Cascades and Covalence Consulting Inc.:
Achieving Complex & Large-Scale HCM Implementation with Excellence
Client
Cascades
HCM Software
Ultimate Time Solution
The Project
When Cascades, a large packaging, hygiene, and recovery product production company, needed to implement Ultimate Time & Attendance (UTA) as a part of their UltiPro deployment, they knew to rely on the Human Capital Management (HCM) Implementation experts.
With 11,000 employees and 90 production facilities across North America, Cascades’ UltiPro project would be highly complex and time-sensitive. Cascades and Ultimate Software engaged Covalence Consulting to bring the expertise and knowledge of UTA to their HCM project.
Key Wins
- Successful completion of complex Implementation
- Worked closely with Cascades internal team
- Time sensitive project completed to high standards
Wide-Scale Implementation Done Right
Cascades’ UltiPro project required multiple plant locations and site implementations simultaneously. With numerous sites to configure, the Covalence team knew they would need to carry out a highly detail-oriented and large-scale HCM implementation project. Beyond this, each location had its unique configuration requirements specific to that site’s needs. In addition, Cascades also had complex Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), which needed to be navigated and adhered to.
“Each of Cascades’ plants was essentially an independent implementation. So, under the umbrella of the wider UltiPro project was the need to provide precise implementation services for every one of their locations, with no two being alike. We knew the Cascades team was committed to carrying out this incredibly complex HCM project in a timely manner – and we were up for the challenge,” explains Lakhbir Sian, VP of HCM at Covalence Consulting Inc.
With highly unique requirements concerning scheduling, overtime pay, holiday pay, premium pay, and more, the Covalence Consulting team focused on both the details and the overarching needs of Cascades. As a result, Covalence successfully configured 115 calculation groups in both the US & Canadian locations.
“We had a big ask and felt Lakhbir and his team were up for the challenge. The Covalence team was able to keep in mind the big picture of what we were trying to accomplish with our new UltiPro system while still being incredibly meticulous and detail-oriented with every specific requirement and every request we had, “ states Melanie Bouffard, Human Resources Shared Services Manager at Cascades.
Partnering In An Agile Implementation
Cascades’ UltiPro project was truly an agile implementation, made possible by the Covalence Consulting and Cascades teams working closely together. Project stakeholders from Cascades and Covalence Consulting experts worked together to gather requirements and conduct testing of optimal UltiPro system use. The newly configured system was placed in the hands of the Cascades plant supervisors as quickly as possible, and the Covalence Implementation Consultants adapted quickly to any requested changes. In this way, the Cascades project was simultaneously like an implementation and an optimization at the same time.
Not only did Covalence configure the system as required, but they also made customized improvements as they went along with the work. The result was an implementation that specifically spoke to the organizational needs that Cascades hoped to address when they bought UltiPro.
“We initiated true parallel testing, with our team and the Cascades team working together to ensure the highest quality configuration and testing possible. We tested against actual employee data and worked to provide a solid HCM project using agile principles. Our cycle for this project was to get requirements gathering done first, followed by planning and design, then realization and testing. Finally, we would review and refine,” says Lakhbir Sian.
For each project, Covalence Consulting always applies its unique HCM software methodology, which uses an agile software development approach. This agile approach allows for flexibly designed Human Capital Management implementations, resulting in an UltiPro configuration that works for the real-world needs of an organization. Covalence’s goal is always to get the clients’ ‘hands’ on the UltiPro system configuration as soon as possible, with the understanding that the client may request changes. Covalence HCM experts make these changes with minimal end-user impact and ensure system delivery and subsequent modifications iteratively and quickly, providing clients with a highly agile implementation experience.
“The Covalence Consulting team really stayed with us with the same level of dedication to our project throughout. Over a two-year period, they configured and implemented our UTA in a way that did not impact our live sites but still got the HCM work done that was needed. I really believe it was this attention to detail that enabled us to successfully execute such a complicated and large project successfully,” states Melanie Bouffard.
So how does Cascades’ Melanie Bouffard characterize her experience with Covalence Consulting Inc.?
“The Covalence team has been thoroughly dedicated to Cascades’ success throughout this project. When they say they intend to partner with you in our success – they mean it! They have become our trusted partner for UltiPro success,” says Melanie Bouffard.
Covalence Consulting Inc. is a Human Capital Management (HCM) & Workforce Management (WFM) consulting firm focused on delivering tailored HCM software implementation services that empower clients to fully deploy their HCM/WFM systems with confidence. As a trusted HCM implementation partner to leading HCM software suppliers, Covalence Consulting Inc. specializes in workforce management, payroll and time and attendance. Whether it is HR transformation or managed services, our approach centers on partnering with our valued clients, making their success, our success.