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Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton Ireland offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
Effective implementation of technology change
31 Oct 2017On a daily basis we are reminded of the importance of embracing advancements in technology to remain competitive. Such transformation programmes may include the introduction of a single Enterprise Resource Platform for Finance and HR to generate efficiencies and cost reductions, the use of FinTech to enhance the customer experience by creating a quicker and more secure process for transferring money, and the introduction of a cloud-based CRM system to improve customer engagement. Regardless of the technology transformation programme, a number of key steps within the change approach need to be met in order for the implementation to be successful.
The first step should be building a business case for change. Rather than diving in with both feet, it is important to engage the necessary stakeholders within your organisation and identify what is driving the need for change and what measurable benefits are being targeted. This will also help articulate your needs, which will aid an effective procurement process.
Once the appropriate technology has been acquired unfortunately you are only marginally past the start line. Sadly such programmes are not as easy as lifting a piece of technology off the shelf, plugging it in and then switching it on. In basic terms the task you are faced with is to utilise the knowledge of key user groups within your organisation to identify the gaps between the capabilities of the technology and your needs. This phase is often referred to as “Fit-Gap” and will inform your developers of how the technology needs to be tailored. There will however be restrictions as to how much the technical solution can be “customer fitted” to your organisation and you will also want to take the opportunity to introduce efficiencies to ways of working. “Fit-Gap” will also, therefore identify some of the initial change impacts of how your people will need to behave differently as a result of the technology. This will enable your change management team to conduct a full stakeholder analysis of who is impacted both internally and externally as well as planning for leadership alignment, training, culture change and communication interventions. Sometimes the execution of “change interventions” is referred to as the “Get-Fit” phase and is key for the organisation in adopting new ways of working; after all a fancy new technology isn’t much use if your people are over burdened by anxiety and lack engagement, awareness and the required talent.
Another piece of the jigsaw is the decommissioning of legacy systems and the migration of data into the new world which certainly doesn’t come without complexities. You will also need to put all your hard work through User Acceptance Testing, assess business readiness for Go-Live and plan for post Go-Live support.
Innovative technology implementations are critical for remaining at the forefront of the market. In order to realise sustainable benefits however and avoid common pitfalls make sure you know where you are going, why you are going there and how you are going to get there.