A focused course, tailored for you
The S/4HANA RISE Decision Pattern for the Architecture Advisor
A decision pattern for SAP Architecture Advisors guiding customers through the RISE with SAP versus Brownfield versus Bluefield versus stay-on-ECC architecture choice in 2026.
SAP Architecture Advisors face a customer architecture decision that does not split cleanly. RISE with SAP, Brownfield S/4HANA, Bluefield S/4HANA, stay-on-ECC-with-extended-support. The course delivers the integrated decision pattern.
$199 one-time
Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.
Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.
Why this course
SAP Architecture Advisors in 2026 face a customer architecture decision that does not split cleanly. The customer CIO arrives with four options on the table: RISE with SAP (Private Cloud Edition or Public Cloud Edition), Brownfield S/4HANA migration, Bluefield S/4HANA selective data transformation, or stay-on-ECC with extended maintenance through 2027 and customer-paid maintenance to 2030. Each option carries a different cost trajectory, a different transformation timeline, a different customisation profile, and a different governance pattern.
The default Architecture Advisor conversation leads with the RISE-with-SAP positioning. The customer's CIO has already heard that. The conversation needs the integrated decision pattern that handles all four options simultaneously and routes the customer to the right choice for their context.
The course works through the integrated decision pattern. The diagnostic framework that surfaces the customer's actual decision drivers. The RISE-with-SAP option analysis. The Brownfield option analysis. The Bluefield option analysis. The stay-on-ECC option analysis. The integration with the customer's existing SAP landscape. The integration with the customer's existing transformation programme. The board-readable recommendation framework. Twelve modules with deliverables. Plus a hand-built playbook for your specific customer mix.
What you walk away with
- A documented diagnostic framework that surfaces decision drivers.
- A RISE-with-SAP option analysis.
- A Brownfield option analysis.
- A Bluefield option analysis.
- A stay-on-ECC option analysis.
- An integration with the customer's existing SAP landscape.
- A board-readable recommendation framework.
- A 10-week build plan.
The 12 modules
Module 1. The 2026 SAP S/4HANA decision landscape
Walkthrough of the 2026 SAP S/4HANA decision landscape. The RISE with SAP product position. The Brownfield migration market. The Bluefield SAP-led-and-partner-led options. The ECC extended maintenance and the customer-paid maintenance window status. The competitive landscape across SAP-direct, SI partners, and the customer's in-house team. The strategic decisions a customer's CIO faces and the typical timeline pressure.
Module 2. Diagnostic framework
Build the diagnostic framework. The five decision drivers (customisation depth, regulatory landscape, business-process maturity, IT capacity, financial constraint). The diagnostic question set. The customer-side stakeholder map. The diagnostic output that routes to the right option. Plus the worked example for three customer profiles where each driver dominates and the routing pattern that follows.
Module 3. RISE with SAP option analysis
Build the RISE-with-SAP option analysis. The Private Cloud Edition profile. The Public Cloud Edition profile. The customer-side commercial structure. The customer-side governance pattern. The customer-side transformation timeline. The integration with the customer's existing cloud-platform commitments (Azure, AWS, GCP, OCI). Plus the worked example for the customer customer profile where RISE-with-SAP is the right answer.
Module 4. Brownfield option analysis
Build the Brownfield option analysis. The technical migration pattern. The customer-side customisation evaluation. The customer-side data-migration pattern. The customer-side cutover pattern. The customer-side timeline pattern. The risk-mitigation pattern. Plus the worked example for the customer profile where Brownfield is the right answer (heavy customisation the customer cannot retire).
Module 5. Bluefield option analysis
Build the Bluefield option analysis. The selective data-transformation pattern. The customer-side customisation rationalisation pattern. The customer-side data-migration pattern. The customer-side phased-cutover pattern. The customer-side timeline pattern. The risk-mitigation pattern. Plus the worked example for the customer profile where Bluefield is the right answer (customisation the customer can rationalise).
Module 6. Stay-on-ECC option analysis
Build the stay-on-ECC option analysis. The mainstream maintenance window through 2027 and customer-paid maintenance through 2030. The business-case framework. The customer-side capability-build framework. The customer-side risk framework. The customer-side optionality framework. Plus the worked example for the customer profile where stay-on-ECC is the right answer (typically capital-constraint or governance-uncertainty driven).
Module 7. Customer SAP landscape integration
Build the customer-side SAP landscape integration. The SAP Ariba integration. The SAP Concur integration. The SuccessFactors integration. The SAP Analytics Cloud integration. The SAP Business Technology Platform integration. The customer-side third-party integration pattern. Plus the worked example for the customer's typical SAP-anchored landscape and the integration architecture across all four decision options.
Module 8. Industry overlays
Build the industry overlays. The discrete manufacturing overlay. The process manufacturing overlay. The retail and consumer-products overlay. The professional services overlay. The utilities overlay. The public-sector overlay. Each with the option-by-option fit pattern. Plus the worked example for the customer's typical sector and the industry-specific decision-driver weighting.
Module 9. Customer-side governance pattern
Build the customer-side governance pattern. The steering-committee structure across all four options. The programme-management cadence. The customer-side decision-rights framework. The customer-side risk-management framework. The integration with the customer's existing transformation programme cadence. Plus the worked example for the customer's typical decision-governance pattern.
Module 10. Board-readable recommendation framework
Build the board-readable recommendation framework. The option-comparison dashboard. The risk-comparison dashboard. The cost-comparison dashboard. The timeline-comparison dashboard. The capability-comparison dashboard. The recommendation-narrative framework. The integration with the customer's existing board cadence. Plus the worked example for the board pack that the customer's chair signs.
Module 11. Customer engagement structure
Build the customer engagement structure. The discovery phase. The diagnostic phase. The recommendation phase. The handover phase. The renewal conversation. The integration with the customer's existing SAP account-team cadence. The integration with the customer's existing SI partner cadence. Plus the worked example for a 12-week diagnostic-and-recommendation engagement and the pricing framework.
Module 12. Your 10-week build plan
Week by week. Weeks 1-2: landscape and diagnostic framework. Weeks 3-4: RISE-with-SAP and Brownfield option analysis. Weeks 5-6: Bluefield and stay-on-ECC option analysis. Weeks 7-8: customer SAP landscape integration, industry overlays, governance pattern. Weeks 9-10: board-readable recommendation framework, customer engagement structure. Deliverable: an integrated S/4HANA decision pattern ready for the next customer architecture conversation.
How this addresses your situation
Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.
Customer arrives with four options → Module 2 routes.
Customer wants RISE → Module 3.
Customer wants Brownfield → Module 4.
Customer wants Bluefield → Module 5.
Customer wants ECC → Module 6.
Customer needs SAP landscape integration → Module 7.
Customer is in a regulated sector → Module 8.
Customer needs board recommendation → Module 10.
What you get with this course
- The 12-module course delivered as text plus downloadable templates.
- Templates and worked examples for every module.
- A hand-built playbook generated for your customer mix.
- Three reference decisions from peer SAP Architecture Advisor engagements.
- Scripted talking points for the customer CIO engagement.
What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1
Day 1: Diagnostic framework scaffold drafted.
Week 4: RISE-with-SAP and Brownfield option analysis designed.
Week 8: Bluefield, stay-on-ECC, landscape integration, industry overlays operational.
Week 10: Decision pattern ready for next customer architecture conversation.
Before and after
Before
Default Architecture Advisor conversation leads with RISE-with-SAP. Customer already heard it. Decision stalls. Customer chooses the SI partner's preferred option rather than the customer-fit option.
After
Integrated decision pattern. Diagnostic surfaces customer drivers. Recommendation lands for the customer's actual context. Customer signs the board pack.
What happens if you do not address this
ECC mainstream maintenance is in its closing window. SAP customer architecture decisions accelerate in 2026. Architecture Advisors who do not arrive with the integrated decision pattern lose decision conversations to SI partners with structured pitches.
Who it is for
For SAP Architecture Advisors at SAP, principal architects at SI partners, senior solution architects at customer organisations, and senior SAP consultants delivering S/4HANA programmes.
Who this is NOT for. Pure non-SAP practitioners. Practitioners with no S/4HANA experience. Pure non-architecture roles.
How it arrives
Text-based course via LMS, plus downloadable templates and worked examples and the hand-built playbook.
Time investment. Roughly 18 hours of reading and 60 to 120 hours of build effort across the 10-week plan.
Why $199 is the right number
External SAP architecture advisory programmes charge from 100,000 to 500,000 USD for decision-pattern builds. 199 USD buys the focused playbook and the implementation document for your customer mix.
FAQ
Does this cover S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition specifically?
Module 3 covers Public Cloud Edition in the RISE option analysis.
What about SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud landings?
Module 7 covers SAP BTP, Datasphere, and Analytics Cloud landings.
Does this cover the SAP Business Network landing?
Module 7 covers SAP Business Network as part of the SAP landscape integration.
What is in the implementation playbook for me specifically?
Decision pattern tuned to your customer mix, industry overlays pre-loaded with your sector concentration, customer engagement structure matched to your engagement cadence.
30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.
