SUMMARY:
The finance department of a leading university faced the daunting task of moving from a hosted, end-of-life ERP solution to a cloud-based one, while simultaneously looking to simplify operations. Tasked with first analysing, then optimising, and ultimately testing their processes, our contribution proved critical to the overall success of this significant transition.
KEY CHALLENGES:
- Scale: The project encompassed various financial functions, impacting 150 core users and around 3,000 total users.
- Complexity: Integration with multiple legacy systems added layers of difficulty.
- Operational Continuity: The team needed to maintain efficiency throughout the
transition. - Stakeholder Overload: Key stakeholders faced additional burdens alongside their regular responsibilities.
THE ANALYZE SOLUTION:
Discover: We thoroughly assessed existing processes and the new cloud solution’s capabilities while engaging selected end users to gauge their needs and willingness to change.
Design: Our team collaborated closely with the finance department and implementation partners through facilitated workshops to co-create future-state processes. The design tailored to the university’s operational needs ensured alignment with best practices.
Deliver: A comprehensive visual representation of the proposed solution provided clarity and ensured stakeholder alignment. This process mapping became the blueprint for internal change, aiding in the development of training materials and user acceptance testing.
Despite the challenges, Analyze facilitated significant improvements, including:
- Improved processes: Streamlined processes and simplified workflows improved processing times and increased efficiency.
- Real-Time Information Access: Enhanced decision-making through accessible data.
- Simplified Chart of Accounts: With improved navigation, reduced delays and improved reporting.
- Enhanced Project Management: Greater oversight and accountability in project and grant management.
- Cloud Accessibility: Secure access from any location.
- Improved User Experience: A single and more intuitive system reduced user frustration.
- Mitigated Risk: The new solution met audit and compliance needs effectively.
OUR INSIGHTS:
Effective Change Management Changes the Game: Understanding the change process is crucial, even in tech-focused initiatives.
Always Prioritise a Process-Led Approach: Detailed analysis and design of processes is vital to ensure solutions that meet business requirements.
Strategic Involvement is Smart: Before you get to any solution, start with a thorough understanding of the problem. This saves significant time and resources, and results in far greater alignment between actual needs and the tech you ultimately choose.
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