Inside a $40M+ Utility ERP Transformation

How a major PNW Utility Rebuilt Its Financial Backbone

OVERVIEW

A major PNW utility took on a massive challenge: modernize a 20-year-old SAP ERP financial system while keeping the business running—and do it in time to meet FERC reporting requirements. That meant reworking core SAP Financial and Controlling modules, rolling out an enterprise-wide budgeting, planning, and consolidation platform (SAP BPC), and updating key integrations with PowerPlan and Trintech.

Over four years, Tamazari provided steady project management leadership for a 150+ person, multi-vendor team working side by side. The result was a fully modernized financial foundation, reliable FERC reporting, and strong adoption across the organization.

“It was a transformational project, an upgrade, and a deployment all at the same time.”

Patty Griffith, Principle Project Manager

CLIENT BACKGROUND

The client is one of the largest energy utilities in the Pacific Northwest, supporting millions of customers with complex regulatory, financial, and operational systems. Its core ERP, SAP ECC, had been in place for more than two decades. Over time, shifting regulatory demands and evolving business needs pushed that system beyond its limits. Forecasting, budgeting, and reporting became harder and harder to manage, and the organization lacked a true BPC tool. As a result, implementing SAP BPC—and fixing what sat underneath it—became a top strategic priority.

CHALLENGE

This wasn’t a simple upgrade. The utility needed to reconfigure a live, heavily customized SAP ECC system, deploy BPC across the enterprise, and modernize several financial integrations—all without disrupting day-to-day operations.

That meant restructuring decades of master data, including the chart of accounts, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and financial coding structures. Data conversions had to be tightly sequenced to preserve accuracy. PowerPlan integrations had to be remediated, Trintech modules for close, certification, and compliance had to be implemented. And, every change needed to be tested—against more than 1,000 requirements per phase.

Lastly, final cutover required completing all reconfiguration and data migration in a single weekend. By Monday morning, hundreds of users needed a system that simply worked.

“The biggest challenge was reconfiguring SAP because they were actively using it.”

Patty Griffith, Principle Project Manager

SUCCESS CRITERIA

• Accurate FERC-compliant reporting after SAP restructuring

• Seamless PowerPlan integration upgrades

• BPC deployed and adopted by 500+ users

• Testing results within a strict ~1% variance

• All phases delivered on time and within the $40M+ budget

• Strong change management and training, including SOX-aligned updates

• Broad adoption across finance, accounting, budgeting, and IT

  
  

SOLUTION

Tamazari brought in Patty Griffith, a senior Project Manager, at the very beginning to set the tone and structure for the entire program. She built and led a 150+ person team across multiple vendors, established governance and reporting, and kept tight control over scope, schedule, and budget. Day to day, she worked closely with finance, accounting, budget, technology, and operations teams, running complex requirements traceability and multi-phase UAT cycles.

IMPLEMENTATION

Execution was intense and highly coordinated. For four years, the team ran in near war-room mode: daily standups with 40+ people, constant working sessions, and cross-functional decision-making in real time.

The SAP reconfiguration required rebuilding long-standing structures, redesigning the chart of accounts and creating scalable reporting frameworks. In parallel, the team deployed BPC, upgraded PowerPlan, modernized financial close with Trintech, and realigned multiple integrations.

“There were multiple data conversions that had to be done in a specific order along with configuration changes.”

Patty Griffith, Principle Project Manager

Change management was woven throughout the effort, with new workflows, SOX-aligned processes, training sessions, job aids, and clear communications to help users transition confidently.

The team grew so tight over time that the client even named a conference room after them—Kitty Wampus—a rare moment of levity in an otherwise high-stakes program.

RESULTS

By the end of the program, the utility had a fully restructured SAP ECC environment that supports FERC reporting, including the SAP FERC module. SAP BPC was live for more than 500 users, PowerPlan integrations were modernized, and Trintech Certification, Close, and Compliance were fully implemented. Both phases wrapped up on schedule and within the $40M+ budget. Testing consistently met strict variance targets, and adoption remained strong across departments.

LONG-TERM VALUE

The transformation left the utility with a stable, modern, and scalable financial foundation built to last for decades. FERC reporting is stronger and more reliable, budgeting and planning are streamlined through BPC, and the new chart of accounts and WBS enable better transparency and reporting accuracy.

Equally important, the focus on training and change management built internal confidence and capability. With a cleaner architecture and stronger integrations in place, the utility is now well positioned for future modernization.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Keep processes simple for teams already under pressure

• Capture lessons learned throughout the program, not just at the end

• Co-location matters—getting 150+ people in one space accelerates trust and decision-making

• Strong governance and daily cadence are essential when managing multiple vendors and departments