Beating the Odds: Governance, SAP RISE, and AI in a Major IT Transformation

What does it take to successfully navigate a massive ITtransformation without ending up in the headlines?

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations, hosts John Belden and Kylie Chisholm are joined by UpperEdge Chief Advisory Officer Len Riley and OG&E’s Director of Technology Strategy, Kevin Lagge, to break down OG&E’s five-year SAP S/4HANA and RISE transformation journey. Kevin shares candid lessons from the front lines around Phase 0 decision-making, executive alignment, negotiating early SAP RISE contracts, and managing a multi–systems integrator model.

The conversation also explores how strong governance, built-in flexibility, and innovative use of generative AI helped OG&E stay on track, control costs, and ultimately thrive through change, all with the help of UpperEdge.

A must-listen for IT leaders facing large-scale ERP, cloud, or digital transformation initiatives.

Resources:

WHITE PAPER - DrivingValue Through Discipline: How an Energy Company Reimagined Transformation withUpperEdge

BLOG - PivotPoints: How Smart Clients Avoid Cost Overruns in Large IT Programs

About the Show:
Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join John Belden, UpperEdge’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, every other week as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships.

For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.