SAP Knows the Process. Does It Know the Work?
SAP manages the processes that keep an enterprise running. But managing a process and enabling people to execute it are two different things.
Across warehouses, production lines and maintenance operations, employees still rely on spreadsheets, paper, emails and manual workarounds to get their jobs done. The result is a growing distance between what SAP records and how work actually happens.
This is the SAP execution gap. And it’s not simply a question of user training. Even experienced employees can struggle with systems that weren’t designed around the tasks they need to complete. Meanwhile, operational data arrives late, improvements are held back by major transformation programmes, and valuable business logic remains difficult to access where it’s needed.
The rise of AI makes this challenge even more important. AI agents can only act on the processes, data and business logic available to them. If work still happens outside the system, agents lack the visibility and context they need to execute effectively. A System of Work addresses this by connecting role specific Business Applications, Process Orchestration and AI Agents with SAP as the System of Record.
But closing the gap doesn’t have to start with a major transformation programme. As the examples of Johnson & Johnson and Asia Express Food demonstrate, organisations can start with one process, prove the value, measure the results and scale from there.
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In this episode
- What the SAP execution gap looks like in everyday business operations.
- Why the problem goes beyond user training and system adoption.
- How the gap affects operational efficiency, business transformation and AI adoption.
- Why AI agents need access to real processes and custom business logic to do more than make recommendations.
- What a System of Work means and how it complements SAP.
- How to identify the right starting point, measure improvements and scale successful applications across the enterprise.
Where does work slow down in your organisation? Listen to this episode of Neptune Talks to explore how to close the gap between managing processes and getting work done.
