STREAMLINING the expense PROCESS
CLIENT
Tate & Lyle Plc. is a manufacturer and global supplier of food and beverage ingredients. The company was undergoing a significant business transformation, including the implementation of ERP software SAP, which was being rolled out globally across all Tate & Lyle locations.
PROBLEM
The business transformation programme involved the project team travelling to Tate & Lyle locations in EMEA, North America and Singapore.
The programme leadership and project managers, all hired externally as specialized contractors to deliver this significant change, were required to process their travel expenses in alignment with corporate policy.
However, since it was the first business transformation programme ever conducted on a global scale, there was a grey area and no expense submission process for project contractors. With no budget for an assistant and travel expenses piling up, there was an evident need for an efficient method.
SOLUTION
Being familiar with the corporate expense procedure and tools, I offered to construct a new process by outsourcing a project clerk/admin support based in Poland, Tate & Lyle's shared services centre.
I described the part-time admin job dedicated to the SAP project and allocated the cost to the shared services in Poland.
I obtained leadership approvals for outsourcing the workforce and collaborated with the HR department to conduct the recruitment.
I created a step-by-step process for the new job. Once the person was in place, I introduced them to the project team, trained them, and updated the leadership.
I supervised the process until everything ran smoothly and provided ad-hoc ongoing support.
RESULT
The outsourced process created a template for other departments in London's headquarters, freeing up time and effort for the company's PAs. The staff could spend time on complex and demanding tasks rather than simple admin processes that could be completed offshore at a lower cost. This solution created job opportunities in Poland and demonstrated the potential for future process automation.