Vaisala launched the Queen program in 2021 to modernise its core systems with SAP S/4 ERP and other solutions, enabling them to leverage a modern solution for future growth.
Vaisala is a global leader in weather, environmental and industrial measurements.
The multi-year Queen program was launched in 2021 to replace outdated core systems with a modern SAP S/4 ERP, group consolidation, tax engine, invoice sending and BI reporting solutions. The project had a difficult start, with challenges arising from the scale of the change, conflicting expectations, and integration partners’ underestimating the complexity of the required solution and the implementation. Midagon was contacted in the spring of 2022 to join the project management team.
Vaisala selected a Midagon project manager to coordinate the ERP+ project and later an F&C (Finance & Control) processes coordinator from Midagon to safeguard the integration of finance and control processes into the new systems.
Midagon project management acted as a counterparty to the integration partner's project managers and had a key role in facilitating decision-making by Vaisala management. When delays occurred, and quality problems were encountered in the project's testing phase, an external and impartial project manager ensured that critical project management decisions were handled effectively and in Vaisala’s best interest. The Midagon project manager also acted as a cutover manager and coordinated the extremely challenging global “big bang” go-live as well as the transition to normal support.
The Midagon F&C processes coordinator ensured that the F&C team was engaged in all required project tasks and took ownership of all process-related decisions in a timely manner, in accordance with the overall governance model.
After Midagon joined the project, the original plan was found to be unrealistic in relation to program scope, complexity, and quality expectations. A new plan for go-live was created, with an additional year of development and extensive testing effort.
The program went live successfully in a global “big bang” go-live in January 2024. Business operations were gradually ramped up to a normal level in 2-3 months. While the week-long blackout period during the system transition caused short-term limitations to business, and the project team worked intensively to resolve issues also after the go-live, the fundamentally successful transition into a modern solution core is expected to help Vaisala to pursue their growth strategy and leverage this investment far into the future.
