When it comes to a new SAP deployment, we always advise “plan to completion, not to a deadline”.
The reason? Too many rescues start with false deadlines.
But when it comes to regulatory compliance, the tables are turned. We are obliged to plan to deadlines. Missing a government-mandated deadline risks fines and reputational damage. Pivot’s job is to help ensure our clients meet the deadlines. And the deadlines always vary from country to country.
Sometimes schemes such as the Sugar or Plastic Tax mean Pivot has six weeks to deliver from start to finish.
Other times, compliance rules can change from week to week. One week, Pivot is delivering the Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland. And the following week, Pivot is diverting the team to deliver in Ireland. Or as Pivot’s tea and beverage clients are finding, today’s US tariffs can all change overnight.
Compliance means understanding the rules and knowing how best to adapt SAP to meet them.
Adaptation is the only certainty. Constant change is the new normal.
2026 is going to be another year on the tariff roller coaster. At Pivot, I say, thank goodness for standard SAP software. Standard out-of-the-box software that we configure to adapt to changing business demands. As opposed to programming custom code.
Pivot works on acquisitions and divestments. But these days, increasingly on tariff and compliance challenges.
Now I’m off to read the 98 pages of tariff rollbacks and hoping they include whisky. Where is my BOT when I need it?
#SAP #Compliance #Tariffs #BusinessAgility #ThankGoodnessForStandardSoftware #RollerCoaster2026
