When it comes to any SAP S/4HANA implementation or migration, the SAP Activate methodology is the playbook that guides consultants and project teams. At its heart lies the Realize phase—the stage where designs are configured, tested, and brought to life in the system.
Traditionally, Realize has been the most demanding part of the journey: weeks of configuration, long hours of development, and painstaking cycles of testing and documentation. But in 2025, the picture is changing. AI copilots like SAP Joule and the Business Technology Platform (BTP) are reshaping how Realize is executed. For consultants, this is not just about speeding things up—it’s a redefinition of their role, moving away from manual effort toward AI-assisted delivery and strategic validation.
Realize Gets a Boost: How Joule Speeds Things Up
For years, Realize has been the bottleneck. Even the most well-prepared Explore and Design phases couldn’t prevent the heavy lift that followed. Consultants spent countless hours documenting system setups, writing test scripts, and manually checking that configurations aligned with best practices. SAP Joule changes that equation.
1. Smarter S/4HANA Configuration
Instead of navigating hundreds of IMG nodes, consultants can now interact with Joule in natural language:
● Intelligent Configuration: A consultant can ask Joule to set up new payment terms, adjust a workflow, or propose organizational structures. Joule uses requirements captured earlier in the project to recommend or execute standard configurations.
● Built-In Best Practices: Joule cross-checks configurations against SAP’s Fit-to-Standard guidance, helping avoid deviations that often lead to costly fixes after go-live.
This shift means consultants spend less time “clicking through” and more time evaluating whether a configuration truly fits the business need.
2. Easier Testing and Documentation
Testing and documentation typically account for some of the heaviest workstreams in Realize. Joule streamlines both:
● Auto-Generated Test Scripts: Based on configured processes, Joule can produce draft test cases for System Integration Testing (SIT) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
● Real-Time Documentation: As changes are made, Joule automatically updates technical specifications and process flows. Documentation is no longer a lagging task—it evolves in sync with the system.
The outcome is a faster, cleaner Realize phase where repetitive tasks are automated, freeing consultants to focus on validation, exceptions, and end-user alignment.
Why BTP Is the Backbone
If Joule is the accelerator, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is the backbone that makes this acceleration sustainable. The core principle here is the Clean Core strategy.
The Clean Core Imperative
The idea is simple: keep the S/4HANA system as standard as possible, minimizing custom code inside the core. Instead:
● Build Extensions on BTP: Whether developing custom applications, integrating third-party systems, or leveraging AI services, these sit on BTP—not in S/4HANA itself.
● Plan Realize with BTP in Mind: Extensions and integrations should be designed in parallel with configurations, rather than being added after the system is stable.
By anchoring innovations on BTP, organizations ensure their S/4HANA system remains upgrade-friendly, stable, and continuously adaptable. Realize becomes less about “locking down a system” and more about setting up a platform for long-term innovation.
AI in Process and Project Management
While Joule accelerates configuration and testing, and BTP ensures a clean core, AI is also beginning to influence the supporting tools used during Realize.
● SAP Signavio: AI can now turn text into process models, recommend performance indicators, and analyze mining data. This helps confirm that system configurations remain aligned with intended business processes.
● LeanIX: AI features support architecture governance by auto-extracting data from diagrams, generating documentation, and offering recommendations for extensions and integrations.
These advances don’t replace the consultant or project manager, but they lighten the manual workload around process validation and architectural oversight, reinforcing the AI-augmented delivery model of Realize.
What This Means for Consultants
This transformation directly affects the consultant’s role. Instead of being execution-heavy, Realize is shifting toward strategy, validation, and innovation.
In short, the consultant’s expertise is no longer defined by how fast they can configure or code, but by how effectively they can guide AI outputs and align them with business objectives.
The New Realize Phase
The Realize phase is no longer just about answering the question, “How do we build this?” It’s about asking, “How quickly can we deliver, and how sustainable is what we’re delivering?”
By pairing Joule’s AI-driven efficiency with BTP’s clean-core architecture and augmenting process and architecture oversight with Signavio and LeanIX AI capabilities, projects can be delivered faster, with fewer errors, and with a built-in foundation for future upgrades and innovations. Customers benefit not only from a shorter time-to-value but also from systems designed for continuous evolution, not just a one-time go-live.
For consultants, this is an inflection point. The skills that matter most in Realize are shifting toward advisory, architectural thinking, and leveraging AI responsibly. Those who adapt will find themselves at the center of SAP transformation projects in the AI era.