Keep your S/4 transformation on time, on scope, on budget and on value with the Celonis System Transformation App Suite

The deadline for companies to migrate their SAP ERP systems to S/4HANA is rapidly approaching – companies have until December 31, 2027. After this date, SAP is withdrawing support for its legacy systems such as ECC. And yet at the close of 2023 Gartner estimated that as many as 64% of ECC clients hadn’t licensed S/4HANA. Given how vital ERP systems are to successful business operations, and that for most businesses a migration of this scale takes years not months, it seems like many enterprises are cutting the deadline more than a little fine.

So what’s going on? Some users are no doubt hedging their bets or exploring other options (like SAP’s extended maintenance option or alternative third-party support options for legacy SAP solutions). For many others, however, lack of engagement with S/4HANA stems from a lack of understanding of how or where to start the transformation process (plus a lack of expert resources to do so).

Fortunately for organizations in this position, there is the Celonis System Transformation Suite - powered by FITS-P. The solution is part of the Celonis Platform Apps Program, which was launched in 2024, and provides a set of purpose-built end-to-end system transformation solutions that will make the S/4 migration a lot more manageable.

The S/4HANA challenge landscape

Transforming or migrating ERP systems across to S/4HANA is a high-stakes process with business continuity on the line.

The clock is ticking, but enterprises still commonly lack a unified, data-driven understanding of ‘as-is’ processes – and all the interconnected data flows, systems, programs, t-codes, and customizations they involve.

Without this understanding, developing an optimal SAP migration strategy is next to impossible – businesses can’t separate vital process elements that add value from the superfluous. And that risks making subjective decisions about critical migration elements – compromising S/4HANA ‘to-be’ processes and diminishing the chances of bringing in the systems transformation on time, on scope, or on budget. 

What is the System Transformation Suite?

The System Transformation Suite helps companies keep their S/4 migration on scope, on time, on budget, and on value. The Suite extends Celonis’ existing offering to include dedicated modules for each phase of a system transformation (pre, during and post), addressing use cases such as master data consolidation to scenario testing. Using object-centric process mining OCPM, process management, and powerful AI, the Suite:

• Consolidates systems data from across the tech stack, providing a unified, centralized visualization of processes – pre-, during, and post-migration.

• Helps users connect and evaluate end-to-end processes (enabling fast implementation based on standard SAP tables).

• Provides dedicated modules targeting each aspect of the system transformation, from master data consolidation to scenario testing.

How does the System Transformation Suite work?

The centrepiece of the Suite is the System Transformation Readiness App (STRA) developed in partnership with Celonis process mining consultancy FITS-P. Available to both customers using case-centric and object centric process mining, it has modules for Order-to-Cash, Purchase-to-Pay, Production Planning, and system configuration, the STRA simplifies and accelerates the S/4 transformation in four key areas:

1. Processes: Providing accurate visualizations and understanding of as-is processes, teams can perform internal benchmarking, and compare processes and subprocesses against SAP best practices.

2. System Configuration Analysis: STRA maps key system configurations as they are actually being used, based on frequency, function, and value.

3. Customization Analysis: The app enables users to make accurate recommendations regarding which SAP customizations need to be migrated to S/4HANA (such as transaction codes, programs, custom tables and fields). 

4. Master Data Quality Analysis: The app transforms the S/4 migration into an opportunity for enhancing data hygiene, enabling users to understand master data usage in a process context and identify outdated, duplicate or incomplete records for cleanup.

The STRA provides the perfect data-informed foundation on which to build an S/4HANA transformation strategy.

Other key features of the System Transformation Suite

In addition to the STRA, the Suite also includes a range of solutions created to ease the S/4 transformation, including:

• Business Case Creation: This enables users to set a pre-transformation baseline for (and visibility of) specific processes against which to compare modeled to-be workflows. 

• Process Documentation & Governance: Celonis’ Process Management offering helps users model and manage best practices, including training views and materials tailored by role. 

• Fit-Gap/Standard Analysis: This allows users to measure as-is process execution against best practices (and potentially target enhancement as part of the migration).

• Test Preparation & Monitoring: Using the SAP S/4HANA Implementation Monitor, customers can generate test scenarios of proposed to-be processes prior to S/4 go-live, allowing them to monitor their execution in the underlying systems.

• Hypercare Monitoring & User Adoption: Using the SAP S/4HANA Lean Monitor, transformation leaders can monitor the uptake of the new system and best practices – providing additional enablement support for individual users where necessary.

Transferring an ERP system across to a new platform is a complex undertaking, with countless variables, stakeholders, siloes, and processes to navigate. But with Celonis, the shift to S/4HANA can be managed swiftly and effectively – with only unwanted, unnecessary process steps left behind.

Celonis Platform Apps Program

Celonis provides the world’s leading Process Intelligence Platform and together with its partners is continuously growing the Process Intelligence community. To learn how our ecosystem’s best-in-class professional services and software solutions can help you tap the full potential of Celonis, visit our partner page.

Bill Detwiler

Senior Communications Strategist and Editor Celonis Blog

Bill Detwiler is Senior Communications Strategist and Editor of the Celonis blog. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic, where he hosted the Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET’s popular online show. Bill is an award-winning journalist, who’s covered the tech industry for more than two decades. Prior to his career in the software industry and tech media, he was an IT professional in the social research and energy industries.