On the fast-track to intelligent supply chains in retail and CPG

Stefano Montanari – RCG Consulting Lead, Benelux explains how RISE with SAP – together with Cognizant – helps companies to accelerate their supply chain modernisation journeys

For Retail and CPG companies, the journey to supply chain modernisation is an essential one. But it can seem daunting. To provide confidence and ensure stable, seamless progress, the RISE with SAP Methodology provides a standardised end-to-end framework, a toolchain, and expert guidance on the path to cloud ERP. In this blog, I’ll take a closer look at what’s involved, as well as showing how Cognizant supports these initiatives in partnership with SAP.  

Providing a framework for modernisation

To be effective, supply chain modernisation projects demand a joined-up, consistent approach. This is what the RISE with SAP methodology (see above) is designed to deliver. It includes an enhanced SAP Activate project roadmap, tailor-made for RISE with SAP, with task data and accelerators, the Clean Core plan, and quality gates to ensure compliance with Clean Core principles.

The project milestones for Clean Core quality gates (QG) ensure that the Clean Core plan and KPIs of the project are followed up.

An integrated toolchain promotes collaboration between customers, partners, and SAP through a unified cloud operational governance model. The toolchain includes SAP Signavio, which helps to provide full enterprise observability and seamless management of complex processes and SAP LeanIX to ensure the new enterprise architecture design aligns to supply chain transformation goals.

SAP Test Automation from Tricentis supports the next phase (validation and activation), enabling accelerated testing with minimal disruption to business operations. Also during this phase, SAP Enable Now facilitates collaborative build and deployment of contextually relevant and proactive training with in-app assistance to facilitate and speed adoption.

Next, in the build and monitor phase, SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP Build support agile application development and seamless integration, while SAP Cloud ALM helps organisations to maintain a Clean Core and implement a solid digital backbone with planning and quality checks.

Supporting RISE with SAP every step of the way

The SAP Activate Methodology is a well-proven proven route to successful adoption of SAP S/4HANA and cloud. And we’re enhancing it with our LEAP with Cognizant programme (Learn About Possibilities, Enable Transformation, Accelerate the Journey, Perform and Transform).

Grounded in a track-record of successful customer engagements, our LEAP framework (shown above) provides a value-driven approach for supply chain modernisations built on SAP S/4HANA. It spans four proven capabilities developed to simplify and fast-track the cloud modernisation journey through tools, accelerators, and an agile approach:

• Future-ready ERP powered by cloud
• Business process intelligence that drives process transformation
• Business technology platforms that extend solutions and deliver advanced analytics
• Business networks that extend capabilities beyond the core.

Bringing together the Cognizant® Intelligent Enterprise Platform and our award-winning BTP solutions and business network accelerators, we provide a 360° view of business processes and seamlessly integrate these with IT core and other SaaS applications – enabling continuous business process innovation in short cycle times.

We’re also helping companies to reduce operational costs by an average 20% through our ROI Value Realization Framework, SAP Certified Cognizant® Automation Center, and Application Value Management (AVM) Factory models.

Essential considerations for RISE with SAP adoption

Companies evaluating whether to modernise their supply chains through the RISE with SAP framework will fall into two camps – new or existing SAP ERP customers (see graphic below).

New customers (planning greenfield implementations) will have two options for hosting SAP S/4HANA:

• as a dedicated single-tenant solution via the Private Cloud Edition (included in RISE with SAP)
• through a multi-tenant SaaS model via the Public Cloud Edition (included in GROW with SAP).

Meanwhile, for existing SAP ERP customers (planning brownfield implementations), several options are available:

• migrate their ECC systems to hyperscale cloud providers using the RISE ECC (Private Cloud Edition) solution while simultaneously exploring the SAP S/4HANA roadmap
• opt for a system conversion to transition their systems to SAP S/4HANA as part of the RISE migration
• leverage SAP Landscape Transformation for phased adoption and transition to SAP S/4HANA.

Greenfield implementations

New SAP ERP customers will typically either be migrating from a non-SAP legacy system or upgrading from an older SAP solution. Either way, the goals will be to maximise innovation, streamline business processes, and embrace new cloud solutions. In some cases, it may only be necessary to transfer essential master and transactional data from their existing solution. In others, where enterprises are targeting more complex and articulated migrations, they may also choose to deploy the SAP Enterprise Management Layer. This is a fully configured, documented, and ready-to-deploy SAP S/4HANA system available with RISE with SAP for a service cost.

Brownfield implementations

In SAP S/4HANA system conversions, the existing SAP ERP solution is converted to SAP S/4HANA using the same business data and configuration. Customers taking this approach want to avoid merging or splitting their ERP instances and prefer to retain their current data. They may also seek to minimise upfront change, while introducing innovations later on.

Bluefield/hybrid implementations

For SAP S/4HANA implementations with selective data transition (bluefield/hybrid), the key focus is minimal disruption to business operations and a phased transition with selective data transition (SDT). Combining elements of greenfield and brownfield approaches, this approach enables organisations to selectively migrate existing processes and data to the new system while taking advantage of S/4HANA's advanced capabilities.

Accelerate the supply chain modernisation and transformation journey

In a fast-changing, increasingly competitive marketplace, retail and CPG companies must have access to integrated, accurate and timely data. The quality and timeliness of their decision-making depends on it. And nowhere is that more vital than in their supply chain operations.

The bottom line? Without connected end-to-end processes powered by real-time customer and sales data, they’re unable to anticipate and deliver to market demands. Seamlessly connected processes are also key to enabling flexible, sustainable value chains and supporting the agility and future-readiness that are so key to adjusting rapidly to change.

To find out more about how we’re help RISE with SAP customers in the retail and CPG industries to put in place the trusted data foundation they need to fast-track progress to these critical outcomes, please follow our dedicated page.