Overview

BMTools core services center around applying business modelling, commercial and programming skills to improve processes and decision making.

A typical project includes a number of common features:

• Modelling complex business processes.
• Accessing data from multiple sources, integration with existing IT systems.
• Automating repetitive or complex processes.
• Customised reports and queries.
• User-friendly interface, avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Development Steps

BMTools focuses on delivering well-structured, user-friendly solutions that fulfil user requirements and are easy to maintain. Use of standard technologies, documentation and design best practice help ensure easy maintenance and upgrades. Projects are broken down into manageable steps, with rapid prototyping to quickly produce results and ensure customer alignment.

Technologies

BMTools has expertise in a number of core technologies, including:

• Microsoft Excel, Access and SQL Server
• C# (ASP.NET Core, WPF, VSTO Office development), VBA

Flexible, scalable solutions can be developed using a combination of Excel, Access or SQL Server, while VBA/C# allow coding of complex procedures and integration with existing IT systems.

Why build a model?

All major business decisions should be analysed to determine their impact on financial performance. This normally involves building a business model. BMTools has developed a wide variety of complex financial models to support cost and cash flow analysis, restructuring, investment appraisal and strategic planning (M&A, scenario analysis etc) in order to reduce costs, improve returns and allocate resources.

Model Development

In addition to the standard features described in the Overview, we ensure that best practice is adhered to when building models in order to improve overall reliability and maintainability, including:

• Separation of inputs, calculations and outputs.
• Modular build.
• In-built error checking.
• Customised reports and queries.
• User friendly interface, avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Code can also be used to automate complex calculations or improve model usability e.g. menu-driven commands.

Experience

BMTools has provided solutions for major international companies across a range of sectors, including:

Clients

Examples of clients for whom BMTools has provided solutions include:

Thomson Reuters

Working closely with IT and engineering, BMTools rebuilt the model for the global data centres. This model showed the financial and technical requirements (e.g. power, headcount, server numbers & types) resulting from a worldwide program to centralise, automate and virtualise +40,000 servers in new or upgraded data centres. Built using best practice, the main benefits included improved reliability, ease of maintenance and audit.

TNT

BMTools developed a detailed profitability analysis tool that automatically imported and processed data from different systems (more than 3 million letters a day). In addition to detailed analysis of customer & product profitability, the tool was used for revenue assurance and cost reconciliations.

Abbott

BMTools built and deployed internationally the monthly forecasting and consolidation models used for over 70 countries and units. In use for over a year, these models reduced the consolidation time from hours to minutes, and automatically consolidated financial and non-financial data (e.g. commentaries) that were not captured in existing systems. A user-friendly interface enabled easy production of forecasts, automatic download of historical data from Hyperion Essbase, and standardised reporting.

BT

Working with Morgan Franklin, a US headquartered consultancy, BMTools built a product profitability model for BT Global Services. This was a volume-driven model that forecast the profitability across a complex bundle of products, services and equipment.