Why Every SAP Project Needs a 'Hypercare Strategy,' Not Just Support Tickets

Your project just went live. The transports moved. The users logged in. The first few orders and invoices went through.

“We made it!” — Right?

Not quite.

The real success of an SAP project isn’t just going live. It’s staying stable after you do.

And that’s why every SAP implementation or upgrade needs more than a support inbox. It needs a hypercare strategy.

What Is Hypercare?

Hypercare is the focused, short-term support period immediately after go-live usually 2 to 4 weeks, designed to catch issues fast, minimize disruption, and support users while they adapt.

But here's the truth:

• Most companies treat Hypercare as “just answer the tickets.”

• Smart SAP teams treat it as a planned, strategic phase—just as critical as testing or cutover.

Why Hypercare Matters

Without it, you risk:

• User frustration and lack of adoption

• Delays in financial closing and reporting

• Lost revenue due to stuck orders or missed shipments

• Firefighting bugs that could’ve been caught with monitoring

• Reputational damage to the project team

And most importantly, you miss the chance to build user trust when it matters most.

What Should a Real Hypercare Strategy Include?

1. Proactive Monitoring, Not Just Ticket Handling

Don’t wait for users to report errors. Track system performance, failed background jobs, interface queues, and key documents (blocked invoices, failed deliveries, etc.).

Tools:

• SM37 / SM13 for job errors

• SLG1 for app logs

• SMQ1/SMQ2 for queues

• Custom dashboards for KPIs like open orders, parked docs, stuck IDocs

2. Rapid Bug-Fix Governance

Have a dedicated team for production fixes. Establish a clear escalation matrix. Assign leads for MM, SD, FI, etc. with daily status checkpoints.

Don’t treat everything as normal support. This is emergency-mode stabilization. Speed matters.

3. Key User Feedback Loops

Set up daily or twice-weekly feedback calls with power users. Ask:

• What’s working?

• What’s not?

• Any gaps in training or roles?

• Any critical reports or transactions missing?

These inputs should drive fixes and improvements quickly, not get logged and forgotten.

4. Security & Role Adjustment Windows

No matter how much you test, someone will lack access. Set aside 1–2 team members just for authorization troubleshooting especially for Fiori.

Track SU53 errors and role gaps, and update derived roles fast.

5. Mini Regression Testing

Every fix should trigger a quick check of surrounding processes.

If you fix MIGO, test MIRO. If you fix a pricing error, recheck output forms and invoices.

This avoids the “fix one, break ten” problem.

6. Daily Reporting & Hypercare Dashboard

Share daily status updates:

• of tickets raised/resolved

• Open critical issues

• User adoption metrics

• Top 5 pain points

This keeps leadership aligned and helps prioritize fixes.

Final Thought

A Go-Live is not the finish line. It’s the start of the most vulnerable part of your project.

Hypercare isn’t about handholding. It’s about stabilizing, listening, and winning user trust—fast.

So if your project plan still says “Hypercare = 2 weeks of support tickets”... It's time to rethink that.

Have you seen strong hypercare make or break an SAP rollout? What practices worked best for you?

Let’s share and raise the bar on how we support users post-go-live.

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