In the dynamic landscape of enterprise technology, SAP's Joule AI agents are poised to revolutionize business operations, particularly within the S/4HANA ecosystem. These intelligent agents are not just tools but collaborative partners designed to automate complex workflows across various business functions, thereby enhancing efficiency and decision-making.
The integration of Joule AI agents into SAP's S/4HANA platform signifies a monumental shift towards intelligent automation. By addressing critical areas such as procurement inefficiencies, contract compliance, and payment processing, these agents empower organizations to operate with unprecedented agility and precision.
Look below for use cases that fit your organization!
Standard SAP Joule Agents will be coming later in 2025.
The objective is Maximum Autonomy: agents start on their own on a schedule or react to exceptions, think, and take actions. You can set approval policies or guidance for the agents to operate in the way you want!
For each case, we provide:
- A short description of the challenge.
- A proposition of what the agent would do.
- Estimated benefits.
- Exactly which transactions or actions Joule would take.
We will update it with references and learnings soon.
Thanks to Hachem Bouabid and Jose Ignacio Cabal for collaborating on this list!
Source to Pay:
1. Out-of-Policy Transactions Monitoring 🔍
An SAP Joule agent continuously monitors purchase orders and spending patterns to detect out-of-policy transactions in real time.
It flags deviations and suggests approved vendors to enforce compliance and reduce off-contract spending.
People Involved: ~10–30 (procurement, finance, line-of-business managers)
Potential Value/ROI: 1–3% of total procurement spend recovered or prevented (e.g., $1M–$3M saved annually on a $100M spend)
FTE Saved: ~2–4 through reduced manual oversight and fewer policy violations to chase
It compares purchase orders (e.g., via ME23N) against approved vendor lists and contract terms, automatically flagging off-contract purchases and triggering corrective email alerts (ME51N).
2. Contract Usage Compliance 📑
The agent ensures that all purchases align with negotiated contracts to maximize savings and compliance.
It cross-references actual purchasing data with negotiated contracts for optimal spend management.
People Involved: ~5–15 (procurement, contract management, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: 1–2% cost savings improvement; up to $1M–$2M on a $100M contract portfolio
FTE Saved: ~1–3 by reducing contract auditing and manual tracking
It scans active contracts in SAP (e.g., ME33K) and matches them against new POs, alerting buyers when purchases fall outside negotiated terms.
3. Late Payments Management ⏰
The agent integrates with accounts payable data to predict upcoming due dates and highlight at-risk invoices.
This ensures timely payments, reducing penalty fees and maintaining strong supplier relationships.
People Involved: ~5–15 (accounts payable, treasury, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Saves $100K–$500K in penalty fees and negotiation costs
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating reminders and prioritizing payment scheduling
It monitors open invoices in the Accounts Payable module (e.g., FBL1N) and triggers reminders or auto-generates payment proposals (F110).
4. Lost Cash Discount Recovery 💸
By comparing invoice terms with real-time cash-flow forecasts, the agent identifies potential early payment discounts.
This proactive approach helps capture discount opportunities and optimize working capital.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts payable, treasury)
Potential Value/ROI: Recovers 0.5–1% of spend; up to $1M annually on a $100M spend
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating discount tracking and invoice scheduling
It reviews invoice payment terms (e.g., via MIRO data), forecasts cash flow, and schedules payments (F110) ahead of discount deadlines.
5. Duplicate Invoice Prevention 🔄
Using pattern recognition and invoice matching, the agent detects duplicate invoices to prevent erroneous payments.
This real-time scanning reduces manual checking and enhances data accuracy.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts payable, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Avoids 0.1–0.5% in erroneous payments; up to $100K–$500K on a $100M spend
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by reducing manual invoice checks and dispute resolution
It analyzes invoice data across multiple fields (e.g., in MIR4 or FB03), blocks duplicates automatically, and emails summary reports for review.
6. Automated Purchase Order Creation 📝
The agent streamlines purchase order generation by analyzing historical data, vendor catalogs, and usage patterns.
This reduces manual entry errors, speeds up the procurement cycle, and frees up staff for strategic tasks.
People Involved: ~5–15 (procurement, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Achieves a 10–30% efficiency gain in PO processing
FTE Saved: ~2–4 by reducing manual data entry and repetitive tasks
It leverages historical data (e.g., via ME2N) to auto-generate new POs (ME21N), populates necessary fields, attaches documents, and notifies buyers for review.
7. Purchase Order Change Control 🔧
The agent tracks frequent change requests to identify root causes and suggest standardized processes.
This minimizes non-value-adding modifications and improves supplier relationships.
People Involved: ~5–10 (procurement, requestors, suppliers)
Potential Value/ROI: Reduces PO modifications by 10–20%, enhancing cycle times
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by minimizing administrative rework and extra approvals
It monitors changes (e.g., via ME22N), analyzes recurring issues, and alerts procurement leaders with process improvement recommendations.
8. Payment Terms Discrepancy Resolution ⚖️
By comparing contract terms, purchase orders, and invoices, the agent flags mismatches in payment terms.
This timely insight helps maintain consistent cash flow and prevents costly errors.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts payable, finance, procurement)
Potential Value/ROI: Improves cash-flow management by 0.5–1%
FTE Saved: ~1–2 through automated matching of PO, invoice, and contract data
It compares PO details (ME23N) with invoice data (MIRO) and contract information (ME33K), flagging discrepancies and suggesting corrective actions.
9. Prevention of Early Payments 🛑
The agent tracks invoice due dates and aligns them with cash management strategies to prevent premature payments.
This preserves optimal working capital and avoids unplanned cash outflows.
People Involved: ~5–10 (treasury, accounts payable)
Potential Value/ROI: Improves working capital utilization by 0.5–1%, potentially freeing $500K–$1M
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating payment scheduling based on cash flow
It monitors due dates in the Accounts Payable ledger (FBL1N) and holds payment proposals (F110) until the optimal date, sending notifications when manual intervention is needed.
10. Early Delivery Management 🚚
The agent monitors production schedules and supplier lead times to flag early shipments that may disrupt inventory planning.
This enables timely interventions to reduce excess holding costs.
People Involved: ~5–15 (supply chain, logistics, procurement)
Potential Value/ROI: Reduces excess inventory holding costs by 5–10%, saving $100K–$500K in mid-size operations
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by reducing the need for ad-hoc inventory re-planning
It reviews planned delivery dates (ME23N) versus goods receipts (MIGO) and alerts procurement or warehouse teams when early arrivals are detected.
Lead to Cash:
11. Shipped Not Billed Items 📦
For goods delivered but not yet invoiced, the agent cross-checks shipping and billing data to detect invoicing gaps.
Automated notifications ensure timely billing, improving cash flow and revenue recognition.
People Involved: ~5–10 (sales ops, billing, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Unlocks $100K–$1M in unbilled revenue, depending on volume
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating billing triggers and reconciliation
It matches outbound deliveries (VL03N) with billing documents (VF03), triggers pending billing workflows (VF01), and sends reminders for invoice finalization.
12. Rejected Sales Document Analysis ❌
The agent analyzes rejected orders to identify recurring issues like pricing errors or missing data.
This helps reduce revenue leakage and shortens the order-to-cash cycle.
People Involved: ~5–10 (sales ops, customer service, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Recovers 1–2% of potential sales by resolving issues quickly
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating error detection and resolution workflows
It reviews sales order rejections in VA02, compiles error patterns, and sends consolidated reports to sales management with corrective recommendations.
13. Unearned Cash Discount Reclamation 💰
By comparing actual payment timings with contractual discount rules, the agent detects unauthorized early payment discounts.
This ensures accurate billing, protects margins, and maintains transparent customer relationships.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts receivable, finance, customer service)
Potential Value/ROI: Reclaims 0.5–1% of invoice value if discounts are incorrectly applied
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating discount eligibility checks and dispute resolution
It reviews payment dates (FBL5N) against discount eligibility in customer master data, generating debit memos (VF01) or notifying the AR team for review.
14. Automated Sales Document Creation 🛒
The agent reduces manual effort by auto-generating sales orders and invoices using historical data, product catalogs, and customer preferences.
This accelerates order processing and minimizes errors, enhancing customer satisfaction.
People Involved: ~5–15 (sales ops, customer service, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Enables 10–20% faster order processing with fewer manual errors
FTE Saved: ~2–3 by eliminating repetitive data entry tasks
It generates new sales orders (VA01) with pre-populated fields, emails the sales team for confirmation, and integrates orders into the standard workflow automatically.
15. Automated Billing Document Creation 📄
The Joule agent streamlines billing by converting confirmed sales orders into billing documents with minimal human intervention.
This accelerates revenue recognition and ensures consistent, accurate invoicing.
People Involved: ~5–10 (sales ops, billing, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Reduces manual billing workload by 10–20%, accelerating revenue cycles
FTE Saved: ~2–4 through full automation of invoice and billing document creation
Once a sales order is delivered (VL01N/VL02N), it triggers billing document creation (VF01), updates financial records in real time, and emails the invoice to the customer.
16. Automated Customer Invoice Clearing ✅
By matching payments to invoices using reference numbers, amounts, and timing, the agent automates invoice clearing.
This accelerates cash application and frees up finance teams for higher-value activities.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts receivable, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Achieves 10–30% faster payment reconciliation, reducing days sales outstanding (DSO)
FTE Saved: ~2–3 by automating the matching of payments to open invoices
It cross-references incoming payments (FF68/FB05) with open invoices, clears them automatically (F-28), and notifies AR staff if discrepancies arise.
17. Customer Late Payment Management ⏳
The agent tracks customer due dates and sends proactive reminders to address late payments that impact cash flow.
This improves collections and reduces days sales outstanding (DSO).
People Involved: ~5–15 (accounts receivable, collections, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Improves cash flow by 1–2%, potentially freeing $1M–$2M on a $100M AR portfolio
FTE Saved: ~2–3 through automated dunning, reminders, and follow-up scheduling
It monitors open items in Accounts Receivable (FBL5N), sends timely reminders, and schedules follow-up calls as needed.
18. Sales Payment Terms Discrepancy 📊
The agent cross-verifies payment terms in sales transactions—comparing billing documents with master data—to flag inconsistencies.
This ensures billing accuracy, predictable cash flows, and fewer disputes.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts receivable, finance, sales ops)
Potential Value/ROI: Improves cash flow by 0.5–1% through reduced discrepancies
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating the reconciliation of billing documents with master data
It compares billing documents (VF03), master data (XD03), and sales orders (VA03), then alerts relevant teams to address mismatches.
19. Late Goods Issue Monitoring 🚛
Delays in delivering goods can disrupt cash flow and operational efficiency.
The agent monitors warehouse operations and order timelines to flag orders at risk of delayed dispatch.
People Involved: ~5–15 (warehouse, logistics, sales ops)
Potential Value/ROI: Minimizes shipping delays that stall invoicing, potentially improving cash flow by $100K–$500K
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by reducing back-and-forth communications between logistics and sales
It compares planned shipment dates in outbound deliveries (VL01N/VL02N) with actual goods issues, alerting warehouse managers to delays and suggesting corrective actions.
20. Overdue Customer Invoices Management 📈
The agent provides real-time insights into outstanding invoices not paid within agreed terms, mitigating bad debt and late payment risks.
Automated reminders and escalation workflows help prioritize follow-up actions.
People Involved: ~5–10 (accounts receivable, finance)
Potential Value/ROI: Enhances cash flow and reduces risk of bad debt by ensuring timely collections
FTE Saved: ~1–2 by automating reminders and escalations
It monitors overdue invoices, prioritizes follow-ups based on risk levels, and supports compliance through structured escalation processes.
What would you add to this list?
See you soon!
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