Coopers Brewery upgraded their JD Edwards ERP system from version 8.0 to 9.0 with assistance from Red Rock. While some aspects went well like infrastructure upgrades and data conversion, there were issues with printing, order dates, rebates and invoices after go-live. Testing could have been improved and third party involvement reduced. Lessons were learned around bleeding edge software, functionality changes, and focus on testing outcomes.

1. 8.0 to 9.0 – Lessons Learnt
Brent Coutts
Coopers Brewery Limited
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2. Who We Are
• Coopers Brewery Limited
• Established by Thomas Cooper in 1862
• Mission
– Our family brewery creates great crafted beers
and other natural products for the enjoyment of
everyone
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3. Our Products
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4. Our Market Share
100 96.2%
90
80
70
60
50 Coopers Brewery
40 Competitors
30
20
10 3.8%
0
Australian Beer Market
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5. Brew Floor
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6. Brewery Entrance
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7. Who I Am
• Custodian of Coopers Business Systems
• Commenced with Coopers Brewery Jan 2007
• Previous JD Edwards experience with Fosters
• SAP experience with Southcorp and Kimberly-
Clark
• Enjoy working as a business focussed IT
professional within manufacturing organisations
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8. Executive Summary
• Overall a successful implementation
• Small project team
• Changes in JD Edwards functionality caused
issues
• Third party software stability and service
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9. Existing Environment
• JD Edwards ERP8.01
• Original implementation
in partnership with
Jigsaw (now Red Rock)
• Live April 2004
• Green Stack
– Microsoft SQL Server 2000
– IBM WebSphere (albeit limited usage)
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10. Existing Environment
• Infrastructure
– Shared application & database server
– Deployment server
– Create!Form server
– Demand Management server
• Support
– One JD Edwards developer 1 day per week
– CNC outsourced to Red Rock
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11. Infrastructure Upgrades
• Upgraded physical application server together
with upgrade to Windows Server 2003 and
SQL Server 2005
• Virtualisation of Create!Form server
• Virtualisation of Demand Management server
• “Proper” DR with log shipping
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12. Business Case
• Risk minimisation
• General feeling of being “left behind”
• Ageing infrastructure
• Licensing costs (particularly for DR)
• Existing Oracle instance on Windows
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13. Approach
• Engaged Red Rock as service provider
• Largely a technical upgrade
• New functionality to be adopted after go-live
• Use virtualisation to maximum
• After workshop, made the decision to go full
Red Stack
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14. Project Structure
• Modified Red Rock Project Methodology
• Steering committee not required
• Project managers within Coopers and Red Rock
• Small technical team
• Weekly meetings
• Flexibility in approach
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15. Project Tasks
• Infrastructure (SAN, vSphere) months in
advance
• Retrofit changes – 4 weeks solid effort
• Build JD Edwards environment
• Redo every Create!Form and Create!Stream
script
• Testing, then go live
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16. Timing
• Flexibility the key
• Blackout periods
• Started planning early 2010
• Preliminary workshops and scope of works
• Kick off in September 2010
• Hiatus during late December / early January
• Retrofit completed on time
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17. Testing
• Pragmatic approach
• Focus on sales orders, load building, invoicing
• Difficulty in getting testing done by users
• Testing workshops to test the minimum to
transact
• Test scripts written by project team
• One-on-one training and testing
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18. Forms Development
• New version of Create!Form v7
• Every form and script to be converted
• Estimate 25% of project cost
• Licensing during upgrade
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19. Pre Go Live
• 3 data conversions to check timing and
accuracy
• Test manual cutover tasks
• Final round of user testing
• Go / no go decision
• Forms printing bug found
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20. Go Live
• 1600 on Friday 18-Mar-2011
• System available at 1000 on Sunday 20-Mar-
2011
• Cutover tasks run
• Ready for business 0600 Monday 21-Mar-
2011
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21. What Went Wrong
• Scheduled pick dates on orders (mode of
transport)
• Rebates missing
• Invoices (both through transportation and
printing)
• Printing overall (both Create!Form and Oracle
default)
• MRP failed
• .., then relatively smooth sailing..
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22. What Went Wrong – Part 2
• Printing failed completely – every print job
had to be monitored
• Price adjustments “dropped off”
• Commissions configuration had changed – no
accumulations
• Complicated rebate structure – detail postings
• 2nd month end (1st full month)
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23. What Went Right
• Retrofitting modifications
• Infrastructure
• Data conversion
• CNC overall
• Integrations
• Waiting for right Tools release
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24. What Did We Learn?
• Don’t go bleeding edge for printing
• Bugs in Oracle software and how they are
resolved
• Changes in functionality between 8.0 and 9.0
• Users focussed on testing outcome
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25. What Would We Do Differently?
• No need for two project managers – just one
from Coopers
• One technical consultant from Coopers
• CNC from 3rd party
• Look more closely at printing – BI Publisher
• Firmer testing regime
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26. What’s Next?
• Unlocking standard functionality
– Pricing
– Advanced preferences
• SOA
• Pilot BI Publisher
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27. Questions?
• Feel free to contact me at:
– brent.coutts@coopers.com.au
• Reference visits no problem
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