ACCELERATE ERP TRANSFORMATION WITH SAP LEANIX: ENHANCE EFFICIENCY, OPTIMIZE OPERATIONS

In today’s digital era, businesses are constantly seeking ways to improve operational efficiency, optimize processes, and maintain competitiveness. One of the most groundbreaking and strategic initiatives is ERP Transformation. While traditional ERP updates often involve minor modifications to fix or upgrade existing systems, ERP transformation is a more significant effort that may lead to a complete overhaul of processes, resulting in cost and labor savings.

To support this process, SAP LeanIX – an Enterprise Architecture Management platform – provides companies with a holistic view of their IT systems, enabling data-driven decision-making and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. When implemented efficiently, SAP LeanIX will help optimize processes, minimize risks, and ensure a seamless ERP transformation.

ERP Transformation Overview

ERP Transformation (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a comprehensive process that changes the way an organization operates, from business processes to technology infrastructure. It is not just about deploying new software solutions; ERP transformation represents a major leap in improving operational systems to support strategic business goals, while offering the flexibility and scalability needed to adapt to evolving business demands.

Why Businesses Should Start ERP Transformation Today

ERP is the core of business operations, but over time these systems can become outdated and fail to meet growth demands. Therefore, ERP transformation is essential to leverage new technologies such as Generative AI, Automation, etc, to integrate systems, optimize costs, and enhance market adaptability.

Challenges for ERP Transformation

To successfully transform ERP, businesses must overcome numerous challenges: understanding data flow and application landscape, ensuring data access for stakeholders, and closely monitoring the transformation process to optimize the system. This requires robust tools such as SAP Business Capability Maps, Architecture and Roadmap Planning, and other features within the SAP LeanIX platform.

Benefits of ERP Transformation with SAP LeanIX

SAP LeanIX addresses the above-mentioned challenges and lays a foundation for collaboration, planning, and viewing the target architecture, helping to achieve the following benefits:

• Real-time Assessment: Understand the current business landscape and the impact of ERP transformation, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Defining and Documenting Target Architecture: Identify necessary changes, timing, and affected aspects of the architecture.
• Fostering a Collaborative Environment: Stakeholders can view, update, and provide input throughout the transformation process.
• Continuous Transformation Monitoring: Gain insights into the application portfolio even after the transformation with Application Portfolio Management.

With SAP LeanIX, leaders can visually track their ERP transformation progress in real-time using features such as Architecture and Roadmap Planning, Roadmap Reports, identifying unexpected changes, difficulties, or delays, and automatically notifying stakeholders.

SAP LeanIX Transformation Roadmap Planning

Benefits for Specific Stakeholders

For Business Managers (CEO, CIO, PM):

• Understand the target architecture and its benefits for business and IT.
• Gain transparency on the transformation approach and important milestones.
• Provide strategic direction on necessary decisions and key participants.
• Track progress and ensure transformation steps are on the right path.
• Minimize common ERP transformation risks (e.g., missing or incompatible interfaces).

For Enterprise Architects:

• Efficient data collection using SAP LeanIX surveys for a comprehensive understanding of the as-is landscape.
• Extract relevant real-time data to highlight impacts and risks, enabling quick decision-making.
• Leverage SAP LeanIX’s "Transformations" capability to visualize and compare scenarios of your to-be state.
• Share application context and transformation roadmap with stakeholders for better planning and coordination using SAP LeanIX Reports.
• Establish a single source of truth for all transformation-related activities instead of being dependent on unreliable and outdated spreadsheets.

Applying SAP LeanIX in Business ERP Transformation

SAP LeanIX supports organizations in all phases of their multiple-year ERP transformation journey. The following pages outline a step-by-step approach based on proven best practices for organizations to extract maximum benefit from SAP LeanIX in their ERP, following the 6 phases of the SAP Activate framework, which you can apply to any other ERP transformation scenario.

As technology continues to evolve, ERP transformation remains a critical strategy for organizations aiming to enhance efficiency, optimize operations, and maintain a competitive edge in the digital era. However, this process cannot be achieved directly and quickly; it requires thorough preparation, strong leadership commitment, expert resources, and a clear implementation roadmap to ensure success.

In this context, CMC Consulting - Leading provider in Consulting and Implementing comprehensive Digital Transformation Solutions, is ready to accompany businesses and confidently support them in understanding ERP transformation and provide effective recommendations for applying SAP LeanIX throughout this process. Contact us today for consultation!

Sources:

https://docs-eam.leanix.net/docs/erp-transformation 

https://www.leanix.net/en/wiki/tech-transformation/erp-transformation