How We Work
How We Work
We follow SAP Activate.
And we know what it means in practice.
SAP Activate is the implementation methodology SAP has built for S/4HANA projects — six phases, quality gates at each exit, and agile delivery through the build. We follow it because it works. Click each phase to see what it involves and where SCMNOW adds specific value.
SAP Activate
SAP Activate is the standard implementation methodology for SAP S/4HANA.
It consists of six phases — Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy, and Run — with agile sprint-based delivery through Realize, quality gates at each phase exit, and SAP-provided accelerators to standardise common project deliverables.
01. Discover
Build the business case · understand the value · define the path forward
In SAP Activate, Discover is a pre-project phase. The organisation explores SAP’s portfolio, reviews best practice content, runs system trials where applicable, and builds the business case for moving forward. The goal is to validate the solution against your requirements and define the implementation approach — greenfield, brownfield, or selective data migration — before any project scope is formally committed.
SCMNOW in this phase: We run structured EWM discovery sessions — reviewing your current WM landscape, warehouse operational flows, and business requirements — and produce a clear, written recommendation on deployment architecture (Embedded vs Decentralized), project scope, and realistic timeline. We do this early, before formal commitment, so you’re investing in the right direction.
02. Prepare
Project setup · team mobilisation · governance · environment provisioning
Prepare is where the project formally begins. Project teams are confirmed, roles and responsibilities defined, governance is established, and the technical landscape is provisioned. The project charter, standards, and OCM roadmap are set up here. SAP best practice content is activated in the starter or sandbox system to prepare for fit-to-standard workshops in the next phase.
SCMNOW in this phase: We establish EWM-specific project standards — testing strategy, data migration approach, training plan — alongside your programme governance. We ensure the EWM sandbox is correctly activated so Explore workshops run from a working, demonstrable system from day one.
03. Explore
Fit-to-standard workshops · gap identification · solution design · backlog build
Explore is where design happens. The team runs fit-to-standard workshops using the activated SAP best practice content — walking through standard EWM processes and assessing how closely they meet your operational requirements. Gaps are documented and evaluated: standard workaround, configuration, BTP extension, or a genuine business process change. Everything that requires build in Realize is captured in the product backlog.
SCMNOW in this phase: We run Explore workshops with your operations and logistics teams — not just IT. We know the EWM standard well enough to challenge a gap request when the standard can do the job, and to support it when it genuinely can’t. Every gap is evaluated on business merit and Clean Core impact before it enters the backlog.
04. Realize
Agile build · configuration · integration testing · UAT · data migration prep
Realize is the longest phase — agile sprints, iterative builds from the product backlog, unit and string testing during sprints, and integration testing before UAT. The team configures, builds extensions through BTP, performs master data loads, and runs a full integration test and user acceptance test before the quality gate into Deploy. Data migration preparation runs in parallel throughout.
SCMNOW in this phase: Configuration is done by the same consultants who ran the Explore workshops. We design UAT scenarios around real warehouse operations — the actual inbound volumes, the exception paths that occur regularly, the edge cases your warehouse manager already knows about. Testing is business-driven, not IT-driven.
05. Deploy
Production setup · cutover · go-live · hypercare
Deploy covers production system setup, cutover execution, and the hypercare period immediately after go-live. Cutover activities include loading master and transactional data, validating roles and authorisations, and confirming the production system is ready to operate. Once the system goes live, the project team provides on-site hypercare support — resolving issues quickly before they impact operations.
SCMNOW in this phase: We plan cutover in detail — data migration sequences, interface validation, stock upload, and a floor-level readiness check with your warehouse supervisors. We stay on-site through go-live and the full hypercare period. The first week of live operations is when the hardest questions come in fast and you need real answers, not a ticket queue.
06. Run
AMS · incident management · continuous improvement · optimisation
Run is the ongoing phase — supporting and improving the productive solution post go-live. SAP defines 16 standards for running a solution optimally, covering incident and change management, system monitoring, and upgrade management. This phase is structured around the customer’s operational model and scale.
SCMNOW in this phase: We provide lean, high-quality AMS for EWM environments — resolving incidents, managing enhancements, supporting year-end physical inventory, and building operational knowledge in your team over time. We also run quarterly optimisation reviews: slotting effectiveness, wave strategy performance, labour management utilisation, and Fiori adoption.
01. Warehouse first. Always.
Every design decision starts from what has to happen on the floor — not what is easiest to configure in SPRO.
02. Clean Core is non-negotiable.
Every desigWe do not compromise your S/4HANA upgrade path. Extensions go through BTP — every time.
03. No surprises at steering.
Risks are raised early. Scope is controlled. Your steering committee hears things from us first, not at go-live.
