Gap between past success and future confidence

A notable pattern emerges when comparing organizations' past ERP implementation experiences with their confidence levels regarding S/4HANA outcomes. The data reveals what might be characterized as a confidence gap—one that persists even among organizations with proven track records of successful implementations.

For instance, survey respondents report overwhelmingly positive experiences with past ERP implementations, with 90 percent of organizations characterizing their past implementations as successful or mostly successful (see figure 1).

Yet despite these high success rates in past implementations, respondents reported mixed confidence levels for S/4HANA projects (see figure 2). Just over half (55 percent) of respondents report being "very confident" they’ll achieve their expected business outcomes, while 27 percent are only "somewhat confident." Fifteen percent indicate it's "too early to tell" and 3 percent report being "not confident."

Several factors may contribute to this confidence gap. S/4HANA migrations are highly complex, often involving more-substantial architectural changes than traditional upgrades, including cloud deployments, new user interfaces, and embedded AI capabilities. They are also highly resource intensive, requiring significant internal IT expertise and extensive testing and validation. With thousands of companies needing to migrate in a relatively short window, companies that wait too long face resource shortages and higher costs. Given these challenges, it’s not surprising that of the 103 organizations surveyed that reported fully successful past implementations, only 67 percent express being "very confident" in S/4HANA outcomes.

The importance of a strategic advisor

The disconnect between past ERP success and lower confidence in S/4HANA outcomes is not driven by a lack of ambition, but by gaps in execution. While most organizations report successful past implementations, many experienced delays, cost overruns, or partial value realization, pointing to underlying structural challenges.

Figure 3: The most common occurrences that erode confidence

A strategic advisor helps close this gap by operating at the enterprise level, shaping direction, priorities, and decision frameworks alongside the C-suite. Unlike system integrators, who focus on delivery, the advisor ensures the transformation remains anchored in business outcomes.

This role often begins before execution. Many organizations struggle to secure true executive alignment and approval given the scale and uncertainty of S/4HANA. A strategic advisor builds a clear, value-backed case for change, strengthening sponsorship and conviction up front.

During execution, the advisor brings structure to ambiguity by translating ambition into a sequenced road map with clear scope and dependencies, directly addressing planning gaps. They also introduce independent oversight, challenging decisions across architecture, data readiness, and delivery approach to reduce avoidable complexity and risk.

At the leadership level, the advisor aligns business, IT, and delivery partners, ensuring trade-offs are made deliberately and early. Finally, they anchor the program in value realization, tracking outcomes beyond go-live and ensuring benefits are achieved.

Without this layer, organizations default to SI-led execution and familiar delivery models, leaving the root causes of past challenges unaddressed and reinforcing the confidence gap.