From Firefighting to Foresight: AI as a Colleague in Operations

Every operations director or COO knows the drill: your day starts with a plan, but within an hour, you're putting out fires. A delayed delivery, an angry customer, or an unexpected process error—firefighting has become the norm.

But what if things could be different? What if, instead of constantly reacting, you had a digital colleague who could say: “Heads up—this issue is coming. Here are three options.”

Firefighting: Today's Reality

In many organisations, operations remain largely reactive. Information is scattered across systems, processes are fragmented, and employees are left to connect the dots manually. This leaves little time for strategic oversight or long-term improvements, even though the tools to shift toward proactive operations already exist.

Foresight: What AI Enables

SAP is currently developing powerful AI capabilities to support this shift, with SAP Joule at the centre. Think of Joule as a conductor: bringing together data, monitoring the situation, and assigning the right AI agent to the right task at the right time.

Joule connects data from multiple systems (like SAP S/4HANA, CRM, Outlook) via the SAP Business Technology Platform, giving it access to real-time insights across your entire SAP ecosystem—and even external tools, depending on integration.

From there, Joule activates specialised AI agents, each designed to perform a specific task quickly and effectively.

For customers using SAP cloud solutions, Joule is already available, and SAP will continue expanding its capabilities throughout 2025.

Joule, Your Helpful Colleague

Imagine this: a customer sends an email asking about a delivery. Joule understands the request and automatically pulls data from various systems—order status from the ERP, customer data from the CRM, and shipping information from the logistics provider. Joule checks for delays, identifies the root cause, and drafts a response, ready for your review and approval. No more searching through multiple systems.

Or during contract negotiations, Joule can suggest next steps based on the discussion and historical data. 

Joule also adds value in customer service. Picture this: a customer calls with a problem. An employee listens and resolves the issue. Then, multiple customers call with similar problems. Joule learns from these interactions, identifies recurring patterns, and suggests consistent, effective solutions. This reduces time spent troubleshooting and frees up employees to focus on what matters most—the human connection.

AI as a Colleague, Not a Replacement

The true power of AI doesn't lie in replacing people—it lies in supporting them. Many operational roles involve a blend of tasks. AI can handle the repetitive, rule-based tasks, allowing your team to focus on collaboration, leadership, and decision-making.

That’s why we say: AI becomes your colleague, not your replacement.

Humans Still Take the Lead

In most applications, AI works with people to deliver results—it doesn’t replace them. This is known as a “human in the loop” model: Al suggests, humans decide. 

Examples include:

• A customer service agent reviews and sends a draft reply prepared by Joule.
• A supply chain planner receives an alert about a potential disruption and selects a response strategy.
• A financial controller investigates anomalies flagged by AI before taking further action.

What Needs to Be in Place?

If this sounds promising? Here's what your organisation needs to make it a reality: 

• Cloud-Ready ERP: Legacy, on-premise systems often lack the flexibility, speed, and computing power that AI requires. SAP is prioritising cloud platforms like SAP S/4HANA to enable these capabilities.
• Data quality: AI depends of high-quality data. Incomplete or inaccessible data leads to unreliable results—“garbage in, garbage out.”
• System Integration: For AI  to deliver meaningful insights, your systems must communicate seamlessly. Without proper integration, AI lacks the context and cohesion needed to generate valuable insights.

An Opportunity Not to Miss

SAP will discontinue support for legacy ERP systems like SAP ECC in 2027. This means many organisations will be forced to transition to modern ERP platforms like SAP S/4HANA in the near future. But this isn't just an IT upgrade, it's a strategic opportunity.

By adopting modern ERP systems with embedded AI like Joule, you’re not just replacing old technology—you’re setting the stage for smarter, faster, more agile operations.

What Does This Mean for Your Organisation?

This shift opens the door to major improvements, but preparation is key. Companies that invest in the right digital foundations today will soon benefit from:

• Less ad hoc work
• Faster processes
• Higher customer satisfaction
• Lower operational costs.
  
  Don’t wait until 2027. Start making strategic moves now. 

Ready to Make the Shift?

The question isn’t if AI will transform your operations, but when. Want to explore what this could look like in your organisation?

About the Author:
Luc Slangen is a young professional currently completing his graduation project at Emixa, focused on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.