ERP transformation & AI readiness

A new AI Fitness Check helps organizations leverage ERP transformations as a launchpad for enterprise AI that grows and develops with the technology

The meteoric rise of artificial intelligence has taken many C-level executives by surprise – and created a dilemma. The transformation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is already underway for most companies and is challenging enough on its own. But at the same time, CIOs, COOs and CTOs are now also under mounting pressure to unlock the value of AI across their organizations.

Our AI Fitness Check is specially designed to ensure that every ERP transformation can go beyond a mere “digital upgrade” and become a strategic enabler for AI-driven processes throughout the enterprise.

Who needs an AI Fitness Check?

On the ERP side, companies essentially have little choice. True, some opt for a comparatively “light” technical upgrade. But the majority commit to far more extensive transformations that target the powerful and efficient integration of business and IT.

For most, standardizing everything that can be standardized is the main way to achieve this goal and enhance workflow efficiency. In practice, however, there is always a need for customization. That in itself is no problem. But it often raises the temptation to cut corners, find “quick and dirty” workarounds and tolerate inconsistencies. The result? Every uncontrolled or ill-considered deviation from the standard can seriously compromise the future operability and integrity of overall ERP systems. Crucially, for any company striving to build solid AI readiness, the dangers can be even greater.

This is precisely where Roland Berger’s AI Fitness Check meticulously assesses and enhances the AI readiness of every key aspect of ERP transformations – whether they are still on the drawing board, currently being rolled out, or in need of optimization after an upgrade has gone live. It is nevertheless important to note that the Fitness Check is not about individual AI use cases: Its focus is instead on building a solid platform on which high-value AI use cases and positive business outcomes can be enabled in the future.

Uncovering hidden gaps in four dimensions

Each AI Fitness Check begins with a broad panorama and a deep dive into the existing ERP landscape. It explores legacy processes and screens the templates designed for future releases. The focus is on four key dimensions:

1. Standardization and deviations in process and system design
The AI Fitness Check digs deep into the details: Is the logic behind deviations sound? How cleanly is the gap between the standard and customization being implemented? Will the ERP template design support long-term adaptability and efficient maintenance, especially with a view to the adoption of agentic AI capabilities? Or could questionable decisions run up a heavy technical debt going forward?

2. Data quality and maturity
A mature, unified data foundation is of crucial importance for any company looking to deploy AI agents at scale. Clean, semantically consistent data is the lifeblood of AI agents. Conversely, fragmented data leads to AI outputs that will ultimately be untrustworthy and even dangerous. The quality of the data itself must also be supported by a data infrastructure that is equally mature and unified. This requires well-designed data governance roles and processes, but also careful attention to deviations from standard ERP processes and the resultant data complexity.

3. Scalability of the architecture and toolchain
A third focus of the AI Fitness Check validates whether the ERP architecture will be able to handle future AI workloads and agentic systems. An ability to adopt innovations seamlessly and efficiently must be baked into the way the architecture is set up and governed if rapid ongoing developments in AI are to be accommodated at scale.

4. Code quality
Given that deviations from the standard are unavoidable in practice, it is vital to ensure that all customized code is developed cleanly and to a high quality. Only then will the overall system be able to deliver a quality of ERP workflows and outputs that lines up with the organization’s strategic ambitions.

As part of the AI Fitness Check, Roland Berger’s experts conduct workshops, analyze data and interview key people to uncover inefficiencies, misalignments and potential obstacles to future progress. Such obstacles can include fragmented data, inconsistent process standards and substandard legacy code that could hinder integration and automation.

From diagnosis to prioritized action

Identifying vulnerabilities and inconsistencies is only the first step. Next, we work closely with the client to channel all these outcomes into a prioritized roadmap across all four dimensions. Specifically, processes and templates are harmonized to clear a path to efficient AI deployment (standardization). The following step is to improve the quality, accessibility and governance of data in the interests of friction-free AI data models (data maturity). The architecture as a whole must be modernized to ensure that it remains flexible, secure and scalable (architecture). Lastly, customized code may need to be refactored and documented to facilitate rapid experimentation (in the context of generative AI, for example) as well as deployment (code quality).

The role played by AI in our AI Fitness Check

We actively use AI capabilities to streamline and accelerate various aspects of the AI Fitness Check itself. Examples are listed in the figure below – showcasing the gains that stand to be realized as agentic AI comes into play.

Since each recommendation is tailored to the given organization’s maturity, risk profile and strategic goals, the ERP system genuinely becomes the bedrock of enterprise AI.

Turning challenges into opportunities

An ERP transformation gets business and IT units from different domains working together toward a single goal. This in itself opens up tremendous opportunities to standardize, harmonize and automate ERP processes. But it is also a chance to build a solid foundation of contextualized data and redesign critical processes with scalable agentic AI in mind. Process workshops can drill down into the details of how customization will affect complexity and AI adoption. And AI tools themselves are increasingly being used to scan legacy code, recommend a better fit to standard, and automate both specifications and documentation. Informed by Roland Berger’s deep experience in both domains, synergies can be leveraged from AI and ERP best practices to accelerate transformation and to design consistently for AI readiness. Ultimately, the enterprise can prepare itself for agentic systems that automate, optimize and continually learn across the full spectrum of business processes.

Keeping pace with rapidly changing AI

The AI Fitness Check can be instrumental in laying a firm foundation on which to build an AI-enabled future. But AI itself is still advancing and developing at a dizzying pace. Rather than see this as a one-off exercise, we therefore encourage clients to take the check as an opportunity to establish a culture of ongoing evaluation and adaptation. ERP templates should be continuously assessed and reassessed as AI capabilities and business needs evolve. New developments must be implemented swiftly to keep the enterprise ahead of the AI-driven disruption curve. Nor should associated risks be ignored: A culture of continuous assessment can ensure that emerging risks are identified and addressed before they impact business continuity. Conducting AI Fitness Checks, in other words, becomes a corporate lifestyle choice.

Positive outcomes

Intended primarily as a tool for CIOs, COOs and CTOs, Roland Berger’s AI Fitness Check delivers crucial benefits for the AI-ready enterprise of tomorrow:

• Investments in ERP are future-proofed by ensuring that templates are made ready for scalable, efficient AI adoption.

• Transformation is accelerated on the basis of realistic planning and the ability to mitigate identified risks.

• Critical processes become AI-ready, driving agility and innovation and unlocking business value.

In the age of rapid AI evolution, ERP templates become strategic, scalable platforms for enterprise AI. Roland Berger’s structured, fast and pragmatic AI Fitness Check empowers technology leaders to assess, adapt and optimize their ERP transformations – turning today’s systems into tomorrow’s competitive advantage.

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