SAP S/4HANA: Performance Management in Real Time?

For several years now, SAP S/4HANA made its way on to the agenda for finance and IT departments across various industries. Many companies are already in implementation, while other companies are in the phase of evaluating possible benefits. One of the most considered area of benefits is related to significant improvements in performance management with the goal of “real-time performance management.” Based on practical experience, this contribution examines what benefits can be achieved specifically in the retail and consumer goods industry and what the prerequisites for this are. Our results: there are indeed substantial opportunities. However, achieving them requires a solid business design and harmonized and stringent processes and data structures in controlling and underlying business processes.