Dear colleagues,
Up to date and correct information about the actual situation of our activities is crucial for our project teams and our organisation. Our current systems (including AX and Excel) are inadequate in this respect, and AX is also in urgent need of replacement. We want to use this momentum to make a number of targeted adjustments that will enable us to work more efficiently, have greater confidence in our financial monitoring and be able to react more quickly so that, when necessary, we can adjust the situation in a timely manner.
To this end, we have started to implement a new business management tool called 4PS, which will take over from AX on January 1st 2022 across BESIX SA in Belgium (construction sector, excluding JVs). With 4PS, we have very deliberately chosen an existing solution that has already proven its qualities in the construction sector.
Together with this new tool, our way of working will also evolve to some extent. While nothing fundamental is changing as regards our basic processes, they will now run within an integrated tool: from the budget and the orders placed at building sites to tracking of additional work and the invoices issued to our customers.
In practical terms, this means that error-prone Excel spreadsheets will be replaced by the 4PS tool as “single source of truth” and that the figures will be updated more frequently. This allows everyone in the organisation to have a clear picture of where we stand on a regular basis, both in terms of actual "C2" costs and the "C3" end of work forecast. At the same time, we are building a rich database that will allow us to more accurately determine budgets and identify opportunities and risks in the future. In addition, we will be able to retrieve the reports in a single platform instead of a multitude of documents.
We are currently finalising the system's initial configurations so that we can start the first tests by the end of September. Our aim is to launch this new tool on January 1st, at the start of the new financial year. I would like to emphasise that this is a project driven both by the business and by IT, with Stéphane Glorieux and Frédéric Schoenaers as respective project managers. They will, of course, be happy to answer your questions.
The implementation of this tool naturally requires the cooperation of a large number of employees, both in configuring and testing the tool. In addition, many employees will need to be trained and familiarised with the new tool. We therefore count on your leadership to make this important change a success for BESIX.
I am therefore calling on you and your teams to devote the necessary time and energy to it. Likewise, please make sure you pass on to the project team any expectations and potential resistance that your staff may communicate to you. This is important for the success of this project.
This project is a key pillar of our Principles To Excel. This allows for better cooperation between all BESIX colleagues involved, both on the sites and in headquarters, thanks to better monitoring.
Together with Stéphane and Frédéric, we will, of course, keep you informed about how the project is developing.
Kind regards,
Pierre
Pierre
