Strategic Systems Services
Companies are becoming more
and more dependent on their information systems and technologies. With the myriad of options – COTS (Commercial
Off-The-Shelf) solutions, SAAS (Software As A Service) solutions, the web and
the cloud, etc. – it can be confusing and difficult to set the right
direction. Even the most successful
organizations can get caught up in “purchasing the latest and greatest”, ending
up trying to force business processes and key data into systems that are not well
suited for their environments.
At EMG Consulting, we
approach Information Systems and Technologies from a strategic and business
support approach, not from a pure technology play. We start with the business strategy, goals,
and objectives, then work our way into the evaluation and selection process,
with our client at our side throughout. Overviews
of the areas in which our experienced professionals at EMG Consulting can
assist your organization with your Systems needs are presented below.
Strategic Assessment
The professionals at EMG
Consulting work with client senior management and operational personnel to
understand the current business and technical systems environment with the goal
to expose areas that require improvement, areas that are functioning well and
as intended, and determine what the COULD BE or SHOULD Be environment should
look like to optimize company performance. We map the core Business Strategy
of the client to its IT Strategy as the first step in our Strategic Assessment
process. EMG believes that without a
solid understanding of the processes and operational objectives of the client,
it is not possible to successfully perform a full and complete Systems
Evaluation and Selection – followed by a successful implementation.
Business Requirements
Definition
Once EMG and our client have
an agreed upon the company’s Strategic approach and business / IT processes, it
is possible to begin the “Business Requirements Definition” phase of the
project. It is important to ensure that
the requirements are gathered, defined and written from the “business”
perspective. All too often this phase is
blurred with the “IT Systems Specifications” phase, where the definition of the
critical system components and requirements are documented. We make sure that documented “business”
requirements supporting the overall strategy of the organization as a whole are
what drive the IT Systems Specifications.
IT Systems Specifications
Once client management has
agreed upon the “Business Requirements” necessary to support their organization
and systems, EMG assists our clients with the next phase of the process whereby
the specific technological systems requirements and specifications are
defined. These specifications are
derived from the technological side of the organization though evaluation of
current systems and desired functionality of the COULD BE / SHOULD BE systems. This phase of the process is critical to the
overall project, since it identifies where current systems can meet the needs
of the organization, and what “new” systems are required. EMG Consulting professionals work hands on
with our clients IT professionals to properly define the technical specifications
that are needed for the system(s).
Vendor Evaluation and
Selection
With the groundwork properly
laid from the above phases, EMG helps client identify appropriate
solutions/solution suppliers. We help
create the evaluation criteria such that an objective evaluation can be made
across all potential solutions, eliminating much subjective bias. We represent the interests of our clients
and pushing the candidate solution providers for clear, honest, and verifiable
proof of their ability to meet the client needs.
Implementation
As has been seen far too
many times, choosing the right systems and technology solutions does not mean
successful implementation. Because EMG
has been with our client throughout the entire strategy development -to-
business process needs – to- technology needs, we are intimately knowledgeable
about the client and can easily provide the project management skills to assure
a successful implementation of the selected solutions. It is only with successful implementation
that our clients can say the entire process was a great success.
|