Supporting an Energy group to transform from SAP ECC6 to SAP S/4HANA

The programme had delivered an initial release of core functionality to support the legal separation of part of the business. However, this had not delivered the anticipated improvements, and the customer had concerns about the programme. Moving to S/4HANA would have major impacts on business processes for a user base of 8,000 across Supply Chain, Stores, MRP, Project Systems, Time Booking, Expenses, Payroll, Asset Management and Accounting. Scope included multiple business units and common support functions.

The programme budget was c.£150m covering 3 key releases over 4 years. The customer was struggling to get a high-quality SI team and lacked the requisite skills and capacity in house. The business case was ambitious and technically driven. There were challenges in cross platform data consistency and quality, insufficient business engagement and ownership.

Project One was commissioned by the UK CFO to undertake an independent assurance review of the programme and make recommendations to improve the organisation and ways of working. Following the review, we supported a 10-week reset process working closely with the internal team and other external advisors. With the programme stabilised and reset, we provided a small team of senior change consultants to undertake key roles including the IT Programme Director and Business Change Lead roles for the second release, which covered core finance and project systems capability and the migration of the rest of the company onto the S/4HANA platform. As the programme developed, we provided additional support in other areas including User Acceptance Testing and the Design and Planning work for the final release comprising enhanced Project Systems and Reporting capability.

Our support provided the client with an injection of external expertise around major ERP programmes, specifically SAP S/4HANA, and senior level change and transformation experience to supplement their internal team and ensure successful programme delivery. In terms of specific activities the Project One team: assessed gaps and weaknesses in delivery approach and resourcing, and determined how best to address; devised and deployed the Cutover Approach, Business Change Strategy and Approach, Testing Strategy, Readiness and Early Life Support Approaches; assisted with management of Delivery Partner and 3rd Party Contractors; acted as trusted advisors to Programme Directors and Sponsor / Programme Board, providing advice regarding readiness for cut over / go live; secured effective business engagement and change network to enable adoption; and bridged functional and implementation gaps with knowledge and expertise.

Successful cutover with minimal business disruption owing to effective planning around a lengthy outage period (which was necessary due to the scale of data migration). Held closely to revised programme budget and timelines despite advent of COVID pandemic. Project One collaborated effectively across Business, Delivery Partner and other third parties. We made up around 2% of the programme cost and exerted significant leverage on the rest of the customer’s investment to secure success.

Project One Value Add:

• Project One had the process and content skills to know how an undertaking such at this should be delivered, and how long it should take.
• Our consultants brought the expertise and gravitas to fulfil the leadership roles and to effectively manage teams and work packages.
• As trusted advisors, Project One deployed on the customer side to enable and assure the work of the Delivery Partners.

Unlock the full potential of your business with our expert insights. Contact us today to discover how we can help you achieve your goals. theteam@projectone.com