Transformation mit System. Score with ALM.
“Score with ALM” is the motto of the SAP ALM Summit EMEA 2026. We like it because it focuses on the result. That’s what Application Lifecycle Management is all about.
But scoring once isn’t enough. If you want to win a championship, you have to stay consistent throughout the entire season. A successful go-live is like winning a game. After that come the next release, the next change, the next upgrade. Sometimes it’s about securing what you’ve achieved; sometimes you need to go full throttle. You can only succeed at both over the course of a season with a systematic approach.
The equipment is here
SAP Cloud ALM brings a lot to the table: monitoring, configuration and security analysis, and test and change management. RISE customers also have access to the dashboards from the RISE-with-SAP methodology, featuring the Clean Core Score and system health. And Cloud ALM is increasingly becoming the pacemaker of the integrated toolchain. It connects data and processes with Jira, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, and Signavio. This openness is one of the platform’s greatest strengths.
Nevertheless, we often see the same pattern in projects. Cloud ALM has been implemented, and the features are activated. However, approvals are still handled on an ad hoc basis. Test documentation is stored in an Excel spreadsheet. The interfaces were set up once and haven’t been reviewed since. Implementing SAP Cloud ALM also means using it effectively.
A simple question reveals where an organization stands:
Can you show in five minutes which tests validated your last go-live and the adapted processes?
Those who can do this have the chain—from feature through transport and testing to the process—under control. Those who hesitate have a tool, but not yet a system.
Where the challenges arise
Challenges arise along the entire chain, from the business process to operations.
Processes. It all starts with the business process. In Cloud ALM, the process hierarchy maps what the company does, and Signavio provides the corresponding process models. Requirements, tests, and changes are tied to this process. This makes it possible to determine at any time which process is affected by a change and whether it has been tested. Those who maintain the documentation won’t have to rewrite it for the next project.
Toolchain. Cloud ALM sets the pace, but it’s not the only tool. Requirements are created in Jira, development takes place in Azure DevOps, the change process runs in ServiceNow, process models are created in Signavio, and architecture is managed in LeanIX. Issues only arise once it’s clear which tool is responsible for which step and which system governs which object. Only then do the many tools running side by side form a chain. An integration that no one maintains becomes a source of errors with every release—and worse: the tools lose value, even though the price remains the same!
Testing and Change Management. Changes are managed through governance, and testing is handled by the tools. Traceability extends from the process through the requirement to the deployment.
Deployment and Release. Deployments are checked before they are imported. Quality gates are adhered to. Maintenance requires a steady, reliable pace, while projects sometimes need to go full throttle (or vice versa). These speeds must be reflected in the tool. This is an area where Cloud ALM still needs to improve. Simple scenarios should remain simple. Complex organizations need rules and workflows built directly into the platform, without having to build them separately.
Operations. Business process, health, integration, and job monitoring each have a clear responsibility. Whoever reviews the open alerts daily prevents the need for a night shift before it becomes necessary.
RISE Dashboards. The Clean Core Score comes free of charge. You can only use it for control once it’s been determined at what deviation action is taken, by whom, and—even more importantly—what strategy the company is pursuing regarding the Clean Core!
Solution Manager. A lot is decided during the transition. Those who merely swap out the tool carry over the ad-hoc processes. Those who use the transition to set up the chain from process to deployment properly start with a head start.
AI needs Knowledge
AI is becoming the norm in companies. It can enrich requirements and test cases, identify dependencies, and thus soon better manage deployments. In doing so, it changes more than just automation—it also transforms how business and IT collaborate.
AI delivers value when it solves a specific problem. A simple, reliable feature that you need every day often delivers more value than the next flashy showcase.
To do this, AI needs context. Which requirement belongs to which process? Which test covers which change? Who approved what? This knowledge can only emerge where work is done in a clean and integrated manner. A test assistant that generates test cases from unclear requirements simply produces unclear test cases—only faster.
AI amplifies what’s already there. Those who work in a structured way today are building the knowledge that AI will need tomorrow.
Transformation mit System
In soccer, a good team plays with a system. Everyone knows where they stand and what to do, even when the best player is missing. Our slogan conveys the same idea. For us, “system” doesn’t mean an IT system—SAP provides that. What we mean is the interplay of methodology, governance, processes, accountability, and people.
This interplay is becoming increasingly important. The cloud and automation are taking over more and more technical tasks, and major upgrades are giving way to continuous change. Infrastructure can be outsourced. The responsibility for how a company’s own business processes function and evolve remains with the customer. And when everyone works on the same platform, the quality of these processes makes all the difference.
That’s why ALM isn’t going away. It’s evolving from a tool into an operating model. The focus is shifting from technical change management toward governance, organizational change, and continuous process improvement.
We’ve described what this looks like in practice in alm360: a modular process model that connects project management, operations, and quality, with SAP Cloud ALM setting the pace. We’ve been using it since 2014 in over 100 projects for more than 60 clients, including BKW, fenaco, Sika, and the City of Bern.
What We Hope to Gain from the Summit
We’re heading to Darmstadt with a few specific questions:
- How quickly is Cloud ALM maturing in change and release management?
- What role does Joule play, and which AI features will become standard?
- How is AI transforming test management?
- What governance models does SAP recommend for agents and AI services?
- Where is the line between standard features and partner innovations?
Everyone knows that Cloud ALM is the successor to Solution Manager. Now we want to see that customers can actually turn it off.
See you in Darmstadt
From November 3–5, we’ll be a Bronze Sponsor at the SAP ALM Summit EMEA at the darmstadtium. On November 3, we’re hosting a Welcome Night, and we’ll be participating in the ALMathon. We won’t have a booth. But you’ll recognize us by our jackets.
Ask us the question from above, or we’ll ask it of you. We’d love to hear a good answer. A hesitant one is fine too—it just means there’s more to discuss.
Schedule a meeting in Darmstadt: https://buff.ly/VInIUHg
Transformation mit System.
