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ERP & Finance Transformation Programmes
FTSE 250 Business Services - Global Finance Transformation - SAP, SSC & Off-shoring
Client Size: £2.4bn Sales / 35,000 staff
Our FTSE client undertook a global finance transformation programme involving the re-engineering of core business processes (e.g. Project Accounting, Order Management, Procurement, Finance), the implementation of SAP to underpin these new processes, the transition of finance services to an off-shore BPO partner and the creation/operation of an Enterprise Applications support organisation. The scope of the change involved around 400 core finance staff. This business critical initiative involved a core team of 200+ people drawn from business and external partners. The Client engaged SystemsAccountants as the primary resource partner to provide an end-to-end resource solution, incorporating Finance Transformation, SAP ERP and Essbase BPM contract and permanent resources. The role of our independent consultants was to Quality Assure the Big 4 resource on site and deliver operational management and knowledge transfer services to the Finance & Accounting Offshore migration to a BPO partner in India. SystemsAccountants were the single largest supplier of resource to the programme with a team of 25 interim consultants across the following disciplines - Programme Directorate, Solution Stream, Shared Service Centre Stream, Off-shoring Stream, Enterprise Application Support and SAP Competency Centre teams.
Risk & Insurance Services - Finance Shared Services Implementation & Extended Shared Services
Client Size: $5bn Sales / 30,000 staff
The Client provides risk management, risk consulting and insurance broking services to clients in more than 100 countries worldwide. The Client initiated a global finance transformation programme, the European component of which incorporated the establishment of a European Finance Shared Service Centre in Budapest, Hungary and the implementation of a global Oracle Financials solution. Over a 2 year period SystemsAccountants provided 2 Finance Change Managers to enable The Client to leverage an appropriate blend of soft and operational change. In the early phase of the programme The Client required a skilled change professional to engage with key stakeholders throughout Europe to facilitate the transition of job roles from a country specific model to a shared services model, mapping roles to the new Oracle enabled processes. During this phase there was also a significant requirement to drive activities to support the business readiness for change. In the later phases, as the shared service centre, had become more established, in respect to core transaction processing, further countries and value add processes were migrated in. A second Change Manager with deeper shared services operational experience was provided by SystemsAccountants to lead continuous process improvement initiatives within the SSC to ensure the organisational model was aligned to ongoing the acquisition of new processes and additional business units. This required a unique blend of BPR expertise and an understanding of operational best practice within a pan European finance shared services organisation
Financial Services - SAP Shared Services Implementation
Our client is a worldwide leader in financial protection and wealth management. The group has operations in Western Europe, North America and Asia Pac, employs over 100,000 people, and has a turnover in excess of 80 billion Euros. The client has initiated a programme to design, build and implement common processes for the Finance functions across their 3 main trading operations in the UK & Ireland, using an SAP-based solution. The client has selected SAP R/3 4.7 and the scope of the implementation project includes the FI (GL, AP, AR, SL, TR), CO (CCA, IO, PA) and EC (CS, PCA) modules. SAP BW 3.1c is being implemented in parallel for a large portion of the R/3 scope. SystemsAccountants successfully tendered against SAP channel partners to supply a significant portion of the SAP Functional resource required. A team of 30 contractors has been engaged over the lifecycle of the project.
Global Communications Company Project Team - Oracle 11i + Global Shared Services
A leading data networks operator with a turnover of c$3bn, offices in over 200 countries worldwide was undertaking a programme to rationalise its in-country finance operations into 3 regional Shared Service Centres. This involved a global chart of accounts and best practice finance processes, based on Oracle Financials 11i, on a global single instance. SystemsAccountants was engaged as the exclusive supplier of contract and permanent resource to the global Oracle programme. Contract consultants were used to supplement consultants from Oracle Corporation & PwC in areas such as change management, business intelligence and design-to-deployment. Permanent recruits were used to infill where internal resource has been appointed to the project to infuse valuable business knowledge. In total, over 25 candidates we recruited into the project over an 18 month period.
FTSE 100 - Services Sector - PeopleSoft v8.4 Financials + UK Shared Services
A major organisation (turnover of over c£1bn) was undertaking a project to move its UK operations onto a single financial ledger based on PeopleSoft Financials V8.4 in a newly established Shared Service Centre. SystemsAccountants was retained to provide a contract team (flexing over 6 to 12 months) to support the business and its consulting partner, in initiating and delivering the project. A Project Manager was appointed to deliver the business case, support the software selection and manage the vendor. To minimise vendor costs a team of 30 was then engaged to provide business analysis, change management, project office, training, functional and technical services.
Sample Financial Systems Projects
Local Government - Financial & Procurement Systems Replacement Project - Agresso
Client Size: £400m Annual Budget
Our Client instigated a financial management systems replacement and business process improvement project, with the aim of standardising and web-enabling core back office processes, in response to a need to realise efficiency gains, reduce the reliance on paper based processes and comply with eGovernment objectives. The project encompassed the replacement of a large number of legacy systems, internally developed software and spread sheets, serving around 1200 users.
SystemsAccountants was engaged to provide independent contractor consultants to support 3 key project workstreams, namely: a Project Manager to lead the systems selection, OJEC procurement process and the implementation of the chosen Agresso solution; an Agresso eProcurement Consultant to bring Agresso specific knowledge to the procurement workstream, with a remit to streamline the supplier catalogue and design/deliver testing and training; and an Organisational Change Manager to lead the change activities during the migration of disparate AP functions into a shared services organisation.
Central Government - SAP FI/CO & HR Implementation
A major Non-departmental public body, and a world leader in research and development, was moving from being a grant funded body to one where the majority of income is earned from contracts. SAP had been selected as the technology platform to facilitate the required business change. The organisation recognised early on that independent financial process design expertise would be essential to provide the business with the impartiality required to deliver best practice business processes. SystemsAccountants was engaged and quickly identified and deployed a team of interim specialists to lead process design in key areas such as procure to pay, order to cash and project accounting. SAP HR and SAP Training specialists have also been deployed. These SystemsAccountants resources are now providing additional value by ensuring that the selected SAP partner delivers a configuration that meets the business requirements.
Engineering - Agresso Implementation / De-merger Programme
This organisation provides best in-class project management, project personnel, procedures, techniques, systems and consultancy to onshore and offshore energy, refining, petrochemical, and process and pipeline industries, in all major areas of the world. It was required to implement new business systems to relinquish reliance on the parent's shared service systems. SystemsAccountants sourced a Finance Systems Project Manager to undertake a systems selection process. After due consideration Agresso was selected as the most appropriate finance solution. SystemsAccountants then appointed an independent Agresso applications specialist to support the project manager in the subsequent implementation delivery. Post Go-live we provided a permanent Finance Systems Manager to manage the ongoing support and development of the system.
Insurance - CODA Implementation
High growth insurance company moving from a legacy ledger system to CODA-Financials, required a team of two highly experienced CODA consultants to supplement resource from both the business and the incumbent CODA partner. Following a full onsite client briefing SystemsAccountants was quickly able to introduce two specialists who had both successfully completed CODA assignments for us previously. By applying their vast experience of the application and their complementary skill-sets, a stalled project has been brought swiftly back on track at fraction of the resource cost of that available from the vendor market.
Sample BPM Projects
FTSE 100 Consumer Packaging - Performance Management Software Implementation - Cartesis
Client Size: £3bn Sales / 22,000 staff
This leading global consumer packaging company selected the Cartesis Suite for its financial reporting and consolidation processes after an extensive evaluation process.
The Client selected Cartesis Magnitude for consolidation, reporting and performance management, with Cartesis Intercompany Server underpinning reconciliation and Cartesis iAnalysis enabling business users to access and analyse performance over the Web.
As well as allowing the finance team more time to interpret results, the Suite also supported The Client's transition to IFRS, helping it conform to the requirements of a multi-GAAP environment.
Systems Accountants was retained to provide a small project team of 3 Financial Consolidation & Reporting Systems Consultant Contractors to deliver services in project management, design, build, testing, and implementation.
Financial Services - Cartesis Magnitude
A Global Finance Transformation Programme is playing a key role in supporting this client’s group-wide Finance community to achieve its vision of becoming an industry-leading finance function. The programme covers all aspects of Finance including performance management, external reporting, governance and financial management. It also involves significant technological change. The applications solution includes Oracle Financials and Cartesis Magnitude. SystemsAccountants was selected to support the drive for greater efficiencies and resource cost reduction by providing Cartesis Magnitude design and build resource to the project.
Media sector - HFM Implementation Team
SystemsAccountants was retained to provide a contract team to support the business and its consulting partner in initiating and delivering the project. A Project Manager was appointed to deliver the business case, support the software selection and manage the vendor. To minimise vendor costs a team of over 10 was then engaged to provide business analysis, change management, project office, training, functional and technical services. Resource provided included a Business Analyst, Hyperion Planning Analyst, Hyperion Planning Consultant, Hyperion Technical Architect, Essbase Consultant, Essbase Developer, and Hyperion Report Writer.
FMCG - Cartesis Magnitude Team
This leading global consumer packaging company selected the Cartesis Suite for its financial reporting and consolidation processes after an extensive evaluation process. They selected Cartesis Magnitude for consolidation, reporting and performance management, with Cartesis Intercompany Server underpinning reconciliation and Cartesis iAnalysis enabling business users to access and analyse performance over the Web. As well as allowing the finance team more time to interpret results, the Suite will also support the transition to IFRS, helping it conform to the requirements of a multi-GAAP environment. Systems Accountants was selected to provide Project Management, design, build, technical and functional Magnitude resource to the project.
