For many years, a journey to the latest release of SAP meant an ongoing battle between business users that did not want to let go of the past, and IT, along with their supporting systems integrators trying to convince the business to let go of the past and focus on the “to be”. The introduction of business process intelligence (BPI) into both a digital transformation strategy and project methodology can go a long way towards bridging this long-standing divide. At Applexus, we find that BPI supports all 5 core principles of our digital transformation approach.

Core Principles of the Applexus Approach to Digital Transformation
How BPI adds value
For many SAP ECC customers, the investment required to execute a digital transformation to SAP S/4HANA has been difficult to justify. A strong BPI tool, such as Celonis or SAP’s recent acquisition Signavio, can help build the business case for an S/4 transformation by pointing out slow, costly, or otherwise ineffective user journeys and process pain points that can be resolved through a digital transformation powered by SAP S/4. Our Applexus RunWay model leverages BPI to not only help build the business case but also select the right digital transformation roadmap to fit the business.
As transformation projects progress, BPI tools can provide a fact-based understanding of a company’s as-is processes better than dozens of workshops. The anecdotal situations brought forth by front line business users often chip away at the business case while infrequently required process variants get added to the scope and increase the long-term total cost of ownership. BPI tools will help the business users see if, and how, standard processes are faster, better and cheaper than what they had been doing and how certain process variants should be stopped as they provide no additional value to the company. Opportunities to leverage technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) can also be identified with the nearly automatic business justification that a BPI tool will identify.
In our RunningStart methodology, which has its roots in SAP Activate, we have already factored BPI into how and where within the project lifecycle this tool will bring value. We see better business cases, more standard deployments, enhancements that maximize value, shorter projects and reduced time to value. This holistic process view justifies the digital transformation journey. In turn, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which includes innovation that offers competitive advantage, process excellence and happy, engaged, and more productive associates will create a nimble intelligent enterprise.
So, the answer to the opening question is a resounding yes. You should include BPI now and throughout the entire digital transformation journey.
To know more about how you can leverage BPI to deliver business value in your digital transformation journey or to learn more about our Runway model, reach out to us
https://www.applexus.com/contact-us