How the British Heart Foundation switched systems in four days
One of the UK’s largest charities moved its accounts to DataFlow without the luxury of parallel running — and had management reports out three weeks later.
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- 4 days to convert, test and train
- 20 users live from day one
- 0 days of parallel running
- £69m annual income under management
Inside the British Heart Foundation.
Founded in 1961, the British Heart Foundation is one of the UK’s top charities, with an income of £69 million in the year of this project. Nearly half comes from legacies, the rest from fundraising including the London to Brighton Bike Ride and the sale of donated goods in over 400 BHF shops. More than 77% of the money raised supports medical research, with the remainder going to education and patient care. Managing a charity on this scale presents challenges similar to a multi-site corporation — the 11-strong accounts team is headed by Chief Accountant David Reynolds, who joined when the charity’s income was just £1.5 million.
- Sector
- Charity and retail
- Founded
- 1961
- Income
- £69 million
- Shops
- Over 400
Charity accounting the software would not bend to.
A shortlist of three, two of which asked the BHF to change how it accounts.
As the new millennium arrived and the organisation continued to expand, it was time to move to a more integrated business solution — the previous upgrade had been overseen in 1990. Reviewing true 32-bit Windows solutions, the BHF was surprised by the lack of alternatives, eventually shortlisting three: Access, Dynamics and DataFlow.
The BHF was reluctant to implement Dynamics, having experienced US software vendors unable to respond to requests for UK-specific modifications. Access expected the BHF to change its accounting practices to suit the software, rather than the other way around.
- Recurring debits and credits to post, as most charities need.
- VAT charged to cost centres rather than the VAT account.
- Expenses reimbursed without going through the purchase ledger.
- Nominal ledger cheque writing.
- No capacity for parallel running: a small team under pressure to deliver reports.
An instant switchover, supported on site.
On 13 July the BHF stopped using its old software. On 17 July, 20 users went live on DataFlow.
Most new packages are run alongside the existing system for a period, but parallel testing was not a luxury the BHF could afford. DataFlow had four days to convert all the data, test the system and provide initial training.
Training is central to user acceptance, so DataFlow provided full-time on-site support for the first week to make sure users were fully conversant with the new system. Three weeks after installation, David Reynolds ran the management reports he needed before a booked holiday — and took it.
- All data converted and tested inside a four-day window.
- Twenty-user system live on the planned date.
- Full-time on-site support through the first week.
- Charity-specific posting, VAT and expense handling supported as standard.
- Import and export by drag and drop between Excel and the ledgers.
Accruals in minutes, apportionment in a fraction of the time.
The switchover held, and the day-to-day work got quicker.
The ability to import and export data with simple drag-and-drop commands proved a major benefit. Accruals data on 120 different items can be imported from Microsoft Excel within minutes, and apportioning costs between departments and cost centres takes a fraction of the time it used to.
With DataFlow established, the BHF extended its use: the more powerful Analyzer solution for management reporting, integrated fixed asset management from Assetware, and plans to link the accounts system to the bank and let staff key in their own purchase orders.
| Outcome | Before DataFlow | With DataFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Accruals import | Keyed item by item | 120 items from Excel in minutes |
| Cost apportionment | A long manual exercise | A fraction of the time |
| Charity-specific posting | Practices bent to fit the software | Supported as standard |
| Changeover | Parallel running assumed | Four days, straight over |
| Management reporting | Existing system only | Analyzer, plus integrated fixed assets |
DataFlow was the only solution that provided us with the features and flexibility we were used to and could meet all our new requirements.
What the BHF run.
Ledgers, month-end and reporting, with Excel either side of them.
Being asked to change how you account?
- No sales pitch
- 30 minutes
- We’ll ask about your business first
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