Case Study: Diakonie Nord Nord Ost achieves 84% reduction in invoice release time and 15× faster order processing with SAP Ariba

Co-Innovating social finance processes and setting standards for the public sector as a pioneer

Diakonie Nord Nord Ost is a large German social‑welfare NGO based in Lübeck with over 3,500 employees across 100+ facilities. Facing rapid growth, multiplying document volumes, frequent legal changes and an outdated on‑premises ERP, the organization struggled with slow, highly individualized finance and administrative processes that drove up personnel costs and limited mobile access for staff.

They performed a big‑bang migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud (public edition) with SAP Consulting, standardizing finance processes, adding modern interfaces (e.g., Ariba, Connext Vivendi), and introducing automation and machine‑learning for tasks like cash application. The transformation cut invoice release time by 84%, sped internal order processing 15×, improved employee satisfaction and mobile working, and established Diakonie as a cloud‑pioneering standard‑setter for the social sector.

Diakonie Nord Nord Ost

Stefanie Königs

Finance and Accounting Department Management