Baker Tilly's Calibrate for success: Navigating the path to Oracle Cloud

As a trailblazer in the engineering and construction industry, Integrated Project Services (IPS) offers their clients a single-source, integrated approach to designing, constructing and validating technically complex research and development, manufacturing, packaging and warehouse facilities. Having moved their financials to Oracle Cloud ERP, they have now set their sights on Oracle Cloud HCM. In preparation for the move, they worked closely with Baker Tilly’s Oracle practice to align the organization and set a strong foundation for Cloud implementation success. One of the most vital steps of an implementation is the preparation beforehand. Baker Tilly guides clients through their “Calibrate” methodology to complete critical pre-implementation planning activities to set the stage for a successful implementation.

Importance of the “Calibration” stage

"Calibrate" is a “phase 0” approach that occurs before implementation activities. This stage is utilized to ensure the alignment between three interdependent parties: Oracle, Baker Tilly and the client.

"Calibrate" is a crucial phase for identifying project timelines and resources, reducing project anxiety, educating on what’s to come, mitigating risk and accelerating time to value all while keeping operations running smoothly.

Calibration activities are broken down into three main areas:

1. Roadmap: This phase focuses on planning the full implementation process, starting with understanding the client’s goals and objectives and reviewing business and functional calendars. The phase then proceeds to establish key milestones and  phasing, as well as identify any potential other overlapping initiatives to ensure that the proposed project timeline can be met without impacting daily operations.
2. Scope: The scoping process helps with the understanding of the organization's current landscape while outlining the future state vision once Oracle Cloud is live. Baker Tilly, along with the client, confirms critical requirements and the desired level of process re-engineering required. At the end of this process, a proposal is drafted that outlines the requirements and specific functionality needed by modules to meet the organization’s needs.
3. Resource plan: Resource planning ensures that the right personnel, skills and tools are in place for a successful implementation. This phase includes consideration of client resource capacity and discussion of staffing options and alternatives. By the conclusion of the resource plan, clear roles and responsibilities are defined

Baker Tilly and IPS

One of the key areas of success for IPS when working with Baker Tilly was the importance of foresight in the planning stages, ensuring that IPS will be flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen changes.

Key factors considered by Baker Tilly:

• Contract end dates for current systems to minimize long-term technology expenditure, streamline the back office's total technology environment and increase return on investment (ROI) when moving to the cloud.
• Acknowledge the organizational distinctions amongst business units while standardizing reporting and business processes throughout the firm.
• The capacity for change management and change champions to support the deployment.
• The lessons learned from other system implementations to help confirm objectives, scope, resources and priorities for future Oracle Cloud implementation phases.
• The priorities from a people, process and technology standpoint and how the technology transformation can address the opportunities and pain points and enable the future state vision.
• Business calendar and milestone dates for goal setting, performance reviews, annual compensation cycle/bonus payout and financial planning.

Next up, IPS and Baker Tilly will set their sights on the implementation of Oracle Cloud HCM.

Interested in successfully embracing best-in-class Oracle Cloud solutions? Learn more about Baker Tilly’s implementation methodologies: