, the council’s current ERP solution has been highly customized over the years to meet specific back-office team needs, leading to a less-than-ideal user experience and high maintenance costs.
“The current solution has been highly customized to meet the needs of professional back-office teams and end users. The customizations have led to the higher workload just to ‘keep the lights on.’ The technology is not intuitive or cost-effective, and requires a high level of maintenance,” explains the report. “The current solution and business processes are noted by the council as being clunky, outdated, and non-intuitive. The user experience is inconsistent, with many processes being managed manually ‘offline,’” it continues.
Implementation and Future Prospects
The ERP system’s introduction will be accompanied by a new contact center and automation technologies. Dorset Council expects to go live with Oracle Fusion in late 2027. The council believes that the adoption of standard Oracle best practices is critical, given the well-publicized issues Birmingham City Council faced during its Oracle implementation.
“The decision reflected that systems such as an ERP platform are once-in-a-generation investments.
The SAP solution currently operated by the council is old technology, providing an outdated (inefficient) user experience and hindering opportunities to re-imagine how we work to streamline work activities through adopting modern industry best practices and adopting automation and AI,” says a spokesperson for Dorset Council.
The implementation of ERP is closely aligned with the council’s future ways of working across all services, supporting its ambition to deliver modern, efficient, and customer-focused public services. The council expects significant benefits from the transition, including improved efficiency and streamlined processes.
Challenges and Lessons
While Dorset Council aims for a smoother transition, it is aware of the challenges faced by other councils. Birmingham City Council struggled with adapting Oracle to its processes, leading to cost overruns and delays. Similarly, West Sussex County Council has experienced difficulties in moving from SAP to Oracle.
“There is a recognition that the current platform is no longer fit for purpose, with the following drivers for change being identified through engagement with Council stakeholders,” explains the report on the council’s transformation plan. “Both Birmingham and West Sussex councils have struggled in moving their ERP from SAP to Oracle, with each experiencing massive cost overruns and implementation delays,” adds a statement.
Despite these challenges, Dorset Council remains optimistic about the transition, emphasizing the importance of adopting standard practices while focusing on change management to support colleagues in adapting to new ways of working.
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