In today’s increasingly fast-paced business landscape, companies are regularly investing in packaged (‘out of the box’) platform or application solutions with the goal of improving productivity and streamlining operations. Challenges arise when it comes to implementing those solutions as many organizations simply don’t have the necessary know-how to successfully manage complex systems implementations.

The expertise and structured approach that consulting firms like Aspirant provide can be critical to helping organizations navigate and overcome these challenges. Tim Nath, Aspirant’s VP of Technology Consulting, sheds light on how partnering with Aspirant significantly accelerated one client’s system implementation project.

Insights from American Textile Company’s Journey with Aspirant

American Textile Company (ATC) is a leading bedding product designer and manufacturer that sells their products to major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon. In business for nearly 100 years, ATC’s success is anchored in a strong understanding of their consumer’s needs, together with an emphasis on operational excellence. To further optimize and streamline their product development operations, ATC recently invested in a new product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric.  

Nearly a year into their Centric deployment however, ATC found itself significantly behind schedule. Recognizing the need for external expertise, ATC engaged Aspirant to provide  program management and implementation services. This partnership was pivotal in addressing many of the key challenges ATC faced.

“Our relationship with Aspirant goes back a couple of years,” says Patrick Siefert, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at ATC. “We were behind schedule and knew that we needed some help. We simply didn't have the people that we needed to get the project done in time. Aspirant brought us very capable people, as well as processes and ways of working that brought structure to the project.”

Overcoming Challenges with Aspirant’s Methodology

Backed by a wealth of experience from many other successful client platform implementation projects, Aspirant staffed highly capable personnel and drove effective processes that introduced much-needed structure to the project. The approach included:

• System Requirements Definition: Aspirant emphasized the importance of clearly defining system requirements sourced from business stakeholders at the outset of each sprint. This ensured that the delivery team was always aligned on what was to be completed with each sprint.
• Daily Stand-Up Meetings: Aspirant led daily stand-up meetings to keep the cross-functional team tightly focused and on track. These brief meetings ensured that everyone was aware of their priorities and allowed for roadblocks to be quickly identified and addressed.
• Training and Release Processes: Aspirant’s robust process and training documentation allowed for efficient end user training and led to significantly increased adoption of deployed functionality.

Accelerating Implementation and Delivering Value

The structured approach and resources provided by Aspirant accelerated the implementation process significantly. As shared by Siefert: “Within a few months of the engagement, we had achieved as much progress as we had in the previous twelve months,” demonstrating the impact of Aspirant’s expertise and methodology.

The partnership with Aspirant left a lasting impact on ATC’s operations. Some of the best practices introduced by Aspirant, such as daily stand-up meetings and a focus on cross-functional collaboration, have become ingrained in ATC’s culture. These practices continue to foster efficiency and alignment within the team.

Return on Investment (ROI)

The implementation of the Centric system has resulted in significant time savings through reduced manual processes for ATC’s product development teams, and the speed with which that functionality was delivered allowed ATC to begin realizing those operational cost savings more quickly than they were able to on their own. The introduction of daily stand-up meetings and other collaborative project delivery practices has also strengthened the team’s cohesion and communication, better positioning ATC to manage similar efforts in the future.

The journey of ATC with Aspirant highlights the immense value that consulting firms can bring to system implementations. The structured approach, expert guidance, and best practices introduced by Aspirant not only accelerated the project but also left a lasting positive impact on ATC’s operations. For any company facing similar challenges, partnering with a seasoned consulting firm like Aspirant can be the key to unlocking greater efficiency, productivity, and overall success.

How Aspirant Can Help

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