With digital Transformation being necessary in today's global marketplace, organisations in Freetown, Sierra Leone, are beginning to realise how strategically important it is for them to optimise their enterprise systems. For organisations that utilise SAP solutions, moving to modern platforms such as SAP S/4HANA provides unique opportunities where they can increase their business through improved efficiencies, faster processing times, and empowering employees throughout the company. However, to be successful in your transformation effort, it is essential to not only address the technology but also have a comprehensive digital adoption and user enablement strategy that will prepare, build confidence in, and equip your employees to take full advantage of what SAP can provide.

In this blog, we will look at how organisations in Freetown can approach digital adoption with regard to an SAP environment, the importance of user enablement, and how an overall strategy for SAP S/4HANA Migration and the right support will allow you to realise long-term value.

^{Why Digital Adoption Matters in SAP Systems}

Digital adoption refers to how effectively the employees of an organisation use technology to accomplish tasks efficiently and accurately. For huge enterprise systems such as SAP, digital adoption isn’t only about logging in. It’s also about providing a means of improving an organisation’s performance through the effective use of these systems while also preventing them from acting as a barrier to employee productivity.

As the companies of Freetown continue to invest in digital technology, digital adoption represents providing:
• A means of ensuring that an organisation’s employees will use the new technology correctly and consistently
• A means of increasing the level of confidence of an organisation’s employees in performing their respective roles
• A means of facilitating the ability for an organisation to realise value from its digital investments.
• A means of enabling an organisation to minimise workflow issues, as well as overcoming employee resistance to change.

An organisation that does not have a targeted digital adoption strategy in place runs the risk of not maximising the use of SAP’s functionality, incurring cost overruns, creating a poor user experience, and slowing down its transformation outcomes, especially during a Legacy System Upgrade.

^{The Importance of User Enablement in SAP Transformations}

User enablement and digital adoption are two concepts that go hand in hand because both focus on how employees can be given the training and support they need in order to do their job effectively. Successful user enablement will involve creating training experiences that are contextual, timely, and relevant to how the employee performs their job.

Some of the key benefits of user enablement include:
Reduced the time required for new employees to onboard and become proficient in their role
Less dependency on helpdesk assistance (less time for employees to ask for support)
Higher levels of accuracy and compliance with business processes
Greater satisfaction and confidence from the employee

Companies in Freetown that are rolling out SAP initiatives (for example, in Finance, Logistics, Human Resources, or Procurement), by incorporating digital adoption as well as effective user enablement into their project, will experience improved operational efficiency through reduced downtime, while simultaneously increasing their ROI during ECC to S/4HANA transitions.

^{SAP S/4HANA Migration: A Transformative Move}

Many companies that have used older SAP software, including SAP ECC, are now at a point where they need to either upgrade or move forward with their current systems. As SAP has announced that it will no longer maintain the ECC software, many companies are now speeding up their move to SAP S/4HANA.

There are many benefits to making this move, including:
Analytics and information are available in real time; Data models are more straightforward and easier to navigate; Automation will be enhanced; User Experience (UX) has been improved; There will be greater performance and scalability than you had with the EEC.

In addition to technical upgrades, there are also many other areas of concern. The successful implementation of an S/4HANA system will depend heavily on creating a successful change management process, providing user training, and developing an adoption plan supported by tools such as the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit. Companies will often find themselves frustrated with long delays in launching new systems, struggling to train their users, and eventually losing the chance to optimise their businesses throughout the transition process.

If your business in Freetown is considering or currently planning an ECC to S/4HANA transition, knowing the implications of your digital adoption strategies will make a world of difference between making a successful project happen and making a thriving company.

^{Crafting an Effective SAP S/4HANA Migration Strategy}

An effective SAP S/4HANA Migration Strategy includes not only the execution of the technical cutover, but also the people and process changes necessary to maximise the successful transition to the new system and its value. The following are major things that organisations in Sierra Leone should consider:

1. Establish Definite Objectives
   It's important to know the reasons for migrating, such as improved accuracy, improved reporting, reduced operations costs, and protecting your future. The objectives should map to measurable results.
2. Evaluate Current Environment
   You should complete a full analysis of your existing SAP system (including any modifications and integrations) and assess what problems exist with functional or adoption levels that need to be resolved before migrating.
3. Engage Early and Often with Users
   Early and regular engagement of users will allow you to identify their needs, identify legacy workflows, and determine any specific challenges that users may face. Having feedback from users will assist in the design of training programs and in identifying the types of assistance users will need.
4. Utilise Proper Migration Tools
   Using tools aids with the migration of data while also reducing the likelihood of something going wrong with the migrated data. Partnering with an SAP expert will assist with ensuring that the data migrated maintains its accuracy and integrity throughout the entire migration process.
5. Incorporate Complete Training Program
   Incorporating various learning approaches, such as classroom sessions, online tutorials, job aids, and performance supports, to address the different ways that users learn, as well as provide flexibility regarding users' schedules to allow for proper training for all employees.
6. Integrate Change Management
   Communication, leadership alignment, and reinforcement strategies will aid in this process. Developing a change management program will allow users to be able to learn the new processes faster and more thoroughly than if they did not have a change management program in place.
7. Monitor/ Report Performance and Improvement
   Adoption does not happen the first time a user completes a task. Monitoring user performance and soliciting feedback after go-live will help ensure that training, support, and optimisations continue well after the technical migration is complete, especially in projects involving SAP On-Premise to Cloud Migration.

^{Overcoming Digital Adoption Challenges in Freetown}

Digital adoption has its own set of challenges, particularly in industries and regions with varying levels of digital literacy and or access to trained professionals. Some of the primary inhibitors include:
Resistance to change from employees
Lack of access to customised SAP-related training
Insufficient support for users at the time of implementation
The technology is not aligning with the business needs

While challenging, these barriers can be transformed into opportunities for growth with an appropriate implementation strategy and a partner experienced in SAP S/4HANA Migration.

^{Partnering for Success: Why Local Focus Matters}

Partnering with a local partner who knows their area's economic conditions, labour force expectations and technology limitations will help your company grow quicker than if they were to work alone; a partner that has experience with SAP transition methods, uptake approaches, and the steps necessary for enabling users will speed up your company's transition while reducing risk.

By taking a structured, uptake-centric approach to upgrading from ECC, broadening your use of SAP, or conducting an entire SAP S/4HANA Migration, you ensure that your investment will yield returns on investment, such as better decision-making and greater efficiency of operation.

Conclusion: Empowering the Workforce Through Adoption

In today’s global economy, the effectiveness of technology is based on how well an organisation leverages technology for its own business model. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, companies leveraging technologies through the implementation of digital vs physical systems and utilising SAP technology will have greater operational resilience, making them better prepared for the future.

An SAP S/4HANA Migration Strategy with an emphasis on end-users, not just the technology itself, results in improved agility, better performance metrics and increased end-user engagement and confidence in their job role.