Scaling enterprise operations with Dynamics 365

We helped the customer transition to the new Microsoft Dynamics 365-based ERP, integrating it with their business ecosystem and customizing certain workflows to ensure operational efficiency.

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Scaling enterprise operations with Dynamics 365

Context

Headquartered in Europe, our customer is a global company specializing in the design, production, and distribution of fashion accessories. Their portfolio includes iconic brands and licensed collaborations with renowned fashion labels.

The company used an ERP system based on Oracle E-Business Suite to manage their operations. However, as the business expanded significantly, the system's capabilities became insufficient. The customer’s concerns included:

Cloud capabilities: Traditionally, their ERP was an on-premises solution, and migrating it to the cloud would be complex and require significant re-engineering to achieve true cloud benefits.
Scalability and flexibility: Oracle E-Business Suite had a more monolithic architecture, so customizing and expanding it posed a challenge.
Usage complexity: Working with the existing solution required specialized IT expertise, including roles like database administrators and Oracle consultants. The solution’s user interface and user experience were also outdated compared to modern ERPs.
Upgrades and support: Upgrade cycles were lengthy and expensive, and the solution’s modernization was quite slow.
Regulatory compliance: Oracle provides frameworks and tools to help customers ensure compliance with global regulations such as GDPR, but much of the compliance management is manual. It required configuration, implementation of complex data governance processes, and ensuring that data across multiple Oracle modules is tracked and protected.

Additionally, many warehouse operations were still paper- or Excel-based, which was inefficient.

The company aimed to automate processes, handle increased shipment volumes, and ultimately boost revenue, which required the implementation of a new ERP system. The customer needed a vendor to analyze and document their business processes and help them transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (F&SCM) to get the following benefits:

A fully integrated cloud-based ERP combining financial, accounting, and supply chain functions in a single scalable system.
Streamlined processes, covering procurement and sourcing, sales management, warehouse, and inventory management and reducing the need for multiple tools.
Enhanced security and compliance capabilities, continuously updated to meet changing tax, financial, and compliance regulations.
Automatic updates, eliminating manual updates and reducing maintenance efforts.

In addition to the solution’s implementation, the customer needed to integrate Dynamics 365 with multiple third-party systems, including solutions for product information management, CRM, stock management, logistics and route optimization, etc. They also wanted to seamlessly transition to a Microsoft-based ERP solution while maintaining their business continuity and scalability.

Eventually, the customer selected Itransition for this project due to our expertise in the retail domain and Microsoft Dynamics 365 services and deep experience with ERP integrations.

Solution

Business analysis

Itransition began with a comprehensive business analysis, thoroughly documenting the customer’s existing business processes. Our primary goal was to ensure the company’s operations aligned with Dynamics 365 to prevent future operational issues and ensure high system performance.

Itransition’s team worked closely with the customer’s stakeholders to investigate the company’s business environment. Our specialists documented business processes and mapped how the new solution would align with them and support them, creating the following documents:

Dynamics 365 F&SCM fit-gap analysis: Our experts identified and analyzed gaps between out-of-the-box capabilities of Dynamics 365 F&SCM and the customer's specific business requirements. The document also outlined key business drivers, system requirements, and any necessary adjustments to workflows or processes. As a result of this analysis, we created the solution’s vision and laid the groundwork for its design, addressing business logic and integration needs to ensure consistency across operations.
Functional Design Document (FDD): This document outlined how the ERP solution would meet business requirements, including functional specifications. It described the design of key business processes, such as procure-to-pay and order-to-cash workflows, aligning them with the required features. The FDD also defined essential business logic, workflows, and system features to support the customer’s operations. Moreover, it included information systems’ design elements to ensure seamless integration with the business’s solutions, covering data flows, user interfaces, and workflows for optimal system operation.
Technical Design Document (TDD): In this document, our experts outlined the solution’s technical architecture, design specifications, and infrastructure. It included the details on system integrations, data flow, and key technical considerations such as data architecture, security, and consistency. The TDD also ensured the customer’s external systems and data sources were securely integrated into Dynamics 365, providing a scalable foundation that met both business and technical needs.
Functional Requirement Document (FRD): The Functional Requirements Document detailed the system’s business logic and features. It outlined workflows and business processes, including order management, delivery handling, and other related processes, highlighting the customizations needed to fulfill the customer's business requirements. The FRD also provided specific requirements for integrations, including data mapping, security needs, and consistency requirements, to ensure that the customized solution aligned with the overall system architecture and supported seamless integration with other business applications.

Dynamics 365 integration

Next, we performed the seamless integration of the Dynamics 365 solution with the customer’s broader ecosystem of business applications. Data accuracy was our priority to ensure the customer’s reliable operations and faster, data-driven decision-making. To help with user adoption, Itransition also provided the customer with ongoing support and hypercare, addressing any potential issues promptly.

Here are the key custom solutions that we implemented within the customer’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 system.

Order-to-Cash process

We developed and integrated a new Order-to-Cash workflow from scratch. We also managed to synchronize procurement workflows, with purchase orders processed from European and Asian warehouses. Orders were automatically generated in the CRM system, and we successfully managed the integration between the CRM system, Dynamics 365, and external order sources.

Third-party logistics & delivery system integration

We facilitated the integration between third-party delivery platforms, incorporating advanced route optimization tools to streamline delivery planning. This integration not only ensured real-time data synchronization across all systems, but also significantly improved OTIF (On-Time In-Full) performance by enabling more accurate and timely deliveries. Additionally, we enhanced customer experience by providing consistent and transparent tracking updates. Our specialists also ensured efficient inventory management and automated order fulfillment processes, which allowed for more accurate, timely deliveries to end-clients.

Enhanced reporting capabilities

Our experts developed a data warehouse solution to enable real-time sales, finances, and logistics reporting. The data warehouse provided a centralized, structured environment for historical data. By leveraging Power BI, the solution streamlined data aggregation from various sources and hours-long report generation, delivering instant, actionable insights.

Performance optimization

Initially, the customer intended to use low-code platforms for integrating Dynamics 365 with other software. However, after thoroughly analyzing the requirements and the existing environment, Itransition’s team determined that this approach would be both costly and result in poor performance. To address these challenges, we recommended and implemented a solution leveraging Azure Functions in combination with REST API. This approach significantly improved the efficiency of the integration layer, resulting in a threefold performance boost.

Process

While third-party vendors were responsible for the core Dynamics implementation and CRM solution functionality, our team ensured the smooth integration of the new solution with the customer's existing systems, from the initial discovery phase to release and beyond. Given the tight timeline, Itransition’s business analysts not only performed their core duties but also proactively supported developers, worked closely with stakeholders, and ensured alignment across all teams.

The implementation was carried out in phases, with the release spanning two weeks. During this time, systems and components were launched in accordance with interdependencies to ensure proper business operations. Our team was involved in the implementation as well, providing consistent support and guiding the project toward successful completion.

All in all, through constant communication, strategic troubleshooting, and expert guidance, our team managed to ensure that the Dynamics 365 F&SCM solution was fully integrated and operational within the set deadlines. Our ability to stay agile, collaborate with multiple stakeholders and vendors, and address emerging issues as they arose helped the customer successfully navigate a complex ERP transition.

Results

Within nine months, Itransition helped the customer smoothly migrate from their previous system to a future-proof Dynamics 365-based solution. Our team’s reliability, communication, and process management, as well as the ability to deliver high-quality results on time, earned us the customer’s trust and appreciation.

The key project achievements included:

28% reduction in order processing time, with the new system enabling the company to manage a higher volume of transactions without hiring additional employees.
50% faster order dispatch due to the shift to automated warehouse operations, which reduced order dispatch time from 48 hours to 24 hours.
Instant reporting which allowed the company to generate real-time financial, sales, and logistics reports in seconds instead of hours.
25% reduction in delivery errors due to enhanced integration between Dynamics 365 and third-party logistics providers, which improved order accuracy.

Through Dynamics 365 system integration, Itransition helped the customer achieve greater operational efficiency, scalability, and business agility, positioning them for continued growth in their competitive industry.

Scaling enterprise operations with Dynamics 365

Context