Speak to a consultant

How WDH took back control of their Dynamics 365 Finance solution with Inciper

Download a copy of this case study here

 

WDH are one of the largest social housing providers, in the UK with
over 32,000 homes across the Wakefield district and across the
north of England.
WDH create confident communities, underpinned by their mission
to inspire, transform andpromote excellence alongside WDH’s core
values of being creative, inclusive and working with integrity.
WDH carried out a digital transformation to support the business in
meeting its vision for both its employees and customers alike. Part
of their digital transformation was to deploy Microsoft Dynamics
365 Finance and Supply Chain (D365). However, shortly after go-live
WDH identified that they had not yet realised the expected benefits
D365 should have brought to the business.

 

Key Challenges

Inciper were approached to help evaluate their D365 deployment
since the business had lost confidence in the solution. Inciper were
able to demonstrate experience and reference-ability in supporting
distressed customers to maximise their investment in their
Dynamics solution.
WDH struggled to convince users that their D365 solution was fit
for purpose, and required a Microsoft partner who could not only
identify the challenges being faced by users, but also demonstrate
how WDH could drive efficiency & productivity across Finance,
helping WDH to access to real-time information.

 

Inciper Approach

Given the situation, namely a perceived poor implementation from
their incumbent partner, product fit and lack of user adoption,
Inciper worked with WDH to secure Microsoft Funding to support a
full diagnostic review of their D365 Finance implementation.
Following this review Inciper were able to unlock the benefits
that a D365 solution could deliver by streamlining and innovating
processes within finance. This was achieved by adopting the Inciper
Business Process Diagnostic approach examining:

 

“Inciper’s real world and in depth knowledge of the Microsoft Business Applications suite has been so important to WDH realising the potential of the solutions that were implemented across the business. Their authenticity and honesty throughout our relationship with them has been a breath of fresh air, and we look forward to many more years of engagement.”

David Wing
IT Strategy & Innovation - WDH

System Functionality Diagnostic

  • Pain Points collected using Inciper Process Dictionary structure
    covering R2R, P2P, O2C, PMA and Reporting
  • Reviewing the role of each system within the solution and whether
    integrations are orchestrated to align with how the business
    operates. Examining the architecture, robustness, technical
    security and performance
  • The assessment covers the tools and techniques used to keep
    reference, master and transactional data in-sync throughout the
    systems estate
Further to a D365 configuration review, followed by a number of functional workshops with key users, Inciper provided a diagnostic report with associated options and recommendations including:

O2C.100 Order to Cash (Create invoices, Credit and- Collections, Direct Debits)

Examine integration process from other operational systems to ensure the load of data is validated & timely
Configure invoice approval workflow to improve controls within the ‘non rent’ ledger invoice creation process; reducing errors up front and enabling auditability
Optimise debt collection task management; providing an
organisation-wide view of disputes and workflow enabled debt write of

R2R.100 Record to Report (Fixed Asset module, Monthend timetable management, Chart of Accounts)

Optimise the Chart of Accounts (CoA) to ensure the reporting
of KPI’s and controls can be surfaced through reports, excel
integration (not re-keying) and data analytics (PowerBI)
Automation and intelligence to manage ledger settlements,
accruals and prepayments
Drive efficiency of month end and general ledger processing

P2P.100 Procure to Pay (Matching rate increase, Supplier Communication/Vendor Portal, Mobile approvals)

Reduce manual invoicing matching using auto-intelligent
matching rules
Vendor portal for supplier collaboration and self-service
Utilise mobile “app” to manage approval process to reduce ‘time
to approve’

Training needs analysis & delivery

  • Learning & knowledge management strategy to inspire
    confidence in system
  • Continuous training library to avoid the risk of out-of-date
    knowledge and assist with new joiner onboarding
  • Champion led approach to plan for functional capability
    improvements arising from D365 upgrades and wave releases
    integration
  • Automating manual integrations with system controls using
    reconciliation methods and reporting to replace manual checks
  • Leverage the integration platform using APIs and Azure
    monitoring for diagnostics for proactive support

Data & Analytics

  • Integrate D365 Data Lake capabilities for additional data
    availability and granularity
  • Use Azure Data Platform to combine data from D365 and
    other Line of Business systems to provide a holistic view of
    organisational performance
  • Use Power BI for slice and dice trend analysis and self-serve
    analytics
At a time where we were questioning the ability of Dynamics to meet our requirements, Inciper were able to work with us to not only identify the challenges being faced by key stakeholders, but also were able to deliver the necessary enhancements and value outputs at pace.”

David Wing
IT Strategy & Innovation - WDH

Why Inciper

With a lack of confidence in their Dynamics 365 solution, WDH
sought an agile partner who could quickly understand their current
state and provide recommendations for immediate wins.
Inciper took a strategic and holistic cross business approach to the
engagement with WDH, with Microsoft providing funding to support
WDH with continuous improvement . Inciper were able to adeptly
define the opportunities for immediate improvement and provided a detailed roadmap to achieve their desired future state with tangible ROI, giving WDH back confidence in their Dynamics 365 solution anda way ahead to digital transformation

Speak to an expert

Why Inciper

Scroll down

Scroll up