Trans Tasman effort wins Innovative Project Award
Migrating 11 different business operations, across two different countries, onto a single SAP platform in just four months was no easy feat - but a project team from OCS ANZ achieved just that - within timeframe and on budget.
The project is already delivering significant successful outcomes for OCS including cost savings, efficiencies and a streamlining of workflow - and it also delivered the company the 'Financial Innovation Project of the Year' Award at the New Zealand CFO Awards 2019, held in Auckland on Tuesday 12 March.
More than 300 financial leaders attended the awards at the SkyCity Convention centre.
Gareth Marriott, OCS ANZ Managing Director, accepted the award on behalf of the team, acknowledging many in the room may not have even heard of OCS - a global cleaning and facilities management company with more than 5200 staff across its New Zealand and Australian operations.
"I like to think of OCS as the unsung heroes of kiwi business: our people are the cleaners, maintenance people, support staff and helpers who make our day better in thousands of workplaces, airports, shopping centres and more across New Zealand.
"A clean, tidy and hygienic workplace or public facility is something most of us take for granted, but behind the scenes is a group of hard-working people who make it all happen.
"But it's not enough to be excellent at our core business. We also need to excel in our administration, systems, data management and technology.
"We pride ourselves on developing and cementing a personal partnership with our clients, and this means keeping our promises and delivering time after time, in all aspects of our operation - from the shop floor, to our back office systems.
"This award is for a mammoth project that we didn't completely know we could achieve - but we couldn't afford to fail."
In April 2018 OCS ANZ began a project to create a financial Centre of Excellence in New Zealand to allow better efficiencies and workflow across its newly integrated business in Australia and New Zealand. The regional integration required considerable changes to the company's technology platforms, consolidating the "back office" in Auckland.
Mr Marriott says the keys to the project's successful delivery included a dedicated project manager, comprehensive planning, strong governance, a "safe to fail" culture, early testing and a skilled team.
"It was delivered on time, on budget and with considerable success outcomes despite a challenging four-month timeframe and an unprecedented level of complexity. It has already achieved greater than predicted savings for the business and is being held up as a case study for our global business.
"I am so proud of our team. The success of the project was largely due to the dedication of the project team and it's a credit to our finance team and our more than 5200 people across New Zealand and Australia."