Strategic Systems Services

Companies are becoming more and more dependent on their information systems and technologies.  With the myriad of options – COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solutions, SAAS (Software As A Service) solutions, the web and the cloud, etc. – it can be confusing and difficult to set the right direction.  Even the most successful organizations can get caught up in “purchasing the latest and greatest”, ending up trying to force business processes and key data into systems that are not well suited for their environments. 

At EMG Consulting, we approach Information Systems and Technologies from a strategic and business support approach, not from a pure technology play.  We start with the business strategy, goals, and objectives, then work our way into the evaluation and selection process, with our client at our side throughout.  Overviews of the areas in which our experienced professionals at EMG Consulting can assist your organization with your Systems needs are presented below.

Strategic Assessment

The professionals at EMG Consulting work with client senior management and operational personnel to understand the current business and technical systems environment with the goal to expose areas that require improvement, areas that are functioning well and as intended, and determine what the COULD BE or SHOULD Be environment should look like to optimize company performance.   We map the core Business Strategy of the client to its IT Strategy as the first step in our Strategic Assessment process.  EMG believes that without a solid understanding of the processes and operational objectives of the client, it is not possible to successfully perform a full and complete Systems Evaluation and Selection – followed by a successful implementation. 

Business Requirements Definition

Once EMG and our client have an agreed upon the company’s Strategic approach and business / IT processes, it is possible to begin the “Business Requirements Definition” phase of the project.  It is important to ensure that the requirements are gathered, defined and written from the “business” perspective.  All too often this phase is blurred with the “IT Systems Specifications” phase, where the definition of the critical system components and requirements are documented.  We make sure that documented “business” requirements supporting the overall strategy of the organization as a whole are what drive the IT Systems Specifications. 

IT Systems Specifications

Once client management has agreed upon the “Business Requirements” necessary to support their organization and systems, EMG assists our clients with the next phase of the process whereby the specific technological systems requirements and specifications are defined.  These specifications are derived from the technological side of the organization though evaluation of current systems and desired functionality of the COULD BE / SHOULD BE systems.  This phase of the process is critical to the overall project, since it identifies where current systems can meet the needs of the organization, and what “new” systems are required.  EMG Consulting professionals work hands on with our clients IT professionals to properly define the technical specifications that are needed for the system(s).

Vendor Evaluation and Selection

With the groundwork properly laid from the above phases, EMG helps client identify appropriate solutions/solution suppliers.  We help create the evaluation criteria such that an objective evaluation can be made across all potential solutions, eliminating much subjective bias.   We represent the interests of our clients and pushing the candidate solution providers for clear, honest, and verifiable proof of their ability to meet the client needs. 

Implementation

As has been seen far too many times, choosing the right systems and technology solutions does not mean successful implementation.  Because EMG has been with our client throughout the entire strategy development -to- business process needs – to- technology needs, we are intimately knowledgeable about the client and can easily provide the project management skills to assure a successful implementation of the selected solutions.  It is only with successful implementation that our clients can say the entire process was a great success.