How Converting Data Sets Led to Better Processes Company-Wide

The Challenge

Our client, a global food corporation based in Minnesota, was looking to drastically increase headcount from 7 resources to 20 over the course of 2016. The impetus for this increased headcount was an enterprise-level project converting large sets of legacy data to a new SAP ERP. There were disparities between the legacy data format and the new record fields, so much so that the data needed to be manually validated and mapped to the correct fields. Due to the urgency, cost, and volume of work, the client needed to work with a new partner to get the project done. Their data team leads couldn’t have the resources getting stuck in the same places and on the same problems every day, so it was imperative that the team would be able to evolve their thinking with the issues they were finding within the data sets and structures. The resources needed an ability to roll with the project. To problem solve and think critically. A proactive team who could prioritize autonomously. That’s where TriCom came in.

The Solution

Once the client decided to engage us in staffing this project, we did a couple of things. First, we identified two different resource types needed based on the client’s project goals and objectives, budget, and the variability of the work. Next, we worked closely with the client to craft the position descriptions so that we were able to fully understand who we were looking for and articulate the role and responsibilities.

Working with us gave the client an opportunity to look at talent in their space that they may not have considered before. Part of that is due to TriCom’s unique hiring process. We look beyond just the technical skillsets and assess the little things (which are, in fact, actually big things) like an ability to problem solve, and a willingness to ask for help, and even something as simple as whether or not they have reliable transportation to get to work.

We took the administrative burden off the client’s plate by onboarding the resources as TriCom consultants, guaranteeing our results and covering pay and benefits. Once hired, we regularly checked in with both the resources and the team leads to ensure there were no issues with the quality of work.

What emerged throughout the course of this project was not simply a need for transferring data into a new system. The client needed cleaner legacy data, and a better process for managing data moving forward. The team employed by TriCom worked closely with their supervisor to evolve a set of best practices for record management across the client’s divisions.

The Results

All twenty TriCom resources hired were successful, and there was no attrition during the course of the project. In fact, when the project ended, many of the resources went on to work directly for the client in similar roles. Many are even still there today.

The team completed the entire body of work, cleansing tens of thousands of records and didn’t miss a single deadline. In fact, the project progressed more quickly than expected, and for half the cost originally budgeted. A big reason for this was due to the high level of partnership between the client and the TriCom team. The failure of many staffing firms who want to break into managed services is that they still view relationships as transactional. At TriCom, we view every relationship as a partnership, and it shows in what we’re able to achieve alongside our clients.

Toward the end of the contract, the enterprise needed to shelve the project due to shifting priorities. Using TriCom allowed them to seamlessly scale down on resources.

Even though the project was never deployed, the biggest achievement of the team lives on. The reason the data was so messy to begin with was because everyone within the client had their own processes and ways of doing things. There was no common process across teams or departments. The team TriCom employed mapped out this critical structure for processes, and those processes were adopted across the client, and are still used today.

“If you don’t let the outside in, then you only innovate like you’ve innovated before. The partnership with TriCom changed the way we innovate.” – Joel, Data Lead.

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