A system proposal for Gross, Mendelsohn, and Associates – Technology Solutions Group

 Michael Williams – Project Manager  Currently enrolled in the combined BS/MS program in information systems with a minor in economics  Has been working at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield since May of  After graduation in December he will work full time while completing his MS degree in IS

 Juan Cubillos – Librarian  Systems engineer with a bachelor’s degree in computer sciences and an MBA  Certified as an Oracle Certified Professional (DBA and Programmer) and as a Project Management Professional  10 years of IT experience including working as a computer programmer, IT analyst, IT researcher, and IT project manager in both the public and private sectors of Colombia, South America.  Topics of interest are database technology, web development, and IT architecture.

 Michael Marinaro – Site Liaison  10 years experience implementing and supporting mid-market ERP systems  Graduated with a BS degree in Accounting in 1998 and passed the CPA exam in 1999  Currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in Information Systems  Holds several technical certifications including MCP certifications on Microsoft SQL Server  Areas of interest include database technology and business intelligence

 Brian O’Donohue – Editor  Graduated in December 2007 with dual B.S. degrees in Computer Networking and Information Security  Currently pursuing a master’s degree in Information Systems  Is employed at a financial services company as a member of their network project group.

 Wynsome Bryan – Editor  Customer Support Analyst, Tier 2 and 24/7 on call Escalation Support at Micros Systems, Inc, a the world's leading developer of enterprise applications serving the hospitality and specialty retail industries.  She works on a regular basis with Oracle and Sybase application databases.  Previously worked as a Project Coordinator with IBM Global Services in Atlanta, Georgia.  Received her BA in Finance and Banking from Bowie State University.

 Implementation of a VOIP phone system  Design of VOIP system  Phone configuration  Desktop Software  Employee Portal  Allow employees to maintain their information such as addresses, dependents, etc.  Benefits enrollment/tracking  Record time and expenses  View paychecks and other documents  Client Case Management System  Maintain client information and case history  Document/knowledgebase management  Scheduling and workflow routing

Client Case Management System For Gross, Mendelsohn, and Associates – Technology Solutions Group

 The project had the unique purpose of helping to manage cases and client configuration  This project is temporary and has a clear start and end date  The project will develop in detail after meeting with the project sponsor and resources at the client site  The project has several resources  The project has a primary sponsor – Sharon Paul  The project has some degree of uncertainty and presents a challenge  The project has between 5 and 10 features

 Sharon Paul, CPA, CITP  Partner in Gross, Mendelsohn, and Associates – Technology Solutions Group  Founded the group 13 years ago

 Christina Haiss, CPA – Partner in Gross, Mendelsohn, and Associates – Technology Solutions Group  William Walter – Head of the hardware and network support team

 Began as a small group within an accounting firm  Saw a need for people who understand both accounting/business process and information technology to implement and support accounting (ERP) packages  Group has grown from 4 people 5 years ago to 12 people now and is continuing to grow  Taking on more complex projects with multiple consultants working on jobs  Expanded services to include hardware and network support

 Previously relied on 1 to 1 communication  Each consultant has their own group of clients that they worked with  Small number of clients and consultants meant personal relationships  Growth and more complex projects have resulted in the need for better information sharing and resource scheduling to help maintain a high level of professionalism and client satisfaction

Design a system to enable the Technology Solutions Group to:  Improve service levels  Balance resources  Reduce costs  Share information between team members  Better service their client's needs

 Track client contact information, software and hardware configuration information, and documentation  Track open cases and provide workflow and routing options for efficient scheduling of consultant time  Maintain a case history for every client with the ability to get statistics, graphics, performance reports, and consolidated information about a client's issues

 Provide a repository for support articles and documents regarding to the business of Technology Solutions Group and client's issues  Enable consultants to search case history and support articles by product and issue

 All information related to a client is in one place  No need to look in several locations or make phone calls to the previous consultant or implementer to find information  Consultants will be more efficient and effective.  Less wasted time and more billable time to their clients

 Consultants will be able to respond to client issues quickly and with the proper information  Clients will have shorter wait times and most issues can be resolved in fewer calls since all the information is at hand  Customer satisfaction will improve

 The ability to see a case history gives a more complete view of a client  Information can be used as a marketing and client relationship tool  Will help when a salesperson or partner meets with a decision maker at a client to bid for new business or negotiate rates or bills.  Will help identify problem areas with specific clients who may need software or hardware upgrades or may have personnel issues.

 The ability to view case history by product will assist the group in working with software vendors to resolve problem areas.

 All consultants work in a virtual office so remote access to this information is essential  Any system should attempt to make use of existing technology infrastructure if possible. Currently the office uses Microsoft CRM for their sales and marketing efforts and is in the process of implementing Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server.