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Strategy & Planning

Wholesale Distributor Shifts ERP Modernization Plan from Analysis to Action

Wholesale Distributor Shifts ERP Modernization Plan from Analysis to Action

A leading wholesale distributor needed to rebuild and reimagine a legacy, maintenance-heavy mainframe Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The platform had evolved over 35 years, but the distributor had to launch a modern replacement within only two to five years. Several attempts had stalled after numerous meetings failed to establish clear goals, and early deliverables struggled to gain stakeholder alignment and adoption.

How We Went from Ideas to Impact

  • The Idea

    To accelerate ERP modernization and drive adoption, the distributor needs a new approach—one that starts with the front-line associate. By focusing on real user needs, the distributor aligns business and technology teams, prioritizes functionality, and promotes adoption through early testing.

  • The Process

    UDig centers the effort on the associate experience, using Service Blueprinting to map how associate needs, business processes, and systems intersect. This foundation accelerates alignment, enables early prototyping, validates feasibility, and defines the architecture of the future ERP system.

  • The Impact

    In just seven weeks, a streamlined and structured blueprint cultivated stakeholder buy-in. UDig eliminated 20% of unneeded product requirements, cut meeting times by 40%, and achieved a near-universal prototype acceptance level from executives to sales associates.

The Idea

Associate-Centric Focus

To break out of stalled cycles and move forward with confidence, UDig introduced a new approach: start with the associate. Rather than leading with systems or specs, the team used Service Blueprinting—a UX design process that centers modernization around real user needs. 

UDig mapped the distributor’s customer journey—from planning a purchase to loading products—helping stakeholders visualize how internal processes, employee roles, and systems needed to evolve to better serve their customers. 

This shift helped teams build shared understanding, identify priorities, and move quickly. UDig consultants, fluent in both business strategy and technology, facilitated sessions to bridge stakeholder perspectives and maintain momentum.

Service Blueprinting streamlined the process by:  

  • Visualizing the business use case in a way everyone can understand and support 
  • Uncovering how customer interactions, associate responsibilities, and supporting technology work together 
  • Bridging gaps between technology teams and business stakeholders 
  • Identifying inefficiencies, pain points, and opportunities 
  • Accelerating alignment across teams by clearly defining both front-stage (customer-facing) and backstage (internal) processes  
  • Promoting adoption by using UX prototypes to test how real people engage with the system in daily operations 

The Process

Service Blueprinting

UDig launched the modernization process by creating a visual map of the customer journey, internal processes, and supporting systems. This Service Blueprint became the critical meeting point between customers, associates, and technology, aligning all teams on what software elements truly needed to be modernized. 

UDig then quickly established an efficient workflow:  

  1. Design the UX prototype to test real user needs and workflows  
  2. Check technical feasibility to validate that the design was technically viable 
  3. Build the target architecture to support the new associate experience  

UDig’s product designers began with a UX prototype. They first built a mid-fidelity UX design for early testing with operations and product owners. User feedback was then incorporated into a more developed clickable Figma prototype, which was tested with key stakeholders to reveal what elements users needed and would use.  

After finalizing the prototype with stakeholder feedback, UDig checked technological specifications with software engineering to ensure that the ultimate target architecture was achievable within parameters.   

Within weeks, the distributor’s teams and associates agreed on a prioritized, relevant system architecture that enhanced the user experience.  

The Impact

Aligned Agreement

In just seven weeks, UDig successfully helped relaunch the ERP modernization initiative. By aligning teams, validating needs through early feedback, and mapping a phased delivery plan, UDig provided the clarity and direction needed to move forward. 

The effort resulted in: 

  • A clear 12-step project timeline to refine and finalize requirements 
  • Reduced initial build timeline by ~10 months 

With a clear path forward, the distributor transitioned into engineering with confidence— overcoming the roadblocks that had slowed progress in earlier attempts. 

Key outcomes included: 

  • Alignment between technology and business stakeholders on priorities and user needs 
  • Early feedback loop to strengthen adoption 
  • 20% of outdated or unnecessary requirements removed 
  • 40% reduction in discussion time, accelerating decisions 

The Service Blueprint approach didn’t just create a cohesive roadmap—it created momentum. Seven weeks of strategic effort set the distributor on the fast track to real, sustainable impact. 

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