Nortura's IT company, Matiq, has used Ardoq to gain a better overview and insight into the ownership of data and technology. "Ardoq is very important to us as it helps us to see the whole ecosystem, which then enables a quick turn around," says Architecture Group Leader at Matiq, Vebjørn Knutsen.
The food industry is competitive. Therefore, agility is crucial for discovering and adjusting to new market and business opportunities.
"It’s crucial that we can make changes to the IT system. We must be able to see the complete picture and how we fit into it. Now we have a go-to place for the entire organization. It has made us more interconnected," says Vebjørn Knutsen.
"Ardoq has made it possible to gather everything in one place, so we can see relationships and find out who is responsible for what."
- Vebjørn Knutsen
Use of Best Practices
Matiq has used two different Ardoq solutions as the starting point for the implementation of a new business system across Nortura. APM (Application Portfolio Management) and Integration Mapping were based on Ardoq's best practices.
"We were lucky to already have the application information in an Excel sheet, something which meant it only needed some minor adjustments before we could import the data into Ardoq. Integrations had to be entered manually, but by following best practices we got inspiration around how we could do this easily," says Knutsen.
Using best practices in two areas, Matiq had time to focus on another area that was previously lacking; Master Data Management (MDM). The flexibility in Ardoq enabled them to implement MDM and get even more value out of Ardoq than what they originally intended.
According to SAP Master Data Management Architect in Matiq, Bjørnar Tofteland, it has given them an overview of ownership, both in regards to the person, organization, and roles.
Connecting Everything
Simon Wilkes, Matiq's Customer Success Manager at Ardoq, says the magic begins when applications, integrations, and Master Data Management are linked together. That is when you start to see the complex contexts that can help drive the right changes on the business side.
Getting started with the right scope and speed is critical to delivering value and building support across teams.
"Depending on the organization it can take up to four workshops, for a total of 15 hours, to get completely up and running utilizing one of our best practices," says Wilkes.
"After four workshops, Matiq has implemented three best practices, which shows that time-to-value can be quick if you choose the right approach and focus."
- Simon Wilkes
Reducing the time spent on visualizing complexity contexts to this level is vital and thanks to Ardoq’s automated visualizations, they could spend more time on analysis and less time on diagraming.
"We use Ardoq to document where the information objects are stored in our databases. Right now we have a big project where we are rolling out a new business system at all our factories. To have realistic test data, we copy some data from our production systems to test systems. This is a complex operation, and we are dependent on having complete control over all dependencies between the information objects," says Tofteland. Previously, PowerPoint and Visio were the only tools for visualizing such dependencies.
"We would never have been able to achieve this without Ardoq, simply because this model is so large and complex."
- Bjørnar Tofteland
"You can't draw this in PowerPoint or Visio. Ardoq has given us great benefits here. The system allows us to have a large complex model and focus down on the most important areas, so that we can navigate the information we have," says Tofteland.
One Version of the Truth
Tofteland has been working with Ardoq for just over a year and feels confident that Ardoq will give them one version of the truth.
"Services, process areas, and organizations are all domains used across all of Nortura. Today, several versions of the truth exist, but through Ardoq we have everything in one place. It's a place you link in to, and the service exists only once and in one place. Traditionally, documentation has often been made once and then quickly becomes obsolete. In Ardoq it’s easy to modify the documentation and distribute it to anyone who needs it," says Tofteland.
"You don’t need to think about all the PowerPoints that need to be updated, instead, you only need to update the data in one place, and then all presentations are automatically updated."
- Bjørnar Tofteland
Surveys Simplify Engagement
Tofteland says it has taken time to get all the data into the system. "I had to work very purposefully, but the fun part is that when you reach your goals, you have all the information and see the effects," he says.
"When I first heard about Surveys, I thought it was not for us. Now I know this is one of the great benefits of Ardoq. Surveys are simply a permanent application for collecting data from the large masses in the organization - and to keep it updated. The users in the organization know that they can use these forms to submit new information to us when changes occur or they need it. It is also a brilliant tool to maintain data in the system, also for super-users," says Tofteland.
Learn more about Surveys in Ardoq.
Ardoq’s dynamic visualizations have proven to help improve analysis and collaboration. "Visualizations, where you can navigate and see inter-relations easily, have a greater impact, and makes it easier to collaborate with management. The food industry is a competitive industry where we must be able to turn around quickly," he says.
"The goal in the long term is that Ardoq will help us present the complete picture, and by that where the opportunities lie, so that management can quickly make good, data-driven decisions."
- Bjørnar Tofteland
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