Sapphires RedSky journey
RedSky was selected by Sapphire’s Finance Director Stewart Astley as the contract costing system, which was required to provide accurate contract performance information to both the management team and the Clients.
After a stalled implementation due to a number of reasons the software was not being used to its full potential with many offline processes and workarounds still being used.
Whilst reviewing the process in place it was evident the team were extremely busy duplicating and sometimes triplicating work to try and get through the day.
Mo Dawood originally came to visit Sapphire as a Consultant to review the system implementation and provide advice on what changes would be required to streamline the process and achieve the initial goals set by the management team.
After joining the business as Head of IT on our Finance Director’s recommendation, he quickly analysed the set-up and processes in the system to identify opportunities to streamline and automate processes along with Sapphire’s Financial Controller Alan Gordon.
Working closely with the Finance and Commercial teams collectively we restructured the system to simplify contract reporting. The next steps involved a major data migration and re-training all departments on how to use the system efficiently and effectively.
Developing dashboards to quickly review KPIs with the Head of Procurement allowed him to streamline the P2P process reducing invoice queries and enabling the team to procure effectively with the data at the touch of a button.
Since introducing RedSky’s Invoice Register, electronic timesheets and GRN Register we have seen significant efficiencies in the processes but more importantly, these integrated modules have enabled accurate and auditable contract costing information.
A key example of this is the electronic timesheet process which has enabled labour costs to be posted against the contracts by Wednesday, just two days after the timesheet cut-off. Previously these costs did not hit the contracts until the end of the following week. That’s a reduction of 9 working days!
With the business growing rapidly it was essential we utilised technology to simplify and automate the processes to support the growth. The team are now developing into roles where they have the time to analyse the information rather than just input data as quick as possible.
Recognising that RedSky is not just a financial system but instead an integral ERP system touching all departments we have developed a RedSky Steering Group. The members were hand-picked by their departments to collectively shape the future improvements. This ensures we are continuously improving and striving to maximise both efficient processes and technology to support the SUS Journey.
Over the past two-and-a-half years we have built a strong working relationship with Sapphire. The team initially struggled to get the most out of our system but tackled this head on by commissioning a comprehensive RedSky system review. “Based on the review findings, Sapphire took ownership of the system, restructured it, invested in retraining, implemented a range of integrated RedSky modules and developed dashboards to improve visibility of key metrics. A steering group now involves the whole company in ensuring the system is well maintained and continues to develop in the right direction. “RedSky and Sapphire worked together to deliver the foundations of a companywide solution that has transformed operational efficiency, delivering tangible benefits and supporting business growth. For me, Sapphire’s example underlines how important it is to take ownership of a business system in order to maximise its long-term value