Many organizations are currently undergoing an SAP S/4HANA transformation, and some are already investing in AI technology. But how do new technologies actually work in day-to-day operations?

Between technical deployment and actual adoption, there is often a gap. What is needed goes beyond tools—it requires enablement, communication, and organizational change management that puts people first. Experiences from SAP customers show how this can succeed.

Global transformation, local anchoring as a guiding principle

Dulaan Punsag-Odefey cites a number that immediately makes the challenge tangible: 265. That is how many key users serve as change ambassadors at Hapag-Lloyd, distributed across six regions worldwide. The shipping company is one of the five largest in the world and is in the midst of an SAP S/4HANA Finance transformation. The “Fast Forward” program affects 4,000 SAP users in more than 140 countries.

Punsag-Odefey, organizational change management (OCM) lead at Hapag-Lloyd, explains: “Change management is anchored in our program as a strategic enabler. Not as an add-on, but as a core element.”

In practice, this means the 265 ambassadors translate global standards into local language and local practice. Controllers are expected to evolve into business partners who no longer just produce Excel spreadsheets but deliver decision-ready recommendations for sales and operations. The message to the workforce is “It will be different, but better.”

How a federal agency demonstrates effective change management

That transformation can succeed without following the textbook is demonstrated by the Bundesanstalt für Post und Telekommunikation (BAnst PT), Germany’s Federal Agency for Post and Telecommunications. The agency implemented SAP S/4HANA in just one year: greenfield, public cloud, 1,000 affected users, go-live on January 1, 2026. In parallel, the organization moved to a new administration building with a new-work concept.

Simone Kunze, specialist in the SAP Service Center at BAnst PT, knows the phrases that come up in every organization: “Is there an official directive for this?” or “Standard won’t work for us.” What helped was honest communication and direct moderation within business units instead of token feedback sessions.

A fit-to-standard approach replaced legacy custom solutions. Key users were developed from project experts who had already built depth through workshops, user stories, and test cases. The investment in support paid off: after go-live, dozens of thank you e-mails came in regarding the new SAP travel expense management and Fiori apps, and survey response rates exceeded 70%.

Thilo Menges from the Medical University of Lusatia (MuL) takes this one step further. His project has a unique starting point: with 3.6 billion euros in funding, an entirely new organization is being built from scratch, including SAP technologies. Menges makes a point that many organizations do not state this clearly: “For me, change management is an investment protection measure. This is an organizational project, and people need support in change processes.”

Change management in his project accounts for 4.3% of the total budget—the largest single line item in the SAP contract.

SAP’s change management framework with its six dimensions, which MuL follows, is integrated into the SAP Activate methodology. Particularly important are early assessments, target-group-specific communication, and the identification of trusted multipliers rather than a blanket approach.

What was also highlighted: learning does not end at go-live. Tools like WalkMe enable context-sensitive support in the flow of work, especially for infrequent processes. Enabling the organization to independently maintain and evolve these systems is critical for sustained success.

The organizations mentioned above are supported by change management consultants from SAP. More information is available here.

From shadow AI to structured integration at KIT

While BAnst PT and Hapag-Lloyd are primarily transforming SAP system landscapes, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) faces a different question: how do you get 25,000 students and 10,000 employees to use AI responsibly, instead of each person experimenting on their own in the shadows?

In 18 months, KIT made the journey from uncontrolled AI usage to an AI toolbox with governance rules. Rather than issuing bans, KIT focuses on enablement.

Andreas Sexauer from the Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning at KIT describes the approach as follows: a mandatory qualification module covers foundational knowledge and legal aspects before students and faculty gain access to the AI toolbox. In parallel, use case workshops run across departments, from leadership teams to the legal department. After the teaching rollout in April 2025, 31 didactic chatbots were created in the first seven days. Faculty configure them directly in the learning management system for their respective courses.

KIT also takes a pragmatic approach to costs: after initially providing free access, a budget cap per person per month was introduced.

What research confirms

Whether shipping company, federal agency, or university, all customers report similar patterns. Prof. Dr. Renate Osterchrist from the Munich University of Applied Sciences provides the scientific foundation: she analyzed 119 studies on the effectiveness of change interventions, examining six intervention fields: communication, support, involvement, reinforcement, social influence, and coercion. Key effectiveness factors in change include:

• Dialogue formats are more effective than one-way communication.
• Coaching for managers improves not only their leadership capability but also measurably enhances implementation competence. Coaching and peer exchange are also very beneficial for employees.
• The dimension of coercion had been under-researched until now: clarity in messaging about what behavior is expected proves helpful. Manipulation and political maneuvering, on the other hand, reduce commitment.
• The frequently cited claim that 70% of all change projects fail is not supported by current data.
• The statement “Honestly, I have never experienced a change where there was too much communication” further underscores the important role of communication.

When AI agents enter the picture, change becomes even more critical

What happens when not only new systems are introduced but AI agents take over parts of the work? This is precisely the question that arose when Joule Studio 2.0 was demonstrated live at the forum. With this solution, SAP customers can create AI agents that access their business context: SAP Knowledge Graph, process models, and domain knowledge. The agents are code-based and transparent. Developers describe the desired outcome in natural language; Joule Studio can generate the specification and executable code. Both no-code and pro-code approaches are possible.

The discussions that followed amongst SAP customers and partners made clear that the change management described above will be essential here. When agents take over tasks, roles change, responsibilities shift, and the way humans and machines collaborate is transformed.

A full documentation of the SAP Learning and Adoption Forum 2026, including videos, slides, and a chatbot, is available on SAP Community.

Thomas Jenewein is business development manager for AI, Transformation, & Adoption Services at SAP.

At SAP, our mission has always been to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. Thousands of organizations worldwide rely on SAP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other software to manage their most critical business operations—from corporate finance and human resources to supply chain management and project delivery.

Equally important to our customers are the on-premise maintenance and support practices that help safeguard the software’s ongoing performance and resilience, with regular updates and technical assistance that support business continuity.

As we continue to innovate across our portfolio, we also continue our efforts to let our commercial practices reflect the flexibility and transparency our customers need, and on engaging constructively with regulators around the world.

In a constructive dialogue with the European Commission, SAP has now agreed to a set of adaptations to these practices that will further improve this flexibility, transparency, and predictability. These measures reflect our broad commitment to continuously evolving our practices to serve customers better as their businesses and technology landscapes change.

Our updated policies will apply to all current and future SAP customers worldwide for all of SAP’s on-premise products. Taken together, they represent one of the most customer-friendly maintenance and support approaches in the business software industry, and they set a leading example of what customers can expect from SAP. This further flexibility will not come at cost of business continuity, reliability, and scale, of course.

Specifically, SAP is committed to the following adaptations:

Greater choice in maintenance and support

SAP understands that customers that run SAP on-premise software want the choice and flexibility to tailor their maintenance arrangements to match the way their business operates. In response, SAP is further enhancing how customers can organize their SAP system landscape by providing a clear, streamlined framework for splitting it into separate parts, known as commercial installations, for which customers can select different levels of SAP support, elect no support at all ,or make other choices outside of SAP Support for that particular installation. This gives organizations even greater ability to tailor their on-premise support arrangements across different parts of their SAP environment in a way that best fits their operational and commercial priorities, allowing them to scope their maintenance and support strategy to match their strategic positioning and unique business outlook.

Providing more flexibility on unused licenses

SAP already offers attractive programs to leverage unused licenses by reallocating on-premise licenses to cloud subscriptions, to other on-premise licenses, or simply to terminate them.

With additional commitments, SAP is offering even more flexibility to help customers terminate licenses, in objectively justified cases. This concerns severe workforce reductions, software products in customer specific maintenance, bankruptcy, divestiture, and implementation failure cases.

SAP is also expanding access to single-metric contracts, which provide an alternative and often simpler way of calculating license fees on which maintenance and support fees are based. Broader availability of these contracts will give customers an even more transparent and predictable basis for managing their ongoing costs. The maintenance and support fees for the single metric contract are scaling with the single metric, which allows better adjustment to changing business conditions.

Simpler contract terms and policies

Clarity in contractual terms and policies is essential for customers making long-term technology decisions. As part of these commitments, SAP will further clarify some of its key contractual provisions and applicable policies. This provides even greater predictability, ensuring that customers can plan their support obligations with full confidence as they expand their SAP deployments.

Easier terms for returning customers

When a customer returns to SAP maintenance and support, it benefits from the innovation and corrections that were deployed during that time. Our commitments introduce meaningful improvements to the terms for customers that resume SAP maintenance and support after a period of absence.

SAP will not charge any administrative fees for customers coming back and limit the back-maintenance fee to the minimum of six months or 50% of the fees for the time off. In addition, a defined set of outdated products will not trigger any back-maintenance at all. These improvements provide further confidence that returning to SAP maintenance and support will be straightforward and cost-effective.

All these commitments were developed in a close and constructive discussion with the European Commission, but also with SAP’s customer representatives, like the German-Speaking User Group (DSAG).

“From the perspective of DSAG member companies, this is an important step in the right direction. The provided flexibility will help more customers to make the right decisions regarding their SAP system architecture. Even with SAP’s cloud-based strategy, it is important to decide on your own how to proceed with systems that still have a positive impact on the company and there’s no need to shut them down,” said Jens Hungershausen, Chairman of the Executive Board of DSAG. “We see this development as the result of our effort to drive an ongoing dialogue and partnership between SAP and the customer community on such improvements. These commitments will deliver tangible benefits for customers and strengthen trust while keeping customer choice and flexibility at the center.”

Our teams are ready to help

To support a seamless experience for every customer, SAP account executives and customer-facing teams will be fully briefed on all the changes outlined above. They are equipped to walk customers through the details, answer questions, and apply these commitments in a fair, transparent, and predictable way. Whether a customer is looking to restructure their system landscape, explore single-metric contracts, terminate unused licences, or understand the improved terms for returning to SAP support, SAP teams stand ready to guide them through every step of the process. There will be a clearing structure set up by SAP in case a customer may contend the application of these new rules.

Looking ahead

At SAP, we are committed to empowering organizations with the enterprise software and services they need to thrive as they modernize toward an AI-enabled autonomous enterprise at their own pace. We champion customer choice and continuously work to maintain an open, vibrant ecosystem for our partners and customers alike. These commitments are the product of constructive and collaborative engagement with the European Commission, and they are designed to deliver real, meaningful benefits to our global customer base.

As noted above, these commitments relate to our on-premises maintenance and support services. Our cloud offerings continue to evolve through ongoing innovation in areas like SAP S/4HANA Cloud, RISE with SAP, and our broader cloud portfolio and are unaffected by these changes. However, the added clarity and flexibility support customers as they modernize toward an AI-enabled autonomous enterprise at their own pace

We believe these commitments establish a new benchmark for customer-friendly practices in the enterprise software industry.

For full details on the commitments, including the conditions for their application, please visit here.

The full text of the commitments as adopted by the European Commission is also available on the Commission’s competition website under case number AT.40823.

We look forward to continuing to support the success of our customers’ businesses in the future!

Stefan Steinle is executive vice president and head of Global Customer Support at SAP.

Vinyl may be one of the music industry’s oldest formats, but it is experiencing a powerful resurgence. In 2025, for the first time this century, vinyl record sales exceeded $1 billion, underscoring renewed customer demand for physical media and premium listening experiences.

This momentum is aligned with consumer audio brand Victrola’s journey. Since its creation in 1906, Victrola has evolved into a global company known for its iconic record players, modern audio products, and mission to bring lifelong music memories to everyone

As it expanded into new sales and distribution channels, the company began to outgrow the limits of its existing ERP system. While its SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC) system was stable and served the business well over the years, Victrola needed more scalability and flexibility to match its ambitions. According to Adam Schneider, SVP of Digital Strategy at Victrola, the goal was not simply to maintain operations, but to create a foundation that could support innovation. “We needed something that fueled our creativity at Victrola,” he said. And SAP Cloud ERP was the right fit.

Victrola’s “let’s go” mentality

A move to the public cloud offered more than a technical upgrade; it empowered Victrola to adapt. In that spirit, the team approached the transformation as a complete reimagining of its system with a cloud-first mindset.

“We have a ‘let’s go’ mentality in every single meeting we do. You’ll see a lot of fist bumps at Victrola and we love it. It really keeps that change front and center,” Schneider said.

The project team prioritized change management, openly communicating the reasons for moving to the cloud and the expected benefits. Giving the “why” made a big difference, Schneider said, and everyone was “excited for something new.”

It was also important for the team to engage with and get buy-in from company leaders, who were concerned about disruption during Victrola’s peak sales quarter. To address these concerns, the team ensured the transformation was a business-led project, involving about 75% of Victrola’s leaders, Schneider said.

Another way the team worked to prevent operational disruption and build confidence in the stability of the new system was to involve a partner with deep expertise in SAP Cloud ERP. The right partner would also fit seamlessly into Victrola’s unique, candid, music-oriented culture, Schneider said, which it found in Reply.

“We wanted someone that could really provide that business knowledge on the public cloud,” he said. “From a timing perspective, we couldn’t afford to have people figuring out the project as they’re on the project, so it really was the expertise of the public cloud that was a huge part in this.”

With a winning team assembled, Victrola’s move to the public cloud was well-supported and bolstered by stakeholders across the company, SAP, and Reply.

Fine-tuning the foundation

Victrola’s SAP Cloud ERP transformation covered order-to-cash and finance processes as well as large warehouse operations. The implementation itself was strategically timed to avoid overloading the team during the critical Q4 sales period, and it took about six months in total. Schneider said that the business adapted to the new system gradually: within the first month confidence grew, and by four months post-launch operations normalized with ongoing fine-tuning.

Victrola chose not to migrate historical data due to changes in organizational structure when it came to data management and the greenfield nature of the cloud system. This decision avoided technical debt and complexity. In addition, legacy customizations were largely eliminated through fit-to-standard workshops.

“We were looking for the ability to adapt with us, and we wanted a system that could be as simple or as complex as we needed it to be,” Schneider said.

With the new cloud system, Victrola experiences greater trust in data accuracy and reporting agility. Financial processes have improved significantly, with profit and loss reporting time going from four hours to just 10-15 minutes. Faster closes and easier margin analysis contribute to Victrola’s improved agility, more informed decision-making, and stronger business performance.

“We’re more trusting in our data and that’s because we went through that exercise of really retooling what our landscape looked like and what our foundation looked like,” Schneider said. It’s because of that re-engineering of data and transactions that Victrola has eliminated over 250 hours of finance-related work.

The next track

Now that Victrola is running on the public cloud, the sky is the limit when it comes to growth and innovation. “When we think about our AI strategy, I’m no longer scared of our system,” Schneider said. “We’re now applying an AI strategy to a state-of-the-art system that SAP very much supports.”

When asked what advice he’d give to companies contemplating a move to the cloud, Schneider said that there is never a perfect time to start, but it’s better to welcome transformation rather than fear it.

“I don’t think there is ever a perfect time to do these transformations,” he added. “I do think once you get into them, you start to really embrace them and feel good about it and say ‘It’s happening, let’s go.’”

Interested in learning more about how SAP supports the transition from SAP ECC to SAP Cloud ERP? Get started here.

Photo courtesy of Victrola.