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The next major wave of SAP S/4HANA transformations is no longer on the horizon, it’s already building. As SAP ECC support winds down by 2027 (in most cases), and businesses increasingly embrace digital first strategies, organisations are gearing up to modernise their ERP landscapes. For many, that means transitioning to SAP S/4HANA or leveraging RISE with SAP for a more cloud-centric, agile future.

This isn’t just a technical upgrade, it's a full business transformation.

Here are the critical areas to consider as you prepare for what’s shaping up to be one of the most significant enterprise shifts in recent years.

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1. Secure Resources ASAP Before the Rush Peaks

The SAP ecosystem is heating up. With so many organisations embarking on their S/4 journeys simultaneously, the market for skilled SAP talent is tightening fast.

Why it matters: At Speller we are seeing demand build for SAP S/4HANA skills. As this wave accelerates, day rates and partner costs will rise, and lead times to onboard the right experts will grow.

Action: Start identifying your internal resource gaps now. Lock in trusted consultants, systems integrators, or contractors early. The sooner you secure capacity, the smoother your planning and execution phases will be.

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​2. Do You Have a Solid Change Management Strategy?

One of the most underestimated components of an SAP transformation is the human factor. Technology alone doesn’t drive success, people do. Change can be disruptive, especially when legacy processes are deeply embedded across the organization.

Action: Develop a clear change strategy with stakeholder engagement, communication plans, training programs, and feedback loops. Appoint change champions across business units to guide teams through the transition.

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​3. Are the Business Teams Truly Ready?

You cannot afford for this to be an IT only project. SAP S/4HANA and RISE affect every aspect of how your business runs, from finance and supply chain to procurement and customer service.

Action: Conduct readiness assessments early. Engage business leaders in every phase. Design, testing, and deployment. Make sure they understand what’s changing, why, and how it impacts their teams.

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​4. System Integrator or In-House Team? Choose Wisely

This decision can define the success of your entire program. Both routes have pros and cons, and your choice should reflect your internal capabilities, risk tolerance, and transformation timeline.

Action: Consider choosing a hybrid model: partnering with an SI for the core implementation while keeping strategy and key processes in-house. This ensures ownership and continuity while leveraging external firepower.

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​5. RISE with SAP or Traditional S/4HANA? Know the Difference

RISE with SAP is more than just an S/4 upgrade, it’s a subscription-based, cloud-first model that includes infrastructure, tools for process insight, and managed services.

Action: Conduct a fit-gap analysis to determine if RISE aligns with your digital goals, compliance needs, and IT strategy.

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​6. Greenfield, Brownfield, or Selective? Choose the Right Approach

How you move to S/4HANA is just as important as when.

Greenfield: A fresh start with clean processes, but requires the most effort.

Brownfield: A technical conversion of existing systems. Can be quicker, but retains legacy complexity.

Selective Transformation: A flexible mix, allowing you to redesign what’s needed while retaining value where it exists.

Action: Assess your current architecture and business priorities to choose a path that delivers long-term value, not just short-term gains.

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​7. Think Beyond Go-Live: Plan for Continuous Innovation

S/4HANA is not a “set it and forget it” solution. Especially with RISE, innovation is continuous, with quarterly updates, new features, and emerging capabilities.

Tip: Embed agility into your operating model. Establish an innovation pipeline and make room for continuous business improvement.

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The upcoming wave of SAP S/4HANA and RISE with SAP transformations will define the next era of enterprise agility.

Whether you're just beginning to plan or are already deep in the discovery phase, make sure you’re thinking strategically about resources, readiness, change management, and your operating model post-transformation.

Because this isn’t just a tech project, its your future operating model.