From ECC to Public Cloud: The People Side of an Evergreen ERP

Migrating from SAP ECC to the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud isn’t just a technical upgrade – it’s a people transformation. As your organization moves to an evergreen ERP (a cloud-based system with continuous updates), success will hinge on how well your people adapt, learn, and embrace change. Technology might be the catalyst, but people are the drivers. In fact, studies show that around 70% of major transformation projects fail to meet their goals​ often because employees don’t buy in or lack the necessary skill. To avoid becoming part of that statistic, it’s critical to focus on the human side of this ERP journey from day one.

Why People Matter in an Evergreen ERP Migration

SAP ECC (ERP Central Component) has been a reliable workhorse for years, but its era is nearing an end. SAP plans to discontinue standard support for ECC by 2027​, pressuring businesses to transition to S/4HANA – frequently via cloud deployments for agility and innovation. An evergreen ERP like S/4HANA Cloud brings continuous quarterly updates and new features, unlike the old cycle of infrequent major upgrades​. This “always up-to-date” model offers big benefits – access to the latest capabilities and improvements – but also presents a constant change management challenge. New functionality arrives whether your organization is ready or not​. That means your IT teams must regularly ensure integrations and customizations still work, and your end-users must continually learn changes and enhancements.

Many first-time cloud ERP adopters make the mistake of focusing only on the go-live moment and “forget the time after Go-Live”​. In a traditional ERP upgrade, employees had years to settle into a system; with an evergreen ERP, adjustments are ongoing. People need to be prepared for a journey, not a one-time event. Questions like “How will we take advantage of new features every quarter? Do we have the resources to test and train for each update?” should be top of mind​. Successfully answering these depends on strong change management, ongoing training, and a culture that embraces continuous improvement. Let’s explore these people-focused elements in detail.

Change Management: Guiding Your Team Through Continuous Change

Any ERP migration brings disruption to established processes and routines. Without a structured change management approach, even the best technology can falter due to user resistance. Change management is about preparing, equipping, and supporting your people to adopt new ways of working. This starts well before the new system goes live and continues long after.

Begin by crafting a clear change narrative: Why are you moving to S/4HANA Public Cloud? How will this change benefit the organization and individual roles? Communicate the vision early and often. Employees need to understand the “what’s in it for me” – whether it’s faster analytics, a more intuitive interface, or elimination of painful manual tasks. Regular town halls, newsletters, and feedback sessions can help reinforce the reasons for change and address fears. Remember, if people feel a change is being done to them rather than with them, they’re likely to resist.

Next, identify change champions or power users in different departments. These are folks who can advocate for the new system and help peers during the transition. In an evergreen ERP scenario, champions play an ongoing role – they can gather feedback on each new update and assist in communicating upcoming changes. They essentially become ambassadors of continuous improvement.

Importantly, change management isn’t a one-off task. Just as your cloud ERP will update regularly, your change activities (communications, check-ins, refresher trainings) should be continuous as well. It can help to adopt formal change frameworks (like ADKAR or PROSCI) to structure these efforts. The goal is to build organizational change resilience – an ability to adapt to new features and processes as a normal course of business. When your people are change-ready, the constant evolution of an evergreen ERP becomes an opportunity for growth rather than a source of frustration.

Training and Upskilling: Investing in Your People’s Knowledge

Moving from ECC to a modern cloud ERP often means a whole new user experience (think Fiori apps instead of the old SAP GUI) and new functionalities across finance, supply chain, and more. Comprehensive training is absolutely essential to empower your workforce. This isn’t just a one-time classroom session at go-live. To keep pace with an evergreen ERP, you need an ongoing learning program.

Start with robust initial training leading up to the migration. Tailor the training by role – for example, accountants might need to learn the new financial closing cockpit in S/4HANA, while sales teams learn new order management workflows. Hands-on practice in a sandbox environment helps build confidence. Consider using a mix of training methods: e-learning modules for basic navigation, in-person (or live virtual) workshops for process changes, and quick reference guides or videos for refreshers.

Crucially, plan for continuous upskilling after the go-live. With new releases hitting your system perhaps quarterly, there should be a process to educate users on relevant changes. Many companies create a “release readiness” process: each time SAP rolls out updates, your IT or training team identifies which changes impact your users and then rolls out mini-training or update bulletins. For example, if a new analytical dashboard becomes available, let the relevant team know and offer a short tutorial. This way, users feel supported and can immediately leverage new features rather than be surprised by them.

Don’t forget about your IT staff and SAP support team in upskilling efforts. They may need training on new S/4HANA architecture, extension techniques, or learning SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) services if those come into play. Investing in certifications or training courses for your technical team will pay off when they can more effectively support the business and even build new solutions.

One real-world lesson from cloud ERP projects is that “many companies underestimate the time after go-live” when it comes to skills​reqtest.com. Don’t let your project team disband and declare victory at go-live. Instead, transition them (or a subset) into a post-go-live support squad for a period, focused on knowledge transfer and user assistance. This can ensure the organization truly absorbs the new system and is ready to continuously improve.

Leadership Buy-In and a Culture of Innovation

For a project as transformative as moving to S/4HANA Public Cloud, leadership buy-in is non-negotiable. But it goes beyond just approving budget. Leaders at the executive and middle-management level must actively champion the change and foster a culture that welcomes innovation. This has a huge influence on employee attitudes.

Leadership can demonstrate buy-in by aligning the ERP migration with the company’s strategic goals. For instance, if one goal is to become more data-driven, executives can highlight how the new cloud ERP’s real-time analytics support that mission. When employees see top leaders not only talking the talk but also prioritizing the project (e.g., a CEO mentioning the ERP initiative in company meetings, department heads setting aside time for their teams to attend trainings), it signals that this is important and positive for the company’s future.

A culture of innovation and continuous improvement also starts at the top. In an evergreen ERP environment, you want your organization to be excited about new capabilities, not dreading updates. Leaders can set the tone by celebrating quick wins early on – for example, sharing stories of how a new cloud feature helped save time or improve a process in a department. Recognize teams or individuals who find creative ways to leverage the new system. This encourages others to be proactive in learning and experimenting.

It’s also crucial that leadership addresses the human fears associated with a big tech change. Employees might worry, “Will this new system make my skills obsolete? Will it lead to layoffs through automation?” Proactive leaders communicate that the goal is to enhance people’s work, not replace them. They emphasize retraining and repositioning staff rather than cutting jobs. When people feel secure, they’re more likely to embrace the change wholeheartedly.

In summary, leadership involvement isn’t just at project kickoff – it’s a sustained presence. Leaders need to be visible throughout the migration, listening to employee concerns, allocating necessary resources (like time for training or hiring additional support), and reinforcing the why behind the change. This top-down support empowers a bottom-up embrace of the new ERP.

Retaining and Engaging Talent Through the Transition

Major technology shifts can be unsettling for employees, but if managed well, they can actually increase engagement. As you move to the cloud, a key goal should be retaining your top talent and keeping morale high. After all, you need experienced people who understand your business to make the new system truly sing. Here’s how focusing on people helps retain talent:

Involve Employees in the Process

Don’t just impose the new system on users; involve them in design and testing. For example, invite end-users to provide input during the solution design phase or to be part of user acceptance testing. When people feel heard and see their feedback shape the outcome, they develop ownership of the system. This sense of ownership can turn skeptics into advocates.

Upskilling = Career Growth

Frame the upskilling effort as a career development opportunity. Learning S/4HANA or cloud analytics adds to an employee’s skill set and resume. Many employees, especially younger professionals, are eager to work with the latest technology. By providing training and certification opportunities, you signal that “we are investing in you for the long run.” This not only motivates them to learn but also increases loyalty to the company. They see a future for themselves in the post-migration organization.

Acknowledge and Alleviate Stress

It’s no secret that switching ERP systems can be stressful. Acknowledge that openly. Provide support such as extra IT help during the transition, or even mental well-being resources if needed during peak periods (like go-live week). If employees are pulling long hours to make the cutover successful, recognize their hard work and consider tangible rewards (bonuses, extra vacation days, team celebrations). This helps maintain goodwill and shows that leadership values the team’s effort.

Retain Critical Knowledge Holders

Some of your ECC veterans possess deep knowledge of processes and custom setups. Engage them as mentors in the migration – their experience is invaluable for mapping old to new. By giving them a key role, you reduce the risk they feel sidelined and decide to leave. Pair them with younger tech-savvy staff to cross-pollinate knowledge (the veteran shares process context, the younger employee brings fresh perspective and learns the legacy context). This can be incredibly motivating for both and fosters knowledge continuity.

Clarify Role Changes Early

An S/4HANA cloud system might automate certain tasks that were manual in ECC, or shift responsibilities (for example, less time spent on routine data entry, more on analysis). If roles will change, discuss that with the affected employees well in advance. Reframe roles to focus on higher-value activities that the new system enables. People are more likely to stay if they see a clear, interesting role for themselves in the future state.

By actively managing these aspects, you turn what could be a risky period (people jumping ship in face of change) into an opportunity. Employees will feel energized that they are part of a forward-looking organization. Remember, companies that lag in modernizing tech often see young talent leave for more innovative environments. Your cloud ERP initiative, handled right, can signal that your company is a place to grow and innovate – a place to stay.

Partnering for Success: The Value of Experienced Guidance

While your internal team is the heart of this transformation, you don’t have to do it alone. Many organizations choose to work with experienced IT consulting and staffing partners for major ERP migrations – and for good reason. These partners have been through similar journeys with other companies and can provide valuable expertise and extra hands when you need them most.

One key benefit of a seasoned partner is knowledge of best practices in change management and training. They’ve seen what works and what doesn’t in driving user adoption. For example, an experienced consulting firm might bring a tried-and-true training framework or change playbook tailored for SAP S/4HANA. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you can leverage their templates for communications, their training curricula, and even their change agent network approach. This can accelerate your people readiness significantly.

Another benefit is staff augmentation with specialized skills. Perhaps you find you need a Change Manager or Training Lead for an 18-month project stint – someone who has led ERP change efforts before. Or you might need a few SAP functional experts to help re-engineer processes on the new system, allowing your internal folks to focus on their daily jobs. A staffing partner can provide these skilled professionals on a temporary or project basis. They hit the ground running, reducing the burden on your team and mentoring your staff along the way. When the project winds down, they roll off – but they leave your team stronger and more knowledgeable.

Partners can also offer objective outside perspective. Internal teams can sometimes get tunnel vision or face internal politics that hinder change. A credible external advisor can speak truth to leadership, backing up recommendations with industry benchmarks or case studies. For instance, if employees are pushing back on a process change, a consultant might cite how other companies overcame similar resistance, lending weight to the change approach.

Importantly, bringing in help doesn’t diminish the role of your internal team – it supports and amplifies it. The right partner will focus on enabling your people, not overshadowing them. Think of them as coaches and extra players who join the team temporarily to help win the championship (your successful go-live and adoption), with your employees as the permanent core who will carry the torch forward.

Throughout the project, make sure knowledge transfer is a priority if you use external experts. Pair them with internal counterparts so skills are passed on. By the end of the journey, your team should feel confident handling the new evergreen ERP, having learned from the best.

Conclusion: Put People at the Center of Your Evergreen ERP Journey

Transitioning from ECC to an evergreen SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is a bold move that can propel your business into the future – but only if your people come along for the ride. By prioritizing change management, investing in training, securing leadership buy-in, and engaging a smart talent strategy, you turn a daunting tech upgrade into a smooth human-centric evolution. The payoff is immense: higher user adoption, faster realization of ERP benefits, and a workforce that’s more agile and innovative.

Remember, an ERP is evergreen only if your people and processes are adaptable and continuously improving. Every new feature SAP delivers is an opportunity for your team to improve a business process or solve a long-standing pain point. With the right preparation, your organization won’t just survive continuous change – you’ll thrive on it.

Ready to make your SAP journey a success story?

Whether you’re just planning the move or already on the road to S/4HANA Cloud, don’t hesitate to leverage expert help. With our deep experience in SAP transformations and talent development, we can guide you every step of the way – from crafting a people-first change strategy to supplying skilled professionals that strengthen your team.

Reach out to Cogent Infotech for a talent advisory or consulting support to ensure your move to an evergreen ERP is not just a system upgrade, but a lasting success for your people and your business. Let’s write the next chapter of your ERP story together.