MS2 emphasizes the use of its governance protocols for all development engagements to ensure high quality standards and enforcement of internal data stewardship requirements. Additional internal application support such as supervisory review tools further aid in eliminating risk of developmental errors and oversight throughout IT solution engagement. If in the remote event a business solution is deemed ineffective, a strategic corrective action plan will immediately be implemented to remediate existing issues as well as to mitigate future development occurrences.
OUR BUSINESS PRINCIPLES
MS2 business solutions strive to adhere to four internal core principles which drive our underlying business philosophy. These philosophical pillars include promoting:
I) Agility– Flexibility in design is critical towards establishing successful, long-range technical solutions. As such, MS2 development tools deploy cutting edge Silicon Valley Design Principles focusing on security and open-source friendliness. These guiding principles allow MS2 to construct secure, stable solutions, while avoiding vendor or technology lock-in.
MS2 agile best-practices promote initial development plans through a small scale Proof of Concept (“POC”) in advance of rolling out full-scale production level, commercial solutions. MS2 believes the expanded POC is an important step in allowing clients to thoroughly evaluate the complete ramifications of the solution before entering into a long-term financial obligation. This step allows clients to minimize development cost risks, while maximizing the effectiveness of the solution, thereby avoiding pitfalls (e.g. being financially committed to an ineffective solution) which plagued development strategies with previous solution providers. The POC can be established with minor funding sources (a fraction of the cost of a comprehensive solution), and based upon reaching a successful “small-scale” model, prudently expanded to move to a more robust commercial platform solution. Ultimately, this approach provides supremely improved flexibility, combined with ease of long-range maintenance and sustainment activities.
II) Accountability – For the purpose of effective accountability, our management plan follows four (4) key steps to ensure services and deliverables comply with the requirements of any client engagement. These steps are followed specifically to make certain MS2 is accountable towards ensuring overall engagement success. As such, in the development/assessment process, MS2 will load, monitor, review, and report. These key compliance steps are monitored through the MS2 Quality Control/Business Assurance Center (QC) to guarantee overall quality of services performed, business continuity with the client, and an overall audit trail for accountability is developed.
LOAD: All assessment/development files will be loaded into a central database location. The central site will allow for secured access and review of pertinent documentation and electronic files. The site will also allow for real time updates for the system assessment/development teams as procedures are completed. Files will be centrally located and will be password protected, ensuring all parties have access to information and documentation at any time. This will also provide for a consistent archiving of documentation and project work papers for potential corrective actions.
MONITOR: MS2 will monitor all work papers to confirm development plan documents are included in a central location. The date and time of creation for work papers, and the sign off by team members, as well as management’s review, will automatically be time stamped and documented. Moreover, MS2 personnel will monitor and update on a real-time basis on-going project status.
REVIEW: MS2 will continuously review and validate development plan documents using a “3C” process to track the progress made by its development team. The 3C process is a procedure in which MS2 ensures the work being performed is consistent, in compliance, and being completed on time in accordance with scheduled deliverables. MS2 will certify by the 3C process that service and deliverable schedules are being adhered to on a daily basis.
REPORT: MS2 reporting process covers the Problem, any Operational Change reports, and progress reports to define the solution as described herein:
- Problem or Operational Change Reports.
Though MS2 does not expect issues on any engagement, scheduling changes and/or operational challenges may surface. As a result, our team maintains an internal policy of reporting to client management, problems or unexpected changes to operational requirements within 48 hours of the occurrence. The client will receive both verbal and written reports, with sufficient detail, explaining the issue and potential recommended solutions to solve, mitigate, or avoid adjusting performance timelines. Problem or Operational Change Reports will be updated with monthly progress reports (discussed below) when time of occurrence permits us to do so.
- Progress Reports.
MS2 will oversee meetings and compile information that will be provided in written monthly progress reports to the client. The progress reports will include:
(1) Detailed actions taken to achieve client objectives within the prior month (update provided each month).
(2) A summary of assessment/development work performed and/or findings discovered during the reporting period (inclusive of any technical reports or studies).
(3) A summary of work in progress and next steps in development/consulting assessment process (inclusive of applicable test plans or presentation materials).
(4) An executive summary that provides Senior leadership a high-level snapshot of project status.
(5) An outline of any issues that might prevent timely task completion and meetings held during the month including attendees and a record of minutes.
III) Efficiency – MS2 possesses significant experience in facilitating business process re-engineering support within a managed portfolio of systems. As a result, our service professionals seek to create solutions that have a transformational impact on improving system efficiency, while lowering bottom-line development and sustainment costs. By standardizing software engineering practices across a given portfolio, MS2 is able to efficiently streamline client software engineering costs. Ultimately, our team is committed to minimizing client service costs for any development project, while maintaining the highest standards for client performance and service quality.
Moreover, MS2 solutions apply predictive analytic models to smart asset management in order to realize efficiency in asset lifecycle cost reduction as well as to improve the accuracy of overall decision-making. Specific and meaningful MS2 efficiency gains include:
- Technology: The amount of money saved on technology or technology costs avoided by introducing a MS2 analytic solution.
- Productivity: Efficiency savings due to the reduced amount of time and effort required for particular tasks (hence a reduction in manpower).
- Business process enhancement: All identifiable annual savings that were realized due to changes in business process supported by a MS2 analytic application
Lastly, MS2 utilizes innovations such as Single Deployment Process for lowering operational costs. Efficiency gains through mitigating development costs will become more critical as outdated system assets, an aging workforce, and a proliferation of intelligent devices in various industries cause clients to face new challenges in finding more and efficient ways to maintain and monitor critical assets (with high availability and reliability). MS2 portfolio asset management solutions will help reduce/minimize/optimize asset life-cycle costs in the areas of asset investment planning, network design, procurement, installation and commissioning, operation and maintenance through decommissioning and disposal/replacement. Efficiently optimizing each of these life-cycle phases for asset-intensive clients is a core solutions objective of MS2.
IV) Transparency – Success on any engagement requires a solutions provider to have a transparent and proven performance plan. Due to diligent preparation, attention to detail, and maintaining a continuous pipeline of information to clients, all prior and existing MS2 contracts have been successfully managed and delivered on-schedule. Ultimately, these guiding principles are essential to long-term, successful contract execution. As such, our management approach focuses on transparency and continuous client engagement to:
- Uniquely tailor performance plans and schedules which maintain continuity with a client’s current IT business environment (includes strict adherence to Security Policies and Procedures).
- Allow for the immediate deployment of management/administrative resources upon engagement commencement to maintain the existing continuity that clients experience prior to MS2 arrival.
- Define fundamental development/business consulting strategies clearly before a project begins. This will include clearly communicating to all team members the venues for reporting on status, issues, and pitfalls. We will provide every team member a well-organized set of work papers and any applicable audited IT controls documentation (preferably electronic) which outline previously performed development work.
- Holding regular internal team meetings (as well as consistent meetings with designated client personnel) to ensure all stakeholders are well-assimilated into the process and remain on the same page.
To use effective project planning applications (such as Trello or equivalent tool) to maintain and document an on-going, real-time project status, while using the Critical Path Method (CPM) to ensure the project avoids undue delays on the critical path. All members will be made aware of project deadlines, their prospective roles in the process, and consistent updates as key timelines approach.- Requiring all team members to adhere to the Quality Control protocols and procedures provided by MS2 to submit deliverables on time. These requirements are part of all MS2 engagements.