Apps Associates merges three separate water authorities into 1 and migrates from multiple legacy platforms to Oracle Fusion

Apps Associates successfully implemented Oracle’s Cloud Fusion ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), HCM (Human Capital Management), and EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) for a client in Southern California. This monumental project involved merging three separate water authorities into a single, streamlined agency, and migrating from multiple, disparate legacy platforms to a unified, cloud-based solution. The engagement addressed complex challenges, including consolidating financial reporting across multiple units, streamlining operational processes, and enhancing data-driven decision-making capabilities. By leveraging Oracle’s comprehensive suite of applications, Apps Associates not only facilitated a smooth transition to a modern infrastructure but also laid the foundation for increased efficiency, improved data integrity, and scalable growth for the newly formed agency.

The Water Authority in Southern California encountered substantial challenges in achieving efficient multi-organizational financial reporting due to disparate systems across various business units. With the formation of a new consolidated agency, the imperative was to merge these units into a cohesive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Key challenges included:

• Enabling Technology Innovation: There was an urgent need for a fully integrated cloud solution to modernize the agency’s infrastructure and enable efficient operations across the board.
• Consolidating Processes and Solutions: The agency aimed to streamline processes and solutions across its operations to enhance efficiency, eliminate redundancies, and promote a unified working environment.
• Maximizing IT Team Efficiency: With a small IT team, optimizing workload and operational management through a unified ERP system was crucial.
• Merging Disparate Legacy Systems: The agency faced the task of integrating several legacy systems into a single platform to simplify operations and improve data management.

These efforts were directed towards boosting operational efficiency, enhancing data transparency, and improving decision-making, thereby laying a groundwork for future innovation and growth.

To address the complex challenges faced by the Water Authority, the following solutions were implemented:

• Core Financials– The transition involved converting two years of General Ledger (GL) history and creating comprehensive financial reports to enhance transparency and efficiency in financial management.
• Procurement – Approval workflows were standardized, and internal control standards were established to streamline procurement processes and ensure compliance.
• Supply Chain Management (SCM): Best practices around materials processing and periodic inventory were implemented to optimize supply chain operations and reduce inefficiencies.
• Projects: For project management, up to seven years of active history was converted. Budgetary controls were implemented, project types were standardized, and a seamless setup and execution process was established. Integration with payroll was also achieved to ensure cohesive financial management across projects.
• Core HR: All employee history was converted, ensuring a unified approach to managing jobs and positions across the newly formed agency, facilitating standardization and efficiency in human resources management.
• Enterprise Performance Management (EPM): Consolidated forecasting and budgeting were implemented for four business units, enhancing strategic financial planning. Additionally, public financial statements and narrative reports were developed to improve financial communication and transparency.

These strategic implementations across financials, procurement, SCM, projects, HR, and EPM were instrumental in transforming the agency’s operations, enabling a unified approach to managing its resources, and laying the foundation for sustained growth and innovation.

• Streamlined Financial Reporting Across Multiple Units: Enabled seamless, integrated financial reporting by consolidating business units into a single platform, enhancing transparency and decision-making capabilities.
• Increased Operational Efficiency: By retiring multiple legacy systems and moving to a unified solution, the agency significantly improved its operational efficiency, eliminating redundancies and simplifying processes.
• Enhanced Decision-Making Capabilities: Empowered users, managers, and executives with robust, self-service reporting capabilities, facilitating data-driven decision-making across all levels of the organization.
• Standardized Business Processes: Implemented data and business process controls/best practices, ensuring consistency, reliability, and compliance across projects and operational activities.
• Optimized Payroll Processing: Reduced runtime and improved accuracy of payroll processing, paving the way for a successful transition to Oracle Payroll, enhancing employee satisfaction and administrative efficiency.
• Fostered Innovation and Scalability: The transition to a fully integrated cloud solution laid the foundation for ongoing technological innovation and scalability, enabling the agency to adapt to future challenges and opportunities.
• Maximized IT Resource Efficiency: Consolidation and modernization efforts led to a more efficient use of the smaller sized IT team, allowing for better focus on strategic initiatives and support.
• Enhanced System Reliability and Support: Moving away from unsupported legacy systems to a modern, unified solution improved system reliability, security, and vendor support, reducing risks and downtime.
• Facilitated Regulatory Compliance: The new system’s built-in controls and best practices around data and business processes simplified compliance with industry regulations and standards, reducing the risk of penalties.
• Enabled Comprehensive Data Analysis: The unified platform facilitated comprehensive data analysis, offering deeper insights into operational metrics and performance indicators, supporting continuous improvement.