In the second session of the SAP Success Plans webcast series in April 2026, Jesper Waaben, Chief Product Owner for the Advanced Success Plans in the ERP space, took a closer look at what the Advanced Success Plan actually delivers. While the first webcast covered the big picture across all three plan tiers, this session focused on the specifics — the services available, the new Success Pack format, and what has genuinely changed compared to the predecessor, Preferred Success.
Almost half of the attendees described themselves as being in the early stages of their cloud transformation, which makes the timing of this new offering particularly relevant. Find below a summary and here the slides and the english webcast recording.
What stays, what's new
The Advanced Success Plan builds on familiar ground plus enters new territory.
What stays is the proactive partnership model, the technical and functional support, and the release guidance that customers already know from Preferred Success. Anyone who has worked with Preferred Success will recognize many of the elements.
What's new is where it gets interesting.
The most tangible change is what SAP calls Hands-on Activation. Under Preferred Success, SAP experts were not allowed to touch customer systems and everything was strictly “hands off.” That has changed now. Experts can now activate new functionalities directly in the system and guide initial, lightweight configuration steps. This naturally needs to be coordinated with the project team and, where applicable, the implementation partner — but it removes a long-standing limitation that many customers found frustrating.
A second major addition is AI-powered Guidance, integrated into SAP Cloud ALM. It analyses system data, particularly for SAP S/4HANA Private and Public Cloud environments and derives recommendations for process improvements, feature adoption, and system landscape decisions.
Beyond that, the Advanced Plan now covers end-to-end scenarios across the full SAP Business Suite, comes with improved SLAs (50% faster initial response times and accelerated corrective actions compared to the Foundational Plan), and incorporates elements that previously required the more expensive Preferred Success Expanded Edition — meaning customers effectively get more for less.
The five pillars of the Advanced Success Plan from SAP
The Advanced Plan extends the Foundational Success Plan through five areas.
Innovation and Adoption Guidance is about SAP experts working together with the Customer Success Manager to analyse specific functionalities and processes within a given solution — including cross-functional scenarios. The output is a set of recommendations on what to improve and which new features to activate.
Activation and Optimization Services is where those recommendations get implemented. SAP consultants go into the system, activate functionalities, and guide first configuration steps. Waaben made a point of emphasising that the experts deployed here are experienced SAP consultants from project work, not a pure support organization.
AI-powered Quality and Process Guidance uses the data collected in Cloud ALM to generate insights and recommendations. The prerequisite is that Cloud ALM is actively used — without it, this particular value stream doesn't fully materialize.
Orchestration of the Success Plan is something Waaben described as frequently underestimated. Customer Success Managers and Success Plan Managers ensure the right services are deployed at the right time. The goal is to move away from a scattergun approach toward targeted service delivery. The orchestrators can pull in the right SAP experts for any topic across any solution.
Enhanced Support SLAs deliver 50% faster initial response times and accelerated corrective actions — a relevant factor for anyone running business-critical systems.
Service Maps and Success Packs – making complexity manageable
For each SAP solution — whether S/4HANA Public, S/4HANA Private, Supply Chain, Ariba, SuccessFactors, CX, or Business Data Cloud, there is a dedicated Service Map showing which services are available, ranging from focused functional services to transformative formats like the Cloud Mindset Workshop.
Across all solutions, SAP offers what it calls Success Expert Services, including Value Management (establishing a baseline for tracking value over the solution lifecycle), Service Planning (workshop-based mapping of the customer situation to the right services), Adoption Checkpoints (reviewing the solution for untapped potential), and Innovation Checkpoints (evaluating new releases and AI capabilities for the specific customer context).
As the number of available services grows, so does complexity. SAP addresses this through Success Packs, thematic bundles of related services. Examples include Implementation Essentials, Finance Foundation, and Finance Expansion for S/4HANA Public; Clean Core, Business AI CoE, and Finance Optimization for S/4HANA Private; and dedicated packs for Supply Chain, Ariba, SuccessFactors, CX, and BTP. Customers don't have to book every service within a pack. The packs serve as orientation and shift the conversation from individual service tickets to business processes and outcomes.
Business AI — structured support across every stage
AI was a recurring theme throughout the session. Waaben showed how the three plan tiers work together when it comes to AI adoption. The Foundational Plan provides initial guidance in a self-service format. The Advanced Plan adds expert advisory on governance, compliance, and Clean Core for AI, workshops to identify AI use cases, activation of Joule, Agents, and intelligent apps, as well as AI Business Readiness Workshops to prepare the organization. The Max Plan then takes identified use cases into prototyping and custom development.
This matters because the webcast audience data confirmed that AI and cloud migration are top-of-mind topics. When asked about their transformation focus, 38.5% of respondents cited cloud migration, 30.8% Clean Core, and 7.7% AI and Business Data Cloud — all areas where the Advanced Plan delivers targeted support.
This graphic also illustrate the benefit of Success Plans. The CSM orchestrates important tasks from discovery to activation to reap the full benefit of AI. Otherwise there may be a break after discovery of AI use-cases. With a Success Plan in Plan like the Advanced Plan you will have a coordinated structured plan and execution against that plan.
Market validation of the Advanced Success Plan
Two independent studies by IDC and Forrester were conducted with a focus on Preferred Success but are applicable to the new model. The confirmed three key findings.
- First, access to SAP expertise is business-critical given the scale of investment in SAP systems.
- Second, business users expect faster returns from IT investments, which increases pressure on IT departments.
- Third, AI is fundamentally changing the software landscape and investment horizons, and customers are actively seeking guidance.
According to both analyses, customers with Success Plans reach their project goals faster and with greater confidence. The market response to the new model has been strong. In the first two months after launch, more than 200 customers purchased the Advanced Success Plan.
Practical recommendations
For organizations considering the Advanced Success Plan, a few things are worth keeping in mind. Start using Cloud ALM early, as the AI-powered guidance depends on it, and early adoption means stronger analytical insights down the line.
Use Success Packs as your entry point rather than picking individual services from the catalogue; bundles like “Clean Core” or “Finance Expansion” provide better orientation. Engage your Customer Success Manager actively to identify the right services at the right time — it's not about volume but about fit.
Coordinate Hands-on Activation with your project team and implementation partner to avoid friction. Consider starting with an AI Business Readiness Workshop to prepare your organisation before diving into specific use cases. And set up Value Management early so the benefits of the Success Plan become measurable and easier to communicate internally.
Bottom line
The Advanced Success Plan is a meaningful evolution from Preferred Success. The shift from “hands off” to hands-on activation addresses a long-standing customer need, while Success Packs bring structure to an increasingly broad service portfolio. The integrated AI support across all plan tiers positions the Success Plans as a practical companion for organisations navigating their SAP cloud journey — whether the focus is on migration, optimisation, or preparing for AI.
Further information on the Success Plans is available in the overview blog: SAP Success Pläne – Der Guide zum neuen SAP Support und Service Modell 2026. An on-site event is also planned for 25 June 2026 in Walldorf.
FAQ – Questions and Answers from the discussion
What is the difference between the Advanced Success Plan and Preferred Success?
The Advanced Plan builds on Preferred Success but brings substantial extensions. Hands-on Activation allows SAP experts, for the first time, to activate functionalities directly in customer systems and guide lightweight configurations. On top of that, there is AI-powered guidance through Cloud ALM, improved SLAs, and broader coverage across the full Business Suite. Worth noting is that elements from the Preferred Success Expanded Edition, which used to be an even more expensive tier, are now included in the Advanced Plan. In effect, customers get more for less.
Is there a maximum number of consulting days or tickets in the Advanced Plan?
No. The number of services in the Advanced Plan is not capped. Customers can book as many services as they need, as often as they need them.
What are Success Packs?
Success Packs are thematic bundles of related services — for example “Clean Core”, “Finance Expansion”, or “Demand Planning”. They serve as a navigation aid and shift the conversation from individual service tickets to business topics and processes. Customers are not required to book all the services contained in a pack.
What role does the implementation partner play in the Success Plan model?
SAP does not position the Success Plans as competition to implementation partners. Hands-on Activation needs to be coordinated with the project team and, where applicable, the partner. SAP provides expertise on best practices, standards, and architecture — implementation work can stay with the partner.
Do I need to use Cloud ALM to benefit from the Advanced Plan?
For the full value of the AI-powered guidance, Cloud ALM is a prerequisite. The other services — Activation, Adoption Guidance, Expert Advisory — can be used independently of Cloud ALM.
Who are the experts delivering the Advanced services?
The experts are experienced SAP consultants from project work and seasoned Customer Success professionals who deliver services for the Advanced and, in part, the Max Plan. This is not a pure support organisation.
Which SAP solutions have Service Maps?
Service Maps are available for S/4HANA Public, S/4HANA Private, Supply Chain/IBP, Ariba, SuccessFactors, Customer Experience (Sales & Service Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud), BTP, and Business Data Cloud.
How does the Advanced Plan support Business AI specifically?
The Advanced Plan includes expert advisory on AI governance and compliance, workshops to identify AI use cases, AI Business Readiness Workshops, and the activation of Joule, Agents, and intelligent apps. It supports you along every stage of your AI adoption journey. For taking identified use cases into prototyping, the Max Plan is required.
Is there any market evidence yet?
Yes. In the first two months after launch, more than 200 customers purchased the Advanced Success Plan. Independent analyses by IDC and Forrester confirm that customers with Success Plans reach their project goals faster and with greater confidence.
