In Conversation: „EPPM Needs Dialogue, New Ideas, and Openness to New Approaches“
Whether it was the SAP Roadmap, Joule, or Agentic AI: The most recent meeting of the DSAG EPPM Working Group offered exciting insights and in-depth discussions on SAP project management. Milliarum was not only present at the event but also played an active role in shaping it. In this interview, Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus, an SAP consultant at Milliarum and a member of the DSAG Partner Advisory Board, discusses goals, insights, and next steps.
Dear Freya, before we get into the details: What is the DSAG EPPM Working Group, and what is its goal?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: The EPPM Working Group—which stands for „Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management“—is DSAG’s central platform for exchange among everyone who works with SAP project and portfolio management. The goal is to present product information and user knowledge in a way that truly helps in day-to-day work. This can only be achieved through collaboration: with SAP itself, with client companies, consultants, and solution providers such as Milliarum. Anyone who would like to get involved can do so via the DSAGNet forum, by attending meetings, or by giving their own presentations. The working group thrives on dialogue—not just on an ad hoc basis, but throughout the entire year.
What topics were the main focus of the most recent meeting?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: The focus was clearly on the latest roadmap updates and developments related to SAP EPPM. The information about Joule and the first production deployments of Agentic AI was particularly exciting: from intelligent navigation aids to automated project summaries, there’s a lot happening right now. However, it will still take some time before these are fully implemented across the board—which is why we at Milliarum didn’t wait. We’ve already launched a solution that enables our customers to use AI in a very concrete way in their day-to-day project work. In addition, there were presentations on UX and customization—two perennial topics in day-to-day project work—as well as on the deeper integration of analytics and AI into SAP project processes.
How does Milliarum contribute to the working group in terms of content?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: We are very pleased that, as an active member, we were also able to take the initiative ourselves last year. Together with my colleague Dirk Ott, I presented our Milliarum Overview Pages as well as our latest AI applications with a clear goal: to ease the burden on project teams, create transparency, and noticeably improve usability in SAP project management. The feedback was very encouraging.
Were there any tangible results in addition to the engaging presentations?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: Absolutely, and for me, that’s one of the greatest benefits of the DSAG EPPM Working Group. For one thing, SAP Product Management presented a whole range of concrete innovations that will be put into practice very soon. In addition to the first production use cases with Joule and extensive API enhancements, new enhancements were also presented in SAP S/4HANA FPS2 & FPS3 (2023/2024), including features for authorization management, data archiving, milestone handling, and new BAdIs in the project environment. Particularly exciting is the announced integration with the SAP Business Data Cloud and the Analytics Cloud: a promising step toward better reporting and analytics capabilities. In addition, work is underway on Agentic AI scenarios, such as „Intelligent Project Completion,“ which are intended to automate and streamline project completion in the long term. Alongside the technological innovations, the output from the SAP Continuous Influence Program was also impressive. SAP has already implemented several community proposals: a clear signal that feedback from the working group is taken seriously. These results show that the DSAG community is actively shaping SAP product development—and that pays off for everyone involved.
In your opinion, what are the most important next steps?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: The focus is clearly on implementation: We now need to observe how the technologies and ideas presented are being received in practice and where gaps may still exist. At the same time, it is important to continue working with SAP on use cases for Agentic AI that are not only technically exciting but also well-thought-out in terms of processes. Closer integration of project management and asset accounting is also an area we should continue to pursue, not least through collaboration with other DSAG project groups.
Looking Ahead: What Can We Expect at the 2025 DSAG Annual Convention?
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: The 2025 DSAG Annual Conference will take place September 16–18 at the Messe und Congress Centrum Bremen, and we at Milliarum will once again be there with our own booth and several program events. We have three scheduled sessions on September 17, 2025: a partner presentation, an „Espresso Session“ on „Generative AI in SAP On-Premise,“ and a „Women in Tech“ session hosted by me on the topic “Between Structural Resistance and Human Limits — Time for a New Way of Thinking About Capacity, Role Logic, and Resource Planning with SAP.” In terms of content, we’re clearly focusing on what matters most to the community: AI, sustainable process innovations, and putting people first in project management. I’m especially looking forward to discussing these topics in person at the event.
Thank you very much for the interview, Freya, and for your dedication to the DSAG EPPM Working Group!
Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: You're very welcome! I'd like to thank all my colleagues in the DSAG community, the SAP representatives, and, of course, the great team at Milliarum. The working group is a true collaborative effort, and that's exactly what makes it so strong.
Our program for the 2025 DSAG Annual Convention:
- Partner Presentation
5:45–6:30 p.m.
The client, speakers, and topic will be announced at a later date.
- Espresso Session with Dirk Ott: „Generative AI in SAP On-Premise“
6:00–6:20 p.m.
Featuring insights into integrating LLMs with existing SAP environments, including our no-code chatbot and the AI Construction Kit. - „Women in Tech“ session with Freya Wester-Ebbinghaus: „Between Structural Resistance and Human Limits—Time for a New Approach to Capacity, Role Logic, and Resource Planning with SAP.“
4:45–5:30 p.m.
