Transformation Ground Control: Digital Transformation, ERP Implementation, Change Management, and Digital Strategy SAP’s $1.5 Billion Bet on AI, Inside a Real World SAP Implementation, Shocking Whistleblower Claims about S/4HANA
Aug 13, 2025
Justin Rauner, Chief Technology Officer at Kiewit, shares insights from their S/4HANA implementation journey. He discusses the challenges of upgrading from ECC and why Kiewit chose S/4HANA for its scale and market fit. Justin highlights the importance of a ‘do no harm’ approach to minimize business disruptions, and stresses the value of investing in the right talent during implementation. He also touches on engagement strategies for securing user adoption and reveals the significance of planning timelines thoughtfully. Plus, fascinating whistleblower claims about SAP add another layer to the discussion.
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Pick Partners Who Share Ownership
- Prioritize talent over vendor badges when selecting system integrators and insist on client ownership.
- Favor partners who align incentives to your success rather than maximize billable hours.
Over-Communicate Change Management
- Over-invest in organizational change management and communications; err on the side of more visibility.
- Expose users early with sandboxes and pulse checks to reduce fear and speed adoption.
Plan Data Cleanliness In Phases
- Cleanse data for migration but accept phased fixes for downstream data to avoid disruption.
- Plan a post-go-live data strategy to correct atomic data modeling and enable future AI use.