Recently TSI worked with a client who is going through a period of tremendous growth who asked us to look at their current ERP platform, and make a determination whether their current solution will meet their long-term needs.  During our project, a frequent question I was asked by the client staff was (or something very similar) “What new software are we going with?”  This struck me as odd because after doing several evaluations, I know there is a process and methodology to follow when performing a software evaluation.  However, what became clear is that most people in an organization have limited or no experience picking the right software for their organization.

When posed this question, there are some common analogies we like to use.  The analogy that seems to resonate the most is to think about buying a home.  I recently went through this process, and life would have been a whole lot easier at the time if I knew out of the gate which house I was going to buy.  We all know that this is not how it works.  When evaluating the houses during this process, my wife and I evaluated several things, including the functionality, structural stability (from what we could see), cleanliness and look (curb appeal) of that home. 

We did end up putting in an offer for a house, and like most wise homebuyers, we brought in a home inspector to evaluate the house itself.  It turns out that it was good that we did because of a rotting foundation, significant problems with the roof that needed to be repaired right away, as well as a raccoon infestation that would not be easy to resolve.  Needless to say, we did not purchase that home, but through our diligence, we did find the right home.  Not only does our new home check all of the boxes on our “requirements” list, it does not have a family of raccoons living in the attic!

The same can be said of doing a software evaluation for your organization.  Over the years, I have developed three key things to remember about the process of evaluating software:

1. There are many options out there, not just the one everyone talks about.

Just because everyone talks about the same 2-3 software vendors (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft for ERP), this does not mean that they are going to be the right one for your company. Granted these software vendors have a very good product, but each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, there are now hundreds of ERP software vendors, many offering cloud based solutions to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, which brings me to my second point.

2. There is a process – Follow it.

How do you possibly find the right one while there are so many options to choose from?  Follow the process. TSI uses a proprietary four-step software evaluation approach to understand the need, define the future state, develop requirements and the RFP and finally run the finalists through vendor demonstrations.  Key to this is to understand how your company needs and wants your business processes to run, not to be confused with how they are performed today.  A common failure of any software evaluation (which leads to implementation failure) is not developing the future state process that will inform the vendors and you how the technology you are evaluating will get you there.  Technology is not the panacea to all pains, but a tool to utilize in conjunction with process and organizational policies that will make it work.  Lazy or uninformed evaluations will invariably bring unexpected and at times heavy costs/risks to you and your organization, which brings us to our final point.

3. Do the work, put data behind the decision.

The decision you will be making as to which software will take you into the next 8-10 years is a big one.  Even worse, an uninformed decision will likely cost you millions of dollars in implementation costs, likely cause you software adoption problems, interrupt the business and customers and may even cost you your job. To ensure you have made the best decision possible, and are able to defend it, put the work in, and get the data. Likely, your organization is complex, with some unique needs from a software system.  Your unique needs for a software system will reveal (if used correctly) which strengths and weaknesses are of significant consideration.  To get all of the information necessary will require an investment in time and resources from your organization.

One way TSI has used data to help inform the buying decision is to use the trusty radar chart.  Here is an example where we used the vendor evaluation scores from the company SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to score two different software vendors for fit.  As you can see, each of the spokes (or functional areas) have varying degrees of fit.  It is then up to the organization to decide which of these spokes have a greater priority, and which need to have additional evaluation to bridge the functional gaps. 

To get to this point, the project required more than two months to develop requirements for each area, select two finalist vendors, develop demonstration scripts for each functional area, conduct the vendor demonstrations, and perform the score collection and analysis.

So remember, if you find someone in your organization making a decision on a piece of technology without doing the due diligence required, take them by the shoulders, give them a good shake, and shout my “three things to remember” right at them. Do that or whatever HR appropriate method you can use to get their attention. Either way, if you are feeling stuck on how to make this decision, feel free to give us a call – The TSI Team can help!

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TSI was selected for several projects at The Archdiocese of Chicago.  First, TSI led the implementation of Blackbaud’s Luminate Online solution to satisfy their need for a contemporary online giving and e-communication management platform. Transforming Solutions was selected to manage this implementation to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of the product.

TSI was also engaged to define and improve financial and gift receipt and reporting processes.  We leveraged our methodology that included program management, current state process mapping and analysis, future state process development, development of applicable policies, and change management. The outcome was a platform and a comprehensive set of online procedures related to online giving. This capability, in turn, helps the Archdiocese of Chicago better engage with constituents, strengthen its mission, and ultimately increase revenue.

Transforming Solutions worked closely with key stakeholders, C-level management, 3rd party vendors, and end-users to ensure a successful implementation. This included facilitating working sessions to map and review the current state of online giving-related processes, defining the ideal future state of these processes, and developing supporting documentation.  

Overall, the project successfully implemented a number of online giving forms with a seamless user experience, event registration, email functionality, and procedures over the course of 8 months. A data sync between the online giving platform and the database of record is also in place as part of the implementation, giving the Archdiocese more accurate and rapidly available data to drive strategic decisions and strengthen controls. Additionally, TSI conducted several ‘Voice of the Donor’ sessions that provided input of actual donors into the implementation of the technology.  

The implementation transformed the Archdiocesan ability to connect with donors via a digital platform.  Not only are donors able to give online but are also receiving more correspondence regarding the opportunity to engage further. While they were previously sending 5-6 messages per year, with Luminate Online the Archdiocese of Chicago was able to distribute 10 messages in just 3 months to just under a million donor contacts. This level of engagement generated excitement both outside and within the organization, building strong momentum for future phases of implementation.

Careful management of the project resulted in on time and under budget completion, a feat that had not been accomplished at the Archdiocese in recent memory. Furthermore, it was unknown at the time of completion, but the online functionality became instrumental in the management of the coronavirus crisis. Because of the success of the implementation, the Archdiocese was well-positioned to provide online giving functionality to parishes without such a solution. The result was an ability to continue to collect weekly contributions and special COVID-19 fund collections to support those in need.

Luminate Online has brought in over $9.4m across 60k transactions using 7 different online forms. 70 email blasts have been distributed, for 4.7m emails sent. Furthermore, the Archdiocese has added 210k contacts to the database, a 50% increase in contacts overall.

As the spring of 2020 saw the impact of covid-19 increase, the implementation of Luminate Online led to the recognition of the need for a mobile app-based engagement and online giving platform. Key to the success of this platform was ensuring that it would be easy to manage and provide the functionality to support the parishes’ effort to engage at a time when in-person worship was not possible. Using TSI’s vendor evaluation and selection process, Pushpay was identified as the preferred provider.

A successful pilot implementation effort was launched and completed in the fall of 2020. This tool has empowered and enabled the parish to connect and fund-raise in a way previously unavailable. Benefits included a centralized place for communication, a streamlined giving process, and improved process efficiency leveraging workflows and administrator dashboards and reporting. In just 3 and a half months of use, one parish has collected over $15,000 in online gifts alone.

This is just one illustration of how TSI not only ensures a successful technology implementation but also boosts the value of your investment.  

The post Developing and Implementing Next-Generation Processes and Technology appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

Internet of things or IoT is massive. And businesses are making the most use of it. Business data operations are being recorded around the world and its making the storage of data quite easy. Anyone can use one of the best electronic design services or any other form of service and track it without every losing even a single MB of the data stored.

For anyone who is not sure what IoT is, essentially, the Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects—devices, vehicles, buildings and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity—that enables these objects to collect and exchange data.

Imagine, how doctors can better understand the impact of their treatments if wearable technologies (when authorized) can take real time information of a patient and monitors the patient’s health and activity. What if a workplace tool like a work glove or a chair that report a user’s weight/temp/activity level and possibly heart rate to personal fitness software, or for HR personnel to monitor employee well-being. But at the same time, a little mistake in the programming can make life-saving equipments go bonkers, which would in turn endanger the patient’s life. The same can be said just about any software there is, because errors are inevitable. An example is when Cutepdf is throwing a 216; this shows how the most simplest of the softwares like one mentioned exhibit and are made up of errors.

An interesting example I read about recently involved the possibility of your car communicating with a smart traffic grid, which in turn helps identify the best routes for your trip and maximizes traffic patterns for everyone else. Personally, this is an example of a use of IoT that I would be very interested in utilizing to maximize my commute and my trips into downtown Chicago.  However, the flipside of this is the concern of whether the smart grid or other device is recording personal data as they travel through the city, raising significant privacy concerns.

Below are what I feel are The Three Fundamentals Every Technology Leader Should Know regarding this growing technology trend, specific to the IoT:

     1. Connected devices can walk into your organization, and you will not know what data they are collecting. Google Glass was one of the first examples of what IoT can be, as well as the privacy and security concerns this technology brings.  Some organizations have already banned Google Glass from their facilities, and for good reason.  Hospitals, Schools, Theaters, Banks and other public and private organizations have legitimate concerns about the privacy of data and protection of copyrighted material from being recorded/analyzed by someone using this technology.  However, this is such new technology, that laws have not yet caught up and it is still to be determined if there is a legal basis for banning this technology in public areas, and what criminal charges can people face for using this in specific places, although the use of criminal attorneys from www.criminalattorneylongislandny.com/areas-served/long-island/legal-services/ could also help with this. I believe that someday we may see similar placards in public institutions similar to the Concealed Carry placards you see around for devices like Google Glass.

In the meantime, what can you do? Review your organization’s “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy to ensure it is up to date and considerate of connected devices.  The BYOD policy for your organization should define the acceptable use of personal technology, what available support will be available for personal devices, any reimbursement for the devices resulting in business use, the necessary security requirements and finally a statement of the person’s risks, liabilities and disclaimers for the use of personal technology. You can find several examples and templates online.  In fact, if you believe your staff needs some trainings on cyber security, schedule them for cyber security training for beginners.

     2. There is no “silver bullet” solution to manage privacy and data security with IOT devices. While a BYOD policy is a great start, it is very difficult for organizations to manage and enforce the policy without smart solutions that IT Leaders may be able to implement today. Technology leaders need to be aware of this ever-increasing security and privacy risk that employees are bringing into their organization. While there is not a single solution right now for a comprehensive IoT security application, there are steps organizations can take to protect the data and privacy of the organization and the people within it.

Here are five guidelines I have collected from several industry experts to help protect your organization that you can do today:

1. Create several points of unique user identification, authentication along with log off timers
2. Encrypt all of your data during any data transfer activities
3. Assess and control who has access to the data, including access to physical data storage devices
4. Implement a process of reviewing system activity logs
5. Rigorously evaluate the security capabilities/gaps with any new cloud solution being considered for your organization

     3. Finally, be aware of what technology developers are working toward when building IoT enabled devices. Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the FTC had the following recommendations regarding security in IoT devices her opening remarks at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Nevada on January 6, 2015.

“Companies should prioritize security and build security into their devices from the outset. Specifically, companies should:

• Conduct a privacy or security risk assessment as part of the design process;
• Test security measures before products launch;
• Use smart defaults – such as requiring consumers to change default passwords in the set-up process;
• Consider encryption, particularly for the storage and transmission of sensitive information, such as health data; and
• Monitor products throughout their life cycle and, to the extent possible, patch known vulnerabilities.

In addition, companies should implement technical and administrative measures to ensure reasonable security, including designating people responsible for security in the organization, conducting security training for employees, and taking steps to ensure service providers protect consumer data.”

Chairwoman Ramirez made additional recommendations in her opening remarks to minimize the amount of data collected to only what is necessary and communicate to consumers any data collection changes along with the ability for consumers to choose what they want to have collected.  By collaborating with IOT device developers or reading the newest developments in this space, you can better understand what the risks and benefits are for implementing IOT devices in your organization.

The Internet of Things services are only going to expand and the potential benefits of this trend in technology may be immense and have tremendous benefit to society. However, security concerns need to be at the forefront of every IT and Technology leaders mind especially during this nascent time of experimentation, growth, and maturation within business and society. TSI has proven experience helping IT/Technology Leaders assessing their technology and defining an IT strategy while answering the questions “How prepared is our organization for upcoming technology trends, and what is our next step? Contact TSI today to discuss your technology strategy and assessment needs.

The post The Three Fundamentals Every Technology Leader needs to know about “The Internet of Things” (IoT) appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

A few years ago, TSI was selected to assist Groupon who, at the time, was generating around $100-200 million in revenue, exclusively in “deal of the day” online offers to retailers.  However, their vision required that they go on an acquisition binge, broaden their service offering and take the company public.  TSI’s team was involved from those early days and fortunate to work with so many talented leaders at Groupon including John Bosshart, Joe DelPreto, Mark Hoyt, Brad Downes, Jeff Lole, Mark Stubler and many others.

Collaboratively with the senior leaders, TSI helped to develop the mantra of “Groupon Speed” and, as related to this project, developed a sense of results-orientation with the notion of “good now is better than perfect later”.  TSI defined Groupon’s forward-looking requirements, a short list of software vendors and ultimately, TSI selected NetSuite.

TSI’s talented project team helped to implement NetSuite ERP in Five Countries in Just Six Weeks; Twenty-Six Countries in Three Months.  During that time, we had incredible support by Zack Nelson, Jim McGeever and many others at NetSuite and our understanding is this remains as the fastest software selection and global implementation on record.

After that, TSI helped define the governance structure for NetSuite helping move toward a financial service center both regionally and globally.  This is just one example of the exciting clients we have a chance to work closely with.  Shown below is an excerpt from NetSuite’s SuiteWorld Annual Convention, featuring this project.

http://www.netsuite.com/portal/press/releases/nlpr05-10-11.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDztlcvEwYg

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