Implementing SAP on a larger scale in many different countries has all the issues of any large implementation, involving organizational aspects, and the right choice of rollout approach. Typically the discussion goes around "Big Bang", "Functional Rollout", "Regional Rollout". Most implementations are started out with one of these three options, while in reality most every larger implementation ends up with a hybrid scenario, reacting to particular circumstances.

The back draft is, that it was never planned to be executed in a hybrid approach, which frequently leads to surprises, as the established implementation procedures are not designed to deal with the diversity, that comes with a hybrid approach. In simple terms, the project is setup to execute sequentially, while reality requires procedures that can handle parallel activities. Sometimes companies end-up delaying the international rollout after being overwhelmed by the initial implementation.

The prefect scenario entails a concept, that allows to build-up a base level of experience before taking on more complex tasks. This approach gives a faster ROI and early success motivates and reconfirms the decision to go for SAP. Not all subsidiaries may be able to keep up the pace. The implementation approach can include a concept, where subsidiaries start participating in corporate reporting in a manner, that it actually represents and ongoing data conversion, which takes out much of the complexity to rollout to the subsidiaries, while offering a high level of flexibility.