Stonebridge Consulting recently led a large and complex business transformation from SAP ECC to S/4HANA on the cloud for a leading E&P company with operations in major US basins. Leveraging Stonebridge’s deep expertise in ERP and digital transformation, project accelerators, and SAP Activate best practices, Stonebridge and our project partners successfully completed core deliverables, organizational change management, and PMO support for the ERP upgrade in less than a year, well ahead of the 2027 S/4 upgrade deadline.
Background
The E&P’s large portfolio of operated assets and non-operated working interests, supply chain, and extensive transactional footprint have resulted in a multitude of complex business processes, including purchase-to-pay (P2P) and workflows unique to its operations. Consequently, the company’s SAP ECC instance had been heavily customized to support core financial workflows, joint venture accounting (JVA), and production revenue accounting (PRA).
Challenge
The E&P faced an impending support cutoff for its legacy ERP with a deadline to upgrade to S/4HANA rapidly approaching. It wanted to move to the SAP Cloud to future proof its business and leverage advanced capabilities of the SAP Business Technology Platform that increase business performance and agility. However, the company faced significant challenges in upgrading before the 2027 deadline while ensuring sufficient customization of the S/4 starter solution to accommodate its unique business processes.
Approach
Stonebridge deployed its proven project management playbook for ERP software implementation alongside the SAP Activate framework and methodology. It provided the E&P with core project management and PMO support as well as change management and application testing. This included conducting Fit to Standard workshops to identify gaps between the S/4 standard business processes, documenting out of scope processes, and creating a solution plan for building out customization on the SAP Business Technology Platform to ensure seamless future S/4 upgrades. Stonebridge also managed testing and user acceptance leveraging JIRA and Worksoft application lifecycle management.
Stonebridge expertly managed the ERP upgrade leveraging proprietary data management tools and accelerators according to the SAP Activate methodology:
- Discover – Understand the value proposition of SAP solutions and align it with business goals. Outputs include project vision, initial scope, high-level project plan, and a business case.
- Prepare – Define the project governance, set up the project team, and establish the infrastructure. Outputs include project charter, detailed project plan, and initial system setup.
- Explore – Validate and refine the business processes and solution design. Outputs include prioritized requirements, and a refined project plan.
- Realize – Build and test the solution based on the defined requirements. Outputs include configured solution, test results, and training materials.
- Deploy – Finalize data migration, conduct end-user training, perform system testing, and execute cutover activities. Outputs include live production system, trained users, and go-live support plan.
- Run – Monitor system performance, provide ongoing support, perform regular maintenance, and optimize processes. Outputs include operational system, support documentation, and continuous improvement plan.
One ERP Project Among Many
This project is one example of how Stonebridge supports energy companies through complex ERP and data integration work. Our ERP practice brings together deep system expertise across Quorum, Enertia, SAP, and other industry platforms with structured approaches to data governance, change management, and workflow alignment. Whether the catalyst is a merger, asset acquisition, new system deployment, or a multi-phase modernization program, our focus remains on ensuring systems work together the way the business needs them to work, not the other way around.
Whether upstream, midstream, or downstream, we help clients standardize processes, consolidate platforms, clean and organize master data, and reduce operational risk during transition. The specifics change from project to project, but the principles stay the same: clarity of scope, disciplined execution, informed stakeholder engagement, and a clear path to measurable business outcomes. The result is not just a successful integration, but a more resilient enterprise foundation that supports growth.
Is your team looking to switch ERP [providers or upgrade your ERP? Contact Stonebridge to simplify your ERP selection or upgrade and reduce data conversion time and cost by up to 50% using our proven tools, reusable project assets, and library of accelerators.