ERP Implementation Support for 49th Parallel

The Challenge

49^th Parallel is a leading Vancouver-based coffee roaster whose mission is to craft exceptional coffee that is sustainably sourced.  They are known for being a technologically advanced roastery with a science forward approach to their craft.  To forward this mission they recently upgraded their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, to further evolve their product and culture.  To support the system implementation, 49^th Parallel engaged Propel to conduct a review of the resulting processes to identify areas for improvement.  The objective was to identify Change Management Opportunities as well as improve system configuration.

The Objective:

Propel Solutions conducted a 4-week Systems Implementation Diagnostic to align the newly implemented ERP to support the people and processes through:

• System Architecture Maps: Propel developed a system map to outline the current IT infrastructure and to identify linkages between the data and information flow to complete end-to-end processing of orders.
• Identified Vendor Management Challenges: Propel analyzed 49^th Parallel’s vendor management processes to support the development of post-implementation phases. The resulting analysis was used to identify opportunities for feature enhancement within the ERP as well as other systems. Additionally, Propel defined best practices in Vendor Management to improve communications.
• Process Mapping & Review: Propel conducted a review of key processes to determine opportunities to improve capacity. This was done through interviewing staff, observing work practices, and creating detailed process maps that were critiqued by managers and staff. The resulting “as-is analysis” was used to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Financial Analysis: Using this analysis, the total cost of production and orders by channel were analyzed to identify the total improvement opportunity available. From here, the impact of changing the organizational targets can be modelled to help determine specific improvement objectives in terms of financial and capacity improvements to the area.
• System Training Plan Development: Propel met with key area stakeholders to understand roles and responsibilities to determine additional training requirements for full system adoption. The analysis resulted in identification of additional change management requirements and skills development.

The Results

Staff engagement throughout the analysis was high with over 60 opportunities for improvement identified. The Systems Implementation Review provided 49^th Parallel with a road map to ensure that their newly implemented system supported their team and processes.  Propel was able to identify both quick wins as well as longer term opportunities to forward 49^th Parallel’s mission and system adoption.  The engagement facilitated communication across the teams through the development of end to end process maps starting the change management process which lead to further adoption of the ERP.