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How often has the requirement for expenditure on IT systems been justified by this statement? "With this system we can streamline our planning process and continuously improve our working practices". Well for Tesco this is now a reality.
In late 1997 Tesco put together a cross-functional development team to review store planning software requirements, with circa 150 store plans being reviewed annually. The time scale would be tight to realise all the perceived benefits, including year 2000 compliance, and they needed a system to be in place by July 1998. The specification of the next generation planning system was both an exciting challenge and an opportunity for Tesco.
The project team was put in place under the direction of David Weavers, the Head of Space and Format Design, who stated,
"We were looking for a simple solution which would embrace other off-the-shelf software packages as well as in-house designed software"
Work on the specification began in October 1997 with their chosen supplier, Intactix International. The expertise of Intactix in providing micro-space planning systems for category management and merchandising, together with the bespoke macro-space planning needs of Tesco created a specification that called for a step change in systems architecture. Work began in earnest but at an early stage it was recommended by Intactix that expert help was needed to deliver the entire specification. Visual Technology was contracted by Intactix to introduce into the project the skills and methodology, developed by them within the space planning and management systems implemented at other large retailers. |
The advanced design of Visual Technology's database engine ensured that development of many of the specified requirements could be fast-tracked.
However, two significant challenges faced the team at this stage:
1. An automated and dynamic two-way link between Intactix Intercept software and the CAD floor-plans that were populated with equipment, and
2. Integration of the system within the internal PC network at Tesco with linkage to their PCX corporate databases.
Within weeks, it was evident that both areas of specialist knowledge introduced by Intactix and Visual Technology were working well together. It resulted in a formal commercial relationship being formed between the two organisations.
By April 1998 there was every confidence that the project team could deliver a fully working and tested system by the end of that July.
There was some major functionality that had been incorporated into the project: Year 2000 compliance, ability to handle an unlimited size area of store, integration into Tesco internal IT standards, including client server under NT4 and their network architecture. In addition it had to be capable of importing the very large equipment libraries which had been built up over the past few years. All of these features were built by Visual Technology and tested by the Tesco project team, and it soon became evident that an additional benefit would be an increase in productivity that would be delivered by Visual Technology. |
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This system has been the catalyst at Tesco for bringing together the application of micro and macro space planning in a single application. The teamwork between all three parties resulted in an on-time, on-budget deliver
Bernard Barnett, Marketing Director, Visual Technology
Key Features |
- Architectural plans are input through an automatic feed from the MicroStation CAD system into Retail Focus Merchandiser, and are held in an ODBC compliant database.
- The system operates under client server NT4 and runs on Tesco internal networks with direct linkages to their PCX databases.
- Dynamic linkage between merchandise, floor plans and equipment to eliminate the need for file transfers.
- There are no practical limitations on the size of store or number of stores that can be planned and held within the ProStore database.
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Reports and plots are generated by any PC on the network and distributed electronically throughout the organisation. This creates an enterprise information channel that can span all stores.
Intactix and Visual Technology implemented the
Tesco system using many of the modules and tools already developed for many of their other implementations. Visual Technology’s applications software represents about 80% of most generic retail space planning requirements. This created a significant saving for Tesco, and means that the cost of on-going support and updating of systems will be not be entirely funded by Tesco but spread across a significant base of Visual Technology clients. |
