Unlocking Success: Why Building an MVP is Key to Your Custom SAP Development Project?

Authored by Mr. Laeeq Siddique — Leading SAP S/4HANA Innovation & Strategy

Are you planning a SAP MVP development project that can drive innovation and long-term value for your business? It’s an exciting prospect, but it can also be overwhelming to keep up with all the requirements and expectations. Regardless of your SDLC approach, starting with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) can help you launch quickly, stay within budget, and manage scope.

What Is an MVP and Why Is It Important?

So, what is an MVP? It’s a version of your application that includes only the core functionalities. It’s basic enough to be accepted as a product by users. This approach allows you to launch a product with essential features and use it to collect feedback. Later, you can build a more advanced product based on that input.

We were recently involved in a development project for SAP users. The goal was to create a complete shipment and delivery processing application. It would be used at shipping points for outbound delivery within an S/4HANA system.

This was a significant initiative due to two main reasons. First, the wide range of users involved. Second, the overall impact the application would have on the manufacturing company. We’ll explain our approach for this project shortly. But first, let’s understand the general MVP strategy.

Instead of building everything at once, start with the most critical features. This method helps you develop a working solution faster. It also saves money by reducing initial investment. Most importantly, it allows you to collect real feedback early. You can then use that input to guide future development.

Business Benefits of SAP MVP Development

This is exactly the power of SAP MVP development — focusing on what matters most to deliver value early, while preparing for future growth. Here’s how starting with an MVP can help your business:

Solve the core problem first: By focusing on the core, an MVP will help you solve the most important problem or problems first. As you start building the MVP, you can keep asking, “Is this feature part of the MVP?” to stay focused on the essential functionalities.

This approach is particularly important as SaaS-based solutions often miss the mark when they fail to address core business needs upfront.

Identify your business persona: An MVP helps you identify the “persona” for your solution or app by getting feedback from real users. This feedback is critical in making sure that your solution is adopted in your SAP landscape.

Early testing, more productivity: Going for early testing with your MVP through a solid SAP MVP development approach gives you a chance for better planning in the next iterations. This leads to more productivity and helps your bottom line.

Early idea approval: Your MVP gives you early idea validation, so if your team has any doubts, they can be addressed at the early stage of the project.

How Feedback Fuels MVP to Full Product Growth

Going from a minimum viable product (MVP) to a full product requires two essentials. First, define a product that can satisfy customers in the long term. Second, create a clear strategy to get there. This entire process relies heavily on feedback.

That feedback must include both qualitative and quantitative data. For example, how satisfied are users with the new interface? Is the responsive design helping them navigate better? What are their thoughts on the chatbot feature that answers their questions?

In the SAP space, we often focus on business processes and integration. But we must not forget the human side. A great product must also keep customers happy and engaged. This applies even after the MVP has launched.

So always prioritize your users. Keep improving your product based on their feedback. Without happy customers, even the best product won’t succeed.

Let’s go back to our earlier example—the shipment and delivery application. During the design workshop, we planned about 22 role-based Fiori apps and reports. These were tailored for different types of users. Some worked at terminals. Others used PCs at the shipping facility. There were also back-office users, and teams who needed reporting and analytics tools.

UI design was a major challenge. Users weren’t happy with the old process. Many were terminal users and not very tech-savvy.

To solve this, we focused on building the most critical functionality first. Our MVP included just the core elements. We launched with only three apps. Yes, just three—but they delivered maximum value.

How SAP MVP Development Reduces Risks

We launched the MVP, and the feedback from the users was extremely positive. The users loved the initial three apps, and we used that success to build the full product in the subsequent iterations. We made four iterations and a few rollouts to complete the product. It was a classic example of how we can build a whole product starting with a simple MVP.

Now, let’s look at how this approach benefited the business. First and foremost, by focusing on the core problem first, we were able to deliver a solution that met the most important needs of the users. By getting their feedback early on, we were able to identify the persona for our solution, which helped us design the product to meet their needs more effectively.

By launching an MVP, we were also able to get early testing and feedback, which allowed us to improve our planning for subsequent iterations. This approach eventually led to more productivity and helped us with our bottom line.

Moreover, by using an MVP, we were able to get early idea approval and validation. This approach allowed us to address any doubts or issues at the early stages of the project, reducing the risk of delays or setbacks later on.

Finally, building an MVP helped us keep our focus on the users’ needs and build a product that was tailored to their needs. By prioritizing customer engagement, we were able to ensure that the users were happy with the product and that it met their needs effectively.

Conclusion: The Key to Success with SAP MVP Development

In conclusion, when embarking on a custom SAP development project, embracing SAP MVP development is a critical step in ensuring its success. By focusing on the core problem, identifying the persona for the solution, and getting early testing and feedback, businesses can improve their planning, reduce risks, and ultimately build a product that meets the users’ needs effectively.

To explore common challenges with SaaS in enterprises and how to avoid them, check out our article on why SaaS-based solutions often miss the mark.