SAP’s “clean core” strategy sets high-level guardrails that keep the digital core stable while still allowing innovation.

The white-paper “Clean Core for SAP S/4HANA Cloud” and the SAP Activate roadmap list the key guiding principles as

1) creating an organizational setup, technical platform, and transformation method that anchor clean-core thinking (A);

2) embedding clean-core activities throughout the entire value-process chain so that every change or extension is evaluated against the principle (E); and

3) running strict release- and lifecycle-management processes to keep the system aligned with SAP’s upgrade cadence (D).

Regular housekeeping (B) and defining roles in a transformation office (C) are good operational practices, but they are not called out by SAP as core guiding principles.

B. Housekeeping tasks are day-to-day operational measures, not part of SAP’s strategic “guiding principles” list.

C. Specific role definitions belong to governance details; SAP groups these under the broader organizational principle already covered by option A.

1. SAP SE

“Clean Core for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition – Guiding Principles

” Rev. 03/2023

pp. 8-9 (bullet list: “Establish organizational structure…”

“Integrate clean-core practices…”

“Establish release management”).

2. SAP Activate Roadmap Viewer

Task ID ACTDiscClrCoreGP

section “Guiding Principles for Clean Core

” SAP SE

2023 (lists same three principles).

3. SAP SE

“RISE with SAP S/4HANA Cloud: Clean Core Strategy

” Version 1.0

2022

§4.2 “Guiding Principles” (paragraphs 1-3 mirror A

E

D).