Tuatahi First Fibre implements new finance system

About Tuatahi First Fibre

Tuatahi First Fibre (previously UltraFast Fibre) is a fibre optic infrastructure business. That means their core business is the planning and installation of a network of fibre optic cables which provide individual households and businesses a direct line of connectivity to the internet. Tuatahi are focused on building better, brighter more connected communities – driving increased productivity, learning, growth and prosperity. With more than 6,000 km of fibre optics, Tuatahi provide access to a population of over 240,000 households and businesses throughout Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki and the Auckland region.

An agile, affordable solution was required

After being sold by its parent company in 2020, Tuatahi needed to overcome the inflexibility it experienced with the enterprise-level finance and operations solution it had been using. The existing solution was not only too inflexible for Tuatahi’s needs, it was also too complex and not agile enough to meet this fastmoving company’s requirements.

Alister Ryan, chief digital officer, Tuatahi, said, “Tuatahi needed to improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and obtain comprehensive and accurate data regarding the company’s assets. It was important to choose a finance system that could be integrated with other solutions that Tuatahi was already using, and be futureproof enough to integrate with future tools. It was essential to find a new solution quickly so the business could continue to grow and operate in an agile way.”

Tuatahi determined that a cloud-based solution would be ideal because implementation and integration could be completed easily. After performing a thorough market and needs analysis, Tuatahi narrowed the selection down to two choices, one of which was Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

Best-practice methodology streamlined implementation

After determining that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations was the right solution, Tuatahi needed to find an implementation partner. Based on existing knowledge of the work Capgemini was capable of, including an existing relationship between Tuatahi’s CEO and Capgemini, the choice was simple. Tuatahi engaged Capgemini to deploy the Microsoft solution based on Capgemini’s best-practice methodology.

Alister Ryan said, “Capgemini’s proven methodology was a key reason for choosing it as the implementation partner for this project. This methodology drives a strong focus on using standard solution capabilities based on Capgemini’s comprehensive library of proven business processes for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. By minimising customisation and deploying the solution as close to ‘out-of-the-box’ as possible, we were able to stick to the project’s scope and meet the deadline.”

Deployment incorporated a more agile delivery process, which was a critical success factor due to the complexity of the implementation, with numerous platforms being established simultaneously.

The Tuatahi finance team played a key role in user acceptance testing (UAT) and was deeply engaged throughout the project, contributing to the deployment’s overall success. Capgemini and Tuatahi worked closely together to overcome data migration challenges and keep the project on track for an on-time and on-budget completion.

Alister Ryan said, “Capgemini earned its expert status through providing best-practice implementation advice and consultation. Tuatahi was keen to leverage as much functionality as possible within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, and Capgemini assisted in achieving that goal.”

Benefits include reduced time and effort, and lower licensing costs

Since implementing the Microsoft solution, Tuatahi has reduced the time and effort required to complete standard processes such as raising purchase orders, which was previously a complex and manual task.

Alister Ryan said, “Now, orders can be created and approved quickly via the system. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations has let Tuatahi easily streamline processes and procedures and reduce the amount of repetitive manual entry required. This frees up staff members to add value to internal processes and customer service.

“Microsoft Dynamics 365 is like a Swiss Army knife with 40 blades to pull out for any situation. That meant Tuatahi had a great deal of faith in the solution as well as in Capgemini’s ability to implement it. While it wasn’t necessary to include much customisation, we know that the functionality and flexibility we need is inherent in the solution.”

Since implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, Tuatahi has overcome its challenges around licensing costs and efficiencies. The solution is right-sized for the business and is also futureproofed so that Tuatahi can implement additional tools later and know they will integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

Alister Ryan said, “There was a good cultural fit between Capgemini and Tuatahi. Communication was clear with daily stand-up meetings to keep the project on track, which meant that Capgemini was able to stick to the scope and costs very closely. There is more work to be done to optimise the solution, which will likely involve Capgemini again as a trusted partner for integrating Dynamics into our overall environment.”