summit.
