Postponing isn't an option? Why companies shouldn't cling obsessively to a planned S/4HANA go-live

„The date stands. Period.“
Does this sentence sound familiar? Perhaps you've sat in a project meeting yourself in which everyone stares at the same date – the day on which your new ERP system is supposed to go live. Everything is geared toward it: resources, budgets, internal communication. But what if the lights are on red, while the calendar ticks on unstoppably? Is postponing really no option?

In transformation projects like the migration to SAP S/4HANA, flexibility is the key – even if it feels wrong at first moment. A go-live at any price can destroy more than it secures. Why is that so? Because a S/4HANA transformation is precisely not a classic IT project, but a far-reaching change process that goes far beyond the technical implementation.

The pressure behind the go-live – and why it deceives

The reasons for the focus on a fixed date are comprehensible:

• Cost savings
• Efficiency increases
• The necessity of staying competitive

But: If this focus becomes too rigid, a project plan quickly turns into a risk. Because S/4HANA introductions are complex – and this complexity can rarely be forced into a rigid time frame without it coming at the expense of quality.

Ask yourself: Are we really ready? Or are we about to take a deadline more seriously than the success of the entire undertaking?

S/4HANA isn't an upgrade – it's a paradigm shift

The introduction of SAP S/4HANA isn't an ordinary update, but means the switch into a completely new system world:

• In-memory computing
• Real-time data processing
• More modular processes

That brings opportunities, but also challenges. Data migration, the integration of old systems (legacy IT), new process models and not least the training of your employees: All of that has to function smoothly before you go live.

The figures speak a clear language: According to a study by Panorama Consulting, 50–60% of all ERP projects fail due to unrealistic schedules and lacking preparation.

What happens when one holds on to rigid deadlines

A too-ambitious go-live date can have serious consequences:

1. Technical debt
When short-term solutions have to stand in, workarounds arise that later have to be corrected elaborately and expensively.

2. Employee overload
Tight schedules put the teams under pressure. The consequence: burnout, frustration and resistance to the change.

3. Financial damage
A failed go-live in the end often costs more than a well-founded postponement. Production outages, reputation losses and rework hit the budget directly.

Lessons from practice – when the go-live backfires

The list of prominent examples is long:

Lidl: After seven years of project duration and an investment of around 500 million euros, the company broke off the SAP introduction in 2018. The processes simply didn't fit the requirements.

Haribo: A hasty go-live led to massive supply bottlenecks. The complexity of the logistics had been underestimated – with noticeable effects in the trade.

Agility instead of rigidity: These approaches help

Whoever plans flexibly stays capable of acting. You should know these three levers:

• Phased introduction
  First test critical modules in pilot operation. A staggered rollout minimizes risks and ensures first success experiences.
• Agile methods
  Work iteratively. This way teams can process feedback faster and develop the system further as needed.
• Continuous improvement
  A transformation doesn't end with the go-live. Plan fixed phases for optimization after the go-live from the start.

Top management has to rethink: A cultural change is needed

Change doesn't succeed with an all-or-nothing mentality. To review project goals, adjust milestones or postpone dates isn't failure – it's an expression of responsibility. Whoever stubbornly insists on the once-set target date runs the danger of succumbing to the so-called „sunk cost fallacy“: Already-made investments don't justify making further mistakes.

Flexibility as a strategic advantage

A successful go-live isn't a sprint, but part of a journey. Or, as Thomas Saueressig, SAP board member, aptly puts it: „Transformation is a journey, not a sprint.“

Companies that place quality before speed secure themselves sustainable successes. Whoever possesses the ability to revise decisions and correct the course when it's necessary will be more successful in the long term.

Ask yourself: Do we want to keep the date – or do we want to complete the transformation successfully?

Our conclusion: Sometimes the most courageous action is to postpone a date

A postponement of the go-live date can be the decisive step in order not to endanger the bigger picture. What's decisive isn't the date in the calendar, but the sustainable success of the transformation.

Would you like to examine how resilient your current project plan really is? Or whether a more flexible approach can give your S/4HANA transformation new momentum? Talk to us. Together we develop a realistic planning – or readjust where it's necessary.