Taloustutkimus renewed its Odoo system to better serve the needs of its business. In the video, Pasi Huovinen explains how, in cooperation with Avoin.Systems, the company’s existing Odoo system was made more efficient and updated to a new version.
Taloustutkimus wanted to get more out of Odoo and make it easier to work with the system
Taloustutkimus Oy is a market research company founded in 1971 to provide its clients with insight into various phenomena, issues and opinions. Taloustutkimus helps companies with all kinds of information needs, regardless of industry, target group or research topic – and from the very beginning, this has been done through surveys. The company’s most important clients include industry, commerce, the public sector and media houses.
The project was not Taloustutkimus’ first implementation of Odoo, as they had already implemented the system with another partner. We were responsible for the version upgrade of Odoo for Taloustutkimus.
The main objective of the project was to simplify and streamline the system. We wanted to make it easier to use and to make it a true ERP system, which is what we have been looking for all along.
Pasi Huovinen, COO
At Taloustutkimus, Odoo is used for the overall management of research projects, with project management and sales tools playing a key role in the ERP system. In addition, Taloustutkimus has many different reporting needs and the system was also needed to provide better data to support decision making.
The aim of the redesign was to simplify the system by reducing the amount of customisation that had previously been carried out. The project also focused on making the system easy to use, so that in future it would not be so cumbersome and time-consuming for staff to fill in the data.
The project was able to harness the full potential of the system for the use of the Economic Survey
Economic Research invested a lot of time in the project, which resulted in a successful outcome. The system was implemented by pruning back the customisations that had already been carried out, and solutions to problems were sought primarily in Odo’s basic functions and modules.
In addition, utilities were introduced from existing modules that had not been previously exploited. “The big thing was that if a single module had previously been used for – say – a third of what was possible to do there, we were now clearly getting more juice out of the possibilities offered by the system itself.” Huovinen describes.
ERP projects are primarily change projects and a key factor in Taloustutkimus’ successful ERP project was that the company invested a lot of resources in the project. “I think the project went well. Of course, we were aware that ERP projects are not the most rewarding projects in the world. We spent a lot of time on it, and that’s probably how it should be done,” says Huovinen, summing up the outcome of the project.
Benefits of the new system – better quality data and easier project management
The reform has reduced the pain points for employees with the system. Taloustutkimus has reduced the time needed to fill in the Odoo, which allows time to be spent on the right value-added work.
In particular, certain projects that were previously perceived as nightmares of ERP systems are now easier to manage in the system, which has also been praised by staff. The kanban view of projects has also been simplified, making it much easier to keep track of the whole picture.
The reform has given Taloustutkimus the opportunity to report differently than before. The improvement in reporting and data quality has been one of the most significant successes. Through extensive training and the use of new functions, Taloustutkimus has been able to improve its reporting a great deal. For example, reporting at product level has improved significantly – it is easier, faster and more accurate than before, which has added value to the organisation.
Expertise and open communication enabled a high quality implementation
Economic Research feels that the ERP partner’s understanding of their business, combined with their systems expertise, was key to the success of the collaboration. “Being open means being able to understand enough about what customers do to make the system truly serve their needs,” says Huovinen, describing the collaboration.
Solutions were systematically sought based on Odo’s basic features, and in discussion with the customer – even if the goal was not always reached immediately. Huovinen emphasises that the quality of the project is particularly evident in the fact that no unnecessary code or functions have been introduced into the system.
Avoin.Systems knows its product well, which means that it is able to look for solutions in the product itself, rather than trying to build additional wonders on top of the product. For that, Open.Systems gets a lot of credit.
Pasi Huovinen, COO
Taloustutkimus sees ERP system development as a continuous process. With the lessons and tools gained through close cooperation during the project, Taloustutkimus will be able to develop the system further and make its work even more efficient.
As a customer-oriented ERP partner, Avoin.Systems also keeps track of what new opportunities Odoo offers, even in the absence of active development work.
“Nothing is ever finished and perfect – we are still on the way, but the good thing is that we can still see ways to improve the system with the current implementation that was built with Avoin.Systems,” Huovinen sums up the current state of the system.