Retail · Process transformation and enterprise data
Making supplier onboarding simpler and more consistent
I led a team connecting supplier data, contracts and enterprise systems around a shared process. The work reduced manual handling and made information easier to trace across business areas.
Understanding the process
At a regional retailer, adding and updating suppliers involved several business areas, documents and systems. The process had developed over time, with different paths for different kinds of suppliers.
We began by working with the people who handled each step. We mapped the variations, discussed why they existed and agreed on how the process should work across areas. That understanding shaped both the process design and the technology.
Connecting the pieces
The solution connected supplier master data, contract management and the ERP. We kept a clear primary source for supplier information and linked records across the platforms, so the process could move forward without repeatedly capturing the same information.
The workflow also brought together the reviews needed to onboard a supplier. Ethics and Compliance carried out background checks, Risk Management reviewed insurance coverage, and Accounts Payable reviewed banking information. Commercial teams approved the supplier’s onboarding and the agreed payment terms. We worked with these areas to bring their responsibilities and approvals into a shared process.
Our team developed the integrations, migrated historical data and worked with users through testing, training and go-live. Business users helped validate the process and the information it needed.
I led the multidisciplinary team and contributed directly to process design, integration logic, data migration, documentation and training. The work called for moving between the overall process and the technical details.
What changed
We established a more consistent process, reduced manual handling and made it easier to trace the relationship between supplier information, contracts and transactional records.
Much of the work happened in conversations across areas: understanding requirements, resolving differences and agreeing on responsibilities. Those decisions gave the technology a clear process to support.