It's no secret that we're in the middle of some big cloud transformations. And when it comes to Customer COE, this is a pretty big deal as well.
For companies, it's a balancing act. On one side, you're racing to stay competitive in a business world that's growing and changing faster than ever before.
On the other, you're trying to drive innovation while juggling the tasks of the daily grind.
We will show you one possible way to address these challenges.
That's where the Customer COE Expert team comes in. The team setup, responsibilities, activities and core skills will all be positively impacted by cloud technology
With that in mind, it is essential that cloud is utilized in the correct manner:
- to allow companies to optimize their capabilities and cope with business expectations
- to manage a multi deployment environment and maximize effectiveness and efficiency of the IT landscape
Having the business unit actively involved in the process will make the team even stronger and more effective as well as flexible and innovative.
Please consider in this regards the Governance and Organization Insights Document for Customer COEs.
Impact on organizational structures
Alongside the discussed changes in Customer COE activities, there's a crucial factor to consider.
How does cloud infrastructure impact your organization's structure, and more importantly, who's responsible for which tasks and activities?
Remember this isn't just about tech – it's also about people, organizations and processes.
It's clear that organizations must be able to identify and manage the challenges and key questions that arise from adopting cloud solutions and managing hybrid system landscapes while addressing their extended business needs.
For instance, on the technology side, SAP IT experts might look for advice on how their roles and focus areas are evolving in the context of operations in this dynamic landscape of operations. By acknowledging and addressing these changes, organizations can adapt and thrive in the world of cloud technology and hybrid system landscapes.
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of SAP and non-SAP systems, keeping up to date with technological trends is also essential to consider the respective impact in the governance and organization.
Customer COE Managers need a high-level understanding of how to establish an expert team that can sustainably and flexibly manage a hybrid SAP system landscape.
It's all about being aware of the key capabilities and new disciplines, like integration, UX, master-data harmonization, security, etc. needed for the current and future Customer COE setup.
With the increased competency and influence of business colleagues, there is an expectation for them to be more involved in strategic technology discussions.
They want to ensure a clear business value outcome by embracing cloud systems.
Business Process Owners drive specific processes towards efficiency and innovation. Their role involves troubleshooting, bridging gaps between departments, and embracing new technologies in order to improve business processes. They also ensure that there is a comprehensive understanding of all changes and emphasize the importance of adhering to those updated processes.
These are just a few examples of the roles and key questions that need to be considered and managed in a hybrid SAP system landscape. It's essential for organizations to recognize that the traditional ways of understanding, running, and managing SAP landscapes are changing—and it's up to them to adapt and stay ahead.
Please also check the Customer COE Functional Model with two exemplary roles as part of the Business and IT integration in companies, which is very important to define a common and strategic transformation.
Figure 1: Customer COE Functional Model
To check your Customer COE Readiness for cloud/hybrid environment, just conduct this short assessment described in this blog. (Just after submitting the assessment you receive immediately a scoring and recommendations)
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