The Organisation

Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club is a professional sporting organisation based in Belmore, NSW, a suburb of the Canterbury-Bankstown region. Established in 1935, the club participates in both the National Rugby League and the New South Wales League competitions.

The Need

Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club were using an accounting system that was out of date, the business had outgrown the functions it offered, and the system was not coping with the workload and the volume of data going through it. It’s reporting capabilities were restrictive, and the system was going down on a daily basis meaning files needed to be backed up in a timely manner, and leading to fears over the integrity of the data and the risk of data being compromised.

“We were looking to automate functions within our business, which included storing our data electronically, streamlining and automating the approval processes, and providing financial reports more easily.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

Streamlining accounts payable was a main priority. At the time, an invoice would be entered into the system, a PO would be printed, and paper copies would then circulate the office for relevant approvals prior to payment. This created a large amount of paper, some of which could be lost as it travelled through various hands.

“Our system at the time had no capability to store invoices electronically, so all invoices were kept in folders which made the auditing process very time consuming and manual.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

Other challenges that needed to be addressed included data extraction, time efficiency, and the ability to integrate other functions within the accounting package, for example the point of sale system for their merchandise program.

The Solution

With the issues to be addressed identified, the decision was made to implement the ERP solution Microsoft Dynamics GP.

“Dynamics GP was an affordable solution for The Bulldogs, providing us with the functionality that our finance department needed to provide efficient service to other parts of the business, as well as external customers and suppliers.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

Dynamics GP was introduced to them by Canterbury Leagues Club, a company within the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club Limited group that both the Football Club and the League Club sit under, sharing an IT service. The Canterbury Leagues Club had upgraded their system to Dynamics GP a few years prior, and it was the League Club that highly recommended Professional Advantage (PA) as a partner to work with, and a consultation with PA confirmed that Dynamics GP would be the recommended solution for their accounting system.

Initial meetings with PA allowed for a discussion of scope and the identification of the specifications for their tailored Dynamics GP solution; an outline of the technical expertise and experience that PA could offer; and a discussion of the available budget.

“We worked together throughout the process and found PA very knowledgeable and supportive, and they always listened to our business needs. The implementation had tight deadlines, but through the great working relationship and support of the PA team, the project did not run over time.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

Throughout the implementation process, PA also provided one-on-one training with staff, and continued support after the solution went live.

“Throughout implementation, the team at PA were nothing but supportive and had great product knowledge to set up our new system based on the needs of our business."

Alison Lane, Finance Manager,
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

The Results

Dynamics GP is currently being used within Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, and Bank Reconciliation, with the main users being the finance department.

Since implementation, processes have been streamlined and automated, a welcome contrast from the manual, paper-based processes prior.

“We now have a system that has an electronic approval process, that houses all invoices making them easily accessible, and that is simple to use, reliable, and fast.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

Further project objectives set out by the organisation have also been met, including:

• Implementing electronic approvals.
• Eliminated paper invoices, as all invoices are kept electronically in the system.
• Financial reports and data extracts are quick and easy to produce.
• Provide timely and accurate data to support the business.

By improving the efficiency of the business processes, the finance department have progressed from being a processing department, to having more time to support other operations within the organisation.

The finance team is now familiar with Dynamics GP, and it is a welcome upgrade from their previous outdated system. Initially the transition was an adjustment considering the basic nature of the prior solution, but with training and time, the team can truly appreciate the benefits.

“Our employees were lucky enough to have a lot of one-on-one training with the PA team. The users of GP within Bulldogs can really see that the outcomes of the system are far more efficient and beneficial than the previous system.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club

The Future

Following the success of the implementation of Dynamics GP and the benefits the team are experiencing, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club have a plan to integrate a new point of sale and inventory management system into Dynamics GP within the next 12 months.

The progression of this solution within the organisation is a testament to the difference it has made to the business processes within the organisation.

“Dynamics GP has allowed us to process and capture information in a more effective and efficient way; has significantly improved our financial processes; and has enabled us to provide fast, accurate financial reports for our business needs.” 
Alison Lane, Finance Manager, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Rugby League Club