Alexey Amelchenko, Head of SAP Practice at ACBAltica
Sales today isn’t what it used to be. Buyers are more informed, cycles are more complex, and expectations are higher than ever. To keep up, sales teams need more than spreadsheets and guesswork — they need tools that actually help them sell.
What is SAP Activate?
SAP Activate is a standardized SAP implementation methodology designed to optimize the deployment of SAP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), and SAP SuccessFactors in different deployment modes — cloud, on-premises or hybrid.
Before SAP Activate, businesses relied on older methods like ASAP (Accelerated SAP) and SAP Launch which followed a waterfall approach. These often led to long timelines, rigid planning, and delayed results. SAP Activate changes that by introducing agile principles and focusing on standard best practices first, with customizations only when truly needed.
SAP Activate is not just a project methodology, but a comprehensive framework that enables rapid, manageable, and value-driven transformation. It integrates:
- Digital Selling Workspace,
- B2B Customer Management,
- Seamless Lead-to-Quote Process,
- Analytics.
Exploring the core capabilities
Let’s take a closer look at some of the key features mentioned earlier.
SAP Sales Cloud brings together four essential areas that support every step of the sales journey:
- Pre-configured business processes,
- A clear implementation roadmap,
- Tools for system customization,
- Methods for accelerated project implementation.
What makes SAP Activate unique?
Modular and scalable: It supports small, midsize, and large enterprises, and adapts to varied industries and deployment scenarios.
Based on best practices: Every project starts with a foundation of SAP Best Practices, including predefined business process flows, configuration guides, and sample data.
Supports innovation: Activate is designed to support continuous innovation, especially in cloud environments where quarterly updates are standard.
Flexible across deployment types:
- Public or Private Cloud,
- On-Premise,
- Hybrid Scenarios.
Key concepts in SAP Activate
Fit-to-standard workshops: Replace traditional “as-is/to-be” design. Instead, you start with SAP’s best practices and identify only what needs to change.
Agile sprint planning: Short, iterative cycles help teams deliver results quickly and adapt along the way.
Tool-driven configuration: Through SAP Fiori apps or guided setup tools, configuration becomes easier and more user-driven.
Content-driven approach: SAP provides ready-to-use accelerators, templates, and deliverables to reduce the workload on implementation teams.
Core building blocks of SAP Activate
1. SAP Best Practices: A ready-to-use starting point
SAP Best Practices are predefined business processes that reflect how companies around the world use SAP successfully. Think of them as templates or examples that show how to handle tasks like creating a sales order, managing inventory, or paying a supplier.
They include:
- Step-by-step process flows,
- System settings and configurations,
- Test data and documentation.
These best practices are available for different industries (like retail, manufacturing, or logistics) and different SAP products, including SAP S/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors, and more.
Why they’re helpful:
- Save time — you don’t start from scratch.
- Reduce risk — you follow proven processes.
- Make workshops faster — teams can focus on what needs changing instead of designing everything from zero.
2. Guided Configuration: Simple, step-by-step setup
Setting up an SAP system used to be complicated and required a lot of technical knowledge. With Guided Configuration, SAP makes it much easier — showing what to do, step by step.
Why this is helpful:
- Business users (not just IT) can help set up the system.
- You can make changes faster and with less effort.
- Your system stays up to date more easily.
3. Agile project approach: Work in small, fast steps
Instead of long, drawn-out projects, SAP Activate uses agile methods. That means working in short cycles (called sprints) where you build small parts of the system, test them, and get feedback — then repeat.
A key activity in this process is the Fit-to-Standard workshop, where you look at SAP’s standard processes and decide:
- What works as-is?
- What needs to change to fit your business?
This approach helps teams avoid unnecessary customizations and focus only on real business needs.
Why it works:
- You see results faster.
- Teams can adjust plans easily if things change.
- Everyone (IT and business users) stays involved throughout the project.
The phases of SAP Activate
SAP Activate projects follow six clear steps, each with defined tasks, tools, and deliverables (available in SAP Roadmap Viewer):
1. Discover: Learn what SAP can offer, explore your options, and build a high-level plan.
2. Prepare: Set up the project team, tools, and detailed plan. Get everyone aligned and ready to start.
3. Explore: Run Fit-to-Standard workshops to compare SAP’s processes with your own. Identify what fits and what needs to be adjusted.
4. Realize: Configure the system, build any needed enhancements, and test to make sure everything works.
5. Deploy: Prepare for go-live by migrating data, training users, and doing final checks.
6. Run: After go-live, support daily operations, monitor performance, and make improvements as needed.
How SAP Activate adapts to different project scenarios
Greenfield implementation
For companies starting fresh with solutions like SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Activate offers a fast, guided way to implement best practices right from the beginning. Fit-to-Standard workshops help reduce unnecessary customization, and Guided Configuration tools make it easy to activate and tailor processes without heavy technical effort.
Brownfield conversion
If your business is migrating from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA (also known as system conversion), SAP Activate helps you manage change efficiently. It supports everything from planning and data migration to testing and go-live. The structured phases reduce risks during the transition and help ensure business continuity.
Selective data transition
In cases where only part of the system or data needs to move, for example, certain business units or regions, SAP Activate can support a phased, hybrid approach. This often combines elements of both greenfield and brownfield projects and benefits from the agile, modular nature of the methodology.
Global rollouts or expansions
When expanding an existing SAP solution to new countries or business units, SAP Activate helps accelerate rollout. Reusing templates and best practices from earlier deployments makes the process faster and more consistent. Guided Configuration allows easy localization, such as adjusting tax rules or legal requirements.
Cloud vs. On-Premise deployment
Whether you’re implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, or running an on-premise solution, SAP Activate scales accordingly. Cloud projects focus more on Fit-to-Standard and rapid delivery. On-premise implementations often involve more complex integration and customization, but Activate provides the same structure and tools to keep things on track.
Final verdict: Is SAP Activate worth it?
The answer is definitely – yes! SAP Activate can make your SAP projects run more smoothly and efficiently, as long as you use it the right way. It’s flexible, practical, and designed to help you move faster with less complexity.
The key? Start with best practices, involve your business users early, and stay open to adjusting as you go. It also helps to have the right people on board, good communication, and support from leadership.
Thinking about using SAP Activate? Our team is here to guide you every step of the way — feel free to reach out!
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