Start with the business case, not the deadline
Mandatory maintenance timelines create urgency, but a strong S/4HANA program starts with a clear business case: which processes need to change, what decisions depend on better data, and where the current landscape is holding the business back.
Assess your data before you assess your code
Custom code remediation gets attention early, but data quality and master data governance often determine how smooth a migration feels. Enterprises that assess data readiness early avoid painful surprises during testing.
Decide your deployment model deliberately
SAP S/4HANA Cloud, RISE with SAP and on premise each carry different implications for control, customization and total cost. This decision should be made deliberately, based on your operating model, not by default.
Plan for the organization, not just the system
The technical migration is only part of the journey. Process owners, finance teams and frontline users need structured change management so the new platform is adopted, not just installed.