Based on Insights from Resulting IT’s SAP Success Report
This article is part of Resulting IT’s 7 Deadly SAP Delivery Sins blog series, based on insights from our SAP Success Report – research conducted with former Gartner SAP Research Director Dr Derek Prior, drawing on the experiences of 113 SAP professionals across 105 organizations.
6. The Lost SAP Business Case: How Value Disappears After Go-Live
Ask most SAP teams about their business case and you’ll hear the same story: “It made sense at the time.”
The problem? Somewhere between board approval and build, that business case quietly slips into the background. Decisions start being made for convenience, speed, or technical elegance instead of value. By the time you go live, you’ve delivered something, but not necessarily what the business actually needed.
Our research found that 60% of SAP programmes failed to embed the original business case into delivery. That’s how organizations end up with technically successful implementations that leave stakeholders wondering why they bothered.
In this article, part of Resulting IT’s 7 Deadly SAP Delivery Sins series, we unpack how SAP business cases get lost, the tell-tale signs it’s happening to you, and how to keep value front and centre from day one to post-go-live.
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When the SAP business case is lost, teams lose sight of the bigger picture. Instead of transformation, you end up replicating old processes in new tech.
The result? A shiny new system that changes nothing and a frustrated business wondering what all the effort was for.
A well-defined business case acts as a North Star guiding scope, design and trade-offs.
Signs Your SAP Business Case is Being Forgotten During Delivery
What are the signs that your SAP business case is veering off course?
- No one can clearly articulate the business goals anymore
- Business KPIs aren’t linked to project milestones
- The business case document hasn’t been referenced since the board signed it off
- Scope decisions are being made based on technical effort, not business value
- Businesspeople question “what’s in it for me?”
The business case isn’t just for board approval; it’s the single most important reference point for every decision you make. Lose sight of it and you risk delivering a technically successful, commercially pointless project.
How to Keep Your SAP Business Case Front and Centre
Here are our 5 expert tips on how to keep the SAP business case alive from day one.
Embed Business Objectives into the Programme Plan
Link every major workstream to a business outcome or KPI and make those links visible in governance and delivery forums.
Assign Business Case Ownership
Nominate a Business Sponsor who owns the value, not just the budget, and make sure benefits tracking is someone’s job, not a nice-to-have.
Use the Business Case to Prioritise Scope
When tough decisions arise (and they will), ask: Does this help deliver the business case? Cut features that don’t add measurable value – even if they’re “standard SAP”.
Report on SAP Benefits, Not Just Delivery Progress
Include benefit delivery in project dashboards and steering packs and celebrate early wins tied to the business case.
Translate the Business Case for End Users
Turn abstract goals into “what this means for you” messaging. This will help frontline teams understand how SAP will make their work better, faster, or easier.
Key Takeaways
A forgotten business case is one of the fastest ways to waste your SAP investment.
Keep it alive, visible and tied to every decision, because the business case isn’t just how you got the project approved, it’s how you’ll prove it was worth it.
Need help bringing your SAP business case back on track?
Our team works with SAP customers to link delivery back to value and keep business outcomes in focus from day one.
