Every article on this topic.
28 articles, newest first
TechnicalERP modernization in 2026: cloud, AI, and clean core
With SAP ECC mainstream maintenance ending in December 2027, ERP modernization is now execution, not analysis. This covers clean core, the backbone-plus-satellites architecture, AI readiness, and a risk table for the next 18 months.
· 8 min read
ECC to S/4HANASAP ECC to S/4HANA migration: Middle East retail case study
A Middle Eastern retailer with 1,200+ outlets and 44 percent custom ECC objects moved to S/4HANA. Month-end close went from weekends to before lunch, and custom code fell by nearly half.
· 8 min read
SAP CXCitizen engagement with SAP CX in Europe's public sector
Citizens wanted public services to work like online banking. How a European agency used SAP Service Cloud, Customer Data Cloud, Emarsys and Commerce Cloud to get there, and what mattered most.
· 8 min read
Contract negotiationERP contract negotiation: MENA CFO saves $850K
A MENA manufacturing CFO's 120-page ERP proposal looked solid, but its structure hid the risk. Three weeks of SOW review and contract changes avoided $850,000 before kickoff.
· 8 min read
SAP AribaSAP Ariba in UAE public sector: procurement case study
A UAE federal ministry moved paper tendering onto SAP Ariba. Tender cycles fell 30 to 40 percent, but the hard parts were data residency, supplier confidence and officers who kept paper going.
· 7 min read
SAP Analytics CloudFMCG ERP recovery: unified reporting via SAP Analytics Cloud
A Singapore FMCG group ran Oracle while its UK energy drinks business ran SAP, and the numbers never matched. This is how governance, scope control and SAP Analytics Cloud turned a stalled reporting project around in six months.
· 10 min read
SAP Group ReportingFinance modernization for a family-owned conglomerate
A family-owned group running businesses across the UK, Africa and Asia cut its monthly close from 15 days to 5 by moving consolidation out of Excel into SAP S/4HANA Group Reporting. Here is what it did, in what order, and what I would change if it started today.
· 8 min read
ERP selectionERP system selection: mid-sized manufacturer case study
A mid-sized manufacturer in Poland had nearly committed to the wrong ERP under vendor pressure and internal politics. A structured process, scripted demos and a five-year cost model led to a clean decision in twelve weeks.
· 10 min read
RISE with SAPBest SAP implementation strategies to avoid costly mistakes
SAP implementations rarely fail because of the technology. They fail because the strategy does not fit the business, or the team cannot hold the discipline behind it.
· 13 min read
SAP ActivateSAP implementation templates: the SAP Activate set by phase
The SAP Activate templates that matter in each phase, who owns them and when they are signed off, from scoping and fit-gap to the cutover plan and go-live readiness checklist.
· 14 min read
SAP SDCustomer information systems: Middle East defence case study
A Middle East defence manufacturer had customer data in three places, none of them matching. Connecting Microsoft Dynamics, Experlogix CPQ and SAP SD cut quote turnaround by 35%.
· 10 min read
Small business ERPBest ERP software for small business: six systems compared
My shortlist of six ERP systems for small businesses, who each one fits, how each is deployed and priced according to the vendors' own pages, and how to choose without falling for the cheapest quote.
· 11 min read
Requirements gatheringRequirements gathering template: 7 hacks I use on projects
A requirements gathering template only works if it forces the hard conversations early. Here is the outline I use, the five sections I never skip and seven hacks that keep stakeholders honest.
· 11 min read
Scope managementHow to avoid scope creep in an SAP implementation
Scope creep is the most common reason SAP projects overrun. The fix is documented exclusions, change control that forces trade-offs, and a scope freeze with executive backing.
· 12 min read
SAP AribaSAP Ariba in 2026: sourcing, supplier management, what works
SAP Ariba delivers when processes are clean first and suppliers are genuinely enabled; otherwise teams end up live on Ariba and still tracking suppliers in spreadsheets. Here is what it covers, what it costs, how it compares, and a go-live readiness plan.
· 9 min read
User adoptionSAP training strategies: what works and what fails
SAP training works when it is role-based, hands-on, timed four to six weeks before go-live and tied to system access. Here is the plan I use, the failures I have seen, and what SAP folding Enable Now into WalkMe means for your tooling.
· 10 min read
SAP rolloutSAP implementation vs rollout: differences and when to pick
A rollout is not a smaller implementation. What separates the two, when each fits, and why rollouts fail on localisation and people rather than technology.
· 8 min read
SAP governanceHow to create an SAP implementation project charter
A project charter is the document you point to when someone contests a scope decision in month three. What an SAP charter must cover, a section-by-section outline and the mistakes that cost the most.
· 9 min read
Scope managementSAP project scope template: what to define and exclude
Most SAP scope disputes come from things nobody wrote down. A nine-section scope template, what to exclude in writing, and the controls that stop scope creep.
· 8 min read
SAP governanceCreating an effective SAP project steering committee
I have never seen an SAP project succeed with a weak steering committee. This guide covers what the committee must decide, membership by project size, a go/no-go checklist, and how RISE with SAP and AI change the model.
· 9 min read
ERP KPIsERP implementation KPIs: 30 metrics that actually matter
The 30 ERP implementation KPIs I track, split into delivery and post-go-live, with formulas, thresholds and who reviews them when. A client once added 73 'small' changes and lost five months; scope change KPIs exist to stop that.
· 10 min read
SAP team structureEssential SAP implementation team roles and responsibilities
Most SAP project failures trace back to team problems, not technology. This guide sets out the eight roles every programme needs, how RISE and AI change them, team sizes by company size, and how to build the CoE before go-live.
· 12 min read
SAP project managementResource allocation planning for SAP projects
Most SAP resource plans assume a stability that disappears once execution starts. Plan by role and by SAP Activate phase, confirm availability in writing, and revise the plan every week.
· 13 min read
SAP governanceSAP quality gates: how to set them up and where they fail
A quality gate is a checkpoint with the authority to stop a project. How to set gates against SAP Activate phases, write criteria that give yes-or-no answers, and keep them from becoming rubber stamps.
· 10 min read
SAP governanceSAP stakeholder management: stop conflicts before they start
Conflicts on SAP programmes build from unmanaged expectations. Map the roles, write down who decides what, and run a cadence by phase before anyone has a complaint.
· 12 min read
ERP team structureERP implementation team in 2026: who you need and what they do
The difference between an ERP go-live that works and one that drags on is usually the team, not the software. Here is who you need, what each role does, how to size the team, and the two roles cloud ERP programmes add.
· 9 min read
SAP ActivateSAP implementation timeline: phase durations and 5 mistakes
How long an SAP implementation takes on GROW, RISE and ECC paths, how long each SAP Activate phase runs, and the five planning mistakes behind most overruns.
· 11 min read
SAP toolingSAP project tracking tools in 2026: four that actually work
A tracking tool that cannot see inside the SAP system is a spreadsheet with a better interface. This guide compares the four tools that work on SAP programmes in 2026, with licensing facts and a selection checklist.
· 9 min read
Written by Noel D'Costa
25 years in ERP delivery across SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, now a chief technology officer. I write from the programmes I have run, for the people making these decisions.
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