Overview
The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) – Natural History, fondly known as the Dead Zoo, is one of Dublin’s most treasured landmarks. Opened in 1857, just two years before Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, the museum has inspired generations with its vast collection of over two million specimens. Its mission remains the same today: to educate, inspire, and spark curiosity about the diversity of life on Earth.
As part of the Irish Government Shared Service Centre, NMI uses Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 across Finance and Procurement.
The Challenge
While Oracle EBS was in place, many staff had received little or no training on the system due to the shared services setup. When an experienced Financial Director joined NMI, he quickly recognised the need for structured training—not only for himself but also for colleagues who had been using Oracle without formal guidance.
The key challenges were:
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Minimal prior training for staff across Finance and Procurement.
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A requirement for structured training manuals that could serve as onboarding and reference materials.
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Training delivery needed to be fully virtual due to the pandemic.
The objective was clear: build confidence, competence, and consistency in how staff used Oracle Financials and Procurement.
Our Approach
Fudgelearn began with a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and a full review of the Oracle system setup. Together with NMI, we agreed a structured training approach, broken into manageable sessions to ensure retention.
Training was delivered virtually over several weeks, supported by bespoke handbooks that doubled as future reference guides for new starters.
Training covered:
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Oracle EBS Fundamentals
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Purchase to Payments Overview
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Creating Purchase Orders and PO Receipts
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Purchasing Reports
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Assets Overview
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Receivables Overview
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Creating Customer Accounts, Invoices, and Credit Notes
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Receipts (Standard & Miscellaneous)
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Credit Control & Receivables Reports
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Oracle Cash Management Overview
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Bank Statement Reconciliations (As-Is Process)
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Month-End Close Process (As-Is)
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Discoverer Reporting
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FSG Report Creation
A post-training review and refresher was built in to reinforce knowledge and give staff time to embed what they had learned.
Benefits
The results were immediate and impactful:
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The Financial Director was able to confidently report and manage processes within Oracle.
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All staff—both new and existing—gained proficiency in Finance and Procurement functions.
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Training manuals became valuable living documents, ensuring that future new starters would not face the same knowledge gaps.
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Efficiency improved, saving the department significant time and cost.
Most importantly, staff felt supported and empowered, with the confidence to use Oracle effectively in their daily roles.
Key Takeaway
With the right training, delivered in a flexible and user-focused way, NMI transformed Oracle from a daunting system into a trusted daily tool—helping staff spend less time struggling with processes and more time focusing on the museum’s mission of inspiring visitors.
