Companies are not always ready to outsource their accounting functions; sometimes they simply need a payroll and HR system implemented. In such cases they usually choose between different implementation partners. But there is another route: turning to an outsourcing company whose specialists work with such systems every day and understand how to make them convenient and sustainable.
That is what the Russian oilfield services group NewTech Services did when it asked UCMS Group to implement 1C:ZUP 3.1. We did not just install the system but built it into the existing processes, taking all constraints and internal requirements into account. Read the details in this case study.
NewTech Services is a Russian oilfield services company providing high-tech solutions for oil and gas companies in Russia and abroad since 2009.
The client made it clear from the start: they needed implementation only, without handing processes to outsourcing. The company had already built its own approach to payroll, reflecting internal processes and industry specifics.
Time tracking required particular attention. The company has more than 50 timekeepers who manually enter data on hours worked, working conditions and absences. Payroll is based on this data, including bonuses, hazardous conditions compensation and vacation pay. It was important to make the timekeepers' work easier and reduce manual entry errors.
The task was not simply to replace 1C:ZUP 2.5 with 1C:ZUP 3.1, but to build the new system into the familiar logic of work and make it sustainable, without complex customisations that hinder updates and ongoing support.
As the first stage we analysed three different databases, one for each of the client's organisations. All the databases ran on 1C:ZUP 2.5 but had been heavily rewritten and differed from each other in structure and customisations. We analysed each database and determined which elements could be kept as standard and what had to be rewritten.
Denis Bakulin, project manager on the consulting side:“We showed how tasks could be solved through standard functionality: without unnecessary customisations, without reshaping the system. We explained where the limitations were and proposed options that work reliably and are easy to maintain. It was important for the client to preserve its processes, and we approached every customisation from that standpoint. This helped avoid complicating the architecture, so that the system would be sustainable and not depend on specific individuals.”
One of the key tasks of the project was to automate time tracking without changing the processes.In the old version of 1C:ZUP 2.5 everything rested on custom modifications: a rewritten interface, its own data entry logic and manually configured access restrictions. Such a system was hard to update, and it could not be moved to 1C:ZUP 3.1 without rebuilding.
As a solution we proposed our own customisation of 1C:ZUP,the timesheet portal, and adapted it to the client's business processes. In the new system data is collected on the basis of the schedule and already entered deviations (vacations, sick leave and so on), and timekeepers reconcile and, where necessary, supplement the information. They can also manually enter data on hazardous working conditions, bonuses and other parameters that affect the calculations. We also configured access separation: a timekeeper sees only their own employees, cannot view other people's data and cannot enter information outside their area of responsibility.
At the same time we delivered a number of customisations related to calculations, process automation and integration with the client's internal systems.Among them:
The final stage of the project took place in the client's infrastructure:we developed and tested solutions on our side and then moved them into the client's live environment. Because of differences in platform and configuration, some functions had to be adapted manually: for example, printed forms that worked without errors on our side required refinement after the transfer. We agreed every step, from hypotheses to launch, with the client's internal 1C specialist.
We ran a test calculation for one month across the three organisations ourselves, without involving the client. The client's internal team took on the parallel calculations, while our implementation, payroll and HR specialists supported them at every stage. Every day we checked that the calculations were correct, investigated deviations and answered questions promptly.
The project started in June 2023 and finished in March 2024, by which time the calculations were already running in the new system.
This is one of the few projects where we do not support the system after implementation. The databases and processes were fully handed over to the client's internal team, which has its own consulting department that works with the system independently. We prepared detailed documentation and instructions for using the customised functionality, provided support for one and a half months and helped the client's team through the adaptation period.
“We do not just implement 1C; we build the system as if our own specialists were going to work in it next. So even if the client does not outsource its accounting functions, it gets a solution that can be maintained and developed without the provider.”
