When you’re implementing SAP, you have to make a decision about how and when to cutover from your legacy system.
This is true for every customer, whether you’re using a different ERP provider and you’re going through a greenfield implementation, or if you’re already using SAP and you’re switching products or laying further modules over your existing system.
Do you go with the big bang, or take a phased approach?
There are pros and cons to both, but if you’ve decided to go for a big bang, the risks are higher, but the rewards can be plentiful.
The Rewards of a Big Bang SAP Cutover
You’ll get a faster transition when you do a single switch, and reduced downtime for your system, not to mention simplified integrations, as all modules and processes will be integrated from the start.
The cost efficiency of lowering your project overhead and eliminating the costs of maintaining a legacy system is also an attractive prospect.
Clear change management, a single data migration effort, faster ROI, reduced complexity across your IT systems and a generally unified process… all reasons why you might choose to go for the big bang.
However, you’re taking a gamble. There are risks involved that you won’t experience if you go for a phased SAP cutover…
The risks of a Big Bang SAP Cutover
You’ll only reduce your downtime if your big bang cutover goes as planned. You might experience system instability and integration failures, as well as data migration and synchronization errors.
If you haven’t taken the time to ready yourself for cutover by optimising your configurations, thoroughly testing your new system, or training your SAP users, you might experience performance bottlenecks, budget overruns, revenue loss, stakeholder dissatisfaction, and delayed stabilisation of your SAP programme. There are plenty of examples of high-profile failed ERP implementations using the big bang approach to draw evidence from, and you don’t want to mirror their experience.
However, these are all avoidable issues, but only if you take into account the right considerations, and have the right skills on your team to mitigate and minimise these risks.
Let’s take a look at what you should be looking for in your SAP talent…
Experience with SAP big bang cutovers
Getting SAP pros who have been through a big bang cutover or two before will be invaluable. They’ve already lived through the mistakes and repercussions, so they know what to avoid during your deployment. They’ll be able to flag risks and advise on what to put in place to fix issues before they come to fruition. This will be invaluable to you if you’re taking the big bang approach.
Comprehensive planning and project management skills
Someone with the knowledge and background to develop a detailed cutover plan, and manage and coordinate activity around this, is essential. If your cutover plan, timeline, designated roles, progress tracking and contingency measures are managed well, you won’t experience nearly as many issues when you go live. Good leadership in this area should be non-negotiable.
Cross-functional expertise
Assembling a diverse SAP team with functional, technical and industry-specific knowledge will be paramount. You’ll have the talent on hand to ensure your SAP programme is prepared and configured correctly before cutover, and the expertise to fix a broad range of issues if they arise when the big bang happens.
Testing specialists
Quality assurance is so important for a big bang cutover. If you employ SAP pros who can perform rigorous end-to-end testing, including stress and integration tests, you’ll have a higher likelihood of system readiness. This will, in turn, reduce the risks associated with big bang cutovers.
Data migration experts
If you want to ensure accurate and complete data transfer at the point of cutover, you need an expert on the case. All cloud ERP & HCM professionals, as well as vendors, agree that data is at the centre of a successful implementation. Get this bit right, or you’ll create a mess of uncleansed, duplicated and corrupt data, and you might experience inconsistent data flows across your new system and all integrations.
Change management skills
If you’re going for the big bang, you need to prepare your organisation and all SAP users correctly, and make sure they’re ready BEFORE you get to the cutover phase. Involving a Change Manager at an early phase in your implementation will lead to a much more seamless and successful go-live.
Risk and issue specialist
When taking the high risk, high reward approach, it makes sense to invest a little in someone who’s dealt with a little risk in ERP implementations before. They’ll be able to put in place proper processes to analyse and assess the state of your SAP programme, identify any potential issues, and follow correct procedures to put them right before you press the big red button. Never underestimate the value of having someone who’s been in the trenches on your side with a big bang cutover.
A big bang approach to your SAP cutover can be scary, and as discussed, involves a lot of risk.
However, the only sensible and logical approach is to make sure you’ve got the right people on hand to reduce those risks from the start of your implementation, and be able to handle issues quickly and efficiently when you do reach the cutover phase.
Having a diverse team with big bang experience, as well as planning, project management, testing, data migration, change management and risk management skills will greatly reduce the risk of expensive delays, failures and rollbacks, and increase the likelihood that you’ll reap the rewards of choosing the big bang approach.
Need helping sourcing the right skills for your big bang SAP cutover? Focus on SAP can help. We’re 100% dedicated to recruitment in the SAP space, so we’ve seen every version of a big bang cutover, and we’ve got the network to find the talent that’s right for your team and organisation. Get in touch today to start your hiring journey with us.
