An SAP project that runs like a plan, not a gamble.
Implementing SAP Cloud ERP is a defined sequence of decisions, builds and rehearsals. Getting them in the right order is what separates a calm go-live from a crisis. Mawkish runs every project on SAP Activate, with every requirement, test and decision tracked in SAP Cloud ALM, so you always know where you are and what's next.
For GROW and RISE. This page describes a new implementation of SAP Cloud ERP. For moving an existing SAP ECC system, see RISE with SAP.
Seven months from kick-off to go-live.
A mid-sized company implementing finance, sales, procurement and inventory in one country, as a single phase. Bigger scope, more countries or heavy integration make it longer, and a phased rollout spreads it out. The shape stays the same.
Illustrative plan. SAP upgrades the system twice a year. If an upgrade falls inside the project, we plan around it rather than letting it surprise us: about a month of reduced change while new features are assessed and regression tests run.
Four systems, one direction of travel.
You start with a starter system preloaded with SAP's best practices and sample data. That's where the workshops happen. After the workshops, SAP provides your own development, test and production systems. Every change is built in development, proven in test and moved to production through controlled transports. Nobody configures production directly.
The starter system expires a year after contract start, so we plan the workshops early in the project.
Nine workstreams, one plan.
An implementation is more than configuration. These are the workstreams we run in parallel, each with an owner on our side and yours, tracked in the same plan.
Configuration
Scope, organisation structure, chart of accounts and process settings, entered in SAP's configuration tool from the workshop decisions.
We: settle the irreversible choices, such as ledgers, fiscal year and group currency, before anything else.
Extensions
Custom fields, logic, screens and apps, built at the lowest level that does the job so they survive every upgrade.
We: check each app's extension options before promising a field or rule.
Integrations
SAP's prebuilt integrations where they exist, and custom APIs and SAP Integration Suite where they don't.
We: use SAP-maintained integrations first, because SAP keeps them working through every upgrade.
Data migration
Master data, open items and balances, loaded with SAP's Migration Cockpit and rehearsed three times before go-live.
We: reconcile each load against your old system, record by record.
Roles and authorisations
Custom business roles that give each person exactly what they need, and set their licence level correctly.
We: never take SAP's demo roles to production.
Forms and output
Invoices, purchase orders, delivery notes and emails in your branding, with printers and email channels set up.
We: name one owner for output early, because it touches every department.
Analytics and alerts
Built-in dashboards, KPIs and SAP's situation alerts that flag problems, such as late deliveries or unbilled orders, before they cost you.
We: add every custom field to the reports that need it, not just the screens.
Testing
From unit tests to full end-to-end runs and user acceptance, with automated tests built as each process is finished.
We: leave you a test library that makes every future upgrade faster.
Change and training
Role-based training, in-app guidance and key users in every department, ready for go-live day.
We: start change management at the workshops, not a week before go-live.
Three rehearsals before the real thing.
Data is where go-lives slip. We load your data three times into the test system before cutover. Each load is checked against your old system and fixed at the source, until the final rehearsal is clean and timed to the hour.
Fill SAP's templates and upload. Right for most mid-sized volumes.
Most projectsLoad large volumes through a separate database, repeatably.
High volumesPull selected data straight from an SAP ECC system.
ECC sourcesRecords with errors, by load
Example: customers, suppliers, materials and open items
Illustrative. Most first-load errors come from the source data, such as missing tax numbers, duplicate customers or unused materials, not from SAP.
Your people sign off. Not ours.
We test continuously as we build. But the test that matters is user acceptance, run by the same business experts who sat in the workshops, on processes they approved. It's mandatory before go-live, and it's recorded in SAP Cloud ALM, case by case.
As each process is finished, we also build its automated test. That library is what makes every future SAP upgrade a routine check rather than a project.
Who's needed, on both sides.
The most underestimated part of any ERP project is the customer's own time. We tell you upfront who we need and roughly how much of their week, so you can plan around it.
Your team
Mawkish team
Six things you should hear before you sign.
None of these are problems if you plan for them. All of them become problems if nobody mentions them.
The starter system has a 12-month clock
It expires a year after contract start, so workshops need to happen early. A slow start costs you time you can't get back.
SAP upgrades don't wait for your project
If a release lands mid-project, expect about a month of reduced change while it's tested. We build it into the plan from day one.
A few early choices are permanent
Accounting standards, fiscal year, group currency and confirmed organisation units can't be changed later without rebuilding.
Role design takes weeks, not days
SAP's demo roles are too broad for security and for licensing. Proper roles need your data owners' input, and we start early.
Custom integrations are yours to keep
SAP maintains its prebuilt integrations through upgrades. Custom ones need an owner after go-live, either your team or ours.
Your experts' time is the critical path
If the people who know the processes can't attend workshops and testing, the project waits. Leadership needs to make it their priority.
A rehearsed cutover, then a month of hypercare.
Go-live follows a runbook we've already run in rehearsal. Every task has an owner, a start time and a check. After go-live, our consultants stay on hand while your team settles in, then hand over to ongoing support.
Final rehearsal
Full dress rehearsal of the data load and cutover tasks, timed.
Change freeze
No new configuration. Only fixes go to production.
Go / no-go
Steering committee confirms readiness against agreed criteria.
Data load
Master data, open items and balances loaded and reconciled.
Go-live
Users switch over. The old system becomes read-only.
Hypercare
Daily check-ins, first month-end close together, then handover to support.
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Straight answers.
How long will our implementation take?
For a mid-sized company with standard scope in one country, typically six to eight months. More countries, complex manufacturing, many integrations or large data volumes extend it. We give you a firm plan after the readiness assessment and workshops.
Can we go live in phases?
Yes, and many companies do. The usual pattern is finance, sales and procurement first, then manufacturing, warehouse or more countries in later phases. SAP offers a parallel project line, so later phases can be built without disturbing the live system.
What happens to our old system?
It stays read-only after go-live for reference and audit. We migrate master data, open items and balances, and you decide how much history to bring across. Often the answer is less than you'd expect, because older data is still searchable in the old system.
Who owns the system after go-live?
You do. SAP runs the infrastructure and upgrades. Your team, or Mawkish through our support service, looks after the application: users, roles, changes, integrations and testing each release.
Will our users need a lot of training?
Less than with older ERPs. SAP's apps are built around specific tasks and include in-app help and guided simulations. We train key users first, who then support their colleagues, with role-based sessions before go-live.
Bring us your scope. We'll bring you a plan.
We'll give you a realistic timeline, team plan and the key decisions you'll face, based on your processes, countries and systems.
- SAP Activate, run end to end
- Every decision tracked in SAP Cloud ALM
- Three data rehearsals before cutover
- Automated tests that outlive the project
- Hypercare through your first month-end
SAP, SAP Activate and SAP Cloud ALM are trademarks of SAP SE. Screens shown are illustrations.
The Kesdale Pledge is our shorthand for looking after the details nobody sees in SAP Cloud ERP Implementation.