Preamble:
The client was looking for ways to enable better management of overwhelming amounts of files, communication, email and other information required to do the job on a day to day basis.
Sharing ideas and best practices, thinking and working across boundaries and partnering towards a common goal is a key focus of the client. The use of Collaborative Software appears to offer many advantages going forward in both dealing with the numerous issues and exploiting opportunities to utilize such software as the foundation for further operational improvements in the future.
By examining the number and variety of business requirements where collaborative software could be advantageous, the client would be able to assess the real benefits of implementing collaborative technology.
STEPS
1. Establish Steering Committee
2. Consult with Staff
3. Consolidate Input
4. Examine Options
5. Develop Roadmap
6. Recommendations
MAJOR FINDINGS / OBSERVATIONS
In sum, the business requirements gathered during the consultation process speak to a variety of ways in which staff would be able to operate, meet goals and objectives and interact with one another and with stakeholders in a timely, more effective fashion.
Some of the business requirements will involve longer term investments while a significant number represent opportunities to quickly yet judiciously move toward improving how staff collaborate and to improving the quality and seamlessness of how both corporate data as well as business operational information is hosted, shared and accessed according to need.
The variety of business requirements and the reasons for them speak to the dynamic, engaging nature of the client workplace. Person-to-Person and Person-to-Group Collaboration occurs each and every day in pursuit of a variety of goals and objectives; however, the tools and processes of the current environment are not designed for the virtual workplace where collaboration is a constant high priority, high volume and high intensity activity.
Given what was stated by way of business requirements and being mindful of the current economic environment, budgetary and manpower limitations – there is a very real need for incremental, demonstrable successes as a means to build and sustain receptivity for integrating collaborative tools into the operating fabric of the client organization. It is clear that a incremental layered approach will provide the the best Return on Investment while providing a robust and functionally rich foundation that can be built upon in measured steps based on priorities and budgetary limits.
OVERVIEW OF CONSULTATION PROCESS
Information gathering sessions were held with staff from various functions and with Chair and one Board member. At these sessions, participants identified issues that were of concern to them, not necessarily limited to issues tagged to collaborative software as the solution. As a result of the consultations; the comments and observations were classified as either/or a Hot Button or a Pain Point – items that are seen as of primary importance to the person by making their work more effective and/or efficient OR items that by virtue of process gaps, disconnects, technological limitations, etc, make the work harder, fragmented or require incremental effort to complete. .
In summary; the consultations and analysis captured in excess of 105 HOT BUTTONS / PAIN POINTS. By correlating what was stated about a Hot Button or Pain Point with what was known about the existence, absence, deficiency or unavailability of technology and/ or processes related to the comments across the business, a consolidated view of business requirements was derived.
The consolidated view allocated the expressed business requirements into eight logical groups. Each logical group is anchored by one or more commonalities or affinities according to either information and/or process issues or opportunities. Examples of requirement(s) within each logical group follow:
1. CALENDAR WORK RESOURCE
The ability to see who is doing what, why, where, when and with what intended result (with appropriate security/necessity constraints) across the bsuiness as well as with different lens according to business function, like Which Officer’s are holding Granting Workshops where and when.
2. GROUP / FUNCTION PROCESS
The ability to collaboratively use, share and distribute documents, forms and transactional entities without the need for multiple, replicated steps including hard copy conveyance to next in line. I.E: Translations, Grants and Awards, Jury Processes, Proof Reading, Project/ Operational Committee’s, etc.
3. DATA SPECIFIC FUNCTION The ability to know when data / information in predefined forms, brochures, web pages, publications is stale dated, obsolete or requires revision and to be able to easily access previous versions/iterations to ensure accuracy.
4. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS – TRANSACTIONAL The ability to make a person, a group, a collective aware about information of value/import hosted in a single viewable portal space by sending an automated advisory/tickler/reminder to defined recipient(s).
5. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS – INFORMATIONAL The ability to find pertinent, relevant and current information quickly and easily by search functionality and/or by accessing business function specific workspace to review policies, procedures, forms, etc. and where appropriate to invoke next step transactions – i.e. travel expense submittal, bulk photo copy requisition, etc.
6. IT SPECIFIC The ability to manage corporate information assets and collateral according to standards and guidelines and in alignment with policies related to records retention, information obsolescence, etc.
7. MANAGEMENT The ability for business functions to better manage and share information by having specific workspace where information can be stored, updated, disseminated (see #5) and utilized for business function specific purposes (see #4).
8. EXT. COMMUNICATIONS (BUSINESS FUNCTION) The ability to address both inbound communications between various constituents/stakeholders and the OAC and outbound communications from the bsuiness to individuals, individuals as part of a group or groups as an entity.
RELATIVE VALUE ASSIGNATION
The logical grouping allowed for an assessment of relative value of each requirement in the group against the rest of the requirements in the group and, by extension, across all expressed requirements. This assessment examined each requirement in terms of the value to the business and individual (these are not necessarily one and the same), the relative cost of addressing one requirement vs. another requirement and in similar comparative terms – the relative complexity/length of time necessary to deploy a solution for the requirement.
This last element hinged on a determination of the implications of each requirement – is it a singular item with minimal interlock and ‘lightly’ integrated currently or is it deeply nested or interwoven into existing processes?
References and Testimonials Available Upon Request
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