Project Postponement Is Not a Cost Pause
Time for a different way of thinking
Systems have value. Postponements have a price. The migration project slips, go-live moves out. In the classic on-premise world that was annoying but manageable. RISE with SAP plays by different rules.
The uncomfortable truth
Your Annual Contract Value (ACV) runs from contract start, whether or not the system is in productive use. Cloud infrastructure, licences, support: all billed. A six-month slip means six months of ACV without productive value in return.
In typical RISE contracts that is quickly a six-figure amount that simply evaporates.
Old thinking vs. new reality
Before
ERP as a cost line. Projects slipped, on-premise licences sat idle.
Today
Systems are investments in value creation. Every unused month carries a measurable price: direct cost, opportunity cost, strategic disadvantage.
What that means for you
- Plan realistically: better to start later than to pay for idle time
- Synchronise contract start and go-live: every lead month without usage costs
- Prioritise hard: resource conflicts now have a direct financial impact
- Realise value early: pull parts of the scope forward, use the system for training
Conclusion
RISE with SAP is a commitment, and that commitment runs whether you are ready or not. Make the price of postponement visible internally and use that reality as a driver for disciplined execution.
In the end this is not about minimising cost. It is about maximising value. Your system has its value. Use it.
