The Challenge
Taylor Grady, Senior Procurement Manager at Astronomer, shared insights into how implementing Opstream transformed their procurement process, offering valuable lessons for procurement and finance professionals.
Astronomer.io is a leading provider of data orchestration solutions, helping organizations manage and optimize their data workflows.
Before Opstream, “The ordering at Astronomer was an extremely time-consuming manual process,” Taylor explained. Approval requests were scattered across different Slack channels, tracked on spreadsheets, and often fell through the cracks. This fragmentation led to forgotten renewals and a lack of visibility into the approval process.
The Solution
Unlike other orchestration platforms that took an average seven months to implement and weeks just to make simple changes, Opstream was up and running for Astronomer to use within a couple of weeks.
“Hands down, the easiest and most efficient implementation I’ve done,” Taylor remarked, reflecting on his experience with Opstream.
Key Features of Opstream:
1. Making Changes in Real-Time
One of Taylor’s favorite features of Opstream is its user-friendly interface, which allows him to make updates to ticket flows in real time. “If I see something that’s kind of a bottleneck to our ordering, I can go in and update that in the ticket flow real quick,” Taylor said. This capability contrasts sharply with previous systems, where even minor changes required back-and-forth with engineers and could take weeks. Being able to make these changes himself ensures that tickets move through the system quickly and efficiently.
2. Enhancing Reporting and Budget Management
Another major advantage of Opstream is its robust reporting capabilities. “For every order that is approved, I can go through and check our savings on the month, our spend on the month, which helps with FP&A and their budget,” Taylor highlighted. This transparency eliminates much of the uncertainty around spending and allocation, providing clear insights into financial data and helping manage the budget more effectively.
3. Preventing Duplicate Software
Opstream also helps in eliminating duplicate software purchases. “They have a feature where when you type in the software that you’re going to be purchasing, it allows you to sequence and see if there’s any duplicates within the system already that you have ordered or you are under contract for,” Taylor explained. This feature is invaluable in preventing duplicate software acquisitions, ensuring that resources are used efficiently and cost-effectively.
Impact of Opstream: Improved Efficiency and Guardrails in Procurement
Implementing Opstream has not only streamlined the procurement process but also introduced essential guardrails. These guardrails ensure that all procurement activities follow a standardized and efficient workflow, reducing the risk of errors and missed renewals. “We now have approval tracking, renewal tracking, everything is being tracked through Opstream, which helps our overall procurement process with minimal interruptions,” Taylor emphasized.
Cross-Departmental Benefits: How Marketing at Astronomer.io Leverages Opstream
The benefits of Opstream extend beyond the procurement team. The marketing department, for instance, has seen significant improvements. “All of their events and sponsorships are now coming through Opstream, and all of their onboarding of vendors for payments and contract renewals is all coming through the system,” Taylor noted. This streamlined process has freed up valuable time for the marketing team to focus on their core activities, knowing that procurement tasks are efficiently handled through Opstream.
The Results
Taylor’s experience with Opstream at Astronomer& underscores the platform’s significant benefits: ease of use, centralized management, and enhanced budget oversight. By implementing Opstream, Astronomer has not only improved its procurement efficiency but also empowered its teams to focus on their core responsibilities without being bogged down by manual processes.
