ERP and CIS Implementations

Quintel Management Consultants uses a proven process to assist organizations with the planning of new IT systems or for the integration of existing systems following a merger or acquisition. Our group specializes in ERP audits and reviews, program management of ERP implementation, customer information reviews and implementations. Our approach and developed tools for these applications are described below.

  1. Confirm the Business Model – Review the current IT situation and products in development or implementation.
  2. Confirm the Business Process – Categorize processes and link to critical success factors
  3. Define the IT Needs – Conduct needs analysis based on interviews and Quintel expertise and case experience.
  4. Analyze the IT Area – Determine the adequacy of the information, the information technology and the priorities.
  5. Complete the Gap Analysis – Determine if critical information needs are being met. Does system redundancy exist? Do other innovative technology solutions exist?
  6. Develop an Integration Plan – Develop a road map to move to a new IT environment. Transfer knowledge and develop performance measures.
  7. Manage and Implement the Plan

Custom code development and implementation

  • Quintel Developers and Functional  Consultants designed and developed the Compatible Unit module and operational level costing fucntionality for integration with PM, FICO and SD modules jointly with SAP.   Quintel conducted the first implementation of this functionality in the world.  This module is used to facilitate engineering design, cost tracking, creation, asset unitization and retirement.
  • Quintel Developers and Functional  Consultants designed, developed and implemented a joint use billing SAP program that tightly integrates PM and Sd modules.  This program automated the joint billing to other utilities and customers for assets such as poles, trenches, anchors, etc.  In addition, this program automated the process of creating the equipment and assets associated with these orders.
  • Quintel Developers and Functional  Consultants designed, developed and implemented workflow and SAP programs to tie equipment records to assets for reconcilaitaion.  These workflows also autmatically created the associated equipment records and automatically unitized or retired assets associated with the equipment in the work order.  This funcitonalities allows fixed asset departments to keep pace with completed work orders in unitization and retirement of assets.
  • Quintel Developers and Functional  Consultants designed, developed and implemented workflow and SAP programs to tie street lights records to CRB for accurate billing of municiaplities.  These workflows maintained an accurate inventory of street lights when additions, retirements or chnages of street lights ocurred in the field.

Program Management and Benchmarking Analysis for SAP Implementation and AMI Program

Large California Electric Utility

As part of the PMO team, Quintel provided benchmark and industry best practices in the design of new processes to maximize investment and performance improvement, the establishment of performance metrics and the basic SAP implementation methodologies.  Provided best practices and benchmarking from Quintel database and client experiences in SAP implementation and MM and PM related implementations to ensure processes are optimized and performance is measured accurately to ensure change is embraced. Identified SAP performance metrics to be incorporated into SAP BW reports and executive dash boards.

Quintel also managed the utility’s AMI program.  This included a software selection analysis, business case, and program management services for the pilot program.

ERP SAP Implementation

Vermont Electric Utility

Quintel provided management consulting and information technology services to develop new business processes to improve corporate performance and implement SAP ECC 6.0 ERP modules and the associated best practices, performance measures and management reports to measure performance associated with the following modules: Human Resources, Payroll, Finance and Supply Chain HR, PY, FI/CO, MM, BI.  Quintel utilized its benchmarking database for metrics and best practice processes during this engagement.

Management of ECC 6.0 SAP Back Office Implementation

Northeastern Electric and Gas Utility Company

Quintel implemented the SAP back office modules (FI/CO, AM, FERC, TR, MM, HR, PY, CATS, PS, ECCS, WF and BW,) for this Northeaster utility, with the philosphy of a “Vanilla” implementation with few modifactions or enhancements. This was to insure that the company would be able to implement other SAP modules with minimal effort.  The following illustrate implementation highlights:

  • Created new Chart of Accounts, including internal orders, cost centers and account keys.
  • Developed new, standard general ledger to standardize and simplify monthly, quarterly and annual financial closings in the five operating companies.
  • Reconciled all assets and developed new asset process, streamlining the unitization and retirement process.
  • Reconciled all employee records across the five operating companies and within organizational hierarchies.  Prior to this reconciliation management did not know the exact number of employees within each business unit.
  • Standardized all materials stock numbers.  This effort improved the efficiency of the materials management processes.
  • Oversight of Change Management activities to establish awareness at all levels of the organization of the strategic goal, nature, importance and benefits of the SAP implementation, and educated end users of the system on key process changes in advance of training.

Management and Implementation of CCS SAP Implementation

Large Eastern Electric and Gas Utility Company

Quintel was responsible for all project activities, billing center, call center, mobile management for the utility’s 3.8M customer base.

Quintel had overall project management responsibility including timelines, hiring and management of all external resources, internal resources, project planning and management, data conversion, training and change management, budget, and 75+ project resources. This implementation included CRM, UCES, BI, DM, IDE, EDM, MAU, FICA, MRSS, Outage Management, Scheduling, and Business Warehouse.

The Quintel team is providing design direction with functional development, customer business requirements, blueprint, system configuration, data conversion, interfaces, production cutover and support. The post go live support activities will include meeting performance metrics of the company’s call center, billing and EDI transactions.

Program Management for SAP Implementation for a Global Energy Company

Large Global Energy Company

Our consultants were asked to assist the client company in the development of innovative applications for financial information across the enterprise’s four operating divisions. Review status of recommended SAP action items, update risk factors and offer recommendations on improving SAP project and reducing risk. The client has heavy interest in organization preparedness, implementation planning and post implementation support.

We worked with a core team of 10–12 individuals over a long period of time on planning and team-development activities in support of their systems implementation efforts. The project team helped develop a shared vision and instill a set of key skills and techniques for effective team-based work. We also developed a set of core operating principles that were used to guide the teams throughout the implementation and forced the teams to confront and resolve major cultural and operational issues.

The teams found that the early effort to face and resolve issues provided a critical foundation for the ultimate success of their implementation efforts. The company was one of the earliest adopters of SAP’s R/3 enterprise system software. It has become a well-publicized, successful implementor of that software and one of the largest users of R/3 in the United States.

Co-Management: Working Side-By-Side to Ensure SAP Implementation Success

A World Market Leader for Compressors, Turbines and Engineering Products

Following our presentation of an Information Systems Strategy and detailed migration plan, the Board asked our consultants to work side-by-side with company staff to ensure successful implementation of the SAP program.

We undertook a series of efforts to implement the migration plan. We proposed and refined an approach for package/vendor selection, and developed a set of criteria to be used. We worked with client staff to develop a request for proposal, and supported them in analyzing vendor responses and evaluating the options. With SAP selected, we did the detailed planning required for efficient and effective software introduction.

Together with the Steering Committee, we defined and set up the project organisation for the SAP implementation. For each project, we worked with the project leader to prepare a concrete approach and define milestones.

Based on the original migration plan, data center operations were to be outsourced to a third party. We identified candidates, selected one provider, supported the negotiation and detailed offering process, and ensured an efficient transfer of data-center operations to the outsourcer.

Given the package and outsourcing decisions, we defined future IT skill requirements and identified gaps to be filled. We developed a qualification plan to ensure that these skills would be developed and available.

On a continuing basis, we participated in day-to-day project work, monitored the project plan, reported status to the Steering Committee, recommended changes to address deficiencies and obstacles, updated it as necessary, and intervened when required to ensure success.

As a result of our involvement as co-project managers, the company realized the benefit of our considerable experience in large-scale systems migration efforts. Over the course of the implementation, all milestones were met.

Co-Managing the Company-Wide Implementation of a Standard Administrative Software Package

Large Utility Company

In order to be ready for an upcoming European Market, a large utility company decided to drastically change its IT-strategy. Instead of continuing to develop its own administrative software, this company decided to implement a standard, highly integrated software package to support all its administrative processes; a job to be completed by the year 2000. Through this change-project the company hopes to achieve both a 25% reduction of IT costs as well as improved performance, simplified integration and higher business flexibility.

Next to the traditional project disciplines of planning and quality assurance the nature of this project also calls for intensive risk management and extensive communication activities. These two functions allowed our client to carefully manage the portfolio of potential problems and to closely monitor the perception and opinions of key stakeholders and stakeholder groups in order to communicate effectively about the goals, the effects and the nature of the project. This enhanced type of project management is proving to be a critical factor in the progress of this project.

SAP Program Management for a Telecommunications Company

IT Department of Traditional Telecom Operator

The IT department was faced with strong resistance from the logistic department to go ahead with the company decision to implement SAP for non-core applications. Our consultants helped the IT department by co-managing a series of tangible actions:

- Direct coaching of the SAP group manager.

- Facilitating a feasibility study for SAP in logistics.

- Helping to select and manage the SAP partner.

- Detailing and explaining key issues to senior IT management and the impact of packages.

A series of positive results have been achieved:

- Successful launch of SAP in finance and logistics.

- Decision by the client to increase the scope of SAP within the application portfolio.

- Decision to implement a reorganization of the development activities around projects.