Protiviti Demonstrates Value of Transformation Assurance in S/4HANA Engagement

Global consulting firm Protiviti has shared insights from a successful SAP S/4HANA implementation, illustrating the critical role that transformation assurance can play in reducing risk and aligning enterprise IT with strategic business goals. The case study, recently published on Protiviti’s Technology Consulting blog, highlights a real-world engagement with a large multinational client undergoing a complex ERP transformation.

Facing tight deadlines, fragmented legacy systems, and business-side uncertainty, the client turned to Protiviti for both advisory support and oversight. Rather than limiting its role to project management or technical implementation, Protiviti applied a comprehensive transformation assurance framework to help the organization navigate its SAP S/4HANA migration. This model emphasizes governance, decision rights, value realization, and risk mitigation throughout the project lifecycle.

Elevating Transformation Through Independent Assurance

Protiviti’s engagement began with an independent review of the client’s existing SAP S/4HANA migration program, which was already underway but struggling with integration issues and stakeholder misalignment. By stepping in as a transformation assurance partner, Protiviti was able to refocus the initiative on its intended business outcomes rather than purely technical deliverables.

The firm embedded its experts across program management, change enablement, and business process reengineering workstreams, helping the client establish a clearer operating model. Through routine health checks, executive reporting, and structured risk reviews, Protiviti helped surface blind spots that could have derailed the initiative—such as a lack of clarity around data migration responsibilities and inconsistent communication between business and IT leaders.

One key advantage Protiviti brought to the table was its ability to bridge the gap between enterprise strategy and day-to-day project execution. Protiviti’s team not only enforced program discipline but also helped the client rethink scope decisions and delivery models. According to the case study, the project gained stability within weeks of Protiviti’s engagement. It ultimately delivered on core transformation milestones, including harmonized processes, stronger reporting capabilities, and reduced customization footprint.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Third-party transformation assurance is emerging as a strategic lever to accelerate ERP time-to-value. Independent transformation assurance can safeguard enterprise SAP S/4HANA programs from avoidable failure. Many organizations underestimate the complexity of SAP transformation until problems emerge. Protiviti’s client avoided extended delays and cost overruns by engaging a third-party assurance team that flagged issues early and kept the project on track. Embedding assurance roles from the outset and aligning KPIs to business outcomes helped deliver early wins and maintain momentum. Other SAP customers may see faster time-to-value and stronger stakeholder alignment by adopting similar governance practices.

Demand is growing for consulting partners that link SAP expertise with enterprise value realization. The market for transformation assurance is expanding as more organizations commit to SAP S/4HANA and other ERP modernization programs. With large-scale initiatives spanning years and involving multiple business functions, enterprises increasingly need structured oversight that complements technical implementation. Protiviti offers a distinctive value proposition by blending SAP expertise with program governance and value realization strategy. This approach is especially relevant for companies undergoing mergers, global rollouts, or legacy platform consolidation.

SAP customers should evaluate transformation partners based on risk governance and organizational alignment. When evaluating partners, executives should look beyond implementation credentials and focus on experience managing transformation risk. Assurance providers must understand cross-functional dynamics, change management, and stakeholder decision-making at scale. Common challenges like scope creep, insufficient communication, and IT-business misalignment can derail even well-scoped projects. In the Protiviti case, structured governance and proactive risk reviews helped the client overcome all three. Organizations that address these risks early are more likely to achieve sustainable transformation and avoid costly resets midstream.