Darmstadt doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting destination. Yet for three days, the German city became the epicenter of the global Application Lifecycle Management community for SAP users. And SAP is doing well , not only on the stock market, but also in the continuous evolution of its products.
For SAP Cloud ALM expert Remy Piets, the contrast with last year was striking. Back then, SAP Cloud ALM was still positioned as a full replacement for SAP Solution Manager. This year, the shift in maturity and vision was unmistakable. After three days of diverse and interactive sessions, he returned with one crystal-clear conclusion: “From now on, consider SAP Cloud ALM the nervous system of your entire SAP organization.”
Remy, you've just returned from Darmstadt. What's the most important thing you brought back?
“That the discussion is over. Last year, it was still about ‘should we do this?’ and ‘when?’. Now it’s: ‘how do we deploy this strategically?’. SAP presented more than 170 sessions on ALM, far more than in previous years. It wasn’t just about technology: the focus was on AI, governance, and managing change across the entire digital ecosystem.
They now literally call it ‘the nervous system of modern SAP organizations’. And they’re right. This is no longer just ‘we monitor your system’, this is orchestrating your entire business transformation. What stood out in Darmstadt is that SAP Cloud ALM is increasingly being positioned as the connecting layer between tools like Signavio and LeanIX. Where LeanIX provides insights into your application landscape and Signavio into your processes, Cloud ALM translates that into concrete projects and operations.”
Let's be honest: AI sounds great, but does it actually work in Cloud ALM yet?
“Fair question, because there’s plenty of hype. Yet SAP demonstrated that AI features genuinely add value, provided your foundation is solid. Think of Change Impact Analysis, which predicts what a change will do before you implement it, and dynamic threshold setting that automatically determines realistic thresholds based on historical data. That saves time and prevents unnecessary alerts, although human oversight remains crucial.
Joule, SAP’s AI assistant, is now being increasingly integrated into Cloud ALM and supports users with analyses and project tasks. But AI only amplifies what’s already there: without governance and data quality, you mainly get wrong conclusions faster.”
Last year, you said customers with ChaRm should wait a bit longer. Is that different now?
“Yes and no. Cloud ALM has made significant strides in change management, but it’s still not a one-to-one replacement for ChaRm. Many organizations therefore, choose hybrid scenarios: they still use Solution Manager for specific processes and deploy Cloud ALM for monitoring and the transition to S/4HANA. At the same time, we’re seeing that new RISE with SAP implementations are rolled out with Cloud ALM by default. Increasingly, customers are also connecting tooling like ServiceNow or Jira via open APIs. During the Summit, more than twenty partners demonstrated how these integrations actually strengthen hybrid working.”
What should every SAP organization do now?
“For me, there are three things that can really make a difference in 2026 if you want to take steps:
- Start with an honest ALM assessment. Don't just look at where you are today, but especially where you can create value with Cloud ALM.
- Put it into practice. Use Cloud ALM in a small project or a defined operations scenario. Learning by doing works better than waiting for the perfect moment.
- Invest in people. Cloud ALM requires a different way of thinking and collaborating. Teams that grow in this way achieve by far the most gains.
Sounds simple, but it’s precisely here that most organizations make the difference between experimenting and truly maturing.”
Finally, is the world more beautiful now with Cloud ALM?
“Haha, good question. Last year, I said, ‘I don’t think so.’ After a year full of client cases, I see that organizations that approach it well really make a difference: faster changes, fewer incidents, more control.
But let’s be honest: Cloud ALM is not a magic wand. Those who take Clean Core seriously and invest in people get significant value from it. For the rest, 2026 will probably be more of a reality check than a success story. The message is simple: Cloud ALM works, but only if you organize it properly.”