KWS: Sowing the seeds for enterprise-wide transparency and alignment with robust business transformation management
A harmonized approach that yields results
KWS is reimagining its enterprise landscape with SAP S/4HANA and the SAP LeanIX portfolio. A centralized transformation platform enables real-time visibility, improved governance, and accelerated decision-making. The plant-breeding leader has also gained a unified view of its transformation road map, enabling transparency, ownership, and agility.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Agribusiness | Einbeck, Germany | 5,000 employees |
processes centrally recorded and traceable.
applications documented with clear ownership and governance.
CIO, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Navigating complexity by aligning transformation initiatives
With its high-yield varieties and trusted agricultural knowledge, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA (KWS) has been the farmers’ partner for generations. The company is helping to feed a growing world population by constantly improving genetic potential through research and offering expert services to farmers throughout every growing season.
When it came to its IT landscape, KWS faced the challenge of coordinating numerous parallel transformation projects involving migration to SAP S/4HANA that affected diverse stakeholders, systems, and processes. Without a centralized transformation platform, the risk of information silos, difficult decision-making, and a lack of visibility into dependencies between business processes and IT systems increased. The company needed a solution to harmonize priorities, measure progress, and enable informed decisions across its enterprise landscape.
This transformation required consistent, real-time visibility into ongoing projects; the ability to assess cross-domain impacts; and tailored reporting for various stakeholder groups. KWS also needed to identify and manage interdependencies among initiatives to avoid duplication and misalignment.
Enterprise Architect, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Centralizing information and enabling collaboration
KWS built on existing investments in SAP LeanIX and SAP Signavio solutions to create a centralized repository for projects involving SAP S/4HANA and related project phases and milestones. In doing so, it wanted to enable informed decisions through improved transparency. KWS also conducted an impact analysis that mapped process-to-application relationships and dependencies.
Together, these measures enabled real-time collaboration for executives, process owners, and IT team leads.
Scoping workshops across six end-to-end process areas enriched both SAP LeanIX and SAP Signavio solutions with valuable insights, laying the foundation for execution readiness and strategic alignment.
Project Management Office and CIO Assistant, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Achieving transparency, ownership, and decision-making power
Since implementing SAP LeanIX, KWS has achieved a new level of transparency and control over its transformation initiatives. Diverse projects are now documented on a centralized platform, eliminating silos and enabling real-time visibility across business and IT. This has accelerated governance, improved stakeholder alignment, and fostered a culture of data ownership.
By simulating “what-if” transformations, KWS can optimize its road maps, mitigate scheduling conflicts, and avoid resource bottlenecks. These forward-looking capabilities enable the company to remain agile and resilient in a rapidly evolving industry.
During the project, KWS discovered that data quality was a key driver of change. The demand for accurate, up-to-date metrics became a catalyst for transformation, driving accountability and continuous improvement.
Tailored training and simplified views helped ensure that users at different levels—from executives to process owners—could engage meaningfully with the new platform, making better decisions faster.
These outcomes have empowered KWS to make more-informed decisions and maintain momentum in its transformation journey.
Enterprise Architect, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Extending impact through capability modeling and scenario planning
Building on this project, KWS is now expanding its transformation strategy to include capability modeling—linking IT systems directly to strategic business capabilities. This will help the organization better understand how technology supports its core functions and where to invest for growth.
Through integration with third-party business intelligence software, KWS plans to go beyond standard dashboards, unlocking deeper analytics and broader engagement across departments. Real-time dashboards promise to accelerate decision-making and enhance stakeholder alignment.
With a structured, data-driven approach and a strong foundation in SAP S/4HANA and SAP LeanIX, KWS is well positioned to maintain its leadership in agribusiness and drive sustainable efficiency across its global operations.