Key Insights from our customers

We recently conducted interviews with over 25 of our SAP LeanIX customers across various industries. These conversations revealed valuable insights and recurring themes about how organisations are successfully leveraging SAP LeanIX to effectively manage their application portfolios, establish robust enterprise architecture governance practices, and support business transformation initiatives.

Here are the 5 key takeaways from our customer conversations

1. Planning and Onboarding – Laying the Groundwork for Success

• Clear Vision and Use Cases – Success starts with purpose. Customers who defined clear goals and prioritised key use cases during planning were able to implement SAP LeanIX more effectively and achieve faster value through delivery.
• Onboarding Challenges – Most teams agreed that the initial weeks and months with the tool were pivotal. Kapish’s Jumpstart Onboarding provided the foundations for success, ensuring stakeholders were aligned on shared purpose, and that the tool was rolled out across the organisation in a structured and manageable way. Positive initial momentum is key to continued success.
• Iterative Improvement – Early decisions around metamodel configuration often required refinement, highlighting the importance of starting small and iterating as the organisation matures.

Contact Kapish to discuss an Onboarding Jumpstart as well as a Strategic Review initiative to articulate your Goals, and the roadmap on how to get there.

2. Engagement and Adoption – The Human Element

• Stakeholder Buy-in – Teams that secured both IT and business stakeholder engagement saw smoother adoption. Executive sponsorship and clear communication were essential to align expectations and maintain momentum.
• Crowd-sourcing and Communication – While features like surveys were helpful, driving business contribution required dedicated champions and consistent advocacy for SAP LeanIX’s value.
• Navigating Resource Barriers – Restructuring and resource limitations posed challenges, emphasising the need for sustained internal champions to maintain adoption efforts.

Contact Kapish to discuss the Consume & Contribute framework as well as the importance to start a CoE inside your business.

3. Tool Strengths and Tangible Value

• Governance and Reporting – Role based access and strong governance practices enabled data quality improvements, allowing customers to manage their portfolios effectively.
• Delivering Insights – SAP LeanIX’s structured metamodel empowered teams to track cost savings and drive business outcomes, such as application reuse or adherence to IT standards.
• Integration Opportunities – While SAP LeanIX integrates with risk management systems and CMDBs, bespoke configurations required technical expertise. Those who invested in integration efforts reaped significant benefits.

Contact Kapish to discuss Architecture Capability maturity and the Integration platform-as-a-service available to all.

4. Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement

• Data Complexity – Clear definitions for elements like applications vs. IT components emerged as a critical success factor. Starting with a well-defined dataset was consistently recommended.
• Post-Onboarding Support – Some customers noted a decline in momentum, support responsiveness after onboarding. Continuous support and advocacy were crucial to maintaining engagement.
• Automation Gaps – Handling integrations and workflows often required external technologies, posing challenges for teams without strong technical resources at their disposal.

Contact Kapish to discuss Premium Support subscriptions and the value to be gained from that.

5. Adoption and Operationalisation – best practices for SAP LeanIX adoption

• Start Small, Build Gradually – begin with a single use case, such as application portfolio management, to demonstrate value and gain stakeholder buy-in for further adoption.
• Leverage the Community – Join Kapish User Groups, attend SAP LeanIX events, and connect with peers to share insights and accelerate problem-solving.
• Appoint Dedicated Champions –  Assign a core team or product owner to champion SAP LeanIX adoption, aligning tool capabilities with business goals and maintaining long-term success.

Contact Kapish to discuss best practices and how to apply them gradually.

Are you ready to Transform Your Application Portfolio with SAP LeanIX?

The insights from our customers highlight the potential of SAP LeanIX to drive business transformation, streamline IT governance, and uncover cost savings within your organisation. Whether you’re just starting out or refining your approach, the lessons from these industry leaders can serve as a roadmap to success.

Contact Kapish at [email protected] to discover how we can work together to deliver on your Enterprise Architecture goals.