Standardizing processes is a radical step for any organization. Especially for employees accustomed to existing processes, change often leads to resistance. To effectively manage this change, it is crucial that the vision and strategy be embraced and propagated by all levels of the organization. It means that everyone from management to the shop floor must understand what the transition to standard processes means.
But how do you tackle this? Dick Verburg, project manager at Quinso, takes you through all phases of the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation at Koninklijke De Kuyper in a series of blogs. This first blog focuses on the first phases, Prepare and Explore. These phases show the importance of preparation and teamwork to reduce resistance to change.
Prepare Phase: the foundation for change
The start of any successful implementation project is thorough preparation. For Royal De Kuyper, this began with an internal kick-off meeting involving 20 key users and members of the management team. The meeting focuses on setting expectations:
- What can you expect from us?
- What do we expect from you?
In addition, Quinso gives homework: establish a Business Process Master List. In it, you identify which business processes are currently active within your organization.
In parallel, Quinso held an internal kick-off to bring the project team together and discuss the project scope. The Quinso team will be given the homework to determine which best practices from S/4HANA Public Cloud align with De Kuyper’s existing business processes. They are also preparing the new system with customer and item data from De Kuyper.
Then the joint kick-off took place at Sparta Stadium, where both teams met in person. A special moment that was crucial for team building and cooperation. With the “Crack the Suitcase” workshop, in which we had to work in different teams to find the code of the suitcase as quickly as possible, we experienced how important cooperation is. Then we threw off all shyness during the HAKA workshop. We were introduced to the fundamentals of the authentic form of the most famous HAKA the Ka Mate, or ancient ceremonial New Zealand HAKA dance. Thanks to these workshops, the foundation of a close-knit group that will work on the same thing in the coming months is being created.
Explore Phase: analysis and adaptation of existing processes
In February, the Explore Phase for the implementation project began. During this phase, several workshops focus on thoroughly examining existing business processes. The goal is to identify where current processes and the standard best practices provided by S/4HANA align. We clearly identify the risks during implementation and define the changes necessary for a successful transition.
An important part of this phase is the Change Management Impact Analysis. This analysis helps us understand and provide insight into the impact of the changes on different departments and roles within the organization. Based on these insights, we work with the client to create a detailed overview of the necessary adjustments for each step in the project. This overview is essential to define tangible and clear steps to effectively integrate best practices.
At the end of this phase, both we and the client present a report out to the project management team on the Explore Phase. What best practices connect, where are gaps, what are the 5 biggest risks and how is the collaboration going? This ensures that all noses are in the same direction before we go to implementation. As a result, the scope is clear and achievable for both project teams.
Next steps: implement, test and support
After the intensive preparation and in-depth exploration in the previous phases, De Kuyper is now on the eve of further steps in their transition to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. During the coming phases, we will focus on the actual implementation of the best practices and further tailor the system to De Kuyper’s unique needs.
These are the next steps:
- Realization: in this phase we implement the planned modifications. This includes both technical setup and user training. The focus is on the smooth transfer of knowledge and skills from Quinso to the key users within De Kuyper.
- Preparing for Go-Live: testing, customizing and finalizing the system to ensure that all processes are working properly and that the organization is ready for the transition.
- Go-Live and support: the transition to the new system, followed by ongoing support to address any post-implementation challenges.
Each step is designed to ensure that De Kuyper not only implements new technologies, but also integrates them into their daily operations. This ultimately leads to improved efficiency and better decision-making across all business processes. In the following blogs, Dick will take you through the follow-up phases involved in implementing S/4HANA Cloud.
Together we determine the ideal flight path
For your organization to fly with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, it is important to think carefully about the implementation route. What results do you expect to achieve with the implementation? Which processes within your organization align with the more than 800 best practices offered by S/4HANA? What exceptions do you want to make to this?
Together with you and a number of employees, we’ll search for the answers during our Digital Discovery Assessment. So that you can make an informed choice. Like De Kuyper, do you want a smooth transition to S/4HANA, but don’t know where to start? Request a Digital Discovery Assessment!
