Roelto and ActionAid Story

Project Overview

ActionAid Financial Transformation Program identified the need for an enterprise financial system that could meet the future needs of the federation, reduce costs, enhance security and compliance, provide transparent reporting and be deployed across the 46 countries, with minimal local country IT support.  Aligned to the IT strategy; a cloud first based approach with a core data and system model, resulted in the selection of Infor SunSystems 6.

Project Challenge

The programme identified several key challenges which were identified from the very beginning within the Business Requirements Specification:

• Providing data with integrity and reliability.  For example aggregation.
• Minimising manual data manipulation
• Enabling comparability of financial information
• User friendly
• Ensuring reliable and secure access
• Providing seamless interfaces between systems
• Adequately dealing with cross unit funding (especially contracts)
• Enabling easy sharing of information with relevant stakeholders
• Federation IT not fit for purpose
• High churn rate of people
• Operate as a Federation so GFS not mandatory – although in 2019 Federation policy was passed
• People – project teams has their day job as well
• Governance – no established IT/Project Governance
• System selection that would future proof the Federation for the  next 20+ years and value for money

Visual Collaboration Solution

A collaborative approach was taken with a key focus on country engagement throughout the program, despite international locations and travel limitations due to restricted costs and time.  The aim was that colleagues across the Federation co-created the GFS solution.  A pilot project including 4 countries (UK, Kenya, Malawi and the Global Secretariat) which represented the 3 parts of the Federation.

Throughout the the use of collaboration tools, processes and coaching was delivered including:

• Project Collaboration and Deployment Guide – this included a MS Planner including all Work Packages and was an online document
• GFS Core Team SharePoint site – this included all specifications (design & test scripts), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Training and Support
• Project MS Teams – a MS Team project template was created and replicated for each country as it started, including a copy of the  Country Deployment Plan (Planner and links to the GFS Core SharePoint site for centrally managed documents e.g. SOPs.
• Business as Usual Support – a dedicated MS Team providing peer-to-peer and 1st level support with integration to Jira Service desk for 2nd and 3rd level support.
• Vendor Management – selection and procurement of solution vendor Infor, including ongoing collaboration and performance management.

Project Benefits

Several key breakthroughs have been achieved.

• Harmonised data model
• Established and streamlined procurement process
• Reporting capability enhanced and accelerated
• Training and support is being standardised for the first time
• Collaborative deployment of GFS

Benefits and outcomes linked and align to Objectives and Goals through a visual and interactive Benefits Dependency Network.

Infor Inspire 2020

ActionAid were invited by Infor to present the deployment of the Global Finance System – SunSystems 6, at their Infor Inspire event 2020.  This was a virtual event were John Brophy and Jason Hier presented the project.  This is a 3 minute extract showing the use of R-DBR (Roelto Dashboard Reporting), powered by SharpCloud

Project Details

• Client: ActionAid International
• Date: Nov 2015 to Mar 2021
• Sector: Charity  INGO
• Website:

Project Services

• Project Programme Management
• IT Vendor Management & Collaboration
• Collaborative coaching and training
• Service and Support

Project Solutions

• SunSystems 6.3/4
• R- DBR (Dashboard Reporting) and Roadmap, SharpCloud
• Office 365 – MS Teams, Planner Automate SharePoint
• Jira Service Desk

“Jason is a first class professional consultant who I have had the pleasure of working with over the course of the last 5 years. Jason is great at leading people on the path to excellence.

I engaged Jason on a major finance transformation project which I lead for a large INGO – involving a strong IT component and a global scale, we needed a change agent with a disciplined approach and a strategic thought process. Jason has brought invaluable expertise in the areas of project methodology and coaching, risk management, business processes, data management, vendor management (from RFP/RFQ) and helping us get the most from our significant investment in a cloud-based financial management solution.

On a personal level, I appreciate the team spirit and interpersonal skills which Jason brings – being approachable and able to bring people together from diverse functions and backgrounds from junior to senior level, cut through the nonsense with objectivity and a positive constructive analytical approach, always based on delivering value and helping people move forward.

I can recommend Jason without hesitation for any complex change initiative requiring collaboration.”

John Brophy | Strategic Improvement Lead – Finance and IT

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Contact us to discuss your project