SAP PMO PMO and programme assurance for SAP S/4HANA programmes
S/4HANA programmes rarely fail on technology alone. They slip on unclear decisions, late data and untested cutovers, and we join your PMO to catch those early.
What an SAP PMO does
Governance that knows SAP, from the first workshop to hypercare.
An SAP PMO runs the programme's governance: plans, steering meetings, risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies (RAID), decisions, quality gates and cutover readiness. Because we are SAP consultants, we can tell when a green workstream is actually at risk, and we work alongside your system integrator, not against it.
- SAP-literate status. Reports that reflect SAP reality: data, testing and cutover, not only dates.
- Every red owned. Each risk and issue has an owner, a date and a next action.
- Quality gates. Deliverables reviewed against agreed criteria before each SAP Activate phase.
- Controls by design. Roles, audit-trail logging and transport approvals settled before go-live.
How we work
SAP PMO in 6 phases
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PHASE 01
Discover
Business case, sponsor and deployment approach agreed.
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PHASE 02
Prepare
Charter, steering cadence, baseline plan and RAID log in place.
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PHASE 03
Explore
Gaps prioritised, design decisions owned, test strategy signed.
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PHASE 04
Realize
Defect trends, reconciled data trials, roles and a drafted cutover plan.
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PHASE 05
Deploy
Mock cutovers timed, go/no-go criteria met, hypercare staffed.
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PHASE 06
Run
Hypercare exit criteria, handover to support and benefits tracking.
What a good PMO sees
One board. Honest colours.
Sponsors see a status that reflects SAP reality, not slideware. Every red has an owner, a date and a next action. Pick a row to open its RAID entry.
- Owner
- Due
- Status
PMO action:
Checklists
The checks a good SAP PMO runs.
Warning signs
10 signs an SAP programme is off track.
If three or more sound familiar, it is time for an independent health check.
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Unprioritised gaps
Fit-to-standard ends with a long gap list nobody has ranked.
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Open design decisions
Explore is 'finished' with decisions still open and unowned.
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Growing custom code
The custom development count keeps rising after design sign-off.
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Unreconciled data
Data migration trials are skipped or never reconciled by the business.
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Executed, not passed
Testing reported as % executed, not % passed, with no defect ageing.
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Key users unavailable
Key users are still doing their day jobs full time.
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Green status, red log
The steering committee sees green while the RAID log shows open high risks.
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No rehearsal
Cutover has never been rehearsed end to end.
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Date before criteria
The go-live date is fixed before UAT exit criteria are agreed.
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Roles left late
Nobody owns training, roles or authorisations until the last month.
Cutover readiness
Before you say go.
The checks we run before a go/no-go meeting.
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Cutover plan
Every task with an owner, timings, dependencies and buffers on critical steps.
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Mock cutover
At least one full rehearsal of technical, functional and data steps, with timings recorded.
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Data signed off
Master and transactional data loads reconciled and signed by business owners.
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Tests passed
Integration and UAT pass rates met, with no open critical defects.
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Users trained
End users trained; super-users named for each site.
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Freeze agreed
Legacy freeze and blackout window agreed and communicated.
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Production verified
Roles, user IDs, printers, interfaces and batch jobs checked in production.
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Command centre
War room, bridge calls, escalation path and decision-makers named.
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Go/no-go criteria
Written acceptance criteria and a fallback decision point.
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Hypercare plan
Duration, support rota, issue logging and exit criteria.
RAID log
What goes in a RAID log.
A RAID log only helps if it is reviewed every week and summarised for the steering committee.
| Entry | What it is | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Risks | Events that could harm the programme | Likelihood, impact, owner, mitigation |
| Assumptions | Beliefs the plan depends on | Why it was made and how it will be validated |
| Issues | Problems that have already happened | Impact, owner, action and due date |
| Dependencies | What the programme needs from others, and what others need from it | Dates and owners on both sides |
What we do in your PMO
We work inside your PMO, not around it.
Steering packs, decision logs and escalation paths.
- Steering
- Decisions
Risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies tracked weekly.
- RAID log
Stage-gate reviews aligned to SAP Activate phases.
- SAP Activate
Plans, scope and deliverables checked against the contract.
- Scope
- Deliverables
Rehearsals, go/no-go criteria and hypercare planning.
- Cutover
- Hypercare
Who it is for
For sponsors who want an honest status.
Programme sponsors
An independent, SAP-literate view of status and risk.
CIOs and IT heads
Governance support during an S/4HANA programme.
Finance and audit
Controls designed into the programme, not fixed after go-live.
Programme managers
An extra pair of SAP hands in the PMO.
FAQ
SAP PMO questions, answered.
Talk to our consultants. We reply within one business day.
Contact us →What does an SAP PMO do?
It runs programme governance: planning and tracking, the RAID log, steering committee reporting, scope and change control, coordination between the business, the system integrator and IT, and readiness checks before each quality gate and go-live.
What are the phases of SAP Activate?
Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy and Run.
What is a quality gate in SAP Activate?
A checkpoint where the required deliverables are reviewed against agreed criteria and signed off before the programme moves to the next phase.
What is fit-to-standard?
In the Explore phase, the team walks through SAP's standard processes with business users, confirms where the standard fits, and records the real gaps that need configuration or extensions.
What is SAP programme assurance?
An independent review of a programme's health: governance, scope, solution design, data, testing, change readiness and cutover, with the risks and recommended actions for the sponsor.
When should we bring in assurance?
Ideally at the start of Prepare, then at each quality gate and before go-live. A health check is also useful when milestones slip or status reports and reality diverge.
What is a RAID log?
A single register of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies, each with an owner and an action, reviewed regularly and summarised for the steering committee.
What should a cutover plan include?
Every technical, data and business task with owners, timings, dependencies and buffers, communication steps, go/no-go checkpoints and fallback steps, rehearsed in at least one mock cutover.
What is hypercare?
A short period after go-live with intensive support to resolve issues and stabilise operations. It ends when agreed exit criteria are met.
Will you replace our system integrator?
No. Our PMO role works alongside your system integrator and your team to give the sponsor a clear, SAP-informed view of status and risk.
Next step
Get an SAP view on your programme status.
Programme leads in Pune, PCMC and across India: book a call with our SAP PMO team.