Modernizing Legacy ABAP to Clean-Core SAP: A Measurable Framework for Secure and Human-Centered ERP Transformation in U.S. Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturing

Azlan Ahmed; Syeda Tanjina Hasan

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87272

Modernizing Legacy ABAP to Clean-Core SAP: A Measurable Framework for Secure and Human-Centered ERP Transformation in U.S. Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturing

Author(s)	Mr. Azlan Ahmed, Ms. Syeda Tanjina Hasan
Country	Pakistan
Abstract	Small and mid-sized manufacturers that have operated SAP environments for many years often carry a substantial layer of custom ABAP code, interfaces, enhancements, and process-specific modifications. Those assets may encode valuable business knowledge, but they can also increase technical debt, complicate upgrades, weaken architectural transparency, and make security and skills management more difficult. At the same time, SAP's clean-core direction encourages organizations to preserve a stable ERP core, use standard capabilities where feasible, and place necessary differentiation in governed, upgrade-stable extension patterns. Existing studies provide important insights into ERP customization, technical debt, cloud ERP, digital transformation, cybersecurity, user resistance, human-centered manufacturing, and SME maturity; however, these streams are rarely integrated into a single modernization framework for resource-constrained manufacturing organizations. This paper develops a measurable framework for moving from legacy ABAP dependence toward secure and human-centered clean-core SAP. The study uses a structured integrative review of peer-reviewed ERP, information-systems, manufacturing, digital-transformation, and cybersecurity research, complemented by current SAP and U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance. The proposed framework contains six connected stages: legacy baseline, ABAP rationalization, clean-core architecture, security-by-design, human readiness, and measurable outcomes, with governance and continuous measurement spanning all stages. A multidimensional scorecard is proposed across technical cleanliness, security and resilience, human readiness, operational performance, and governance and maintainability. The paper also defines practical indicators such as custom-code retirement, extensibility risk, upgrade adaptation effort, security finding closure, user proficiency, process cycle time, defect escape, and change lead time. The framework is intended for U.S. small and mid-sized manufacturers that need a pragmatic modernization path without assuming that all customization should be eliminated or that technical migration alone constitutes transformation. The central contribution is a socio-technical measurement logic that makes clean-core modernization testable, governable, and accountable to both system and workforce outcomes.
Keywords	SAP; ABAP; Clean Core; SAP S/4HANA; ERP Modernization; Technical Debt; Cybersecurity; Human-Centered Transformation; Manufacturing SMEs; Digital Transformation
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-12
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87272

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Modernizing Legacy ABAP to Clean-Core SAP: A Measurable Framework for Secure and Human-Centered ERP Transformation in U.S. Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturing

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