Today, there is only one truth left within the company: there is no longer any discrepancy between the reality on the ground and the numbers.<\/p>\nBernard Breeur, Director of ICT & BPM <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Gal\u00e8re's two divisions\u2014construction and engineering\u2014comprise four categories of operational activities: preparing bids, procurement, construction site management, and financial management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past, each department used its own software. Bernard Breeur, Director of ICT & BPM at Gal\u00e8re: \u201cDespite the \u2018gateways\u2019 that were set up between the various applications, people still had to enter certain data multiple times. It became increasingly difficult to guarantee data accuracy\u2014not to mention managing the thousands of purchase invoices, price quotes, and all documents related to construction sites in the execution phase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time, Gal\u00e8re used the Gebat program to prepare price quotes for buildings. For quotes related to civil engineering projects, Gal\u00e8re used an application that had been custom-developed for the company. As soon as the construction phase of a project began, the items from the quote were exported to Microsoft Excel so that the project manager could keep track of the project\u2019s progress in real time. Finally, during the invoicing phase, the information was forwarded to a financial application running on AS\/400, which generated progress reports and invoices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bernard Breeur, who has gained a wealth of experience in process analysis and IT audits over the course of his career, worked with Gal\u00e8re\u2019s management to define a strategy for investing in an integrated solution\u2014a project that, however, quickly went beyond the scope of ERP \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was absolutely essential that the future solution also provide real-time access to management information\u2014in the area of Business Intelligence\u2014to enable better management of the company. The new platform also had to provide the opportunity to optimize collaboration among employees, particularly the validation, approval, and archiving of no fewer than 50,000 purchase invoices per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a careful analysis of several solutions, we chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV (now Dynamics 365 Business Central). Bernard Breeur: \u201cMicrosoft Dynamics was an ERP solution that suited the size of our company, but it was GMI Group (now part of Alistar) that really convinced us: after all, their construction solution, Gbuild, featured a module specifically developed for construction companies and fully integrated into Dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Microsoft\u2019s strength as a global platform was also a decisive factor. \u201cWith Dynamics, the integrated SharePoint portal, and the SQL Server database, Microsoft offered the best solution for realizing our global vision\u2014far beyond ERP,\u201d explains Bernard Breeur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the complexity and the number of users involved\u2014150 concurrent users today\u2014Gal\u00e8re and Alistar have opted to implement the solution in several phases. The \u2018Quotes\u2019 department, which has 25 employees, was the first to migrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, every price quote is generated directly in Gbuild, a construction solution based on Microsoft technology. There is no longer any need for duplicate data entry: each quote, which was originally entered into the system, serves as the basis for tracking production on-site, all the way through to invoicing the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With an average of more than 100 construction projects underway\u2014most of which last more than a year\u2014the challenge lies in billing regularly and accurately, based on correct progress reports. After all, that\u2019s what determines our cash flow. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Since every construction site has an ADSL connection, the on-site team has access to the Dynamics back-end solution to keep the project status up to date. For example, as soon as materials are delivered to the site, the site manager immediately records this in the system. This information is then automatically cross-checked against the supplier\u2019s invoice, enabling the project progress report to be updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, staff arrival and departure times at the construction site are entered into the Gbuild solution with just a few mouse clicks, taking into account more than 50 different options: technical layoffs due to bad weather, hazardous work, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every year, more than 50,000 purchase invoices circulate within the company. This is a substantial volume, which poses a real challenge in terms of archiving and validation. Purchase invoices related to general expenses are sent to the managers of the relevant cost centers; every invoice related to a construction project must first be assigned to the project in question before it can be approved by the manager. The paper-based approval cycles did not always provide sufficient control over the approval workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortly after the initial implementation phase of Dynamics, Alistar introduced a document flow solution for the approval of digital invoices, which addressed the problem. According to Bernard Breeur, most \u2018document and workflow management\u2019 solutions on the market operate independently of ERP: the invoice is scanned, then validated, and finally entered into an ERP solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the help of the GMI Group, Gal\u00e8re was able to implement a different approach to \u2018document and workflow management.\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The invoice is first scanned and immediately recorded in the ERP system. The validation cycle begins only after this phase. The advantage? Any change in the invoice\u2019s approval status is immediately visible to the user in Dynamics.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Business Intelligence plays a key role in Gal\u00e8re\u2019s operational and financial management. Thanks to two additional tools based on Dynamics\u2014Jet Budgets (now Jet Analytics) for creating cubes and Targit as a reporting solution\u2014every project manager now has access to an essential report: the \u2018cost control\u2019 report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This report provides a comprehensive overview\u2014both a summary and detailed information\u2014of each project: the progress status by item, the products that have been invoiced and those to be invoiced, general expenses, the preliminary results of the project, etc. It is automatically sent in PDF format to each project manager, who adds their comments before it is sent to billing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to the introduction of Dynamics, we can invoice our projects regularly and accurately, with a minimum of administrative work. What used to take us 2 to 3 business days now takes just a few hours.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In addition to the \u2018cost control\u2019 report, there are several other reports that are necessary for managing the company: tracking accounts receivable, personnel costs, revenue, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Alistar has also developed a dashboard for Gal\u00e8re that is continuously updated with six key performance indicators (KPIs), such as CO2 consumption, telecommunications costs, accident rates, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To implement a system for archiving and accessing digital information, Gal\u00e8re didn't have to look far: Microsoft SharePoint proved to be the ideal tool and integrated perfectly with Dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For each construction site, Gal\u00e8re creates a dedicated intranet site that provides the project manager with easy access to all information related to the site: quotes, invoices, progress reports, delivery slips, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, SharePoint provides a solution to the problem of archiving thousands of digital documents. It is abundantly clear that SharePoint is the key technology for the document workflow solution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Bernard Breeur emphasizes the impact of the new system\u2019s implementation on employee accountability: everyone is aware that they no longer work in isolation, but that every action has an impact on the subsequent steps within internal processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The major advantage of working with Alistar is that you only need one point of contact for all aspects of a complex project: ERP, workflow management, and analytics. This has greatly contributed to the project\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without Alistar's expertise in all these different areas, we would never have been able to successfully complete this project.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alistar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/AdobeStock_650048978-1024x507-1.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe need for accurate data and real-time access to information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A project that goes beyond ERP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From Quote to Invoicing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Gal\u00e8re\"](\"https:\/\/alistar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/DJI_0560-scaled-1.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
Process for validating 50,000 purchase invoices, integrated into a single ERP solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From \u2018cost control\u2019 to an integrated dashboard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Gal\u00e8re\"](\"https:\/\/alistar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/4-1024x576.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntegrated SharePoint Portals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Significant impact on the staff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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