20. November 2009 by admin.

Within six months to one year after an initial software implementation project is complete, there is often a need for a second project to address opportunities with the original implementation.  Typically with a new system we try to do things better than we have in the past – the project goal should be to try and improve upon the existing.  In many billing implementations the sheer effort of getting the software implemented means that business process improvements are let slip and the old ways are allowed to continue.  For many processes, improvement can be achieved, but with other processes, the new way of doing things is not realistic — there are nuances, dependencies, or constraints that are not considered at the beginning of a project. Addressing these opportunities as they are understood will help longer term adoption of whatever product you are attempting to implement.

Posted in projects | Print | No Comments »

19. November 2009 by admin.

Sierra Systems, one of the companies in the same stable as Infor Global Solutions, has been selected to conduct an analysis of Ls Angeles County’s current property tax system and business processes, and working closely with the Auditor-Controller,
Treasurer and Tax collector, and Assessment Appeals Board, will develop the
desired business process and functional requirements for an eTax system.

Upon completion of this analysis, Sierra Systems will develop a logical system
architecture and implementation plan which will serve as the basis for the
implementation of eTax. The project will conclude with the creation of the
request for proposal and evaluation criteria that will be released by the County
to solicit bids for the eTax implementation.

Posted in projects, tax billing software, vendors | Print | 1 Comment »

17. November 2009 by admin.

Good project managers don’t just happen.  Mentored implementation accomplishes two goals - it improves the nuts and bolts of a project, and it also creates new leaders and project managers.  The important thing for the site where such mentoring is going on is that it doesn’t add to the cost of the project – some vendors like loading up the project staff with trainees who add little value to a project while being trained at the customer’s expense.

Posted in projects, vendors | Print | No Comments »

15. November 2009 by admin.

CIO Magazine has produced a new White Paper on implementing ERP solutions.  As implementation after implementation shows, an enterprise resource planning project can be as much a bane as a blessing. But a smoothly operating ERP environment can lead to the corporate nimbleness so necessary today and provide the business smarts characteristic of leading companies. Learn where companies stand today on ERP and take a look at where they are headed.

Posted in projects | Print | No Comments »

2. November 2009 by admin.

A story out of California this week shows how project costs need careful management.  An effort to create a centralized computer system for California’s state courts, originally conceived as a modest upgrade in a few counties, now faces total costs approaching $2 billion and is years away from large-scale implementation, an investigation by The Sacramento Bee has found.

The project has ballooned in scope and costs since its 2001 inception without the scrutiny other state computer systems face because the state Administrative Office of the Courts is not bound by the same project review requirements.  Amid California’s budget crunch, which has closed state courts one day a month, the computer project jumped into the spotlight. A state Assembly committee will hold a hearing this week to review overall spending growth at the courts’ administrative office. The governor’s technology watchdog also is evaluating the computer project.

Posted in projects | Print | No Comments »