Ross Stores recently chose PeopleSoft 8 as its eBusiness solution. See how this smart move translates into streamlined operations, collaborative business processes, and improved customer relationships for Ross.

Ross Stores, the discount fashion retailer with more than 400 stores in 17 states, was searching for the right eBusiness solution. Ross Stores' management knew what they were looking for-the most effective way to enable employee-supplier collaboration and the most productive way to improve operational efficiency. They wanted to make business operations more automated and move towards a paperless environment.

"We were looking for a system that could give us one source of information, in a database environment, so we wouldn't have to have as many spreadsheets," says Jay Amond, vice president and corporate controller for Ross Stores. After comparing the leading integrated eBusiness solutions on the market, Ross Stores selected what it determined was the best solution to its unique eBusiness challenges-PeopleSoft 8.

PeopleSoft Offers a Fitting Solution
Ross licensed PeopleSoft 8 pure internet applications, including PeopleSoft Financials, Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM). In PeopleSoft's solutions,Ross found both the functionality and integration it was looking for along with a system that could easi1y meld into Ross' existing systems.

Ross, a PeopleSoft HRMS customer since 1997, cited the capabilities of PeopleSoft's industry-leading Portal Solutions as a primary factor in its decision. The portal allows people in different roles, such as suppliers and employees, to enter Ross' business through the same doorway. Ross was convinced that PeopleSoft technology surpassed that of its competitors in leveraging the internet to manage business processes and enable collaboration among customers, suppliers, and employees.

The Portal to a Collaborative Experience
In PeopleSoft 8, Ross Stores found an environment for a new collaborative experience-one in which suppliers and employees could conduct business over the internet, using standard web browsers as the interface. Because the web browser environment was already familiar, user training and maintenance of the applications would be easy.

"By collaborating with our employees and suppliers through PeopleSoft's portals, Ross Stores expects to improve operational productivity and enhance supplier relationships, without increasing costs," said John Call, Ross' CFO and senior vice president.

Using PeopleSoft's secure, role-based portal technology and SCM, Ross Stores and its suppliers can share personalized business information anywhere, anytime using a web browser and an internet connection. What's more, with PeopleSoft 8:

• Ross can enjoy streamlined day-to-day business operations-from processing expense reports to processing purchase orders and paying invoices.
• Finding answers and getting results are quicker and more efficient than ever before. o Turn-around time is dramatically reduced.
• Stores will have templates for their supply orders.
• Purchase Orders from across the retail chain can be consolidated into one order, facilitating business processes of any size.

Suppliers can have immediate and direct access to their accounts and can manage critical tasks, such as tracking purchase orders and checking on invoice status, on their own. This eliminates the delays and irritations of purchasing by telephone, where rounds of return calls and busy signals slow the pace and reduce productivity.

Scoring Performance with Business Analytics
Ross also wants an easily accessible, reliable, and speedy way to assess its enterprise data. PeopleSoft Balanced Scorecard, part of PeopleSoft EPM, will make this possible. Balanced Scorecard draws key business information from various systems within the enterprise and provides at-a-glance qualitative and quantitative performance data.

Using this sophisticated analytics tool, Ross management can drill through pages of data and pinpoint information precisely. For example, executives can locate a target store, assess the store's current and projected performance based on key metrics such as department performance and gross margin contribution, and use that data to identify areas that need attention.

Embedded analytics provide designated employees with the ability to analyze the business from perspectives they weren't able to see in the past. They have immediate access to information that will help them make smarter decisions-faster.

The Future Looks Bright
Simultaneous implementation of all modules is slated for the first half of 2002. Ross is eager to incorporate the applications into its business operations and feels this "big bang" approach will save time and be less disruptive for the company. In order to make this happen, PeopleSoft Consulting will work with Ross' management and IT staff throughout the process.

Ross anticipates that moving its business systems to the internet with PeopleSoft 8 will give Ross the tools it needs to consolidate disparate systems, enabling employees to have quicker and better access to information. Ross management says they look to the enhanced system for analyzing information as a means to improve overall operations. They feel that the workflows embedded in the various applications Ross will be using will boost efficiency and reduce the amount of paper in the workplace. And through improved Interaction between employees and suppliers made possible by the portal technology, Ross ultimately anticipates better customer service.

Communication and collaboration are at the root of Ross' vision for its future. As the company grows, it is looking to PeopleSoft 8 to support and maintain the same level of communication Ross had when it was a young enterprise of just a few stores in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Find out how you can expand your burgeoning enterprise with PeopleSoft 8. A PeopleSoft representative can also contact you to offer more personal assistance.

by Francine Schwartz Copyright 02001 PeopleSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.