Bristol, UK, 8 March 2011, UNIT4 Business Software Ltd, the UK division of UNIT4, the world’s leading provider of business software for fast changing organisations, today announced that MVA Consultancy Limited (MVA) has decided to upgrade its UNIT4 Agresso solution to Route 66, UNIT4’s new upgrade path for Agresso Business World. MVA believes that this latest release of Agresso Business World will deliver a functionally rich, cost effective integrated business and finance solution to its global stakeholders, while providing a solid platform for the company to grow in different geographical markets.
MVA, a global consultancy, provides advice on many transport related matters to central, regional and local government agencies, as well as private developers, operators and financiers. The company has successfully used Agresso as its core financial and project management system for the last 14 years. However with the decision to deploy the latest Agresso release, MVA sees a major opportunity to review its key business processes and rationalise how its software applications are used with Agresso’s enhanced functionality and particularly utilising the benefits of its new planner module.
Mike Prager, Finance Director at MVA, explained: “MVA Consultancy Limited installed Agresso version 5.4 as its finance system in 1996. In common with many financial system implementations carried out in the last twenty years the emphasis was more on delivering financial control and therefore a tool for the finance team than on providing what would be seen today as a modern comprehensive integrated business solution. Whilst during this period the underlying financial, legal and statutory obligations were being met there was increasing demand for better operational information, particularly in pipeline and opportunity management, proposal costing and MVA’s ability in matching this demand with resource requirements. The consequence being that software developments were made outside of Agresso. The resulting piecemeal, rather than holistic, design approach to these developments has led to inappropriate key business processes being attached to software applications that they were not originally designed for. This in turn required a high level of costly IT management support because of the need for software integration and complex database synchronisation. Consequently stakeholders have found it difficult to get the accurate and comprehensive information they need to make decisions.”
As a result of the above risks and with the strategic aim of providing a more cost effective support system that meets the overriding information, knowledge management, and key business process needs of the business, MVA carried out an in-depth internal project to evaluate the options open to the company.
Ultimately Agresso Route 66 was selected as MVA’s end-to-end solution as it meets current business needs and also facilitates the reduction of software suppliers to two core strategic partners. MVA estimates that following the implementation considerable time will be saved not only in the IT department where data management will be considerably simplified, but also there will be considerable benefits to project managers in the administration of their projects from inception to completion. In addition, the MVA team believes that Agresso will improve the accuracy of its forecasting processes, alongside improved knowledge management as spreadsheets are eliminated from key business processes.
Anwen Robinson, UK Managing Director for UNIT4, commented: “By upgrading to the latest release in the Agresso Business World product roadmap, MVA is beginning a state-of-the-art upgrade path to ERP independence. It has been designed to deliver unparalleled user experience and new levels of deployment agility, helping organisations embrace change, both by reducing the costs associated with software changes needed to support business change, and by using the technology to react faster and more efficiently to business opportunities that typically accompany changing circumstances.”
The MVA team also wants to ensure that the Company is up and running with the new solution as quickly as is feasible so it has decided that UNIT4’s Fast Start Process will help expedite the implementation. Key to the success of this process is the definition of all of the necessary business processes and ensuring user acceptance is achieved. UNIT4 works alongside teams drawn from many different departments within MVA to ensure that the individual informational needs are met. These teams will remain part of the ongoing project management team as Agresso is implemented.
Prager concluded: “For the first time we have that all important single data source, better data integration and, through UNIT4’s Workflow tool, the ability for us to document key business processes and procedures which enables improved controls across all aspects of our business, not just finance.
“We believe that in re-implementing Agresso we will have more accurate Company-wide data which will help us to manage our business better; more clearly defined processes and procedures which will help us to work more closely together; a streamlined system which will reduce the time spent on administration and our reliance on error prone spreadsheets and greater insight into our operational and financial performance, which will help us build on the profitability of our projects going forward.
“All in all Agresso has proven to be our business solution of choice and provides us with a cost effective and flexible solution that meets our information, knowledge management and key business process needs both today and in the future.”
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About UNIT4
UNIT4 is a global business software and services company aimed at helping dynamic public sector, and commercial services organizations to embrace change simply, quickly and cost effectively in a market sector it calls 'Businesses Living IN Change' (BLINC)™. The Group incorporates a number of the world’s leading change embracing software brands including Agresso Business World, our flagship ERP suite for mid-sized services intensive organizations and Coda, our best-of-class financial management software.
With operations in 17 European countries, as well as 7 countries across North America, Asia Pacific and Africa and sales activities in several other countries, its revenue was €421.7 million in 2010.
In the UK we focus strongly on the public sector, where we are the leading provider of ERP systems to local government and post 16 education organisations, as well as having a considerable presence in the emergency services and health sectors. We also focus strongly on professional services organisations and a range of commercial sectors including Financial Services, Retail and Media and Publishing. Overall we aim to be the UK’s foremost business software company, providing solutions that transform the delivery of public services and comprehensively support commercial organisations in their ability to adapt and prosper in rapidly changing environments.
UNIT4 is headquartered in Sliedrecht, the Netherlands and has over 4,000 employees. It is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and is included in the Amsterdam Midcap Index (AMX).
