Spark New Zealand accelerates transformation with Agile ERP overhaul
Spark New Zealand, the country's largest telecommunications provider, undertook a two-year, company-wide back-office transformation by replacing its legacy ERP system with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management. The project aimed to support Spark's Agile operating model and diverse business needs that the previous SAP system could no longer meet. Over 35 applications were integrated, collaborating across teams from Spark, Microsoft, implementation lead Infosys, and Tech Mahindra. Microsoft Teams enabled remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Microsoft FastTrack provided vital guidance through design and migration. Migration to the new platform was completed with an unprecedented 'big bang' approach, turning on ERP functionality for all departments overnight and minimizing business disruption. The new system streamlined onboarding, finance, procurement, and data-driven decision-making. Spark now leverages Azure Data Lake for advanced analytics and forecasting, with plans for further integration and added features. The transformation improved employee empowerment, operational efficiency, and commercial agility in the telecommunications industry.
- Organization
- Spark New Zealand
- Industry
- Tech & Comms
- Location
- New Zealand
- Published
- October 2022
Reported outcomes
Strategic outcomes
Primary read
Use case focus
Showing 3 of 3
- 1Cloud-based ERP Integration for Telecoms
- 2Enterprise Agile ERP Transformation
- 3Unified Procurement and Billing with Data Lake Analytics
- Legacy SAP ERP system unable to support Spark's Agile operating model.
- Inaccurate workforce tracking and complex, unintuitive user interfaces.
- Proliferation of business processes and system complexity with 70+ required interfaces.
- Administrative bottlenecks in procurement, finance, HR, and billing.
- Slow month-end financial processes and inefficient employee onboarding.
- Enterprise-wide implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management.
- Integration of 35+ custom and out-of-the-box business applications.
- Use of Microsoft 365 to improve user experience and familiarity.
- Use of Azure Data Lake for analytics and business insights.
- Migration support and co-design from Infosys (lead) and Tech Mahindra (data migration).
- First month-end financial close reduced from three weeks to eight days.
- Employee onboarding time dramatically reduced; improved user adoption.
- Improved data-driven decision making with Azure Analytics integration.
- Self-service functions simplify HR/admin tasks for employees and management.
- Central procurement enhances purchasing visibility and price negotiation.
Architecture
Migration included overnight 'big bang' ERP switch-off and go-live across all business functions, integrating 35 custom and third-party apps. Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 provided a unified user interface. Data was migrated and consolidated in Azure Data Lake for analytics. Remote and asynchronous rollout and cutover rehearsals were enabled with Microsoft Teams and FastTrack support. Infosys led process design, Tech Mahindra managed data migration, all coordinated via cloud platforms for ongoing analytics and business reporting.
Implementation partners2
Sources & evidence1
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