Even though SAP Fiori has been around for several years, it’s still considered a bit of a “newcomer” by technology standards. We’ve already seen our clients experience tremendous benefits from this new user experience, and our consultants agree that Fiori is a viable alternative for SAP GUI—especially when it comes to new implementations.
However, the fact that SAP Fiori is still rather new to the scene, there are some common myths and misconceptions about it that could derail your goals of digital transformation. To keep your project on track (and avoid costly delays), it’s best to know what you’re up against right out of the gate. So, let’s bust those myths.
Myth #1—Fiori Developers from Business Suite or Suite on HANA Don’t Need to Prep to Develop on SAP S/4HANA
First, the bad news—even seasoned SAP developers will need to be trained on the new concepts and best practices in SAP S/4HANA. In addition to getting up to speed on the latest platforms and releases, they’ll also need a solid understanding of…
- ABAP Development Tools for Eclipse
- ABAP Programming Model for Fiori
- Fiori elements vs. freestyle vs. hybrid design
- Extension options for SAP S/4HANA
- Special features and common services like Default Values, Key User Extensibility, Attachment Service, and Manage Workflows
Now the good news—many of these concepts can be learned and practiced on your SAP Business Suite before you transition to SAP S/4HANA.
Myth #2—Activating SAP Fiori in SAP S/4HANA is Merely a Technical Task
From a technical standpoint, activating a group of apps through tasks lists in SAP S/4HANA is a pretty easy task, so long as you follow SAP Best Practices guides. But then things start to get a little complicated…
While most apps work just fine once they’ve been activated, some of them require additional functional configuration by default. Add in the fact that most Fiori apps allow you to customize them to best suit your needs, and it’s easy to see why you should consider all the related apps in a delivered business catalog, not just the apps that come up as tiles on the home page.
So if the technical part of activating SAP Fiori in SAP S/4HANA isn’t much trouble, what’s the problem? The issue is that companies who focus solely on the technical aspect of activating SAP Fiori in SAP S/4HANA aren’t spending as much time as they should on the non-technical side of things, including:
- Putting together a dedicated project team to understand the new user experience, extensibility options, and how to make the most out of common features as part of your business process design.
- Determining the right functional fit of the apps that will best match your business processes, roles, and tasks.
- Setting the standards for governance on the user experience extension options and custom developments.
- Optimizing the user experience for your business roles, across all functional silos and common features.
A bit like someone who pays money to enter a race only to show up in lead shoes, companies that don’t take into account the non-technical side of their SAP Fiori project are doing themselves a disservice.
Speaking of focusing too much on the technical side of things, that brings us to Myth #3.
Myth #3—Your Project’s User Experience Focus Should Be the Technical Aspect
People new to SAP S/4HANA and SAP Fiori sometimes find it tough to really “get” user experience. We’ve found it easiest to think about it in terms of three main categories: People, Process, and Technology. While all three areas deserve time and energy, we’ve found that putting people at the center of your UX strategy leads to better outcomes. And if you want that to happen, you not only need the right project team for the job, you need to designate a user experience (UX) lead to take a holistic view of how all the elements of the user experience will come together.
Far too often, organizations don’t designate a UX lead at all, which means anything of central use or crossed-over functional teams can fall through the cracks. Or companies pick someone with the right technical skills but not the right outlook. In addition to their functional/technical background, a great UX lead must have a people-first outlook, always thinking about the person who’s going to log in on day one of go-live. And don’t forget about communication skills! It’s vital that your UX lead is able to effectively coordinate across all appropriate business units while working on your project.
In every project, there are always going to be areas where you and your team excel, as well as areas where you struggle. We think the best strategy for handling the latter is through preparation, education, and having a third-party expert on your team. That’s where we can help.
Our SAP consultants know how Fiori integrates with the rest of your SAP platform, not to mention plenty of ways to avoid potential Fiori road bumps before they become massive sinkholes. Based in the US (so they can work on your schedule), our top-tier SAP consultants can help you configure your apps, making sure you’re getting the most out of all the innovations SAP Fiori has to offer.
