SAP in a speed frenzy

The S/4 disaster is slowly settling into the minds of existing customers, but not all legacy ERP has been cleaned up, consolidated or disposed of by a long shot. The in-memory computing database Hana is fun and challenging, but be careful with day-to-day operations.

Anomalies and bugs still lurk in the program code: After Hana, Hana 2 is a major improvement. But the retread is not yet complete. Those who can, wait for Hana 3 around the year 2020.

SAP, on the other hand, is not concerned with operational stability, but is pushing for further licensing. The ERP world market leader from Walldorf needs revenue growth to support its cloud investments and IoT/KI innovations.

What was the closing sentence at SAP's FKOM 2018 in Barcelona: "S/4 Hana growth is strong but start to position and sell Leonardo now!" The existing customer has enjoyed a stable NetWeaver stack for several years.

The latest SolMan in version 7.2 is still in its adolescence and needs to be tamed. SuccessFactors is not an HR solution for the majority of existing customers. An on-premise HCM has to be earned by the SAP community.

There is a lot to do. SAP's pushing and shoving in the direction of Hana, S/4, Blockchain, IoT, Machine Learning, etc. is therefore counterproductive.

Yes, the direction is right: In-memory, mobile and cloud computing will solve many tasks, but first the existing customer needs a stable foundation, an outlook and a roadmap - a road without a speed bump.

No doubt, the offers, the menu from Walldorf is consumed - but everything in its own time. During the appetizer, no one wants to think about the sweet dessert. People look forward to an intermediate course and possibly the main course.

But SAP's impatience is a traditional virtue. Even former SAP CEO Henning Kagermann complained in 2007 about the slow pace of development among his existing customers. As nibelung-loyal as existing customers may be, they don't like it at all when they are rushed, pushed, and harassed.

Not only Henning Kagermann, but also Bill McDermott will have to wait until SolMan, NetWeaver, BusinessObjects and many other SAP add-ons and acquisitions have been digested. Only then can the existing customer face new challenges again.

Digital transformation will drive and motivate the entire community. What is the saying? Nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked! So existing customers will take the time to let the soup cool down before they have to spoon it up.

Bill McDermott needs to tame an impatience and set aside the Hana speed rush.