Successful SAP^® migration at Berlin-based petruswerk – changeover in record time thanks to PROMOS.GT ready2

What makes PROMOS.GT ready2 particularly remarkable is the extraordinarily short period of time required to migrate the fully-fledged SAP^® system. And this project provided impressive proof of this: in just five months, petruswerk successfully switched to a new SAP^® system with PROMOS.GT ready2. This example emphasises how effective and well thought-out the PROMOS.GT ready2 concept is. The industry-specific solution enables an extremely fast and smooth changeover, while at the same time taking into account the specific needs of property companies.

Why a new SAP^® solution?

The decision to migrate to a new SAP^® system was necessary for petruswerk as the previous provider will be discontinuing its SAP^® solution in the future. Raphael Krebes, project manager for the migration at petruswerk, explains the background: “External circumstances forced us to reorient ourselves. However, we saw this as an opportunity for us to develop further and decide in favour of a future-oriented solution.” The company chose a ready-made SAP^® system that was specially developed for the needs of property companies: PROMOS.GT ready2. The ready-to-use and out-of-the-box solution minimises implementation times and significantly increases maintainability compared to specialised individual solutions. At the same time, it is based on the latest version of the SAP^® Business Suite: SAP S/4HANA^®. This utilises the fast in-memory database HANA and works significantly faster and more efficiently than previous versions.

About petruswerk

petruswerk Katholische Wohnungsbau- und Siedlungsgesellschaft mbH is a German company based in Berlin that creates, lets and manages affordable housing. The company’s activities also include third-party management. Founded to provide access to housing for various population groups, especially families, senior citizens and socially disadvantaged people, the company is based on the principles of Catholic social teaching. Sustainability and energy efficiency are key aspects of the company’s work.

Project progress and challenges

The migration project began on 20 April 2023 with a joint kick-off and went live successfully just five months later on 1 October 2023. A remarkably short project duration – especially considering the migration took place during the year. This harbours special challenges, as a time-consuming line item transfer must be carried out and all necessary settlements must be finalised in the old system before the cut-off date. This is the only way to ensure a smooth transition. Thanks to the close and effective cooperation between petruswerk and PROMOS and the hard work of all employees, the migration was a complete success.

Advantages of the new SAP^® system

The new system offers a number of advantages over the previous SAP^® solution. The first thing that needs to be mentioned here is the switch to S/4HANA^® technology and therefore to SAP Fiori^®. Fiori^® is a user-friendly web interface for SAP^® software that offers modern, intuitive and simple operation with tiles. petruswerk benefits from significant time savings because tasks can be completed faster, greater flexibility because it works on different devices, and an appealing look that makes it more pleasant to use.

The property-specific applications included as standard in PROMOS.GT ready2 also open up numerous new possibilities for employees. Krebes comments: “Although this required a certain amount of training, the learning effort was an investment that quickly paid off. Today, we benefit from clever tools that make our work easier and simultaneously improve our quality.” petruswerk now has more extensive configuration and evaluation options that are precisely tailored to the requirements of property companies. This enables the employees to organise their work processes more efficiently and respond even better to the needs of their tenants. For Krebes, the advantages of the new system are particularly evident in these two solutions: “With PROMOS.GT ready2, we are now simply much more independent. The digital invoice receipt workflow enables us to process and approve invoices from anywhere while working from a mobile device. Previously, this was only possible at a specific location. We are also much more flexible and efficient when using the archive, which now works directly from SAP^® via the browser. The entire archive workflow is now faster, shorter and simpler.”

Challenges and lessons learned

petruswerk was migrated from one SAP^® system to another. One of the lessons learned during the course of the project was that, despite this continuity, the employees required a considerable amount of training. The main reason for this was that the new system offers numerous additional functions and a largely new user interface. The employees first had to get used to the new ways of accessing the familiar transaction screens and extended functionalities. But it was precisely this challenge that turned out to be a valuable learning opportunity. Thanks to the training sessions and familiarisation with the new system, the petruswerk team can now work much more flexibly and efficiently. Krebes emphasises: “The changeover was a big task, but we have benefited enormously from it. The new possibilities and intuitive operation of the system make our daily work easier and open up new perspectives.”

Outlook: focus on mobile solutions

Another important step for petruswerk is the switch to complementary mobile solutions. Krebes explains the next steps: “The first step is to introduce the app for mobile tenant changes. This will enable us to keep data from SAP^® on site and transfer information directly back into the system. Without any detours. The same will also become a reality for other topics in the future, e.g. for safety precautions and quality management processes or defect reports.” petruswerk will receive the entire repertoire of mobile services that PROMOS customers have tried and tested for a long time. This also includes the letting, prospective tenant and tenant apps. The use of such apps represents a quantum leap for the company, which previously worked entirely without mobile solutions. These mobile applications will further optimise workflows and significantly improve the quality of service for tenants.

Conclusion

The successful SAP^® migration at petruswerk impressively demonstrates how a medium-sized housing company benefits from a well thought-out IT strategy and the selection of a modern, ready-made SAP^® solution. The migration was completed in record time thanks to the close cooperation with PROMOS as an experienced consulting firm, the dedicated commitment of the employees and the advantages of a ready-to-deliver SAP^® system. The new possibilities and increased flexibility of the system create a solid basis for the company’s future development and ensure that petruswerk will remain competitive in the coming years.

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