Improving Confidence in Technology Decisions
Evaris engaged SMC to help improve legacy processes, plan for the replacement of their outgoing system (due to an acquisition) and move toward a modern, scalable ERP foundation for the future. As a fast-growing pharmaceutical business operating in a heavily regulated environment, Evaris needed clarity, structure, and a risk-reduced approach to selecting the right platform and implementation partner, with a set end date.
SMC supported Evaris through a structured process advisory and ERP selection engagement, ensuring decisions were grounded in evidence, aligned to functional requirements, and financially appropriate for the organisation’s long-term plans.
Key outcomes included:
- Clear understanding of current processes, gaps, and improvement opportunities
- Streamlined future-state (“could-be”) process designs to guide operations
- Independent market research and a shortlist of suitable ERP solutions and partners
- Confident solution selection supported by detailed functional and commercial evaluation
- A negotiated commercial outcome balancing functional capability and financial fit
- Successful transition from selection into implementation with strong governance and independent client-side leadership
- Structured change management and business readiness activities to support adoption of new ways of working
- Comprehensive data migration planning, execution, validation and reconciliation support
- Trusted Advisory, project governance and quality assurance throughout implementation
About Evaris Pharma
Evaris Pharma, formerly known as Perrigo, brings over 135 years of heritage and is a leading provider of over-the-counter health and wellness products in Australia. With an expansive product portfolio and a continuously evolving operating model, the organization requires robust systems, governance, and reliable data to facilitate growth and ensure compliance with regulatory demands. This need was further impacted by constraints related to the transition from legacy systems with established end dates. As operational complexity increased, Evaris identified the necessity for a structured, scalable, and data-driven technology environment to support its forthcoming development phases.
Navigating Complexity in a Regulated Environment
Evaris required a modern ERP platform to support manufacturing, commercial, quality, and finance functions. However, the challenge extended well beyond software selection.
The organisation needed:
- Clarity on how processes should operate in a modern, integrated environment, rather than just copying what was done in the past
- An unbiased view of the ERP market
- A structured, defensible selection decision
- Confidence in selecting the right implementation partner, with the relevant pedigree in the space
These decisions were business-critical, shaping Evaris’ ability to operate efficiently and giving themselves the best chance for success.
SMC Solution
SMC partnered with Evaris as an independent, client-side ERP advisor, bringing structure, clarity, and governance to each step of the decision-making journey.
The engagement included:
- A full assessment of existing processes and identification of improvement opportunities
- Definition of streamlined future-state operations aligned to business needs
- Independent ERP market research and shortlisting
- Rigorous functional and commercial evaluation of solutions and partners
- Commercial negotiation to achieve a balanced and defensible outcome
SMC’s independence ensured recommendations were objective and aligned to Evaris’ long-term interests. Following solution selection and readiness planning, SMC continued to partner with Evaris through implementation, providing independent client-side leadership, project governance, change management, trusted advisory services and data migration expertise. This continuity helped maintain alignment between the original business objectives and implementation outcomes while reducing delivery risk.
How the Methodology Was Applied
At the time of delivery, this engagement was described using SMC’s prior terminology. The activities delivered for Evaris align to the following:
- Strategy & Roadmap Understanding current operations, identifying gaps, and defining future-state requirements and priorities before engaging the market.
- Select & Negotiate Independent evaluation of ERP solutions and implementation partners, including like-for-like comparison and commercial negotiation to support a defensible decision.
- Plan & Prepare Readiness activities to ensure scope, governance, roles, and expectations were clear before implementation commenced.
- Plan & Implement Independent client-side leadership and governance throughout implementation, including project management support, change management, business readiness activities, trusted advisory services and data migration leadership to support successful delivery and organisational adoption.
While the terminology has evolved, the scope, rigour, and outcomes delivered to Evaris remain unchanged.
A Structured Approach - From Assessment to Decision
Strategy & Roadmap
SMC reviewed current processes across core functional areas to establish a clear baseline and future direction. This included identifying gaps, pain points, competitive advantages and improvement opportunities, and defining future-state concepts and operating principles.
This work gave Evaris clarity on what was required from a future ERP platform before engaging vendors and made for a more efficient, high quality selection evaluation process.
Select & Negotiate
SMC conducted a structured, independent ERP selection process, including:
- Detailed market research
- Shortlisting of leading ERP platforms and partners
- Evaluation of functional fit, commercial alignment, and implementation considerations
- Commercial negotiation to secure a strong outcome
This ensured the final decision was objective, defensible, and aligned to both strategic, functional, technical and financial priorities.
Plan & Prepare
Following selection, SMC supported Evaris through preparation activities to ensure a smooth transition into implementation. This included clarifying scope, governance, and responsibilities across business and vendor teams.
SMC helped:
- Define the project plan
- Define the people and business readiness plan
- Define the data migration, environment, training, testing and cutover plans
- Defined the roles and responsibilities across the parties
- Define the resource needs
- Define the overall Total Cost of Ownership for the project
Implement
With the implementation partner engaged and project foundations established, SMC continued to support Evaris through the execution phase of the transformation as an independent client-side advisor and delivery partner.
SMC provided leadership and specialist expertise across governance, change, data and delivery workstreams to help ensure the project remained aligned to its objectives while reducing implementation risk.
SMC supported:
- Client-side project leadership and governance
- Trusted Advisory and quality assurance throughout delivery
- Change management and people readiness activities
- Stakeholder engagement and adoption planning
- Training, communication and go-live readiness planning
- Data migration strategy, planning, execution and validation – full data migration delivery
- Management of implementation risks, issues and dependencies, including escalations
- Project Financial Control
- Support for testing, cutover and post-go-live readiness activities
By maintaining continuity from process work to selection and ultimately through implementation, SMC helped ensure that the future-state business requirements, governance model and expected business outcomes remained front and centre throughout delivery.
Data Migration & Change Management
A critical success factor for Evaris was ensuring both its data and people were ready for transition to the new ERP environment.
SMC led the client-side data migration stream, helping define the migration strategy, scope, responsibilities, validation activities and deployment approach. This included supporting data cleansing, migration planning, reconciliation activities and governance to help ensure critical business information could be confidently transitioned into the new platform.
In parallel, SMC supported organisational change and business readiness activities, helping stakeholders understand what would change, how it would impact operations, and what support would be required to enable successful adoption. This included change impact assessment, readiness planning, training preparation, communications and go-live support activities.
This integrated approach helped Evaris prepare both its systems and its people for the transition to a new way of operating.
Results
SMC helped Evaris make a confident, evidence-based decision about its future ERP platform – one that balanced functionality, risk, and long-term cost. Ultimately, this helped the delivery achieve the ultimate success within all agreed parameters.
The engagement enabled Evaris to:
Successfully move off the legacy system by the required due date, following the acquisition event, and also:
- Build clarity on its operational needs
- Understand the overall level of investment and resourcing required for this undertaking
- Understand the capabilities of modern ERP platforms and their respective ecosystems of add-ons
- Select an ERP solution aligned to strategic, technical, functional and financial priorities
- Move into implementation with confidence and the right governance layers to ensure success
- Transitioned successfully from ERP selection and planning into implementation with independent governance support
- Improved organisational readiness through structured change management and business engagement activities
- Established a controlled approach to data migration, testing, deployment and cutover preparation
- Benefited from continuity of advisory support from strategy through implementation delivery
- Create long standing partnerships with all parties to ensure continuity into the next phases – Phase 2 is currently underway
Frequently Asked Questions
It ensures requirements, priorities, and constraints are understood before engaging vendors, reducing the risk of poor-fit solutions and rework.
Independent advice removes vendor bias, supports like-for-like evaluation, and strengthens commercial outcomes before contracts are signed.
Yes. This approach is particularly effective where compliance, governance, and long-term sustainability are critical.
Looking Ahead
With Phase 2 of the implementation underway and supported by strong governance, business readiness and data migration foundations, Evaris is well positioned to realise the full value of its ERP investment. Through SMC’s end-to-end involvement, and strong executive sponsors across the Board, spanning strategy, selection, planning, implementation, change and data migration, the organisation has established a stronger platform for operational excellence, compliance, visibility and future growth.
“It has been excellent to partner with SMC on our ERP selection process. SMC’s detailed knowledge of the market and available solutions has resulted in our business being able to make an informed decision on the right solution for our business, both functionally and financially.”
— Nathan Green, GM Transformation, Evaris Pharma
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About the Author
Mile Dimkovski is Executive Director at Solution Minds Consulting, where he leverages more than a decade of experience guiding mid-market and enterprise organisations through complex digital transformations and enterprise software-enabled change. Mile’s deep expertise spans business process improvement, technology selection and implementation, and benefits realisation — helping clients streamline operations, modernise systems, and maximise return on investment. Known for his collaborative, client-centric approach, he has been a key leader in shaping SMC’s advisory offerings and delivering outcomes that matter.