South Gippsland Water (SGW) is an urban water corporation that provides reliable, environmentally sustainable water and wastewater services in the south-eastern region of Victoria. The organisation employs 130 people and services 21 townships and their residents, while operating eight separate water systems and 11 sewerage treatment plants.
Partnership Drives Progress and Outcomes for South Gippsland Water’s Infor Transformation
Overview
Fast Facts
- 9-month ERP, Infor transformation delivered on time and within budget despite implementation challenges. (ERP, CRM, EAM)
- Manual process elimination across billing, finance, and asset management, enabling staff to focus on more strategic work.
- Project maturity uplift with governance blueprint and stakeholder project management and reporting capabilities for future initiatives.
Opportunity
SGW were relying on unsupported, outdated technology and manual processes across the organisation, which resulted in time inefficiencies and lost revenue. Rather than simply an IT improvement project, SGW saw the opportunity to kickstart its most significant digital project to date—transforming their ERP.
The project director knew they would need external resources to provide additional skills to support the corporation’s SMEs to deliver the ERP transformation.
A tender process and business case followed. SGW required a flexible provider with a broad range of capabilities they could draw on as required. They knew that the tight 9-month timeframe may present unexpected challenges, so they wanted a transformation partner who could turn obstacles into opportunities and keep teams moving forward when things got complicated.
Solution
The shared goal of the project was to ensure that SGW staff and customers ended up with a modern technology stack. The team focused on balancing time, quality, and budget to deliver on this goal.
Atturra’s engagement covered project management, testing, training and learning content and communications, plus Smartsheet and Power BI reporting.
We played a support and oversight role, whilst allowing the internal project team to be in the driver’s seat.
Atturra’s support enabled SGW’s project team to take their stakeholders on the strategic journey and become comfortable with the new solution, while navigating multiple external vendors and driving outcomes.
With an ambitious delivery timeframe, SGW valued Atturra’s authenticity and transparent approach, and this ensured the corporation were fully aware of the risks and options at each stage. This empowered them to take ownership and accountability, even under pressure.
When delays threatened to derail the timeline, the Atturra team worked collaboratively with SGW to explore creative alternatives with an agile, problem-solving approach that kept everyone optimistic and focused on solutions. Additionally, delays in system configuration left staff uncertain and underprepared. To address this, Atturra strengthened communications, introduced just-in-time training, and provided continuity where prior partners could not.
A third-party change management provider was also engaged, but this disrupted progress and left gaps in foundation work. Atturra’s change team stepped in to close these gaps ensuring consistent messaging, structured learning, and stronger support for SGW staff throughout the transformation.
“Our collaborative relationship is based on shared values and a desire to deliver an outcome for our customers and staff, without compromising people’s wellbeing. This is something that makes Atturra different.
“Whatever obstacle or challenge we faced, Atturra helped us stay optimistic and move forward. By staying agile, pivoting, or finding creative solutions, nothing was insurmountable. At the end of this project, we all felt a sense of success that was worth celebrating, and you don’t get that in many projects.”
Felicia Cousins,
Project Director, South Gippsland Water
Outcomes achieved
The project succeeded not just because it went live on time and on budget, but because of how it was delivered. Atturra’s personable stakeholder management enabled SGW’s team to emerge more confident and equipped with problem-solving capabilities and a risk-management mindset that will serve them well in future initiatives.
Building on this foundation, Atturra delivered targeted face-to-face training, blended learning resources, and a comprehensive communications program including deep dives, FAQs , and a centralised Infor repository. This uplifted staff capability and confidence, established a sustainable Super User and Peer Support model, and ensured over 100 process resources were created to embed new ways of working and future-proof learning at SGW.
The strengthened staff capability and confidence translated into more efficient operations and better use of the new technology. As a result, SGW’s customers are now benefiting from a modern technology stack that supports billing, finance, asset and work management, and procurement. Accuracy and revenue collection have improved. They now have a comprehensive inventory of its assets, making it easier to analyse and manage. With inefficient manual processes eliminated, SGW staff have more time to focus on strategic work.
The organisation has leveraged Atturra’s knowledge and expertise to upskill its team on Smartsheet, enabling them to maximise their investment and utilise the technology to its full potential.
SGW’s project maturity has grown, and the result is an outcomes-focused foundation and governance structure that can serve as a strong basis for all future projects.
Technologies
- Infor Financials & Supply Management (FSM)
- Infor Public Sector (IPS)
- Smartsheet
- Microsoft Power BI
