Develop Short Term Improvement Plan for Server Support

Background:

The client was in the process of developing a new Request For Proposal (RFP) to replace an existing and unsatisfactory outsourcing arrangement. This process, including the ultimate selection, contract negotiation and migration, was scheduled for the next several months, however, the client was experiencing a great deal of immediate pain and frustration and the business was suffering.

Problem Summary:

Actions needed to be taken immediately to address the most critical areas and bring the current processes under control prior to migrating to a new outsourcing relationship. This needed to be accomplished while the majority of the client’s resources were devoted to the RFP process in addition to their normal functions. Adding to the obstacles was an absence of any reliable metrics regarding current service levels.

The Approach:

A series of interviews with all levels of IT, End Users and existing Vendors took place over a four week period.
Through these interviews, a balanced view of the current situation was obtained. With the absence of any objective measures, the issues that surfaced were based solely on the interviews and were analyzed to differentiate between perception and fact. The interpretations of the issues were reviewed with the interviewees to confirm their accuracy. The action plans that were developed addressed both the facts as well as going to the heart of the perceptions to determine their root cause and laying the foundation for long term success. The recommended actions not only provided for quick results but were coordinated and consistent with the ongoing RFP process and its ultimate direction.

Successful Business Solutions

The client received:

  • An prioritized overview of the current issues facing the client
  • A detailed description of each of the issues along with an interpretation of the business impact
  • Specific actions to be taken and the benefits of each
  • An implementation plan for each action showing accountability and target dates
  • A matrix showing the impact of each of the actions on the identified issues
  • A user evaluation of the proposed actions
  • An overall implementation plan for the highest rated actions to ensure early successes
Share Button