Case study

A streamlined cloud migration to Business Central for PKF Littlejohn

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Project summary:

Migrate from legacy finance systems to Microsoft Dynamics cloud

Implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with six finance modules

Easy, secure user access and better performance from global locations

Flexible project approach

Excellent planning to deliver on time and budget

Background:

About PKF Littlejohn

PKF is the eighth largest audit practice in the UK, according to Accountancy Daily rankings. It provides a full range of audit, accountancy, tax and advisory services and is well known for working with large, complex and high-profile businesses in fast-moving and technical areas. Part of the PKF International network, PKF Littlejohn is the sixth ranked auditor of listed companies in the UK.

The challenge:

A flexible approach to cloud migration

PKF Littlejohn used a bespoke in-house finance system comprising several different tools for its primary accountancy functions. These were outdated and not compatible with each other. Chief Financial Officer Mike Kowal explains, “We were actively looking for a replacement system. Xpedition invited us to a Business Central demo – I was impressed by its capabilities and Xpedition’s knowledge.”

Mike invited Xpedition to pitch for the project. He says, “We wanted to understand whether and how we could use Business Central in light of our particular requirements. We had already committed to a Microsoft 365 strategy and wanted to make sure we could exploit its full capability in the future.”

PKF Littlejohn chose Xpedition as a partner because of our proven skills and experience along with our willingness to deploy the solution in a flexible way, to match their way of working. “We wanted very hands-on involvement in the implementation,” Mike adds. “Xpedition was happy to work collaboratively and share knowledge with us – that wasn’t the case for every service provider we spoke to.”

The solution:

Efficient deployment and strong teamwork

Ben Seymour acted as PKF Littlejohn’s Project Manager for the Business Central migration. He says, “When we first spoke to Xpedition, we specified quite a short timeframe for the project. Despite a short delay with signing the project off at the outset, we still achieved the original delivery date, which was impressive.”

Xpedition worked with Ben and the team to deploy Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with general ledger, cash management, accounts payable and received, VAT and budget management finance modules. We also implemented Jet Reports. The entire system is deployed in the cloud, migrating data and moving from the previous on-premise solution. The new Business Central instance is customised for use across a number of PKF Littlejohn entities.

Ben adds, “The project ran smoothly to plan, meeting all the scheduled dates. Xpedition had a good grasp of our business reasons for the project and kept our deadlines firmly in mind. They were great at helping us rationalise what needed to be done as a priority. The communication was excellent throughout, so we were always up to date with progress. When issues arose, Xpedition could always explain clearly what the options were for resolution. They were very responsive.”

The results:

Real-time business and finance insight at the click of a button

By moving from legacy, on-premise systems to cloud-based Business Central, PKF has an all-in-one business and finance system that’s more agile, secure and scalable.

Ben Seymour and the IT team appreciated Xpedition’s collaborative approach. “Their flexibility was key: Xpedition embraced our hands-on approach and provided great skills transfer and training, so we could build our own integrations for increased control and visibility.”

It used to take a long time to run reports and analyse them: with the added Jet Reports functionality, Mike and his team can build and run their own reports on demand, to review financial data and insights rapidly at any level of detail.

Mike says, “Management accounts production is now at the click of a button – we don’t have to labour over a manual process of pulling together figures and creating a presentation. Now, we post something new in the system and it takes a minute to run an updated report, compared to an hour or more for a small change before. This has saved the team a couple of days a month just on basic report creation – and we can now use real-time data.”

“Xpedition demonstrated that they understood our business and our sector, having worked with other professional services firms. They grasped the nuances that are unique to our industry. Increased efficiencies are key: we’ve moved from several disparate databases to one organisation-wide, cloud-based business management solution. As a result, we’ve reduced closing time from on average five working days to the same day,
since implementing Business Central.”
Mike Kowal / Chief Financial Officer, PKF Littlejohn

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About Xpedition

With 20 years’ experience as a Microsoft Solutions Partner and hundreds of projects successfully delivered, Xpedition is one of the UK’s leading and trusted Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud implementation partners.

Our Microsoft certified consultants have deep experience of implementing Dynamics 365 Business Central all-in-one finance and accounting software across a range of industries, from professional services and finance to fashion and charity. We help ambitious organisations reimagine their digital strategies with modern cloud technologies, improving efficiency and agility.

To find out more about Xpedition and how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can help your organisation thrive, contact one of our experts today.

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