Services That Drive Organizational Effectiveness

In some cases, it might just be that decisions made during the implementation process did not provide the required results. While some decisions might be final, others can be changed without requiring a significant investment in time and money. Issues with an existing system do not always require a full re-implementation; however the changes should be applied in with a well-structured plan.

The Solution Optimization Process

The solution optimization process requires an understanding of the implementation decisions that were made when the business system was implemented, as well as the shortcomings of the current configuration. I work with clients to identify opportunities to modify the setups in order to address the current challenges and improve overall system functionality for the client. The key steps in the optimization process include:

• Goals - identify the goals for the optimization project - i.e. to address shortcomings in data collection (i.e. not collecting sufficient client data, to improve ability to analyze sales volumes and trends, to address issues with data quality in reporting)
• Business Review / Situation Analysis - review current system configuration and underlying implementation decisions, identify if issues relate to system use (i.e. process flow, user error) versus system configuration, determine shortcomings of current configuration and user/process issues;
• Proposed solutions / Impact analysis - identify potential solutions and determine their impact on process flow, current data, ensure they will not have an adverse impact on the system, and identify potential training issues;
• Implement Changes - apply changes to system configuration and -- where necessary -- historical data;
• Validation - confirm changes deliver expected impact on the solution;
• Change Management - review what changes were made to the system, why they were made, how the updates will impact how the system, and how users are expected to use the system moving forward.
• Monitor - track system use and data to ensure that the revisions achieve the expected results.

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A good solution can streamline processes, improve efficiencies and make the daily tasks much easier. Equally as important, the right system should also provide meaningful information that supports decision making and effectively drives management and planning. The wrong solution can add to frustration, increase inefficiencies, create frustration and decrease job satisfaction, not to mention causing significant delays or bottlenecks.

The decision to implement a new business system is a significant one that will impact the organization. Recognizing that, I believe that the client is an essential part of the process and should play a key role in making an informed, educated decision.

The Discovery Process

When working with clients to find the right solution, I follow a standard methodology that has successfully helped me find the appropriate solution for several clients of varying sizes, in different sectors. The process includes:

• Business Review - meet with client to understand expectations, budget, current processes, practices, current/proposed IT infrastructure, and existing pain points that the client hopes to address;
• Needs Analysis - identify a clear list of client requirements for the new business system;
• Market Search and Product Review - demonstrations for various potential solutions to determine fit for client, (product functionality, security, configurability, scalability, ease of use, pricing, ability to integrate with other systems, data migration, total cost of ownership);
• Vendor Demos for Client - identify a short-list of potential solutions, create standardized demo script for vendors to follow, schedule demo's with client and vendor;
• Products Scoring and Review - objective discussion and scoring of vendor solutions based on product strengths, weaknesses, and overall fit for client;
• Final Selection - work with client to identify best fit, obtain final pricing and identify next steps. 

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Once a solution has been identified, there are a number of decisions required that will impact how effectively the software will support the organization's core business processes, as well as management decision-making. In some cases, the software vendor will provide consulting support to drive the implementation, however this is not always available, or when it is, they may be looking for answers that the client is unable to provide. Having the support of an independent project champion can help ensure that the solution meets your "actual" needs, not what the vendor "thinks" they are.

When implementing software, a number of key decisions must be made when configuring the solution that may have long-term implications for the organization. Some commercially available software requires the implementer to make critical decisions on how the solution will look and perform. For example - will you allow for open-ended answers, or provide drop down lists on certain forms. In this instance, while drop-down lists usually provide more limited detail, the information that is collected by the system becomes more easily analyzable then free-form text. Also, free-form text may take longer to complete than if the user just needs to select data from a series of drop-downs or checklists. How will business processes flow to ensure efficiency and accuracy? What are the security requirements (menu access, roles, responsibilities)? Are automated workflows required?

When defining how key data will be set up, it is very important to consider how key identifiers will be established. For example, have inventory item numbers been assigned in a systematic way that will subsequently support analysis and reporting, or randomly generated in a way that will not provide much useful information later?

If the organization is replacing an existing system, what data will be migrated to the new solution, and how will it be migrated? How does information within the old solution compare to the new solution? Is the new terminology the same as in the existing system or do you need to learn new concepts and terminology in order to use the system to work through processes and transactions?

Understanding and effectively addressing configuration issues such as the examples above will help avoid issues during the implementation process and also increase the likelihood of having an effective solution.

Software Implementation Process 

In order to successfully implement a software solution, the following are key processes:

• Project Initiation - Who are the key stakeholders and how will they be represented within the scope of the project implementation? Who will participate as members of the project team and how will their time be allocated to meet the demands of the project?
• Project planning and management - Who will be involved in the project plan? How long is it expected to take? How much will it cost? What are the key deliverables and when will each of those be completed? What will each team member complete and how? Who will be responsible for approving key decisions and final deliverables?
• Needs and Gaps Analysis - What is the new solution expected to achieve in terms of its ability to complete critical tasks, approvals, degree of automation, reporting, frequency of updates? What are the gaps within the chosen system compared to our requirements and how will those gaps be addressed?
• Process design - What will the sequence of tasks look like within the system?
• Implementation decisions - What will key data look like? What are the lists of values the user will see?  Who is responsible for setting them up and maintaining them?
• Testing - Does the current configuration meet our needs? Are there any issues that need to be addressed before moving the system to production (going "live" with the new software)?
• Change management - How will the new solution impact the organization? How do users work in the system? Who will train them, and how will training be delivered? What will training look like?
• Go-Live - How will the new system be moved into production so that end users might begin operating with the new software solution?
• Maintenance - What will the plan be for periodic reviews for data quality? What is the process for data quality management (i.e. removing duplicate clients, addressing user data entry errors)
• Archiving - What will happen to the old solution? How will the historical data be kept and accessed for future reference? 

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Have you searched for software and just can't find the appropriate solution that meets your needs? Are existing solutions only available for a cost-prohibitive price? In some cases it is just not possible for an organization to afford some of the commercially available "off-the-shelf" configurable solutions, or to operate within the constraints of those that are available. In situations such as these, organizations are faced with the decision either to adopt existing software and manage around the constraints, or to venture forth and design an appropriate custom solution that addresses the key business drivers in a comprehensive, customized solution.

While the decision to undertake the development of a custom software solution should not be undertaken lightly, there are times when an organization accepts that this is the best decision.

Custom Solution Design Process 

Designing a custom software solution requires a solid understanding of key business drivers and processes, requirements to support mandatory reporting and management decision making, data modelling, integration requirements, planning. and patience. It will require a significant investment in both financial and business resources, and often requires patience and time to arrive at the desired ultimate outcome.

The solution design process requires the following:

• Needs analysis - establish data and process requirements for the organization,  establish business rules, workflows, approval requirements;
• Data Modeling - Design appropriate data models (identify appropriate entities (master and transactional data) and associated attributes and relationships);
• Process Flows - Design appropriate business process flows;
• Interfaces - Define screen layouts and data attributes and data entry modes (i.e. available through pick lists, editable, read-only, etc);
• Security - define security model (who can create, edit, view and delete data);
• System Administration - Define administration model - how will master data (i.e. customers, inventory items, etc) be managed and maintained;
• Prepare test scenarios - Create system test scripts that outline how the solution is expected to process and manage key types of transactions (i.e. how a transaction will be processed, or a request will be approved) from the perspective of the user (through the interfaces) as well as from within the system based on processing logic)
• Secure development team - Identify and work with appropriate development resources throughout the technical design and development/implementation process
• Documentation and training requirements - Ensure appropriate system and user documentation is developed to support the change management process
• Reporting and Business Intelligence - Identify reporting requirements and create appropriate report layouts and definitions;
• Validation - Complete and validate functionality and ensure development is consistent with requirements;
• Change Management - Develop and deliver appropriate user training; update policy and procedure manuals as required;
• Data Migration - Prepare data migration from legacy systems as required;
• Cut-over - Move solution to production.

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A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) focuses on an organization's ability to quickly and effectively respond to a critical incident (any situation that may have a negative impact on an organization) and reduce the impact on the organization.

The objective of BCP is to help build resiliency (the ability to recovery from, or adjust easily to a misfortune or event). While the definition of a critical incident may vary based on your organization, it could be as simple as a mechanical failure (i.e. server outage), or the loss of key personnel (unexpected employee attrition), or it may be a more catastrophic event such as a fire or explosion, or pandemic. The purpose of a BCP is to help the organization understand what the risks are, how to manage and mitigate these risks; what the impacts are if these risks are realized; and how to respond in an appropriate way to minimize the impact on the organizations assets, processes, staff, and clients. 

Why have a Business Continuity Plan?

There are a number of benefits associated to having a solid BCP in place within an organization:

• minimizes confusion during a crisis;
• reduces reliance on specific resources;
• minimizes loss or damage to assets, data, revenue and customers;
• facilitates timely recovery of critical functions;
• safeguards human life;
• reduces the likelihood of the incident having a negative impact on public image and reputation.

What if I don't have a plan?

Failing to have an appropriate plan in place increases the likelihood of organizational failure should a negative incident occur. A recent study by Cummings, Haag and McCubbrey (2005), of companies who experience a significant data loss without having a solid Business Continuity/Disaster recovery plan in place, the following are some startling statistics:

• 43% will never re-open;
• 51% will close within 2 years;
• 6% will survive for the long-term.

As the old adage goes - "Failing to plan is planning to fail!"

Is this a big project?

Business continuity planning can be as simple or complex as your organization decides -- depending on how you define the scope and goals for the program. A key point to remember is that it is not a project (an undertaking with a clear start and end date) -- rather, continuity planning is a program that should become ingrained within the operation, and have plans and deliverables that are dynamic, "living" document that grow and are updated to address changes within your organization or environment.

The business continuity planning process 

When working with clients on Business Continuity Plans, Rivait Business Solutions follows professional standards and best practices established by DRI International and the Business Continuity Institute. Our service may be as simple as conducting an audit of existing plans to identify gaps in the organization's current plan, or it may involve working as the program coordinator to help the organization establish a full continuity management program.

Establishing a full program involves the following:

• Program initiation;
• Risk evaluation and control;
• Business Impact Analysis;
• Developing business continuity strategies;
• Emergency response planning;
• Developing and implementing business continuity plans;
• Awareness and training;
• Plan testing, auditing and maintenance;
• Crisis communication;
• Coordination with external agencies.

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Does your organization have a wish-list of projects that you just don't have the time to work on? Are there projects you would like to undertake but just do not know where to start, or the best way to proceed? In today's competitive economy, organizations are forced to operate with reduced staff counts which can restrict their availability of skilled resources to focus on new and potentially important projects.

Rivait Business Solutions is often seen by clients as an extension of the management team - an out-sourced team member that can be brought on board as required to work through critical projects, then move on when the project has successfully completed.This approach allows clients to fluidly respond to the changing needs of the organization while also meeting the constraints of head counts and operating budgets. Since collaboration and long-term relationships are at the core of our success, after completing a project, we maintain the arm's length relationship with our clients in order that we can continue to support their needs, answer questions, or address any issues that may arise when the project is done.

Rivait Business Solutions has provided a wide range of special project support to clients including:

• development of funding proposals for federal/provincial grant programs
• design of organizational web-sites and creation of appropriate copy for the web-site;
• implementation of gift-card programs
• designed and implemented strategic programs intended to build trading partner relationships within the client marketplace and improve company revenues;
• worked on behalf of client to drive software enhancements with existing software vendors;
• developed organizational mandates, policies and procedures;
• developed and implemented training on company systems and processes;
• developed strategic plans for various small-medium size organizations;
• assisted in establishing various HR policies, procedures, and other operating infrastructure;
• implemented various software solutions;
• identified and implemented CRM programs aimed at building brand awareness and client relationships with their existing clients and improving sales

Special Projects Process

Rivait Business Solutions has provided special projects support to clients across a range of industries and project types. In order to ensure project success, the following process is undertaken:

• Project definition - articulate a clear statement of project objectives, deliverables and expected outcomes;
• Define a clear process and set of tasks required to achieve expected results;
• Develop project plans to support the completion of the project in a timely, cost effective manner and minimize the risk of delays or complications;
• Provide project feedback to appropriate participants and timely status reporting to client's management team.
• Assist with change management process for the client.
• Provide support to client in implementation phase of the project.

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