Are your SAP skills enough for the upcoming changes? With SAP ERP transitions, your technical skills will be challenged to support your company's digital transformation.
As businesses transition from SAP ECC to S/4HANA before the end of the support deadline, it is abundantly clear that there is a shortage of SAP consultants. In a sense, there is a perfect storm brewing since most companies rely on outsourcing to implement and manage enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Yet, outsourcing is becoming more costly, and few providers have the talent with S/4HANA migration SAP skills necessary to meet growing demand.
So, How Did We Get Here?
Companies have a deadline to transition from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA by early 2025, and most enterprise legacy ERP systems are already outdated if businesses have not already made the switch. Additionally, S/4HANA migration is causing an increase in demand for SAP skills by enterprise clients, and companies are struggling to find extraordinary talent. Most of the local workforce of SAP consultants are either reaching retirement age or inexperienced in SAP S/4HANA, presenting job opportunities for those with an SAP skill set.
The Supply and Demand Imbalance Provides Great Opportunities for Those with S/4HANA SAP Skills.
So, with these challenges in mind, there is an excellent opportunity to provide consulting, migration, and ongoing management services if you have SAP skills. But what must you know before becoming an SAP S/4HANA specialist? Here are the SAP skills that SAP analysts need to know for the future.
As companies search for ways to migrate from ECC to S/4HANA, they will need consultants with various experiences. By having diverse work experience as a third-party vendor and an internal SAP consultant, you can tackle any role that your prospective employer needs.
Let's say that your only experience is with SAP ECC, but the company you work for is transitioning to S/4HANA. Just because you are not yet familiar with the new processes does not mean that you cannot learn. And sometimes, attitude and a willingness to learn can trump those with existing skills.
Your employer can also use your SAP skills for the benefit of your team. Teaching others what you know about SAP consulting and providing beginner training will help others gain knowledge and potentially a pay raise. Plus, it helps reduce the imbalance of supply and demand within the SAP industry.
Can you identify knowledge gaps within your SAP team? If so, you are in a great position to be a human resource and help others manage business processes. That way, if you switch organizations, other team members will understand how to transfer SAP system knowledge to others.
What happens if you do not know something about your company's ERP system? Well, you can always outsource SAP management to another company. However, it makes more sense to use external expertise to address knowledge gaps and develop your SAP skills. By finding others to help you learn, you become more valuable and do not rely on process outsourcing.
In conclusion, there is a tremendous demand for those with SAP skills and not enough analysts who are familiar with S/4HANA. Fortunately, by improving your SAP skills, you can increase your earning potential and employability with some of the world's leading companies.
Want more resources to boost your SAP skills and knowledge? Check these out: