Project Services

De-risking your investment with proven project methodology

Providing value for your Project

CitySoft lead the market in respect to producing quality project outcomes and providing quality post project support. Our clients obtain greater value from their investment in advanced business software, because CitySoft configure real practical business system solutions, based upon using Sage X3 advanced business software as the system cornerstone.

Our project management and engagement model de-risks our clients from investment regret. We even created our own collaborative software application called Track My Project that helps clients and CitySoft successfully introduce new advanced business software projects.

Project Management

Advanced Business Software Project success demands the application of, and commitment to adopt and follow a proven path to project delivery success.

Project management is often neglected or removed from project budgets, however, it is crucial to co-ordinating resources and navigating through the many and varied challenges common to all advanced business software projects.

Download an overview of CitySoft’s methodology

CitySoft’s experienced Sage X3 project managers save companies time, money and unnecessary heartache. They oversee resource allocation, workmanship, project scope and communications with project team members and project stakeholders. Together with your project manager they co-ordinate project delivery and de-risk your project against inferior solution delivery, missed project deadlines and cost blowouts.

Based on decades of experience, CitySoft have created their own project methodology drawing upon theories and project approaches widely used by global consulting firms across enterprise and mid-market sized projects. Since the project demands of larger projects differ from mid-sized and smaller projects we vary our project methodology to suit the project profile so clients obtain the right type and volume of project services without ignoring any vital project disciplines.

Solution Design

CitySoft Consultants are providers of solutions based on one of either Sage X3 for mid-sized enterprises, SAP Business One for small to medium sized businesses or Sage 300, with or without Sage CRM, also designed for small to medium sized businesses.

Solutions in the packaged advanced business software space result from one or several sources including the use of independent software vendor developed software (ISV products) or CitySoft developments utilizing the development tool kits made available to vendor business partners and clients.

There are essentially two types of ISV products: software developed exclusively for the core software system, in CitySoft’s case – Sage X3, Sage 300 or SAP Business One or software that by virtue of its technology can integrate with other systems. ISV software developed exclusively for Sage X3, Sage 300 or SAP Business One isn’t necessarily built using SAP or Sage technology tools.

CitySoft represents a small number of ISV’s for Sage X3, Sage 300 & SAP Business One, favouring ISV’s who have used either SAP or Sage’s development tools over generic 3rd party applications. ISV’s, as members of the respective SAP or Sage development eco-system, have advanced access to vendor road maps and resources allowing them to remain in sync with SAP and Sage software which de-risks companies from falling behind on key vendor updates due to solution component incompatibilities.

On occasions core vendor products and ISV products don’t provide coverage for a specific business requirement, in which case CitySoft may utilise the core vendor’s software development tool kit to create a solution for our clients. CitySoft operate several technical centres responsible for creating both small and major developments for clients using Sage 300 or Sage X3 or SAP Business One advanced business software.

When recommending solutions to prospective clients, CitySoft consider solution practicality, cost of ownership, and business risk. CitySoft focus on delivering real practical solutions that provide coverage for industry specific business requirements and that don’t require compromises or workarounds to meet core business process needs. Compromise and unwieldy processes equate to cost and risk and often indicate that a software system is unsuitable for the business.

Companies choosing to do business with CitySoft will be engaging with some of the industry’s leading advanced business software system solution consultants. Our experience is often the difference between a successful investment in advanced business system and disappointment.

Product Configuration Services

One of the major differentiators between basic entry level software and more advanced business software is the level, or degree to which the more advanced business software can be configured to reflect and best meet the demands of a business. Flexibility, however, comes with an up-front cost to configure the business software to behave in manner that suits the business. The flip side is that business software, correctly configured, will lead to greater staff productivity, fewer data entry and data capture errors, and more accurate data upon which to make decisions. Properly configured business software will lead to more streamlined business and business savings. These on-going savings quickly justify the extra investment required to acquire advanced business software over less functional and flexible business software.

CitySoft’s deep knowledge of SAP Business One, Sage 300 and Sage X3 results in optimised product configuration that produces the strongest and fastest return on investment. Coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the various products eco-systems and service layers, CitySoft are well positioned to ensure our clients fully capitalize on the capabilities of their software asset.

Our project requirements inventory service, helps companies precisely define and identify their business information needs whilst uncovering opportunities where a company can improve on the way they have done business, in effect, capitalising on newer and better ways to do business. 

The types of configuration services offered by CitySoft include not only global product settings, but also business process controls that determine how system users enter & view data and how data is used. Broadly speaking configuration may apply to visual processes, alerts, workflows, screen customisations, data exchanges with other systems, and creation of short cuts, dashboards and home pages. CitySoft projects include a RICEFW schedule to manage non-standard requirements covering Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms and Workflow.

CitySoft, together with either Sage 300, Sage X3 or SAP Business One software, offers companies the opportunity to redefine and refine their business processes rather than simply replicating existing business practices that may be out of date or no longer representative of best practice. CitySoft assists companies obtain operational savings as a result of carefully considered software configuration.

Report Writing Services

CitySoft offer to provide companies with report writing and business intelligence services utilising Crystal Reports Designer, Nectari (Sage Enterprise Intelligence), Sage Intelligence, Qlik Sense and Qlik View data visualisation tools, Power BI and SAP HANA Business Analytics. One reporting tool rarely fits all reporting situations so expertise across a number of tools is essential in providing companies the very best advice and reporting service.

Our report writing teams offer to provide one on one and group training for clients and report and BI report creation. Our engagement to create custom reports and data views is based on first creating a functional, and then a technical specification for client sign off and supply of a fixed price.

Our SAP Business One report writers specialise in creating SQL queries that are then utilised by Qlik Sense and Qlik View to create informative and visually appealing graphical representations of business data. SAP Crystal Reports Designer remains a commonly used report writing tool across most quality advanced business software systems, and our report writing teams contain Crystal Report writing specialists with deep knowledge of the various application tables and fields enabling CitySoft to create more informative custom reports faster.

Report writing can become a major investment component of an advanced business software project. Sage 300, SAP Business One, and Sage X3 include hundreds of out of the box Crystal reports, Excel templates and Dashboards. CitySoft’s solution design service ensures funds are not expended on creating unnecessary custom reports. Our reporting gap analysis as a part of our RICEFW process will identify any solution gaps requiring filling through the supply of a custom report.

CitySoft utilise business intelligence tools capable of drawing data from multiple data sources to create enterprise-wide reporting solutions.

Our reporting specialists offer to provide expertise to clients on operational and financial data including multi-entity and consolidated group financial reporting and analysis.

In addition to report creation, CitySoft assist companies with distribution of information including automated distribution schedules, mobile report access and granting access to reports and information via employee, supplier and customer portals.

CitySoft have created suites of reports for various industries including hospitality (Table Covers, CGS and labour percentages, Average spend per head…) non-profit groups (Acquittal reports), Projects, events and job based industries especially in the professional services business sector and manufacturing (discrete and process) typically drawing on data in either SAP Business One or Sage X3 and HR3 payroll & HR software, Sage Wage Easy payroll & HR software or Sage MicrOpay payroll data.

Go Live Preparation

Properly prepared projects contain a clearly defined set of activities leading up to a switch over to the new Sage X3 system. Going live on a new system should not involve a hope and pray strategy that it will all be okay on the day. Such a plan typically ends badly, as matters that should have been dealt with leading up to go live become major issues post go live. The best time to address system and solution matters is prior to go live, not after. CitySoft understands the need for business continuity, and a well-considered and executed go live plan will reduce the risk of a failed go live position, and a need to roll back.

User acceptance testing (UAT) is a crucial component of good projects and when done fully and completely, where every conceivable business process scenario is tested, will remove or reduce any go live issues. Even with the best laid plans issues can emerge post go live, however, the significance and severity of these issues are unlikely to be major ones when your project contains proper go live preparation.

During the go live preparation phase of a project CitySoft use a number of checklists cumulating in a final Go – No Go Toll Gate meeting, where risks and readiness are discussed prior to clients deciding on pressing ahead with a Go live cut over, or deferring until such a time as they are better positioned to go live.

Business Process Review

A change to modern advanced business software provides companies with an opportunity to evaluate their existing business processes, with a view to improving the way they do business. Often, newer technologies along with new business application capabilities, open up new and more productive ways for companies to capture and manage data, leading to cost savings and improvements in customer service. In some instances, inefficient business processes and practices evolve over time, often due to limitations in the company’s business software system. On occasions staff turnover, inadequate staff training and a lack of documentation of business processes, plus the loss of staff systems IP, over time, leads to degraded business processes.

As a part of a CitySoft advanced business software project, we conduct workshops that include a comprehensive business process review. Current business processes are compared to optimised business processes available within the realms of the proposed business software and the modern technologies upon which the software operates.

Topical technological advancements such as the IoT, Block Chain Technologies & Web Mobility have and are changing the way businesses operate and are responsible for a wide range of wholesale industry transformations. Block Chain technologies for instance will have a major impact in the food and beverage industry around counterfeiting, substitutions and traceability including visibility along the entire supply chain, in essence from paddock to plate and back. Voice activated warehousing, BOTS and even the availability of mobile Apps are changing business processes. The Sage X3 Expense App, for instance, is changing the way we process expense claims and book travel.  Sage X3, as a Web native application, is changing the way we transact and consume data, and not just sales behaviours, but technical and professional service staff with electronic time capture, and also remote office staff, work from home staff and staff involved in delivering goods.