Statistics New Zealand is a government department and the country's national statistical office, collecting information relating to New Zealand's economy, environment and society. The organisation produces more than 250 statistical releases and reports per annum, a large proportion which are now provided free to the public via the Internet - www.stats.govt.nz.

To better adapt to changing financial requirements, Statistics New Zealand decided to replace its existing financial solution with Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision in July, 2002.  In addition to mapping more closely to business objectives, the new solution is delivering higher level reporting and deeper integration with third party systems. Navision has also reduced the cost of supporting and maintaining the organisation's financial system by approximately 70% and Statistics New Zealand anticipates a Return on Investment (ROI) within two and a half years.   

Mapping Technology to the Changing Business Scenario

Gerad Chaplin, Management Accountant, Statistics New Zealand, explained that the organisation first commenced the search for a new financial solution in mid 2001.

"We had been running an Oracle system for more than seven years," he says.

"As the department began to provide more and more statistical information via the Internet, the complexity of our revenue model decreased and we were in a position to simplify our financial processes. We no longer needed a large system like Oracle."

He adds: "We sought a more flexible and affordable business solution that would deliver strong reporting and integrate closely with a number of our other IT systems, including the HR and CRM solution."

Navision and Topaz Consulting: The Winning Combination

Statistics New Zealand considered a number of solutions but selected Microsoft Business Solutions Navision edition, supported by Wellington-based Topaz Consulting, in April, 2002.

"The combined strength of the product and vendor was the deciding factor in our decision," explained Chaplin.

"Topaz Consulting had an experienced team and long-term future in the market. The company's partnership with Avanti Solutions also meant we could call on additional support for our Auckland office if required."

Topaz deployed Navision rapidly over a three month period across a Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 platform.

The solution went live in July, 2002, to coincide with the start of the new financial year and enable minimum data to be migrated from the previous solution.

Navision is Easy to Customise to Meet Specific Needs

Topaz also customised the Navision solution to meet the department's unique finance requirements. Firstly, a Dimension Analysis Module was added to automatically force dimensions and reduce data re-entry. Secondly, an Allocation Module was developed to distribute overhead costs to various projects.

"It was easy and affordable to modify the Navision solution. With our previous system, we were reluctant to do any customisation," says Chaplin.

Alastair Hubbard, Sales Manager, Topaz Consulting Ltd, reinforced that Navision was well suited to Statistics New Zealand's core business requirements.

"The Navision development platform enabled us to easily customise and integrate the solution with the department's unique financial requirements."

Ease of Use and More Detailed Information

Since going live, the Navision solution has delivered a number of business benefits to the organisation, including detailed reporting and business analysis.

"Navision provides us with more in-depth and versatile reporting and we can now run executive level reports from within the system. Reports are generated in real-time, which enables us to get a more accurate snapshot of the business," said Gerad Chaplin of Statistics New Zealand.

"Navision is also easy to use and has simplified our financial processes. For example, it is now much easier to make adjustments in the system, allowing us to respond quickly to staff requests."

Cutting Costs and Deeper Systems

Integration Navision has also provided the organisation closer integration with disparate IT systems.

"Navision interfaces easily with our HR solution, meaning we can obtain data quickly instead of having to re-enter the information," says Chaplin.

"Our system support and maintenance costs have also decreased by approximately 70% per annum and we expect a Return on Investment within two and a half years."

A Platform for Future Growth

Moving forward, Chaplin said Statistics New Zealand will examine other Navision modules to meet future business requirements.

"Navision is based on a future-orientated platform and has the capacity to evolve with our business. We will look at different ways of reporting and giving other staff the ability to view transactional detail outside of the system."

David Guy, Partner Group Manager, Microsoft Business Solutions New Zealand, said that Statistics New Zealand's decision to use Navision demonstrates how easily the product can be tailored to meet unique organisational requirements. 

"This implementation not only highlights how flexible Microsoft Business Solutions applications are in adapting to business needs, but also the ability  to easily integrate with other systems."

April 2003

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