processes at leading UK technology and communications
business, through the reimplementation of SAP Planning
Solution Overview
Industry
Solution
Technology
Location
Client
Requirement
Decision Inc. UK (DI), has successfully completed the re-implementation of SAP Planning at Technology and communications business, the Data Communications Company (DCC), to rationalise and simplify its financial planning and reporting processes.
About The Client
They are responsible for the management of the network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year through their Security & Technical Operations Centre, ensuring 100% of eligible homes and business can access the network.
In addition to the smart metering network, DCC operates the Central Switching Service which enables energy consumers to switch energy supplier on the next working day.
The Challenge
The current financial planning tool, built on SAP Planning, was made up of multiple models and had been used historically to provide workarounds for shortcomings in other systems and processes. This had resulted in a complex data model and over-complicated processes for using, maintaining, and reporting from the tool.
The current system was perceived to lack stability and was not well understood from a technical support perspective. DCC lacked the technical knowledge to resolve ongoing issues, improve user friendliness, and develop the solution to meet finance & business needs.
DCC initially explored the option of procuring a new software solution for financial planning, however, following an in-depth investigation of the current system, it was found the pain points were due to largely complex data structures and complicated processes rather than the technology itself. Consequently, SAP Planning remained a key technology enabler
Our Budgeting and Planning system wasn’t fit for purpose anymore and the platform was going out of support from SAP in the near future. An overly complicated system design by the original implementor, combined with bad practices resulted in planning and month end processes lacking transparency and being too long and complicated.
– Dominik Plywaczyk , Finance Systems Manager, DCC
Clearly defining the end-to-end policies, processes and controls required to improve financial planning and reporting
Facilitating the changes through the better use of existing tools rather than investing in new technology
Improving data structures and data quality
Making the required changes to the culture of financial planning and reporting within DCC
planning and reporting in the organisation is simple, accurate and creates confidence in the outputs.
Between Aug 2022 and April 2023, DCC engaged specialist EPM consultancy DI, to reimplement a SAP Planning solution for planning and reporting to address these areas.
The Solution
Delivering a simpler and understandable data model incorporating key business planning & reporting dimensions & hierarchies.
Reducing the number of planning models to 2 (Resourcing & Planning) to manage Resource, Functional & Programme forecasting & budgeting.
Providing multiple methods of uploading data from other DCC corporate source systems (resource information, financial transactional data, business master data)
Leveraging in-system driver-based intelligence to automate manual business calculations (Labour Rates & Cost, Cost Recovery, Financing, Indexation, Cashflow)
Easing the system administration overhead
Improving the accessibility and accuracy of reporting to help the business better understand actuals and challenge the validity of plan data
The Outcome
The new SAP Planning implementation simplified and improved system design and brought further automation to the forecast. It also allowed standardisation and improvements to the planning process and data structures.
– Dominik Plywaczyk , Finance Systems Manager, DCC
Solution used by staff, across all divisions, for planning & reporting
The opportunity to decommission manual legacy systems
Transparent, integrated and streamlined budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning and reporting within a single tool
Reduction in manual effort and time to complete with lower administrative overhead
Comprehensive ‘in process’ reporting suite facilitating efficient review process
A technology platform from which to manage further planning and reporting processes
A single and standardised system allowed the business to design, implement and manage a single FP&A and Financial Reporting policy
DCC were able to better understand the demands on the workforce and reallocate resources effectively
The solution enabled the business to deliver a robust 2023/24 budget with the ability to move to monthly forecasting in future
Improved access to and confidence in data
The solution allowed the business to focus on interpretation and decision making rather than preparation and reconciliation
The DI Project Team was a valuable partner that understood our needs and industry good practice. They were focused on delivery but also flexible enough to accommodate in-flight changes.
– Dominik Plywaczyk , Finance Systems Manager, DCC
ABOUT DECISION INC.
Our teams have engaged with more than 400 clients globally over the past 15 years, providing them with the expertise to build, operate, and optimise their digital businesses.
We achieve this by leveraging the world’s best technology to drive our client’s business ambitions forward into tomorrow’s reality.
Our success is ultimately driven by our entrepreneurial culture, industry exposure, and the passion of our people. We have three key cross-functional teams – Functional and Specialist Consulting, Development, and Engineering teams.
Based in four global offices, our exceptional consultants focus on delivering value to clients by keeping them at the centre of our service delivery.