Business Model for DMS Services, Planning for Product Selection

Role: Business Strategy / Technology Consultant

A data center operating in the healthcare business is planning to leverage its current know-how in document scanning and imaging as well as the already available infrastructure to offer new services in the area of document management.

In workshops the possible service offerings have been elaborated and target customer groups have been identified. Considering the available infrastructure, different possible system architectures have been discussed and critical requirements on a new DMS system have been derived. For the further proceedings a rough project planning has been established. In cooperation with cbs-network financing possibilities for the project have been investigated

As a Result the business model has been refined and stabilized from the market and IT perspective. A project plan / schedule has been created for the further steps. The consulting in the financing area will most certainly lead to considerable savings in the implementation project.

 

Outlook:

• Further product selection - longlist, queries, shortlist, request for proposals, lab, prototype, pilot customer

• Planning for and support in execution and evaluation of laboratory tests, prototype and pilot systems

• Creation of a procedure / methodology for implementing new customers

• Support in calculation methods and defining service pricing

• Support in marketing and sales (lectures / customer visits, especially large scale prospects)

 

High Scalability Systems Architecture for a Process Management System

Role: Systems Architect

For a project at a large scale user company with an expected number of concurrent users posing high-level requirements on the underlying systems architecture concerning scalability and reliability, a systems architecture was designes that fulfills these requirements through a distributed component based system. Important components are workflow management, forms management and a database server. As peripheral systems SAP, a document archive and a legacy system are embedded into the architecture.

After evaluating the customer's requirements the architecture basics have been designed and verified in workshops together with the producers pf these components. Any arising questions have been discussed with the responsible contact persons on the customer side.

As a Result a reusable white paper has been created, which will also be used in future projects.

 

Outlook:

• Refining the architecture into a technical design

• Implementing a prototype system for design verification

• Execution or coaching of project management for the implementation project

 

Concept for Introduction of a Subsidiary-Spanning ERP- and Project Controlling System

Role: Management Consulting ERP/MIS and Process Optimization,
Project Manager

Starting in a situation where a new company has been brought together from existing subsidiaries (approx. 350 employees in 4 countries) with very different solutions in the various areas for time management, project controlling, material management, finance, controlling, and consolidation, the company was looking for an integrated application which covers all these requirements and removes media breaches and interfaces.

In different workshops the existing systems have been evaluated, key-users have been identified, a requirements profile for the subsequent system has been collected and a functional concept for implementing the new company structure (divisions with legal units by country) into a cost center framework has been developed. It has been decided to replace the existing systems by a new common solution. The requirements profile was assigned to the various modules of a new application, discussed with the IT infrastructure department and used as a base for a product selection process. On the base of the ERP-system Navision and a branch solution for project- and service-business some preparing workshops for a later introduction of the system have been planned and performed.

As a Result there is a complete concept for ERP introduction consisting of a requirements catalog, a project organization structure (project management, steering committee, project team, key users), and the results of the preparing workshops in form of a requirements specification.

 

Outlook:

• Finalization of a product decision and introduction of the system,

• Extension into the direction of a close integration with software products used for project planning

• Distributed use (cooperating sites in different countries, project teams at their customers)

• Usage of system integration and business intelligence technologies in the areas controlling / project controlling

Process Orientation in Warehouse-Management

Role: Management Consulting SCM and Process Optimization

During a workshop, which was conducted in the role of a consultant and coach, a preliminary study about core processes in the area of warehouse management and logistics processes has been created. Afterwards optimization of resource planning and capacity loading has been defined as a target for further investigation. 

A project team at the customer has been instructed to collect relevant information on processing of the incoming customer orders. After a short analysis and preparation phase another workshop was held to create a simulation model using a process modelling and simulation tool brought in by the consultant. The model was verified, refined and ultimately used as a base for process simulation.  

The technical Result was a simple tool with minimal requirements on the underlying IT infrastructure, which is able to calculate required hours by differend employee skill profiles and a schedule for the next day, after entering a few key data on incoming orders which can be derived  from the existing warehouse management application.  As economical "side effect" the project has created the base for daily transparent project controlling in warehouse management.  

Given the possibility to at least partly fill the employee pool by dynamic orders, direct savings are expected, so that there will be a ROI that exceeds the process consulting cost in a minimum time.

Ausblick:

• Extension of these procedures to further core processes,

• Introduction of simple controlling tools which allow direct viewing of daily key indicators, and as far as justified by the savings achieved so far:

• Introduction of process management procedures with IT technical support (workflow)

• Usage of system integration and business intelligence technologies in the areas controlling / project controlling

• Extension by a calculation module to enable carrying back the controlling results into the quotation process.

 

IT Concept for Controlling and Monitoring of Import/Export Processes

Role: Management Consulting SCM and Process Optimization,
System Architect

During a few preliminary meetings, the available infrastructure of a logistics service provider and its local logistics partner company in South Africa was investigated. Details have been clarified with the respective software suppliers. A short visit in Johannesburg was used to collect information on logistical frame conditions and requirements of the outsourcing customer of the logistics service provider. In addition the customer's IT infrastructure was investigated and interfaces have been defined.

Production of an IT solution concept including a systems architecture for processing the import and export business with complete control and monitoring for these processes from discovering the material requierements resp. its entry in the customer's MRP system up to import processing starting with monitoring the last production stages until delivery. The systems architecture provides for transparency throughout this complete process (including connection to the appropriate air and sea freight tracking systems). Arising exception situations (e.g. delays) are proactively treated and reported, if appropriate also the customer (systems) are actively involved in avoiding the problem. A central process management (workflow) system builds the technical base for the solution.

As a Result the system allows a close communication of the involved partners. By extensively automating standard activities, decisions and interfaces the process managers can concentrate on exception handling and their core business.

Outlook:

• Generalization of this approach for use in different logistics- and outsourcing-projects

• Developing an ASP-model for simple reuse through different sites, customers and projects,

• Investigation of possibilities to extend the technical process management into supplier and customer processes (outsourcing of process management or selling the IT solution)

 

SCM- / E-Fulfillment B2B2C Solution for Electro- and Electronics-Industry

Role: Management Consulting SCM and eBusiness,
System Architect

On behalf of a logistics service provides the systems architecture and a solution concept for integration of all participants in the B2B2C process was developed. Members of the projects were experts from the partner companies HP, Broadvision and i2.

The solution provides a possibility for end customers ("...2C") to an eCommerce platform. By an appropriate integration of backoffice systems of an elctro company an its business partners and dealer organization ("B2B...") as well as the systems of the logistics service provider the complete network of business processes from CRM via supply-chain management and fulfillment can be covered. Central components actively drive process management and processing and storage of the resulting documents. The B2B communication is done on the base of EDI and XML.

As a Result a systems architecture, a marketing concept and a planning for developing a prototype system have been produced.

Outlook:

• Prototype development,

• Pilot operation at a specific customer site,

• Further marketing and sales

 

Workflow-Integration in ERP-Applications

Role: Project Manager, System Architect

After a deeply analysing the workflow management system COSA Workflow, a well-known ERP software company decides to cancel its own product development in this area and use COSA Workflow instead. In the resulting project for integration of this workflow system with the modelling tools and application components of the ERP system, the architecture design and project management have been assigned.

Working together with a project team of more than 40 employees (and a steering committee on director's board level) the modelling components have been adapted, model translation components have been developed, EAI methods for workflow integration into the ERP applications have been provided and all standard development cases have been supported. In addition the application developers received consulting in workflow enabling their software products. The workflow product development team's organization has been closely associated into the ERP companies development processes and methodology.

As a Result interfaces between the modelling and application components in the ERP system on one side and the workflow management system on the other side have been designed and implemented. Mechanisms for fast localization into various languages have been built. In the product development organization an assessment according to the Capability Maturity Model has been conducted and the development methodology of the ERP company has been introduced (training and coaching).

Outlook:

• Further workflow enabling of the ERP applications,

• Using the scheduling functionality of the workflow management system in various places of the ERP internal process control mechanisms.

 

Electronic Claims-File in Car Damage Claims-Processing in an Insurance Company

Role: Management Consulting Process Optimization and Document Management,
System Architect

Based on the participation in a working group of the GDV (Association of German Insurance Companies) for development of an application architecture for insurances (VAA) with a special focus on workflow management, the insurance company decides to have a feasibilty study created. The main topic is the design of an electronic claims file with workflow and document management as central components and interfaces to the various host based systems and to a self-developed client/server based legacy application.

In close cooperation with a project team on customer side the relevant frame conditions are analyzed: volume of incoming documents and their structure, processes / intermediate results of a parallel process reengineering project, relevant host applications, their interfaces and roles in the overall process.

As a Result the requested feasibility study if form of a technical and organisational solution concept has been developed. This project phase was followed by a request for proposal and an implementation project for a technical prototype. In the meantime the pilot operation phase has been concluded successfully and German wide rollout has started. The insurance company has aquired company licenses of the workflow- and document archiving products which have been used for the project.

Outlook:

• Further completion of the rollout,

• Introduction of the system in other claims processing areas,

• Introduction of the system for contract management processes.