Reframing ICT for Business Growth
Joyce Group, an ASX-listed organisation with a strong presence in home retail, partnered with SMC to rethink its approach to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Rather than treating ERP replacement as a standalone technology project, Joyce Group sought to establish a broader digital strategy that would support scalability, operational efficiency and customer experience across the group.
SMC worked with Joyce Group to deliver a Strategy & Roadmap engagement, providing clarity on ICT priorities, governance, and the role of ERP as the core enterprise platform within a wider digital ecosystem. The engagement combined SMC’s Digital Transformation Consulting and ERP & Enterprise Systems Consulting expertise to establish a business-led pathway for future technology investment.
Impact at a Glance
- Executive & Board Alignment Achieved before ERP selection
- Four-Horizon ICT Roadmap Clear transformation pathway established
- ERP Strategy Defined ERP positioned within the broader digital ecosystem
- Ready for Selection Strong foundation established for Select & Negotiate
Client: Joyce Group
Industry: Retail & eCommerce
Engagement: ICT Strategy & ERP Roadmap
Services: Digital Transformation Consulting, ERP & Enterprise Systems Consulting
SMC Model: Strategy & Roadmap
Next Phase: Select & Negotiate
About Joyce Group
Joyce Group owns well-known brands including Bedshed and holds a majority interest in KWB Group. Operating across retail, eCommerce, and home improvement services, the group differentiates itself through a strong focus on Australia’s most important asset, the home.
With a diverse operating model spanning corporate and franchise environments, Joyce Group required an ICT strategy that could support growth while reducing complexity and risk.
Watch the Joyce Group Case Study
Hear directly from Joyce Group’s CFO on why ERP was positioned within a broader ICT strategy, how executive and board alignment was achieved, and what changed once a clear roadmap was in place.
The Challenge:Fragmented Systems and Growing Risk Across the ICT Landscape
Before engaging SMC, Joyce Group faced increasing challenges across its ICT environment:
- Fragmented systems and integrations creating inefficiencies and operational risk
- Key person dependency within ICT support, raising sustainability concerns
- Limited scalability of the existing ERP and related systems
- Poor user experience and training gaps across franchise operations
- Inconsistent reporting and data integrity, limiting strategic decision-making
These projects are not insignificant in terms of cost and time. It’s not just about replacing an ERP system, it touches everything we do.
CFO Tim Allison
The leadership team recognised that progressing straight to ERP selection without a clear strategy would increase risk and undermine long-term outcomes.
Organisations experiencing similar challenges can use the SMC Digital Transformation Model to understand where they are in the transformation journey and what should be addressed before technology decisions are made.
SMC's ICT Strategy and ERP Roadmap Approach
SMC was engaged as an independent, client-side advisor to lead Joyce Group through the Strategy & Roadmap phase of its digital transformation.
SMC’s role was to help Joyce Group:
- Define a coherent ICT strategy aligned to business growth
- Establish ERP as the anchor platform within a broader digital landscape
- Create governance and decision frameworks to reduce execution risk
Key capabilities applied included:
Throughout the engagement, SMC maintained strict independence, providing vendor-neutral guidance and focusing on long-term business value rather than technology-led outcomes.
I just loved how much time we took, and the SMC team took, to understand our business and pain points, rather than coming in with a checklist.
CFO Tim Allison
Defining the ICT and ERP Roadmap Across Four Horizons
The Strategy & Roadmap engagement produced a practical, phased roadmap structured across four horizons:
- Horizon 1: Stabilise Establish an interim ICT operating model and deliver priority quick wins to stabilise the environment.
- Horizon 2: Select Complete detailed process analysis and progress ERP selection and commercial negotiation.
- Horizon 3: Implement Design, build, and test the standardised ERP solution and supporting platforms. Joyce Group's next stage aligns with SMC's Select & Negotiate phase, where business requirements are used to independently evaluate solutions, implementation partners and commercial options.
- Horizon 4: Deploy & Optimise Deploy ERP across all stores and embed the future-state ICT operating model.
Horizons 1 and 2 were delivered within the Strategy & Roadmap phase, ensuring Joyce Group entered ERP selection with clarity, alignment, and board confidence. Horizons 3 and 4 establish the pathway into Plan & Implement, where the selected solution moves from decision into structured delivery, followed by Review & Optimise once the new environment is operating.
I remember sitting in the boardroom and just seeing their brains click, ‘we could do that, or maybe we better do that.’ That was the kicker.
CFO Tim Allison
The OutcomeGreater Clarity, Executive Alignment and ERP Readiness
The engagement delivered outcomes that materially reduced risk and strengthened decision-making:
- A clear ICT strategy and roadmap aligned to business priorities
- Executive and board alignment on the role, scope, and timing of ERP investment
- A defined future-state ERP architecture to support scalability and efficiency
- Strong organisational readiness to move into ERP selection and delivery
Are we happy we chose SMC? One hundred percent. Did we achieve the objectives we originally had, and more? Absolutely.
CFO Tim Allison
Developing Your ICT or ERP Strategy?
If fragmented systems, limited scalability or unclear technology priorities are creating risk, SMC can help establish a business-led strategy and roadmap before major technology decisions are made.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Strategy & Roadmap phase defines the digital and ERP direction before any system is selected. It aligns business strategy, governance, processes, and technology priorities, ensuring organisations enter ERP selection with clarity and reduced risk.
Without a clear ICT strategy, ERP programs often become reactive, overly customised, or misaligned to business needs. An upfront strategy ensures ERP acts as the core platform within a broader digital ecosystem and supports long-term growth rather than short-term fixes.
SMC works as an independent, client-side advisor to help retail organisations define future-state processes, clarify ERP requirements, align stakeholders, and establish governance before engaging vendors. This reduces implementation risk and improves decision confidence.
This phase reduces the risk of poor-fit ERP selection, uncontrolled customisation, weak governance, stakeholder misalignment, and cost overruns by ensuring requirements, priorities, and sequencing are clearly defined upfront.
The duration varies based on complexity, but most engagements are completed within a structured timeframe that allows sufficient stakeholder engagement, process definition, and roadmap development without delaying momentum into selection.
By focusing on business outcomes, investment sequencing, and risk management, the Strategy & Roadmap phase provides boards and executives with clear decision frameworks, confidence in scope, and visibility of trade-offs before committing to major ERP investment.
Organisations typically move into the Select & Negotiate phase, where ERP vendors and implementation partners are evaluated against defined requirements, followed by Plan and Implement to deliver the solution.
Yes. The methodology is well suited to complex retail environments, including franchise and multi-brand models, where consistency, scalability, reporting, and adoption across diverse stakeholders are critical.
This engagement was a great example of how collaboration unlocks value. Joyce Group’s openness and willingness to involve stakeholders across the business meant we could uncover insights that weren’t visible at first glance. By taking the time to listen and tailor our approach, we helped create a roadmap that balances ambition with practicality, setting the foundation for sustainable transformation.
Cameron Elliott, Director of Operations
See What Comes Next
See how Fernland Agencies moved through a structured ERP selection process with independent, client-side support from SMC.
About the Author
Cameron Elliott is Director of Operations at Solution Minds Consulting, with over 20 years’ experience advising organisations on ERP and enterprise system strategy, selection, and delivery.
A former Director at Deloitte Consulting, Cameron has spent the past 14 years at SMC supporting clients with independent, client-side advice across ERP strategy, software selection and negotiation, and complex transformation programs. He has worked across industries including retail, manufacturing, resources, not-for-profit, and finance.
Planning Your Next ERP Move?
Choosing the right ERP is a strategic business decision. Our Cloud ERP Guide covers what to consider when evaluating your options, selecting the right solution and preparing for a successful transformation.
