serie a
A selection of examples of successfully completed projects:

 

Holistic software solution for a big logistics services provider

Background

Development of a holistic solution in the area of a supplier concept, tour planning,
process flow, conditioning and standardization for the optimal representation
of networking traffics.

Technique

  • Oracle 10g Enterprise Edition (RAC)
  • Linux Suse Enterprise 10
  • J2EE Framework/Application-Server
  • SOA
  • ESB Technology
  • Loadbalancer (BIG IP)
  • HTTP Technology

Interfaces

  • Financial services
  • Map & Guide
  • CRM integration
  • Customer integration (TNT Express GmbH, Domestic Linehaul)
  • Transport partnership management

Special features

  • Pure business application
  • High availability solution
  • Decentralized utilization of consistent database

Access & Matrices

  • Registered users (internal) ~2.000
  • Registered users (external) ~1.000
  • 24/7 application
Process optimization for a logistics group

Background

  • In a previous project, an ideal process plan was developed on a macro-level, with the aim of strengthening market position.
  • In order to implement these concepts, suggestions for improvement were to be elaborated regarding details of the process stage.

Tasks

  • Accomplishment of a detailed inquiry and documentation of all actions, responsibilities, interfaces, help-tools and IT systems
  • Action analysis with respect to optimization opportunities (in general and with the purpose of the groups market repositioning)
  • Documentation of suggestions for improvement with respect to process models and decision memo
  • Creation of a documentation basis for future transition into an ongoing process management
  • Assurance of high acceptance amongst those concerned with project results

Solutions

  • Elaboration of problem statements and opportunities with respect to client's procedures
  • Evaluation of process modelling and management tools for clients
  • Recommendation of tool, with support at implementation phase
  • Introduction of a project group with the purpose of inventory, documentation and process redesign
  • Establishment of a mixed working team composed of internal employees, supported by serie a consultants
  • Coaching of employees with respect to methodology and tool application
  • Complete evaluation of actual processes and process segments during workshops for process owners and experts
  • Result documentation built into the process management tool
  • Analysis of actual processes with respect to optimization opportunities
  • Development of expedient process changes /adjustments together with process owners
  • Documentation of process changes in their entirity between the process segments of coordinated reference process (incl. coordination of a conceptual IT-environment)

Further development

  • Actual census and modelling of all core and support process segments
  • Redesign of all recent process segments
  • Construction of actual and reference process models, organizational chart, resource models, etc.
  • Design of a implementation plan for changes

Achievements

  • Conception of an action plan
  • Preliminary tool selection
  • Coaching and support of internal employees
  • Areas of expertise: process management, process optimization, process design, logistics actions, IT architecture
  • Process surveys, subsequent analysis and design
  • Moderation
  • Project management

Consulting Assignment

  • 12 month
  • 4 consultants

Results

  • Positive decisions from board of management regarding 90% of proposed process-changes
  • High acceptance of results
  • Transmission of project-results into a gradual implementation phase
Process – oriented restructuring of a medium-sized logistician

Background

  • A current project supported by a third party consultancy ran the risk of failing
  • Assignment of serie a to trouble-shoot within that current project and support the further change process

Tasks

  • Assistance in analyzing and solving problems in a project aimed at realigning the business processes at macro level, and in building a process oriented organization
  • Establish an environment of change for the management of the planned changes
  • Implementation of the changes within the company
  • Creating the conditions for a process-oriented development of the company

Solution

  • Establishing a stable steering structure for the change process, based on serie a´s "theme based change management" method
  • Coordination of all ongoing and ready-to-go change activities through the entire company
  • Linking the change process, and constructing the organizational necessities for the consideration, and coordinated implementation, of necessary changes in future

Further development

  • Design of a customized methodology
  • Development of a solid change architecture
  • Establishment of project management logic and tools
  • Creation of a communication concept
  • Construction of the change environment according to the proposed methodology
  • Collection of all change issues and ongoing tasks and projects within the company
  • Prioritization of change issues
  • Derivation of a target project environment based on priorities
  • Initiation and control of the agreed projects under the implemented change architecture

Achievements

  • Development of methodology
  • Mediation of methodology
  • Initial moderation of steering- teams
  • Coaching of steering- team's management
  • Coaching the members of the steering- team
  • Moderation and presentation of results to the Executive Board
  • Troubleshooting
  • Performance of operational tasks due to the steering- teams

Consulting assignment

  • 12 month (incl. preparation)
  • 1 consultant – temporary support from 2 other consultants (during conception phase)

Results

  • Successful conception and implementation of change environment
  • Creation of organizational and methodical structures within the company
  • Future needs for change identified, prioritised and maximising all synergies, implemented, across all various areas of the business
IT Migration for an international corporation

Background:

  • Due to the expiry of the publisher's support of Windows NT 4, the company IT infrastructure, which has grown on an ad-hoc basis over many years, needs to be migrated to Windows XP
  • Systems to migrate: more than 10,000 work-stations with standard software and 31 custom software applications
  • Extremely tight timeframe for the preparation of migration

Tasks

  • Analysis of framework and conditions
  • Conception and planning of migration

Solutions

  • Definition of a methodology for fast investigation and analysis of the actual situation - adapted to suit the individual circumstances of the client regarding the affected systems, locations, operational departments, IT departments
  • Execution of the actual investigation and analysis in order to clarify the starting point; preparation and execution of a compatibility test
  • Development of a meaningful and realizable migration scenario (including cost and risk assessment)
  • Creation of a migration plan

Further developement

  • Definition of the project scope for XP migration through the corporation, outlining requirements from the project management team
  • Concept evolution, actual situation and compatibility testing for the implemented applications and hardware-systems
  • Supervision of the actual initiation of migration with particular regard to applications, hardware and documentation
  • Initiation analysis and investigation of change requirements
  • Supervision of compatibility testings
  • Creation of a concept offering different options for implementation, including cost and risk assessment for the execution of migration
  • Creation of an implementation and roll-out plan for the system changeover
  • Support / coaching of project managers relevant to project coordination and project management

Achievements

  • Conception of analysis scope for migration requirements
  • Preparation, planning, and supervision of initiation
  • Initiation analysis
  • Development of migration concept including cost and risk issues
  • Creation of a migration plan
  • Project management
  • Support / coaching of project managers

Consulting assignment

  • 4 month
  • 2 consultants

Results

  • Execution of planned assignments within a tight timeframe and restricted project budget
  • Successful conception and preparation of migration
  • Successful migration based on developed planning
Supervision of a restructuring process for a logisticians affiliate

Background

  • Alignment of organizational units
  • Unification of business processes
  • Alignment of IT environment and systems
  • Centralization of process control as a base for possible ongoing process automation
  • Further business process optimization
  • The organization's main objective was to gain strength in light of future business expansions for internal as well as for external clients
  • Tasks

    • Development and implementation of a robust change organisation and project environment, for the accomplishment of future assignments
    • Conception and implementation of necessary changes
    • Development of a consistent view on business processes and integration of this view through the entire corporation
    • Conception of the IT environment supporting the new process structure

    Solutions

    • Development of a change environment based on serie a´s method of “Task oriented change management"
    • Implementation of change environment
    • Promoting a change environment within the corporation through communication activities and events; encouraging collective ownership of the change process in order to increase compliance
    • Development of a common process view and a common vision regarding the necessary operational changes, through a project to develop processes at macro level
    • Introduction and implementation of communication activities, in order to inform the organization about outstanding tasks and to address middle management concerns over change programs
    • Execution of the project in accordance with a detailed specification of operational processes across the entire organisation.
    • Design of a workflow-oriented IT target architecture for the operative systems of the company
    • Development of tools and systems necessary for implementation
    • Introduction of tools and systems up to operational production

    Further development

    • Elaboration of change architecture and change management methodology with respect to customer's situation
    • Execution of events and workshops for the implementation of the change environment
    • Collection of all change topics, investigation to ascertain necessary interactions, define upcoming change topics
    • Development of a vision for necessary changes within corporation
    • Attain project environment for implementing the vision
    • Supervision and support of project through a team of serie a consultants

    Achievements

    • Design of change environment
    • Supervision and support of change environment through mediation
    • Support of project leaders through coaching and methodology expertise from serie a consultants
    • Presence of various serie a experts from IT design, process development, tender management for implementing various comprehensive IT systems
    • Coaching of management team members

    Consulting assignment

    • 14 month
    • 3 consultants

    Results

    • Successful restructuring of the organisation
    • Conception of a consistent view on company´s entire portfolio
    • Re-definition of all operative detail actions with the scope to support IT structures as extensively as possible
    • Expertise concept and performance specifications
    • Implementation of IT tools
    • Transfer of processes and tools into real operation
    • Successful conveyance of consultancy assignment to client´s real world

     

    Further projects in the field of Software Development

    Software Services

    • Introduction of a transportation management platform, based on the Enterprise Service Bus, in a large transport organization
    • Process integration of more than 100 business locations and external partners onto a transportation management platform for the communication of transport orders and collection of performance data
    • Construction of a browser-based entry system for centralised logging of transportation orders
    • Design and implementation of a web-based platform for marketing transportation services on the internet
    • Conception and implementation of a web-based reporting system for a logistics organization
    • Implementation of a programme to enable real-time credit checks as part of automated sales and hiring processes
    • Design and implementation of a payroll system for transportation services, including automated interfaces for all upstream and downstream systems (order management, trianing, performance checks, accounting)
    • Design and implementation of a comprehensive master data management system for a logistics organization
    • Compiling of existing conditioning and charging services in a standardized Web service, ready for the integration into an SOA architecture
    • Implementation of various interface systems between customers and logistics providers to enable automated order transmission, order tracking and the collection of performance data
    • Integration of data and workflows between a Hub-management environment and a company-wide transportation management platform
    • Construction and introduction of CRM processes as well as implementation of a CRM system for the sales and distribution unit of a logistics service provider
    • Extension of an existing client server-based transportation management system, through web-based services for the provision of various central and decentralized organizational functions of its customer services, as well as for the preparation of the old system replacement with a new SOA-based platform
    • Introduction of a web-based data loading management system in order to integrate subsidiaries, customers and partners of a transportation service provider in one single platform
    • Design and implementation of uniform, web-based processes for the preparation of transportation documents
    • Design and implementation of standardized web-services in order to integrate different geo-data providers (such as Map & Guide) within an extensive logistics platform
    • Construction of a project portfolio management system for a logistics group
    • Various projects for the integration of system management, monitoring and management components in complex IT environments
    • Quality assurance through codes of other IT service providers with respect to the development of an extensive transportation management platform
    • Establishment of processes and systems for transport trades and integration of these into the flow of a logistics organization
    • Development of processes and systems for forecast and planning of delivery chains
    • Construction of a knowledge management environment with the purpose of handling support questions for an IT logistics organization

     

    Further projects in the field of consultation

    Consultancy Services

    • Developing new products for logistics service providers, design and implement resulting technological changes
    • Building a holistic change environment in a subsidiary company of a trading group
    • Supervision and support of a restructuring process in transportation and logistics organizations
    • Optimizing business processes for logistics companies
    • Strategic reorientation of organizations
    • Design and monitoring of restructuring processes in various logistics organizations
    • Supervision and support of several process outsourcing projects, moving complex logistics networks to external service providers
    • Development of alternative strategies for purchase of a logistics organization
    • Optimization of management processes, development of control systems Development of IT strategies
    • Optimization of IT operations and process development for a logistician
    • Development of innovative purchasing and distribution channels for logistics services
    • Definition of service level agreements and management of the transition of a decentralized IT department into a central group in the IT sector

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Teamplayer