The Legacy Loop is Unk Unk # 1: Continuous Transformation Demands a New Adoption Model in RISE with SAP

This article is the first deep dive in what I describe as a 6+1 series on adoption in RISE with SAP. There are six Unk-Unks that repeatedly undermine transformation, and we’ll explore each of them in detail. But they all share a common foundation: adoption must be treated as an operating model, not a project.

Let me be direct: if you don’t buy into that idea, the six Unk-Unks, including this one – are a moot point.

The first Unk-Unk is the trap of relying on traditional change models in a world of continuous transformation. I call this the Legacy Loop.

The Legacy Loop Explained

For decades, organizational change management has followed a familiar rhythm:

• Announce the change
• Train the workforce
• Go live
• Move on

It’s a linear, big-bang model, designed for a world where ERP upgrades happened every 7–10 years.

But RISE with SAP is not that world. It’s business transformation-as-a-service, with:

• Quarterly SAP releases delivering new features
• AI co-pilots and automation reshaping workflows rapidly
• Process mining and optimization through Signavio
• Interconnected SAP Cloud Applications like SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur, and CX

Change isn’t a one-off event. It’s perpetual.

And yet many enterprises keep circling the same path – relying on outdated, project-based models. That’s the Legacy Loop: doing change the old way in a new world.

Symptoms of the Legacy Loop

How do you know if you’re stuck in the Legacy Loop? The patterns are surprisingly consistent:

• Exhausted users – constantly retrained in classrooms, never supported in the flow of work
• Delayed value – features from quarterly releases arrive but aren’t adopted for months
• Shadow IT – employees quietly revert to spreadsheets or legacy tools
• Eroded confidence – executives ask why ROI is slipping despite flawless technical delivery

I once worked with a global enterprise that proudly announced its RISE go-live. Within three months, their AP team was back in spreadsheets because nobody had prepared them for the new approval workflow. The system was technically perfect, but adoption failed.

That’s the Legacy Loop in action.

The Cost of Staying in the Loop

The financial and operational consequences are severe:

• Wasted investment – organizations pay millions for new features that sit idle. In one case, less than 40% of licensed functionality was being used after year one
• Escalating support costs – without in-flow guidance, users call the help desk. One bank saw ticket volumes increase 60% after go-live
• Change fatigue – employees stop engaging with communication campaigns and treat each “new release” as noise
• Compliance and risk – processes designed for regulatory alignment aren’t followed, creating unseen audit exposure
• Strategic drift – boards are promised transformation, but what materializes is a technically upgraded system with business processes still stuck in the past

In short: every quarter that adoption lags, value leaks. And once fatigue sets in, catching up becomes exponentially harder.

How Elite Enterprises Break Free

The good news is that a small but growing number of enterprises are breaking out of the Legacy Loop. They treat adoption not as a finite project, but as a continuous capability.

Here’s what they do differently:

1: Embed adoption into release cycles

• Elite organizations treat every quarterly SAP release as an adoption event
• They have dedicated teams ready to design enablement and guidance alongside new features

2: Replace training with in-flow guidance

• Classroom training is too slow and quickly outdated
• WalkMe is used to deliver contextual, real-time support directly inside the system, so learning happens while work gets done

3: Move from campaigns to nudges

• Instead of big communication blasts, they use micro-messages triggered by role, workflow, or behavior
• These nudges reduce noise and increase relevance

4: Adopt agile change practices

• Change is run like product development – short sprints, rapid feedback loops, constant iteration
• This agility allows adoption to keep pace with quarterly SAP innovations

5: Measure adoption continuously

• Metrics go beyond training completions
• They track cycle time improvements, error rate reductions, productivity gains, and feature utilization
• Adoption KPIs are reported alongside financial and operational KPIs to executives

For example, one enterprise saw 30% faster invoice cycle times and 25% fewer errors within a single quarter of aligning adoption work to system releases. Those are not “soft” adoption metrics, they’re bottom-line outcomes.

Why This Isn’t Just About Tools

A common objection I hear is: “But RISE already includes WalkMe. Doesn’t that solve the adoption problem?”

The reality is this: tools aren’t operating models.

WalkMe is a powerful platform. It can transform user experience and provide deep adoption insights. But on its own, it won’t close the adoption gap.

Why? Because without the right model:

• It isn’t aligned to business priorities
• It isn’t embedded into governance and release cycles
• It isn’t supported by a cross-functional team
• It isn’t integrated with Signavio, LeanIX, or SAP Business AI

Without that model, WalkMe risks becoming just another underutilized license – a dashboard that never makes it into the hands of users in a meaningful way.

Adoption isn’t a technology problem with a technology solution. It’s a strategic capability that requires ownership, governance, and continuous funding.

Why Now – and Why DAA

RISE with SAP has fundamentally changed the pace of enterprise transformation. Quarterly updates, AI co-pilots, and interconnected cloud applications mean change is relentless. The old, linear model is no longer fit for purpose.

But most enterprises don’t yet have:

• A continuous adoption operating model
• Clear ownership and accountability
• Adoption analytics tied to outcomes
• Cross-functional capability to integrate SAP’s ecosystem of tools

That’s the missing link.

This is why I founded Digital Adoption Advisor (DAA).

At DAA, we help enterprises:

• Design adoption operating models that run permanently, not just for projects
• Unify ownership so adoption isn’t orphaned across silos
• Operationalize analytics so user behavior becomes visible in real time
• Integrate the SAP ecosystem – S/4HANA, Signavio, LeanIX, WalkMe, and SAP Business AI – into a single adoption capability
• Protect ROI by ensuring adoption keeps pace with continuous change

Why now? Because SAP’s innovation cycle is accelerating. AI co-pilots are rolling out. Quarterly updates are here to stay. The gap between technical change and user adoption is widening, and the cost of ignoring it compounds every quarter.

Enterprises cannot afford to wait another year. Every release missed, every feature underutilized, every process ignored is value lost.

Final Thought

The first Unk-Unk of RISE with SAP adoption is the Legacy Loop: treating continuous transformation with a one-off change model.

Continuous transformation demands continuous adoption.

At DAA, our mission is to help leaders break out of the Legacy Loop – building adoption as an operating model that delivers continuous value, not just a go-live milestone.

Because in transformation, it’s not the risks you plan for that decide ROI. It’s the ones you don’t.