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SharePoint Engine Case Studies
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Region: North America
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Industry: Exposition Services
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Customer Profile
The George Fern Company is a leading national service contractor serving more than
750 expositions and hundreds of other events held annually throughout the United
States and Canada. The George Fern Company provides a full range of services for
expositions, show organizers and their participating exhibitors. They also provide
services for conventions, meeting planners, corporate events and corporate exhibit
managers.
Background
The George Fern Company was running its operations on an old AS 400 system. Most
if not all of the business operations communications were accomplished through emails/phone
calls. Due to the nature of the communications, both phone and email, there was
no accurate way to save and store the details of those communications. Further,
there was no way to compile, analyze and report what had transpired. Much information
was just plain lost, necessitating recalling and re-emailing. Needless to say there
was no storage of the important details. This resulted in highly inefficient operations;
the delivery model was unworkable and unprofitable. Working with SharePoint Engine
three key processes were identified: graphics design and delivery, carpet delivery
and operations.
Business Challenge
Due to no unified flow of information and lack of communication, productivity suffered
greatly inhibiting profitability and causing disruptions in the delivery of services.
Operations could not perform in an efficient manner nor perform the services required
in a timely and accurate fashion, again adversely affecting profitability.
Solution
For some time the George Fern Company was considering the automation of its business
processes. Seeing their sister company Champs using and profiting with a system
based on SharePoint, they decided to engage SharePoint Engine to design and implement
a system based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
SharePoint Engine worked with the George Fern Company to design and implement an
initial pilot project consisting of the three key business processes. Once the pilot
was successful they upgraded to SharePoint Server from the legacy AS 400 system.
The first two business processes were automated via Workflow based on Windows Workflow
Foundation as part of SharePoint. This allowed a single data entry point and unified
the flow of information. Tracking the work orders became possible via simple reporting
in SharePoint. A complete and integrated information flow was managed via this process.
For the third business process, operations, the information was synced from the
legacy AS 400 application into SharePoint and custom web parts were built for reporting
and managing the show and customer Information. This enabled much better show schedule
management for the operations team. Also, each show is like a separate project for
the company where different teams collaborate and execute their operations. Having
collaboration sites for individual shows greatly improved the performance and efficiency
for different teams working on the show. Labor costs were driven down significantly.
Solution
For some time the George Fern Company was considering the automation of its business
processes. Seeing their sister company Champs using and profiting with a system
based on SharePoint, they decided to engage SharePoint Engine to design and implement
a system based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
SharePoint Engine worked with the George Fern Company to design and implement an
initial pilot project consisting of the three key business processes. Once the pilot
was successful they upgraded to SharePoint Server from the legacy AS 400 system.
The first two business processes were automated via Workflow based on Windows Workflow
Foundation as part of SharePoint. This allowed a single data entry point and unified
the flow of information. Tracking the work orders became possible via simple reporting
in SharePoint. A complete and integrated information flow was managed via this process.
For the third business process, operations, the information was synced from the
legacy AS 400 application into SharePoint and custom web parts were built for reporting
and managing the show and customer Information. This enabled much better show schedule
management for the operations team. Also, each show is like a separate project for
the company where different teams collaborate and execute their operations. Having
collaboration sites for individual shows greatly improved the performance and efficiency
for different teams working on the show. Labor costs were driven down significantly.
Benefits
By redesigning and implementing these three key business processes successfully,
the George Fern Company has confidence to move forward with the upgrading of the
entire system and automating other processes with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server
2007.
Improved Efficiency and Accuracy
Having a central repository, unified information flow and automation of the business
processes enabled a huge improvement in efficiency and accuracy in operations and
delivery.
Improved Reporting and Resource Management
Accurate tracking of all work orders across all locations has enabled better management
of resources. Managers can make informed decisions now with consolidated, accurate
and timely information. Labor performance and cost reduction has been greatly increased.
Accurate and timely information storage and retrieval
Having a central repository for critical data from the business processes has helped
in the reuse of that data and management of the operations. The management use of
this information now actually drives the operations efficiently.
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Region: North America
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Industry: Franchising, Legal Services
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Customer Profile
We The People is a national franchise of legal document preparation centers, each
independently owned and operated, and all dedicated to providing high quality and
low cost legal documents to the increasing numbers of people who choose to represent
themselves in uncontested legal matters. It has over 64 Franchisees in 15 states
and centralized processing centers.
Back Ground
We The People were running its operations without a system to support its business
processes in a fully automated manner and became overwhelmed. This resulted in increasingly
high and unacceptable turnaround times for processing of workbooks. There was little
or no management key performance reporting. The lack of customer data tracking was
a huge issue for operations. Future growth was either impossible or close to it.
We The People was also suffering from ineffective and inefficient Franchisee communications
including marketing material distribution, training and guidance.
Business Challenge
Inefficient legal workbook processing including workflow and communication between
Franchisees and the central processing centers restricted the growth and profitability
for both.
Solution
We The People decided to implement a comprehensive system based on Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server 2007. SharePoint Engine worked closely with We The People to gather
and refine the requirements. Surveys with the data solicited from the Franchisees
were compiled. The resulting requirements were analyzed and a solution found in
a combination of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, InfoPath 2007, Windows
Workflow Foundation and the integration designed by us.
For automation of the workbook processing, e-Workbooks were designed in InfoPath
2007. This is where the capture of data resided which meant the data was controlled
and verified early in the process. A workflow solution was implemented and integrated
with InfoPath Forms Services. This automated the entire process. Within weeks of
implementing this solution, workbook turnaround time was reduced to a few days compared
to the initial period of over a week.
A central portal was created for all the marketing materials which channeled all
the customers to one efficient site. End user training materials were created by
SharePoint Engine and included in one central site. The Franchisees had only to
access one place for all their training needs.
Benefits
Management at We The People received rave reviews from the Franchisees for the enhanced
and modern system. Costs for the Franchisees were greatly reduced as was the time
to train and get the workbooks updated, making them efficient and increasing profits.
The internal staff and management in the central processing centers are now looking
forward to phase two: automating other key processes that relate to the Franchisee
operations, management and reporting.
Improved Efficiency and Accuracy
Having a central repository, unified information flow and automation of the business
processes enabled a huge improvement in efficiency and accuracy in operations and
delivery.
Improved Tracking and Prioritization
Due to timely, accurate and efficient tracking and reporting, the workbooks are
better managed at the central processing center. Priorities can now be set and work
scheduled efficiently. The resulting turnaround time is now predictable and customer
service has increased dramatically.
Collaboration
The external marketing and training portals afforded the Franchisees an effective
avenue for collaboration and communication with their customers.
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Region: North America
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Industry: Technology Microelectronics, Legal Department
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Customer Profile
Tessera Technologies, Inc., invests in, licenses and delivers innovative miniaturization
technologies that transform next-generation electronic devices.
Back Ground
Tessera Legal Department was running operations that was inefficient and had lot
of room for improvement in terms of operations, document management, knowledge base,
scheduling, tracking and reporting. This resulted in high turnaround times for processing
of legal documents and unpredicted resource utilization. There was little or no
management key performance reporting. The lack of tracking and scheduling was a
huge issue for operations. It also posed issue in terms of scalability. Legacy system
that partially supported Legal department was incompetent to support all required
aspects.
Business Challenge
Legal department suffered inefficient knowledge management, workflows, scheduling
and management of legal documents like contracts, patents, license agreements and
trademarks.
Solution
Tessera decided to implement a comprehensive system based on Microsoft Office SharePoint
Server 2007 to support its Legal Department. SharePoint Engine worked closely with
Tessera to gather and refine the requirements. Surveys with the data solicited from
the users were compiled. The resulting requirements were analyzed and a solution
found in a combination of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, InfoPath 2007,
Windows Workflow Foundation and the integration designed by us.
For automation of the document processing, e-docs were designed in InfoPath 2007.
This is where the capture of data resided which meant the data was controlled and
verified early in the process. A workflow solution was implemented and integrated
with InfoPath Forms Services. This automated the entire process. Within weeks of
implementing this solution, document turnaround time was reduced to a few days compared
to the initial period of over a week.
A central portal was created for all the marketing materials which channeled all
the users to one efficient site. End user training materials were created by SharePoint
Engine and included in one central site. Effective scheduling, tracking and reporting
resulted into efficient operation within legal department.
Benefits
Management at Tessera received rave reviews from the Legal Department for the enhanced
and modern system. Cost of managing documents was greatly reduced and there was
improved efficiency which reflected in faster turnaround times and efficient management
of resources. The internal staff and management in the central processing centers
are now looking forward to phase two: automating email, scanning and fax process
integration within SharePoint.
Improved Efficiency and Accuracy
Having gone through the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) process with SharePoint
Engine, the business processes and information flows are efficient, accurate and
timely. This greatly impacts staff and management from a cost, efficiency and labor
hour’s perspective.
Improved Scheduling, Tracking and Prioritization
Due to timely, accurate and efficient scheduling, tracking and reporting tasks are
better management within Legal Department. Priorities can now be set and work scheduled
efficiently. The resulting turnaround time is now predictable and knowledge base
utilization has increased dramatically.
Collaboration
Different people working on same documents with integrated Office features of Check-in
and Check-out and versioning greatly improved collaboration.
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Region: North America
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Industry: Nonprofit Health Care Organization
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Customer Profile
South Jersey Healthcare (SJH) is a charitable nonprofit health care organization.
SJH has been serving the citizens of Southern New Jersey for 15 years as the leading
healthcare provider, although it traces its roots to 1898 when Bridgeton Hospital
opened its doors.
Business Challenge
SJH executives reported several areas of improvements in their Capital and Operational
Expense Request process. These were important for setting timelines, fundraising
goals and ensuring the hospital is growing at a sustainable rate.
Tracking of in-progress requests was difficult: it was impossible to know whether
a request was nearly approved or just started.
Data was being entered on paper forms and then recorded into Excel workbooks at
various stops along the way. Periodic reporting was simultaneously tedious and mission
critical for forecasting funds and expenditures in a charity-based organization.
The keys to success in an environment like this are cooperation, organization and
efficiency. However, with nearly 1,000 requests per year, even the most efficient
paper-based system could not provide instant access to knowing what was on the horizon
versus what was just around the corner.
Solution
Business Process driven Workflow solution was developed based on SharePoint Workflow
Platform. Users were able to collaborate effectively with existing content management
capabilities. With leveraging existing Active Directory and SharePoint Security
and effective tracking with SQL Server Reporting Services, users can track and search
on requests real time.
Benefits
Management at Tessera received rave reviews from the Legal Department for the enhanced
and modern system. Cost of managing documents was greatly reduced and there was
improved efficiency which reflected in faster turnaround times and efficient management
of resources. The internal staff and management in the central processing centers
are now looking forward to phase two: automating email, scanning and fax process
integration within SharePoint.
Process Streamlining
South Jersey Healthcare is not only enjoying the benefits of recovering the time
saved by automating their processes from end to end, but they are also able to make
better financial decisions based on a much more accurate system of real-time reporting
of financial data. Several other processes are being streamlined using existing
framework developed for this process.
Efficient Tracking
With real time reporting, notifications and search, users can now navigate through
requests efficiently which was not possible before.
Reduced Risk
With all data in one centralized repository, archiving and real time financial information,
executives have now access to accurate system of real time reporting.
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HNTB/UDOT - $ 1.8 billion I-15 Core Expansion Project's
innovative process management solution with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
"By far and away this is the most advanced system in place for commitments
and requirements tracking of Design/Build and P3 projects I have ever seen. I have
managed large, complex Public Works projects for nearly 20 years.” John Bourne,
Sr. Vice President (HNTB/I-15 Core Project Lead)"
Customer Profile:
HNTB consists of more than 3,600 employees and 60 offices nationally that provide
a range of services beyond civil engineering, architecture, planning and construction
management. With nearly 100 years of experience and profitable growth,
HNTB is ranked as one of the top 20 engineering and architectural firms
in the U.S. In the early 1900s, HNTB engineers designed the first modern turnpike
and later a significant portion of the Interstate Highway System.
In 2009, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) engaged HNTB to assist with
the $1.8 -billion I-15 CORE expansion project.
I-15 CORE will add two additional northbound and southbound lanes from American
Fork to Provo, rebuild or reconfigure interchanges, replace or modify bridges and
extend the express lane from Orem to Provo.
Customer Profile:
HNTB consists of more than 3,600 employees and 60 offices nationally that provide
a range of services beyond civil engineering, architecture, planning and construction
management. With nearly 100 years of experience and profitable growth,
HNTB is ranked as one of the top 20 engineering and architectural firms
in the U.S. In the early 1900s, HNTB engineers designed the first modern turnpike
and later a significant portion of the Interstate Highway System.
In 2009, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) engaged HNTB to assist with
the $1.8 -billion I-15 CORE expansion project.
I-15 CORE will add two additional northbound and southbound lanes from American
Fork to Provo, rebuild or reconfigure interchanges, replace or modify bridges and
extend the express lane from Orem to Provo.
Customer Profile:
HNTB consists of more than 3,600 employees and 60 offices nationally that provide
a range of services beyond civil engineering, architecture, planning and construction
management. With nearly 100 years of experience and profitable growth,
HNTB is ranked as one of the top 20 engineering and architectural firms
in the U.S. In the early 1900s, HNTB engineers designed the first modern turnpike
and later a significant portion of the Interstate Highway System.
In 2009, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) engaged HNTB to assist with
the $1.8 -billion I-15 CORE expansion project.
I-15 CORE will add two additional northbound and southbound lanes from American
Fork to Provo, rebuild or reconfigure interchanges, replace or modify bridges and
extend the express lane from Orem to Provo.
Business Challenge:
HNTB required an effective business application to support:
- Quality Oversight, Requirements and Commitments Management
- Contracting
- Verification Management
- Acceptance Management
- Reporting and Dashboards
- Collaboration, Communication and Process Management with Contractor Provo
River Contractors
- Correspondence
- Design and Administrative Submittals/Transmittals
- Payments
- Change Management
- MOT/Control Point Notice
- Public Information Assistance Portal
- Internal Project Management and Scheduling
- Contracts and Document Management
There is a gap in integration between different construction systems software and
need to support above business processes. There are construction specific software
but none that allows effective collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing
among project teams.
Solution:
SharePoint Engine was called in to develop a robust solution that could provide
a greater end user adoption with an easy to use interface, workflows to provide
notifications and tracking of processes; and lastly business intelligence for the
executive team to manage and support execution of one of the largest construction
projects in America.
SharePoint Engine's engineering team architected and implemented a solution on top
of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 with custom workflows to manage business processes,
reporting and dashboards for executive team and portal for collaboration, communication
and document management.
Project was started with “Quality Matters!” Verification Management System in which
all of the Auditing Process was automated and streamlined.
Based on the data captured, Dashboard and Real Time Reporting was implemented using
Performance Point Services 2010 to allow proactive business users create their own
charts and graphs on they fly.
Integration was implemented with UDOT's legacy system and processes were streamlined.
Over 25 different robust workflows were created to meet specific needs of interaction
with build contractor to support required paper based document submissions.
Quality Management System is now also streamlined with the Initial contracting system
of building contract where multiple people collaborate on the bidding process.
Benefits:
Tracking and Real Time Insight:
Before implementation of above solution there was no way to track progress and amount
of Audits for Quality Management System. Building this solution provided insight
into progress on the project, quality issues and time taken to resolve issues. Monthly
Quality Oversight Report Generation was now possible with dynamic data pull up.
All this information is now available to the Executive team on the fly.
Efficiency:
Substantial efficiency was achieved with streamlining of processes and collaboration
with workflows. Many of manual processes that use to take days to get information
were eliminated.
Improved Communication and Satisfaction:
With Public Information Portal built for Communication Team they could now effectively
track, plan and execute their activities which brought greater public satisfaction.
Performance Improvement and Collaboration:
Field Engineers and Managers have a user friendly system that works in
sync with their processes. This has made a great impact on performance improvement
and collaboration in the project team.
Next Steps:
SharePoint Engine is now working with HNTB to make this application as a reusable
product that can be used at different locations.
Productizing this solution will benefit other companies in Construction Industry
to fill existing gaps of collaboration and process management.
For Further Inquiries or Demo Please Contact David Scott:
David@SharePointEngine.com
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- Testimonials
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"I want to pass along my sincere thanks to SharePoint Engine. We brought you in
with high expectations and limited time to complete the Verification Management
System (VMS) element of our QualityMatters! system. You have successfully completed
that assignment exceeding my expectations. I hear nothing but high praise from our
end users"
John Bourne
Program Manager, UDOT
"The team at SharePoint Engine patiently guided us through aspects of our first
SharePoint deployment. They built custom web parts to our specifications and answered
our questions in a timely, helpful manner. We will definitely use SharePoint Engine’s
services again!"
John V. Burns
Phillips Exeter Academy
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