Why every SAP S/4HANA transformation project needs a process mining solution – SAP S/4HANA Vectorial

This blog is the third blog in our SAP S4HANA Vectorial blog series and was authored by our partner Tietoevry’s Antti Ryysy and Niilo Tikka. The blog was originally published on Tietoevry's website on 14 October 2022. 

In early 2020 SAP announced a revised schedule for SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) Business Suite 6.0 maintenance and support to end by the end of 2027, or 2030 if the customer agrees on increased maintenance costs. Companies running their businesses using the SAP ECC system are forced to renew their ERP system as the lifespan of the product is approaching its end of life. 

While SAP S/4HANA offers an extensive list of benefits, including flexibility, lower costs, and faster analytics, many things can go sideways. SAP S/4HANA implementation is not a simple thing. In fact, it is anything but simple. 

Wide-scale ERP implementation is a rigorous and complex project. On the other hand, it provides an opportunity to reduce the complexity of IT systems. And as the project will cause changes to your organization, your way of working, and your systems, why not consider business efficiency improvements at the same time? 

Using process knowledge to deliver more business benefits from IT investments 

Leaders rightly expect that IT projects should result in a return on investment and also as business benefits. Succeeding in S/4HANA transformation requires wide and profound knowledge, understanding, and resource commitment from customers and IT suppliers. 

Numerous reports confirm the severity of the challenge: IT transformation projects often experience both delays and budget overruns. These setbacks are caused by the large number of changes taking place both in systems and business practices alike. 

The essential key to success is process knowledge. Getting a clear understanding of what really happens in your processes. Without it, your transformation project is bound to turn into a costly headache as you might end up chasing and changing the way you work based on assumptions or false understanding. 

Knowing the as-is processes and process variations is crucial in order to be able to transform them, manage the changes, and make sure that everything runs smoothly. The good news is that largely you have this information. Condensing it into a usable form can be difficult. Or it was difficult before SAP S/4HANA Vectorial. 

Process mining solution for every SAP S/4HANA transformation project – S/4HANA Vectorial 

A lack of process understanding can cause many risks in transformation projects. The S/4HANA Vectorial process mining solution was born from SAP consultants’ needs for greater transparency to existing business processes and the ability to compare those to SAP S/4HANA best practices. 

A group of experts from QPR Software and Tietoevry, consisting of SAP architects, business analysts, process mining experts, and data engineers, developed the solution based on real-life experiences and needs. 

With SAP S/4HANA Vectorial, we can quickly and easily analyze current as-is processes and get a clear view of how processes are being executed. This way, we can avoid risks such as scope creep, unrealistic project timelines, and unexpected surprises during the project. 

SAP S/4HANA Vectorial uses QPR Software’s powerful process mining technology and instantly provides a holistic view of processes by displaying and demonstrating the hundreds or thousands of different process variations based on customers’ real data, rather than gut feelings. 

SAP S/4HANA Vectorial key benefits: 

• Get a quick and effective analysis of current as-is processes and estimation of the magnitude of necessary changes during implementation.  
• Understand the impact on operational performance and system lifespan costs when comparing your transformation options. 
• Improve your business performance based on simulations with real operative data instead of blindly accepting that SAP’s best practices are the only way to go. 

• Based on our experiences, SAP S/4HANA Vectorial is a “must-have” tool in SAP S/4HANA transformation projects. Tietoevry consultants use it to deliver customers the best business performance impact in their SAP S/4HANA transformation project. 

Watch the related webinar on-demand.