SAP Enable Now Implementation – Keeping The Content Alive

Let's be sustainable!

Software implementation is a serious business. This principle also applies to a learning platform like SAP Enable Now. Implementing Enable Now, training authors and creating the first set of learning content is already quite an achievement. But the real challenge only starts after going live. Processes change, systems evolve, and organizations transform. If your content does not keep up, it quickly loses value. In this post, I would like to focus on what happens after go‑live and how to keep your Enable Now content alive.​

After the initial project, many organizations experience the same pattern. The first wave of content is created with a lot of energy and attention. There are project meetings, deadlines, consultants on site, and a strong focus from management. After the system goes live and the project team disbands, the initial energy gradually diminishes. Day-to-day operations take over, new priorities emerge, and suddenly nobody is really responsible anymore for keeping the content up to date. Meanwhile, end users still rely on that content to learn and perform their daily tasks.​

The risk is evident: when users encounter outdated or incorrect content, they begin to doubt the accuracy of the information presented. They may stop using Enable Now altogether and resort to old habits, such as calling the helpdesk, sending emails to colleagues, or attempting to solve problems independently. Therefore, maintaining content is not a luxury but a necessity.

From project to product

During implementation, Enable Now is often treated as a project. There is a clear start and end date, a project manager, a budget, and a list of deliverables. After going live, Enable Now should be treated as a product. That product needs ongoing care. New releases of S/4HANA, Ariba, or SuccessFactors introduce new apps and changed processes. Organizational changes lead to new roles, responsibilities, and procedures. Even your corporate branding may change over time. If Enable Now does not follow, the gap between reality and learning content increases with every change.​

Thinking of Enable Now as a product helps to shift the mindset. Products have a roadmap, ownership, and regular maintenance. Someone anticipates future needs, determines necessary improvements, and ensures the resolution of issues. The same should apply to your Enable Now content. Not every change in a process requires new eLearning or a complete rerecording of simulations. But someone needs to assess the impact and decide which actions are required.​

SAP has now made this long‑term perspective very tangible. SAP Enable Now is in its final release cycle and will reach the end of mainstream maintenance on November 30, 2030. At the same time, WalkMe and WalkMe Learning Arc are positioned as the strategic direction for in‑app guidance and digital learning within the SAP ecosystem. That does not mean you can ignore your current Enable Now content and simply wait for the new platform. On the contrary: if your content is outdated, any migration or transition will just transfer old issues to a new environment. Keeping your content up to date today is one of the best ways to prepare for a smooth transition to WalkMe tomorrow.

Ownership and governance

A good starting point is to clarify ownership. During the project, you probably worked with roles like Master Author and Standard Author. These roles continue to be crucial after going live. The Master Author is, in many ways, the product owner of your Enable Now content. This person oversees the content landscape, guards the standards, and coordinates the work of all authors. If this role is unfulfilled, content maintenance easily becomes a side job for everyone and a priority for nobody.​

Governance does not have to be complicated. Who decides whether new content is needed? Who approves changes to existing material? Who can archive or delete content? And who monitors whether authors follow the agreed templates and naming conventions? Clear answers to these questions prevent endless discussions later. They also protect authors from being held responsible for decisions that should have been taken at a higher level.​

Linking content to change

One of the most effective ways to keep content alive is to connect it to your existing change processes. Most organizations already have a change request procedure, a CAB meeting, or at least some structure to handle system changes. Enable Now should be part of that structure. For every significant change in a process or application, there should be a simple question on the checklist: “Is there Enable Now content impacted by this change?”​​

If the answer is yes, a small content impact assessment can be done. Which simulations, book pages, or context help items refer to this process? Are there quizzes, assessments, or “What’s New” messages related to it? Sometimes a small change in a screenshot or a textual adjustment is enough. In other cases, a full rerecording may be needed. The key is to make the change a standard step, not an afterthought. Otherwise, you will invariably end up with content that reflects the system of two years ago.​​

A simple content lifecycle

Content has a life cycle, just like any other asset. In many projects, this lifecycle is defined for the creation phase: Draft, In Review, Approved, Published. After go-live, at least two extra stages become important: To Be Updated and Obsolete. Not all content that is outdated needs to be deleted immediately. Marking it as “To Be Updated” helps authors and master authors to see where action is required. Marking content as “Obsolete” assists learners to understand that a certain course or simulation is no longer valid.​​

Implementing such a lifecycle does not require complex tooling. It can be as simple as using standard status fields, a workflow, or even a naming convention. The important thing is that authors and stakeholders have a common language when talking about the status of a content object. It also provides transparency in management. A dashboard that shows how many items are “To Be Updated” can be a strong argument to reserve time and budget for content maintenance.​​

Release rhythm and review cycles

Technical releases have a certain rhythm: monthly, quarterly, or twice a year. Your content maintenance can follow a similar pattern. Rather than updating content ad hoc, it is often more efficient to work in planned review cycles. You could, for instance, schedule a "Content Health Check" every three months. In such a session, key users and master authors review a selected set of critical processes and their associated content. Are the steps still correct? Are the screenshots still recognizable? Do the examples still reflect reality?​​

Not every process needs the same review frequency. High‑impact processes (for example, financial closing or HR master data changes) may deserve more attention than rarely used scenarios. Classifying your processes by criticality helps you focus on limited time and resources. A simple A‑B‑C classification is often enough: A‑processes are always included in each review cycle, B‑processes are checked once or twice a year, and C‑processes only when there is a specific trigger.​​

Using data and feedback

End users are your best sensors for content quality. Support tickets, feedback forms, classroom questions, and even informal comments during coffee breaks provide valuable signals. Whenever the same question pops up again and again, it is worth checking whether the related content in Enable Now is clear and up-to-date. If people keep asking, "Where do I find the relevant information in the system?" or "Why does my screen look different from the video?" it is probably time to update the corresponding simulation, guided tour, or contextual help.​​

Where available, usage statistics can support this analysis. Which simulations are watched most frequently? Which eLearning modules have high drop‑off rates? Which guided tours are rarely started? High usage combined with low quality is a risk. Low usage combined with high effort is a waste. Both situations offer opportunities for improvement. Despite the limited reporting options, a straightforward export and manual review provide more valuable insights than relying solely on intuition.

Keeping authors engaged

Keeping authors motivated and engaged is another challenge after going live. During the project, author training, workshops, and direct interaction with the consultant provide momentum. Once the project concludes, authors may feel isolated or unsure of how to further develop their skills. Establishing a quarterly call or meeting to share tips, new templates, design ideas, and lessons learned already helps maintain momentum.​​

In such a community, master authors play a central role. They can share best practices, review complex cases, and act as sparring partners for less experienced authors. It is also a good place to introduce new Enable Now features, discuss changes in corporate branding, or show how other departments use the tool. This way, authors do maintain content and grow professionally. That, in turn, increases the likelihood that they will stay committed to the platform.​​

Onboarding and “what’s new”

New employees are another important reason to keep content alive. Every time a new colleague joins, the question arises: how do we bring this person up to speed? If your Enable Now content is current and well-structured, it has become an essential part of the onboarding process. If it is outdated, trainers and managers will soon look for alternatives and bypass the platform. Linking your onboarding programs to Enable Now content is therefore both a test and a driver for quality.​​

The same applies to communicating changes. “What’s new” messages are often underestimated, but they can be extremely powerful. A short explanation of a changed app, a new field, or a simplified process, right at the moment when users log in, helps them understand what is going on. It also reduces resistance. People are generally quite willing to accept change, as long as they know what has changed and why. Enable Now offers multiple ways to provide such targeted, contextual information. Ignoring these options results in a significant loss of value.​​

Balancing effort and benefit

Keeping content alive does not mean updating everything all the time. There will always be a balance between effort and benefit. Re-recording a 30-step simulation because one button changed color is probably not worth the time. Updating a critical process description is definitely worth the effort if two key steps have disappeared. The challenge lies in identifying the changes that truly matter for user performance and focusing your efforts there.​

Engage in a discussion with your business stakeholders about this matter. Some departments might insist on including every minor detail in the content, while others might be satisfied with a high-level explanation. It's important to manage expectations and avoid unnecessary rework by being transparent about this distinction.

Conclusion

While implementing SAP Enable Now is a significant milestone, it is not the final step. After go-live, the real work begins: keeping your content alive in a landscape of changing systems, processes, and organizations, and preparing for an inevitable transition to the next generation of digital adoption tools. Treating Enable Now as a product rather than a one‑time project, assigning clear ownership, linking content to your change processes, and defining a simple content lifecycle are key ingredients for sustainable success. Planned review cycles, smart use of feedback and data, and an active author community help keep quality high without drowning in work.​​

Let’s Enable!

Transform an SAP project into a success that goes beyond time and budget. Ensure that your team truly embraces your SAP solution. Enable Now is SAP's platform to accelerate the development of training materials and provide effective training and support for employees. Enable Now serves as a solid foundation for the creation and optimization of learning content. This applies not only to SAP but also to other applications. The knowledge and experience of Let's Enable guarantee utilization of the full potential of Enable Now.