Background

Pacific National, Australia’s largest private rail freight operator, upgraded their legacy PeopleSoft Payroll V7 system to Version 8.9 HR and Global Payroll, integrating it with the WorkBrain award interpreter.

Business Challenge

Pacific National faced several challenges:

  1. Dependence on a small support organisation.
  2. Need for updated functionality in Payroll and HR areas.
  3. Multiple business units operating on different systems.

Project Management Results

To address these challenges, Pacific National engaged Combined Management Consultants (CMC) to manage the upgrade project.

CMC project managed the implementation of the following solutions:

  1. Upgraded PeopleSoft Payroll and HRMS to Version 8.9.
  2. Implemented WorkBrain award interpretation system.
  3. Removed heavy customisations from the previous system.
  4. Provided required functionality for the business.

The new system went live in July 2006. CMC’s successful implementation led to their retention for subsequent phases, which involved migrating other business units to the same application and infrastructure platform.

This upgrade allowed Pacific National to:

  • Reduce dependence on a small support team.
  • Utilise more up-to-date functionality in Payroll and HR areas.
  • Move multiple business units to a single Payroll and HR function.
  • Realise organizational benefits and cost savings.

The implementation of the WorkBrain award interpreter removed the need for heavy customisations in the previous system, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

This upgrade positioned Pacific National to better manage its complex rail freight operations across Australia, supporting its role in keeping the country’s economy moving.

”Our project was perceived to be quite challenging, however, CMC’s consultant was very capable with the relevant industry and technical skills that made a real difference to Pacific National

John Forbes - Financial Systems ManagerPacific National