Days of time saved
A fragmented reporting process that used to take several days has been reduced to two hours
Greater flexibility
The new model can import data from several sources without the need for human intervention
Enhanced data confidence
Logic flow diagrams and error checks give users visibility and confidence over the integrity of the data
Challenge
Anglo American’s reporting process involved the time-consuming gathering of data from across the business. They wanted a new, single structure that would extract information from spreadsheets, allow people to submit data, track who was using the model and deal with multiple business units and transactions. They would then use this to report actuals against the budgeted and forecast figures.
Solution
We created a master file to structure, analyse, forecast, report and store the data needed. This extracts information from inventory and accounting systems, 3rd party excel files or “child” workbooks that the master file generates for users to fill in. We walked them through the new process, logged the steps users needed to take, and included logic flow diagrams and error checks to give them confidence over the data’s integrity.
Results
A complex and cumbersome process that previously took several man days can now be completed in just a couple of hours. The model has a clear control panel that summarises the information to make it simpler to digest. And the client now has much more confidence in their data, which provides a much greater depth of business analysis than they had before.
