This change compelled a transformation across the client’s entire SAP landscape—and it provides an example of Kearney’s deep familiarity with SAP strategic transformation. More recently, the Kearney–SAP relationship has advanced into a formal partnership, in which the two organizations pool their distinct areas of expertise to help companies secure their global SAP transition to S/4.

The cosmetics maker faced a situation common to many global companies in the context of S/4 transformation: the need to standardize the IT organization, ways of working, processes, and governance across the world while harmonizing the vendor ecosystem.

To address these challenges, Kearney performed a first phase of strategic evaluation and definition of the target operating model while developing a business case model for financial management of the program. Then Kearney structured a “control tower” to track program results, drive the change management, and ensure coordination across all workstreams.

After a couple of months, the transformation program has expanded across the company’s regions throughout Europe, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific region, progressively deploying a common IT delivery model and standardized processes across all of these areas.

The project has resulted in a standardized and streamlined IT operating model for the cosmetics company, as well as a more efficient approach to vendor relationships paving the way for the success of the move to S/4.

“Kearney has been particularly instrumental throughout these two years in providing us with recommendations on the target operating model’s evolution strategy and the effective support in the implementation of this transformation at the global level,” said one senior executive at the company.

In short, it’s been a thing of beauty. If your company is ready for its IT operating model makeover in the context of SAP transformation, contact Kearney; our worldwide network of experts is ideally qualified to assess your systems and make your upgrade a success.