IT Enablement:

• Strategic Planning.  Directed a building products manufacturer with 9-plants across the US running SAP application software (order processing, configurator, manufacturing, distribution and financial modules) through a strategic planning effort addressing people, process and technology related challenges.    After conducting a 2-day plant walkthrough, the OpenGate’s team facilitated a 2-day planning session for a broad team of Executives, Plant Managers, Customer Support Representatives and IT team members.  Session activities included:
  • Defining success - ”How will we know we are successful – what evidence will we see?”
  • Identifying potential obstacles & enablers to achieving success
  • Reviewing pain points, issues, challenges ,and opportunities
  • Defining and Prioritizing a portfolio of potential “Projects” (strategic, technology, process, culture, people, etc.)
  • Ranking project by Value and Effort
  • Define project profiles (Project Name, Priority, Rationale, Risks, Action Plan, Implementation Considerations, Timing,  and Team

• Process Redesign (LEAN / Kaizen Event).  Guiding a mid-market manufacturer of Truck and Van Bodies through the a LEAN/Kaizen Business Process Improvement effort.  The project included three distinct activities:  Shadowing, Value Stream Sessions, and Identify/Prioritize Future Business Process Improvement Events.  Key outcomes of the project include:  Current State Process Maps, Improvement Initiatives, Impact/Difficulty Matrix, Future State Process Map, and the Action / Sustainment Plan.

• Core Team Advisory Support.  Provided “over the shoulder” advisory support for a Commercial & Residential Real Estate Management firm’s core team of Finance, Operations, and IT as they assessed AS-IS Processes, defined their desired “TO-BE” Future State, and identified potential vendor alternatives to address core property management  as well as ancillary “best of breed” budgeting, planning, reporting, and analysis requirements.  On an advisory basis, OpenGate directed and supported the client Core Team as they leveraged OpenGate’s experiences, sample deliverables and tools (e.g., Requirements Tracking tools, RFP templates, and Demonstration Script Outlines, etc.) to efficiently and thoroughly evaluate alternative vendor solutions.

Enterprise Solutions:

• Software Selection.  Directed a non-profit organization, whose homegrown systems could not scale to meet growth demands, through the evaluation and selection a contact management system with unique distribution and professional services requirements.   The project began with a detailed comparison of the “build vs. buy” options (pros, cons, costs, speed to value, others experiences,  etc.) and included the development of an RFP document, conducting several detailed vendor demonstrations and the ultimate selection of the contact management solution from Salesforce.com.

• Pre-Implementation Support.  Assisted a growing Aftermarket Automotive Parts Distributor confirm requirements and current processes in preparation for a n SAP implementation effort.   As our client prepared for their SAP Blueprint and Configuration effort, OpenGate provided Business Analysis support to document current “AS-IS” business processes to ensure a common understanding of current and future functional requirements associated with the subsequent SAP Deployment.   Activities included detailed “AS-IS” process walkthroughs, requirements / processes documentation following Swim-Lane based Process Mapping methodologies, and facilitated cross-functional client teams to identify simplification opportunities to incorporate into the SAP Future State Design.

• ERP Implementation.   Directed a comprehensive implementation of Epicor’s Manufacturing ERP solution within a mid-market Engineer to Order manufacturer of power transmission solutions for the world’s Energy, Infrastructure and Defense industries.    OpenGate services during this multi-plant/multi-national  implementation included:
  • Project management
  • Business process design
  • Technical architecture and configuration

  As a result of our completing the project on-time, on-budget, and on-spec; our client formally recognized OpenGate with “Premier Vendor” status.

• SFDC Implementation.  Provided design, implementation and functional/technical support during a  complex implementation of the Salesforce.com’s Force.com platform  – breadth of requirements including inventory control for 24k SKU’s and management of over 100 service professionals.

Information Management

• Business Intelligence (SAP BO).  Managed the overall software development and implementation of SAP’s Business Objects to support the Global Sales Organization of a top tier ERP provider.  Our development efforts included gathering business requirements of 6 regions across the globe, the creation of over 50 reports and dashboards as well as the deployment of mobile technology to enable a sales force of over 700 individuals information access via Apple i-pad , iphone and other mobile devices.  We also established a self-sufficient infrastructure and support organization to manage the ongoing development and support of the solution – which OpenGate continues to manage today.

• Project Management / PMO Governance Solutions.  We have implemented various Project Management, PMO Governance, IT Governance, and Operations Visibility portals addressing common issues in these areas.  

• Global SharePoint Planning and Management.  Delivered a Global Intranet Implementation Roadmap and accompanying SharePoint Strategic Plan for the Business Applications and eCollaboration teams for  a global pharmaceutical firm.  The assembly of these deliverables included the facilitation of a 2-day strategic planning session following the proven “Future Pacing” methodology for Strategic Planning.  This exercise promoted a sense of participation among the selected stakeholders, set the tone for a global intranet project, and identified the functional priorities of each functional area represented in the sessions.   Our team’s role transitioned from Roadmap & Strategy planning to the execution of the project planning on behalf of the IT Leadership teams.  We mentored the project’s key sponsors in scoping the effort, planning a timeline, estimating a budget, and identifying required skillsets to serve their needs within the context of a SharePoint 2010 implementation.  We later segued to a global Design Manager role leading an integrated project team, with distinct focus on the ideal solution architecture aligned to our client’s strategic priorities.

• IT SOx Compliance Portal (IT Process Automation).  We have implemented and advised on various compliance data collecting and/or reporting problems, leveraging various Framework Solutions to properly implement process improvements, operational reporting improvements, or data collections methods.  The pain we eliminate leads to higher levels of data quality, process efficiency, workload balancing, and management visibility.

• Project Planning & Team Mentoring.  Served at the request of 2 key executive personnel to mentor their internal project team on how to optimize the use of SharePoint across the company.  Assisted this Project Team through the definition and analysis of their project roadmap, strategic approach, and detailed project plan – including the selection of stakeholders and strategic planning sessions with these key stakeholders to educate them on the capabilities of the new SharePoint platform and to measure where SharePoint could alleviate pain points and improve priorities.