In The Rocks, the heritage sandstone building known as Campbell’s Storehouse houses a wide choice of iconic restaurants. Here, restaurants such as Wolfies, Italian Village and Waterfront, offer their diners spectacular views of the Opera House and Sydney Cove.

At nearby Pier One, diners at WatersEdge have commanding views over the Harbour Bridge and the nightscape of Luna Park. Venues in Cockle Bay and Darling Harbour, such as L’Aqua, Dockside and Star room provide outstanding locations for functions and corporate events, with expansive views over Darling Harbour and the western side of Sydney’s CBD.  All these venues form part of the Dockside Group’s impressive portfolio of eight premium waterfront venues and restaurants, making Dockside one of Australia’s leading hospitality businesses.

Having experienced successive and continuous periods of growth that have seen it emerge as one of the leading hospitality businesses in Australia, Dockside considered the strategic challenges that would need to be confronted to ensure ongoing success.

Technology plays a vital role in enabling business growth and Dockside recognised the need to upgrade its software, particularly for financial accounting. Whilst the existing accounting package had sufficed when the business was smaller, growth had rendered it ineffective and incapable of improving operational efficiency. As well, having eight independent businesses operating under the one umbrella meant that consolidation and reporting was slow and cumbersome.  It was also difficult to control operating costs and obtain a true indication of how each business was being run at a particular point in time.  It was time for a new solution.

In 2009, Jacqueline Worrall joined the Dockside Group as Financial Controller. Worrall brought deep operational experience of the hospitality sector and understood the challenges that might impact future growth. In particular, she was aware of the difference that an effective financial system could make to the long term success of the group.  “When I arrived at the Dockside Group, things were pretty chaotic” said Worrall.  “Each restaurant is an independent entity running its own set of accounts; this made it very difficult to consolidate our numbers.”

Having previously worked with Adept’s financial software at Harbord Diggers (part of the Mounties Group), Worrall’s recommendation to implement Adept’s ERP software was an easy one. “The team at Adept were extremely helpful in implementing the system in a very short time, and the difference was immediate,” she said.  “We are now able to analyse and quickly consolidate information across the whole group.  Previously, this had to be done manually, so we couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of information,” she added. Dockside Group can now make better informed decisions, as management no longer have to wait two or three days for a report.  “In order to direct operational actions, financial information is only useful if it’s accurate and timely,” said Worrall. 

A further benefit has been realised through improved time management, which has made life less stressful.  Manual, repetitive tasks are a thing of the past and the focus can shift to data analysis, costing and managing.  “Adept gives us the ability to manage our business more effectively” said Worrall. “We have managed to turn things around dramatically.” 

The Dockside Group is now positioned to be able to contemplate future growth with confidence rather than trepidation, knowing that control of financial information will be fundamental to its success.





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