Our colleague Robin Muliawan likes to be as personally involved as possible in our projects. He always wants to get to know all stakeholders, regularly asks for feedback, and likes having more informal conversations. ‘I want to deliver good projects that people enjoy using,’ says Robin. ‘You need to work closely with the customer and earn their trust for that to happen, so you can really find out what they want and their preferred way of working.’
He is very enthusiastic whenever we run workshops to kick off our new projects. ‘I wake up an hour earlier on those mornings, to calmly get ready and prepare for my day, so I can start the workshops fully focused.’ Together with the customer, he makes sure they have everything they need for each workshop to always achieve the best possible outcome. Robin is particularly successful at producing innovative solutions that offer genuine added value for the customer. ‘Sometimes I have to be patient because the effects of a solution can often only be seen after a few months.’
‘I want to make people happy with technology. I’m really interested in how technology can optimize business processes and simplify people’s work.’
– Robin Muliawan, consultant at SiNube –
Simplifying leased asset reporting
Robin is currently working on a project which is a great example of a brand-new solution thatcreates added value. Robin: ‘Our customer’s financial manager wanted to report on short- and long-term leased assets more easily. He used to have to spend a long time searching through lots of Excel files to find the figures he needed.’
SiNube proposed a suitable solution within the Oracle ERP, so now the financial manager can generate a clear analysis report in just a few clicks. We’ve made the process much simpler and reduced the risk of errors, which is crucial in complex lease accounting, especially because the customer needs to follow IFRS standards. And, thanks to the leases now being booked correctly, the taxable periods are also correct.
Active in the project management office
As in every ERP project, SiNube starts by creating a design that we then build, migrate, and test extensively. Robin: ‘I’m normally an implementation consultant, but I’m currently working as a PMO consultant in a team of four PMO consultants alongside three BPO consultants.’ The project is part of the global roll-out of an Oracle ERP package in 50 countries, and Robin is helping to roll it out in Antwerp.
As a PMO consultant, Robin sits between the customer and the implementer. He designed the ERP package architecture together with the rest of the team in this project. They worked out the requirements, wrote up the details and passed on the many specifications, because Oracle is taking care of the implementation itself this time. Robin: ‘Then it’s my job to coordinate the data migration and extensively test the reporting.’
Personal approach
SiNube is renowned for its open and personal approach. Robin: ‘We’re very transparent about what Oracle’s products can do, and try not to make any false promises, which is why we work on-site with the customer as much as possible. This close collaboration ensures we have lots of feedback opportunities where we can share really useful information.
And Robin likes to take the personal aspect a step further. Not only does he talk to all project stakeholders to create mutual trust; he also helps end-users with onboarding during delivery and is always available to provide support afterwards. He believes our customer day ‘A Day in the Cloud’ offers the perfect chance to listen to our customers’ feedback
‘You’ll always find me talking with colleagues during the lunch break. Nothing is more important than good personal relationships.’
– Robin Muliawan, consultant at SiNube –
Scrum training is coming
Employees are given maximum opportunities to plan their careers at SiNube. Robin: ‘I see every project as a challenge where I can learn, because you have to keep your finger on the pulse in our job. There’s always something completely new every few months. Just look at AI right now, for instance. I’d like to be at the implementation controls again in a next project, to make sure I don’t lose touch with any new technology.’
People normally work with the waterfall method in ERP projects. Robin: ‘I still like to look for the best aspects of different methods, which is one reason the short feedback moments and structured approach in the Agile method are so useful. I also prefer to include the Kanban board system for visually tracking open points. That’s why I’ll soon be following the Scrum Product Owner training course, where I hope to learn even more about efficient project management.’