Context
A leading global provider of specialized oilfield services relied on a combination of individual and team knowledge with business unit specific spreadsheets to document and analyze projects and to prepare sales quotes. This led to variances in approach between business units, and once the quotation was prepared, valuable data stored in the spreadsheets laid dormant in the organization. Variations across business units became more apparent during a period of downsizing, when staff cuts resulted in the formation of working groups comprised of personnel that spanned business units. Our client needed a way to standardize the relevant business processes while enabling collaboration across a global staff pool.
Solution
In collaboration with the client’s business analysts, Arcurve evaluated the complex logic and calculations used within the spreadsheets. It became apparent why a spreadsheet solution was originally implemented owing to the complexity of the calculations, multitude of physical scenarios to model, numerous products required to create each unique customer solution, as well as the need for “best fit” solving of multi-variant equations. Unfortunately, the spreadsheet approach lacked consistency (changes to calculations were difficult to deploy simultaneously and consistently, individual business units modified the spreadsheets), changes were difficult to audit (or detect), and valuable calculations and commercial data were susceptible to “leakage” from the corporate environment. Arcurve’s solution was a web application that securely handled all data functions and provided a single standardized workflow for all global staff.
As a result of putting this solution in place, the client now has a globally accessible secure solution that can be accessed from any web browser and compliance across business units owing to the standardized process, and increased business agility because staff can be allocated from the global pool yet collaborate and work to a common standard. A further benefit is that all data is stored in a standardized location and format and can be easily mined for additional business insights.
