Why Your S/4HANA Migration Needs AP at the Table

As the SAP ECC end-of-life deadline looms, the S/4HANA migration wave is officially here. But with nearly half of enterprises yet to get started, a critical question remains: how can finance leaders ensure their migration delivers real value, not just technical change?

This was the focus of our latest webinar, Futureproofing AP in Your S/4HANA Migration, where Basware experts were joined by Anand Singh, International Deputy Head of Transformation at Heidelberg Materials. If you missed the live session, the on-demand recording is now available, and well worth your time.

Three Forces Reshaping Finance

Our panel outlined three major trends converging on finance:

• Cloud ERP migrations are accelerating as ECC support ends.
• AI-driven automation is reshaping what’s possible in finance operations.
• Global compliance mandates are growing in complexity and urgency.

Together, these shifts create both risk and opportunity. And they make one thing clear: AP must have a seat at the table from day one.

Why AP Can’t Be an Afterthought

Gartner estimates that 70% of ERP initiatives will fail to meet business goals by 2027, often because finance outcomes aren’t aligned across functions. Anand Singh shared that without early involvement, AP can end up with a solution imposed on them that doesn't match real-world needs.

“This isn’t just an IT upgrade. It’s an opportunity to rethink how finance delivers value, and that requires AP to be part of the blueprint.”

Lessons from Heidelberg Materials

Heidelberg’s migration strategy stands out for its pragmatism:

• Avoid Big Bang rollouts: Instead, they rolled out S/4 by company code and region, keeping business running while modernizing in phases.
• Embrace clean core principles: They pushed all customization—including tax handling, matching logic, and smart coding, outside of SAP and into Basware.
• Automate with intent: By pairing smart coding with clean data, they uncovered previously hidden inefficiencies, like redundant GL accounts and inconsistent PO practices.
• Measure what matters: They focused on a handful of meaningful KPIs, rather than overwhelming teams with dashboards that don’t drive action.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway? Collaboration is everything.

As Anand put it, "Procurement, finance, and IT all need to move as one, otherwise scope creeps, budgets inflate, and adoption stalls.”

The Basware Advantage in S/4HANA Migrations

The webinar also highlighted why Basware continues to be the ILM partner of choice for SAP customers:

• Seamless integration with both ECC and S/4HANA (including private and public cloud)
• Certified connectors and proven support for phased migrations
• Scalability across complex markets with shifting compliance mandates
• Analytics that expose root causes, not just symptoms

Basware enables transformation teams to simplify architecture, accelerate value, and de-risk migration timelines. And unlike SAP’s native AP functionality, Basware is purpose-built to handle the full invoice lifecycle across all entities, systems, and regulations.

Watch the Full Webinar On-Demand

If you’re in the early stages of S/4HANA planning, or already mid-flight, this 45-minute session offers practical guidance you can act on now.

👉 Watch the webinar

👉 Book your Basware S/4HANA assessment

Make your migration smarter. Faster. And future-ready.