richards

How We Made It Work: 

How We Made It Work Lisa Richards, RSC Tracey Ryan, CQ Press June 15, 2003

About CQ Press: 

About CQ Press The leading publisher of books, directories, and Web products on American politics, federal and state government, campaigns and elections, and world affairs. A division of Congressional Quarterly. Located in Washington, DC.

Overview: 

Overview Challenges of our Legacy Systems Factors to Success Technical Solution

Legacy Systems: 

Legacy Systems Editorial System – large amounts of structured data in relatively flat files Contact Management System – independent database

Challenges of Legacy Systems (1): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (1) Lack of integration Two independent systems Matching contacts with data had to be done manually Thousands of contacts Multiple updates a year

Challenges of Legacy Systems (2): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (2) Inability to accept data feeds Large amounts of data Congressional redistricting data Cities, counties and zip codes Required manual processes e.g., 2000 Census, 2002 Congressional Elections

Challenges of Legacy Systems (3): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (3) Difficulty in re-organizing large chunks of data Files were relatively flat Users got “lost” within the data hierarchy Process was error-prone e.g., creation of the Department of Homeland Security

Challenges of Legacy Systems (4): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (4) Redundant Data Higher editorial costs Longer update cycles e.g., Members of Congress Member Offices Committee rosters Leadership offices District and election information

Challenges of Legacy Systems (5): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (5) Lack of “Central View” of the data Inability to see all instances of a single piece of data E.g., Members of Congress Office listing Committee listings District listing Leadership listing

Challenges of Legacy Systems (6): 

Challenges of Legacy Systems (6) Inability to utilize new technologies Inability to send or receive updates electronically Inability to use bar codes to facilitate logging in update forms

Success: 

Success Custom solution using off-the-shelf tools and software New system that is robust, flexible, and provides efficiencies Successful project management

Factors to Success (1): 

Factors to Success (1) Total involvement of the client at every step One individual from client unit assigned to assist in the project Provided approval at every major decision point Resulted in high level of satisfaction with new system

Factors to Success (2): 

Factors to Success (2) Project Manager understood legacy systems and user workflows Resulted in better project management less time to develop user requirements better choice of solutions

Factors to Success (3): 

Factors to Success (3) Re-Use of efficient components from legacy systems Identified legacy components which worked efficiently at the start of the project Included those components into the new system architecture Reduced overall project costs and development time Avoided unnecessary changes to system and workflow

Factors to Success (4): 

Factors to Success (4) Solicited Request For Proposal’s RFP included fairly detailed requirements Sent to 3 “trusted” companies Requested details on solution as well as pricing and scheduling Resulted in clear understanding of requirements and better comparison of solutions and costs

Factors to Success (5): 

Factors to Success (5) Finding the “Right” solution Invited vendors to a roundtable discussion to review and evaluate all proposals Vendors critiqued each other’s solutions Resulted in a better understanding of proposed solutions vendors (individuals, management style, etc.) Used expertise of vendors to identify the right solution

Factors to Success (6): 

Factors to Success (6) Selecting the “Right” vendor Willing to build a solution right for CQ Press Did not try to force a solution based an existing application or design Never said “we can’t do that” Offered options at various cost points

About RSC: 

About RSC Retrieval Systems Corporation established in 1984 extremely good at data distillation from diverse sources manipulates it like magic sprays it out in beautiful formations

RSC’s Solution: 

RSC’s Solution Normalized the data Created several different classes of information to describe as XML, such as individuals, biographies, buildings and addresses, in order to eliminate redundancies and enhance the consistency and accuracy of the information.

Tools Used in Solution: 

Tools Used in Solution Corel’s XMetal for authoring Web interface to access database OmniMark for converting from SGML to XML SQL Server

Custom vs. Off the Shelf: 

Custom vs. Off the Shelf Build it or buy it?

Future: 

Future WML – Blackberry applications? Slice and dice for subset publications