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Accenture InformationManagement Services
With Accenture’s help, a majorchemical company develops a datamanagement program that puts iton the path to high performance.
 
Project background: A global chemicalcompany hired Accenture to developits information strategy and build aleading-edge data management andarchitecture program.
Business challenge
This global chemical company neededto give its management access totimely, accurate information thatwould help it make rapid and effectivedecisions. Recent Accenture researchamong 162 CIOs in Europe and NorthAmerica revealed that 75 percent of them aimed to have a comprehensiveenterprise-wide master datamanagement program in place withinthe next three years. When our clientconducted a benchmarking effort tocompare itself with others in theindustry, it found that others weremaking greater headway in thiscritical area. Despite major investments,the company was deriving limitedvalue from itsextensive IT systems.Among the challenges: informationwas not captured in a standard wayor format across the enterprise.Information was also housed indispersed databases and locations,making it difficult to locate andintegrate data for corporate reportingand business analysis. There was a lackof global data governance,commondefinitions and formats, and it waschallenging for the systems to respondto requests by business units. Also,many of the processes requiredmanual intervention. In general, datawas not managed as an asset in the wayit was at other leading organizations.The company needed a trusted thirdparty to help it build a leading-edgedata management and architecturecapability. It turned to Accenture,which had already had successfulcollaborations with the client.Accenture has helped businessesworldwide develop the superior masterdata management capabilities thatunderpin high performance. Accenturebrought to the table a combinationof market-leading expertise inthe development of master datamanagement-based solutions andproven capabilities in the delivery of accelerated, high-quality results withits existing frameworks, and reusableassets available through AccentureInformation Management Services.
Recent Accentureresearch among 162CIOs in Europe and NorthAmerica revealed that 75percent of them aimed tohave a comprehensiveenterprise-wide masterdata managementprogram in place withinthe next three years.
 
How Accenture helped
Working together with the chemicalcompany, Accenture helped create apowerful new enterprise informationmanagement framework. Accenturehelped define the vision, build thebusiness case and develop a detailedroad map for data competency thatused leading business practices andmaximized previous investments.Accenture delivered a change planfor the program that addressed allaspects of the business operations,including the impact it had on theorganization, people, processes andtechnology.The project included identifying sevenkey areas such as customers, vendors,materials and finance, and evaluatingeach area against Accenture’sframework, measuring these againstbenchmarks that indicate where thecompany is today and where it shouldbe in the future. For each area,Accenture also identified the keyissues and capabilities necessary forthe management team to minimizechallenges and add value to thisparticular global chemical company.For each data area, Accenture checkedwhether sponsorship and datastewardship existed to move forwardwith the task of cleansing the data.Accenture also delivered a three-to-five year phased project implementationplan. As part ofthe implementationplan, Accenture recommended usingproventechnology, including alliancepartners SAP’s NetWeaver MasterData Management software andInformatica’s software. One of thebiggest challenges was convincingkey stakeholders about the benefitsof solid data management capabilities.By developing a prototype, Accenturewas able to show these stakeholdersthe value of managing data from 100global locations in a central repository.Now Accenture is in the processof implementing the new datamanagementsystemandarchitecture,leveraging its deep industryknowledge, specialized skills and anindustrialized approach to systemsintegration that stems from a proventrack record of large-scale, complextransformation projects.
High performance delivered
When fully implemented, the newenterprise system will allow thecompany to leverage key enterprisedata to optimize and enhanceproductivity. For the first time,the chemical company will havea powerful enterprise informationmanagement system that will treatdata as a valuable asset and managedata centrally, instead of acrossmultiple legacy and enterpriseresource planning systems. The newsolution also produces a single sourceof “truth” for master data that enablesinformed decision-making, drivesa competitive advantage, and allowsthe company to pursue strategicinitiatives with greater confidence.The company’s superior master datacapability has already improvedbusiness insight, allowed rapidintegration during mergers andacquisitions and accelerated theretirement of multiple legacy systems,thus facilitating the company’sconversion from the legacy systemsto enterprise resource planning andcustomer relationship management.With access to timely, accurate andstandard information, the company’smanagers will be better positionedto make faster, improved decisions.The new system will significantlystreamline and simplify datamanagement processes—it will beeasier for employees to quickly findthe right data. Also, the new systemwill increase profitability throughmaster data management initiativesto provide a single source of accurateinformation. In addition, the companywill gain a host of other benefits.The company will benefit fromstreamlining data management andconsolidating data for vendors andmaterials. The company will benefitfrom reduced inventory levels,consolidated purchasing and fastermaterial order processing and vendorresponses. This holistic approach tomanaging information will help thecompany gain better business insights.The global company’s data managementand architecture project has beeninnovative in several ways. Forexample, the company implementeda proactive approach and solution tomanage information and to preventdata quality issues in the future. Also,the project illustrates how a companycan look at data managementholistically as part of its businessstrategy—the company will now beable to use data management tools toimprove the likelihood of success formergers and acquisitions. The projectalso represents pioneering use of technology as it is the first instanceof SAP Master Data Management andInformatica technology integration.Accenture’s continuing researchinto the characteristics of high-performance businesses has identifiedthe traits that they share. Theseinclude the ability to rationalize,simplify and standardize IT to managethe total cost of ownership, toenhance productivity and to showa demonstrated willingness to extendcapabilities by teaming with third-party organizations. By choosingAccenture to help deliver improveddata management and architecture,the global chemical company hastaken major strides towards its goalof becoming a high-performancebusiness.
For the first time, thechemical company willhave a powerful enterpriseinformation managementsystem that will treat dataas a valuable asset andmanage data centrally,instead of across multiplelegacy and enterpriseresourceplanningsystems.
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