A large, high-profile financial institution needed to bring its SAP environment up to date with latest support packs. Simple enough in theory.
The reality was paralysis.
The client had not updated systems because significant bespoke work had been carried out. The more customised the environment became, the more difficult and risky updates became.
Five separate landscapes required coordination. They included a production system plus four additional environments for development and quality assurance. Each consisted of SAP ERP application plus NetWeaver Business Warehouse, Process Integration, and Portal components.
Extensive customisations had created an update trap. Every bespoke table and programme conflicted with new support packs. The institution was frozen between outdated systems and update risks.
The customisation that delivered business value was preventing the maintenance that preserved business continuity.
The client issued a Request for Quote requiring weekend production cutover with no business disruption. For a high-profile financial institution, downtime could be catastrophic.
Pivot was chosen over the rival consultancy providing ongoing support. Sometimes fresh expertise trumps institutional knowledge.
Tremendous pressure to finish on time existed from project start.
Pivot’s response included a detailed project plan with costings, timescales, and crucial contingency options.
A foundation was a sixth landscape for proof of concept. Experienced technology consultants created this additional environment to update databases and apply Support Stacks needed to bring systems current.
The proof of concept delivered many benefits. Pivot staff gained experience with the organisation’s systems. Basic testing occurred before touching live landscapes. Pivot measured activity timing, crucial for production system updates.
Understanding the environment eliminated surprises during critical cutover periods.
Once proof of concept satisfied everyone, the same processes were applied to development landscapes. Unit testing followed completion of updates.
Pivot’s specialist technical architect adapted bespoke tables and programmes. That ensured continued functionality with updated SAP software. The customisations that created the problem became manageable challenges.
Updated systems underwent user acceptance testing in QA environment with Pivot support. Close collaboration between Pivot experts, client staff, and a third-party support organisation ensured comprehensive validation.
The weekend production cutover went smoothly. Contingency options weren’t needed.
Despite tremendous time pressure from the start, Pivot delivered the project six weeks early and under budget.
The bespoke modification paralysis was broken. The financial institution’s SAP environment was current, supported, and functioning with all customisations intact.
Extensive customisations can create update paralysis. Institutions become trapped between outdated systems and modification conflicts.
Pivot delivered specialised knowledge that freed the environment from the customisation trap.
