The RISE Conversion Strategy and Timing Guide.

Most enterprises convert to RISE on SAP's clock and pay for it across the next seven years. The decision of when to convert, in what sequence, and against which renewal window is the single largest determinant of total deal economics. A conversion timed two quarters earlier than it needed to be can erase the entire saving the buyer fought to win during the commercial negotiation. A conversion timed against the right combination of ECC maintenance, depreciation cycle, and SAP quarter end can compound the saving across the contract term.

This paper sets out the timing model we use to plan multi business unit conversions. It opens with the timing variables the buyer can actually influence. ECC mainstream maintenance window, extended maintenance options, depreciation schedule of on premise hardware, FUE renewal dates, BTP entitlement expiry, and the SAP fiscal calendar. It then maps these against the SAP conversion campaigns that are typically running in any given quarter. The output is a calendar that puts the buyer in front of SAP at the moment maximum leverage is available.

The paper also addresses the sequencing question. Many enterprises run a single corporate RISE conversion because that is what SAP proposes. The buyer side reality is that splitting the conversion into two or three phases by business unit, geography, or system landscape almost always produces a lower total cost. The paper documents the conditions under which sequencing pays, the conditions under which it does not, and the contract architecture that makes phased conversion possible.