Executive Summary
Withum’s ERP Consulting Services Team was engaged by a construction firm challenged with manual day-to-day operations and a lack of realtime financial reporting.
Working closely with the client, the Withum Team successfully streamlined business processes by migrating both project management and finance functions into a single, integrated ERP solution. They recognized the need to bridge the gap between these two critical areas — a typical roadblock in the construction industry. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was the best integrated ERP solution for the company, allowing them to enhance collaboration, data accuracy and decision-making.
About the Client
The construction firm is a medium-sized player headquartered in New Jersey. They install telecommunication equipment for prominent companies in the communication technology industry.
The Challenge
The firm identified challenges stemming from disparate systems, including manual data entry duplication, delayed financial reporting and
incomplete project cost tracking. Ultimately, they were not achieving real-time visibility into project costs, streamlining resource allocation, enhancing financial accuracy and optimizing project profitability.
The client needed more project management capabilities to support their growth in the construction industry.
The Approach and Solution
The Withum Team embarked on a comprehensive evaluation process to select an ERP solution capable of integrating project management, finance operations and inventory management seamlessly. Key criteria were identified, including:
Through Withum-hosted discussions with key stakeholders and demonstrations of the system, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central proved itself to be the correct fit.
The Business Central (BC) solution and the Progressus Advanced Projects add-on offered a unified platform for project management, finance operations and inventory management. Progressus Advanced Projects provided modules for project planning, resource allocation, progress tracking, cost management, invoicing and financial reporting. The solution’s ability to centralize data, eliminate duplicate entry and offer real-time insights aligned with the company’s objectives.
As the implementation partner in the BC project, Withum’s involvement extended beyond technical expertise. The team’s insights helped align the solution with the client’s unique processes, ensuring optimal utilization and maximum value extraction.
Withum’s experts worked closely with the construction firm to understand their business requirements, design the solution architecture and execute necessary implementation tasks.
The migration process to Microsoft BC was meticulously executed, involving data transformation, mapping and configuration to the client’s needs. Withum’s role included overseeing project management modules, financial integration, employee training and change management strategies. Regular communication and joint decision making ensured a seamless transition. System customizations were deployed to tailor the solution to the client’s business processes.
Withum supported the client during the go-live phase and contributed to the successful transition from the legacy system to BC. Withum continued to provide expert guidance, troubleshooting and timely resolutions to technical challenges during system operation post “Go-Live.”
Benefits and Results
Microsoft BC provided substantial value-add by centralizing project data, optimizing resource allocation, enhancing collaboration and enabling real-time tracking. This resulted in streamlined processes, improved decision-making and increased project efficiency.
Real-time project insights enabled proactive decision-making, leading to on-time project completion and enhanced resource allocation. Financial accuracy improved, empowering strategic financial planning. Cross-functional reporting streamlined operations and the holistic view of project data elevated profitability. Accurate inventory tracking for inventory allocated to Projects was a feature the client never could achieve in their legacy system. With the use of BC, the client now had visibility into accurate project costs — helping to increase profitability.
By partnering with Withum, the construction firm successfully merged project management and finance operations within a modern and integrated ERP system. The success of the BC implementation showed that improved planning, project visibility, accurate inventory management and a reduction of duplicate entries can lead to increases in efficiency across the entire business.
