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Published by Steven Sutton, 2019-07-03 18:20:38

Pathfinder Discovery Example

Pathfinder Example Proof

Pathfinder sales@businesspathfinder.
3007 Earl Rudder com
Fwy S www.businesspathfinder.com
College Station TX,
77845 Company Representative

Discovery Report

Example Company Printing

Prepared for: Creation Date:
05/01/2019
Jon Doe

Example Company
1000 TX-30 Bryan, TX 77807
P 979 444 4444 E [email protected]

Statement of Confidentiality

This proposal and supporting materials contain confidential and proprietary business information of Business Pathfinder. These
materials may be printed or photocopied for use in evaluating the Discovery, but are not to be shared with other parties.

(97m9)o3c5.r3e-d1n9i8fh4t|apwswsewn.ibsuubs@inseeslsapsa|thmfioncd.reerd.cnoifmht|[email protected]|pa4t8h9f1in-3d5e3r.)c9o7m9(

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Summary

Sample Printing possesses a robust workflow with highly skilled employees in its critical operating areas. However,
the processes are analog in most situations, and the knowledge kept internalized to those same personnel
resulting in a highly fractured work enviroment.

In other words, although there is technology present, it is only leveraged to a fraction of what it could be to enable
more transparency and communication between employees and departments.

There is a severe amount of technical debt, resulting in a “data hostage” situation where critical files are localized
to single points of failure. This document aims to clarify the situation as well as make suggestions on remedies
prioritized by urgency.

Please Note:

The information contined within this report is extremely sensitive in nature, and may mention employees names
specifically with notes on performance, discovered issues, areas of policy violtion etc. Please read through the Discovery
thoroughly before sharing this information within the company freely.

Table of Contents Page 3
Page 6
Process Workflow: An analysis of the typical lifecycle of a job order and identified points
of failure or confusion from an outside observer’s perspective. Page 12
Page 13
Alignment Review: An overview of best practices and standards alignment. This
document is our starting point for understanding where technical debt is impacting the
organization the hardest and informs our priority list.

Asset Status: Overview of existing technology assets and their relationship to leverage
and risk.

Solutions Plan: A step by step overview of the suggested plan of action to remedy the
problems identified during the process of our Discovery.

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(979) 353-1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Process Workflow

1 Associated Documents: ProcessWorkflow2A.PDF

The document labeled 2A: includes an in-depth process review which tracks the lifecycle of
a typical job from beginning to end. We find it helpful to visualize the workflow as a series of
steps, in order to identify points with multiple egresses. Furthermore, visualizing the workflow
in such a way allows us to map potential ticket status settings on the workflow to allow real
time tracking of job tasks. The overall findings of this process review are as follows:

There is no clear hand-off between Sales and During our interviews, a frequent complaint was
Customer Service Representatives: During our needing additional information / change approval
interview process, we found a common theme from from a client to proceed, and it sitting on the back
every department: they were not clear where the burner until the client remembered much later. Of
Salesman’s responsibilities ended and the Customer course, this rarely changes the client’s perception
Service Representatives began. This seems to lead of when the job should be completed, creating
to a case by case basis, and a general distrust of the a difficult situation in terms of expectations vs.
CSR team by other departments. backlog reality.

By more heavily leveraging CSRs earlier in the The above seems to come into play especially
job process, the Sales team would be freed up to during pre-flight – where the Prepress team will
pursue more / additional work, better leveraging find issues preventing a proper proof from being
their skillsets for revenue generation rather than released, but is often left to communicate to the
client communication. client directly. This should all be funneled through
the assigned CSR with a digital note of what is
CSR’s need to be more involved in the quoting required and an indication status.
process – in that they should be staying in contact
with the client to communicate quotes / changes There is also confusion on what should
/ needs for information proactively. This would necessitate a re-quote (when the additional
greatly speed up the average job time rather than information / changes are requested) vs. just
relying on departments having to communicate proceeding with the job as planned. There is a
directly with the clients themselves. formal change order process within PACE that
allows for tracking and accounting for job over-runs
There is a severe need for a “waiting client” status and material changes, but from our discovery this
throughout the job process. This would enable CSRs process seems to be rarely followed, requiring a
to see why Sample Printing is held up on a job and manual check during invoicing to account for the
what information is required to move forward. discrepancy (which then often leads to a write-off at

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Process Workflow Continued

this point due to the client never being notified of about “too much transparency” could be offset with
the request qualifying as a change order in the first proper training, teaching CSRs how to translate the
place). status into something that doesn’t cause alarm
to the client: e.g. “If its waiting press how am I
There does not appear to be any consistent supposed to have these delivered to me by Friday if
training on pro-active follow ups with clients. you haven’t even started yet!”.
From person to person, the idea of how often a
client should be reminded what is needed or what Having a straight forward, minimal increment
Sample Printing is waiting on changes. This creates step in production should allow for streamlined
inconsistency in the follow up process leading again adoption of leveraging digital ticketing. This,
to compressed backlog once the work is eventually combined with some form of terminal access
released for production. Having some form of on the production floor could be combined with
training on proper pro-active touches for clients an analog envelope for a printed proof example
could address many of these findings. with the ticket number printed on the jacket for
easy lookup. The advantage here is the majority
Houston seems to operate independently from of information / notes / status will be kept in real
Dallas. This means their work is not being passed time on the digital ticketing platform, and while this
through a CSR in most cases. If it is the intent Donna won’t be seen as necessarily a benefit for anyone
act as her own CSR rep that shouldn’t be an issue on the floor, it is absolutely essential for CSRs to do
so long as PACE is easily accessible to her and she their jobs correctly.
is able to track her workflow digitally for auditing /
accounting purposes like everyone else. Finishing areas of production (such as bindery)
absolutely must be trained to leverage this digital
For the re-quote process, we found issues ticketing process. This enables two important
where the CSRs are not being involved in clearly components:
stating up front what a requote entails, and its
effect on timetable and pricing. CSRs should be at 1. Allowing CSRs to see where the job is as
the forefront of this process with digital statuses it ships out to communicate to clients on
to indicate such, so that the client understands up meeting deadlines proactively.
front their changes will cost extra / cause delays.
2. Ensures any changes to the order (such
Once jobs are released to print, the process flows as shipping location and due by dates)
extremely smoothly and quickly. Incorporating a are seen by the employees performing
digital schedule within the software (PACE) itself the work, preventing the material being
however, would enable CSRs to see where a job is shipped to the wrong location or missing
in the production process at all times. Concerns its deadline. This is something we saw quite

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Process Workflow Continued

frequently during the discovery process. by tracking the invoicing progress digitally, it will
allow for reports on accounts receivable aging and
As an added marketing benefit – having the CSR the relationship between how quickly and invoice
follow up with the client after the order is delivered can be sent after the work is performed and how
to ensure they’re happy with the work allows for quickly and carefree it is paid.
the opportunity to ask if they would refer Sample
Printin to a friend or local business. This has been We also see a need here for invoices to be
found to be an effective barometer on a client’s send and processed electronically. This adds two
judge of the work performed without a get out of benefits:
jail free platitude as the reply.
1. Faster send and payment time.
When we get to invoicing we find a whole slew
of analog steps being performed. Jane is perhaps 2. Digital tracking through report audit
one of the most versed in PACE, however she is and email read receipt for invoices being
having to perform many steps /data collections received.
outside the system due to other employees lack
of knowledge of the system. With proper training Having some status such as Executive Review
on the platform this could be offset, as other would allow for triggers to be fired off to notify
employees would learn how to run the necessary key persons such as Jon and Jane that there is an
reports out of PACE themselves on-demand. invoicing issue / dispute quickly, so that they can
Furthermore, as discussed earlier – proper use of intervene when necessary without requiring in
change orders and all notes being entered digitally person coordination. This also would allow for
would provide Jane all the relevant information reporting down the road on which clients / types of
in one place to address questions on hours work incur the most disputes.
overruns and material costing discrepancies. Also

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Alignment Review

2 Asssociated Documents: Alignment.PDF

Our Alignment Review is a series of over 200 questions that look to identify alignment with best
practices and industry standards. The PDF Alignment.PDF delves into the specific findings, our
reason for alarm, and our suggested solution. Included in this review is a high level overview
of our findings by area:

Alignment Breakdown Page 6
Page 7
Compliance: Outlines legal protection for the business owners, levels of ahderence to Page 8
industry compliance standards, and security best practices. Page 9

Human Resources: Deals with on and off boarding findings, miminal access policies. Page 11

Data Integrity and Protection: Overview of data access methods both internal and
external, backup methods, and the current state of Intellectual Property if involved.

Productivity and Leverage: Delves into the state of productivity hinderances in the
current operating enviroment. Also discusses duplicate+ data entry findings and leverage
concerns.

Uptime: Reviews various areas in the operating enviroment that are at risk and/or are
currently compromising system or operating uptime.

Compliance

Houston is currently unable to process credit begin to process credit card information over a
cards without calling and leveraging the Dallas network rather than telephone line. This can be
office, we cannot enable this functionality without addressed by upgrading the Houston network and
upgrading the Houston Firewall to prevent a PCI if necessary, completing a card processor audit
compliance violation. This comes about once you once per year.

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Compliance Continued

There is a lack of litigation hold (the ability to access to information is far too easy. This would be
retrieve deleted email correspondence) for all of addressed by upgrading the server platform and
Sample Printing Email – see Data Integrity and implementing a proper access IT policy.
Protection section for more detail and solutions.
There is a lack of audit ability on systems access and There is a lack of policy around mobile devices
administrative changes. This would be addressed being company issued vs personal. This can cause
by replacing the existing server infrastructure and problems especially around sales departments as
removing administrative privileges from end users. the salesmen use personal devices with personal
phone numbers, making taking clients with them
There is also a lack of password complexity during an exist all the easier and more difficult
and unique login access. This means users share to contest in court (there are split 50/50 rulings
accounts on websites, and have simple / non- on weather a personal device with company data
changing passwords on company assets. This leads is something forcibly accessible by the company
to a low hanging fruit situation where improper which owns the intellectual property rights.

Human Resources

There is no clear on-boarding and off-boarding process for employees. IT should be at the center of HR
as it allows for granting and restricting access to resources and information. At a high level we found the
following:

1. Users are not being quickly and reliably removed from systems such as computer logins / website
account logins (such as OPS) / email systems after being terminated.

2. Users are not signing documents that specifically outline Sample Printing’s computer / information /
social media policies to protect the organization from abuse.

3. Users are not being restricted to only the information they need access to in order to perform their
duties (more on this in the file organization sub section).

The stated issues can be addressed with a two-prone approach:

a. Create an online on and off-boarding document (see https://techbundle.formstack.com/
forms/new_employee_it_check_list_copy for an example created for an agreement client).

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 7 ==

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Human Resources Continued

b. Deploy the infrastructure required to create a minimal access policy environment. This means
creating permissions and structure such that people only have access to the information
required to perform their day to day tasks and no more – this greatly limits the company’s
exposure to potential issues in the first place.

Data Integrity and Protection

This is perhaps the most disconcerting area given our findings – there are several sub-sections of concern:

1. Email: The current email platform lacks any litigation hold or auditing ability. This means Sample
Printing cannot audit what changes have been made to email, nor can they retrieve any deleted or
lost email. Furthermore, the current email platform is setup through “POP” meaning the email data
itself is being stored on local devices such as desktop hard drives rather than on an email server.
This exacerbates the issue, as it increases the chances email data will be lost and unrecoverable. The
solution to this is outlined in our proposal on upgrading the email system to GSuite.

2. Client Files: Customer documents are currently spread in at least seven different storage locations
(not counting local hard drives on workstations). This leads to several issues:

a. There is no comprehensive backup for these files if they are lost / there is no versioning for
change tracking.

b. There is no central organizational structure to quickly find and retrieve data when needed.

c. There is no consistent version tracking nomenclature to quickly identify which files are final.

d. There is no method for creating a minimum access policy around the customer information
to restrict access.

e. There is a silo effect between departments (such as prepress / signage / Houston / production
/ CSRs / Billing) where they do not share in a common data pool source and are often having
to ask each other manually for files.

f. There is no clear communication of files between Houston and Dallas, and this often leads

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Data Integrity and Protection Continued

to delays or rushed production of Houston work.

g. This information is not easily accessible outside the internal network (if at all), reducing the
ability to call up information outside the office. With a proper access policy in place, this can
be done in a secure, protected manner that will allow for greater productivity (such as CSRs
having access to information when discussing things in person with clients).

3. Volatile Data: Current data such as the client files above, sit on systems with failing or failed redundancy

states. In other words, while the servers upstairs do have RAID, these raids are degraded and have

single drives left prior to failing and losing the data for good. Of all the technical findings in the

environment this is the most disconcerting.

The solution to this issue rides on the discussion above on client files: the data needs to be consolidated
into one location carefully, then migrated to a collaborative solution such as Google Drive.

Productivity and Leverage

This section delves into bottlenecks caused by outdated / insufficient systems in the environment. Of
note there are three primary complaints we encountered during our discovery process:

1. Network is Slow: This is caused primarily by three issues:

a. The internet speed is not sufficient for daily operations and suffers from intermittent
connectivity (which fails over to an even slower backup connection).

b. The router in Dallas is insufficient for the number of devices on the network, also leading
to congestion. This can be addressed by tackling the internet provider plan (moving the
Cable connection to backup and making the T1 line fiber and the primary), and replacing the
router with an appropriately sized unit.

c. There are cable infrastructure issues present with noise on ethernet cable lines / non Cat5e
(meaning the max speed supported is 10/100 rather than 1gbps) / improperly specified
switches and wireless. This means certain devices cannot operate at full speed even if other
issues are addressed, this requires a cabling overhaul due to the type of cable currently

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Productivity and Leverage Continued

used in the building. The network and cabling infrastructure project would address this.

2. PACE is Slow: This is a combination of two factors:

a. The age and resources of PACE (resolved by an upgrade / update).

b. The fact that PACE is on an internal network experiencing congestion. Having the central
software perform as well as absolutely possible is critical for adoption. The second
employees feel they’re being lagged or having to wait on a digital process they immediately
look for ways around that process.

3. Workstation Slowness: This is due to having an inadequate refresh cycle on existing hardware
assets. This is easy enough to address, as it means targeting the oldest / slowest units (budget wise,
by order of the employee’s productivity importance), until all units are on a staggered budget refresh
cycle. Please see the PDF named “Performance Review” for a detailed overview of asset performance
tracking.

4. Wireless issues: This is a straight forward problem, and is due to improperly specced wireless not
providing proper coverage inside the building. Due to the spotty LTE coverage, this causes productivity
issues are people have to step outside / wander through the building to find signal. The network
overhaul project solves this problem.

Beyond just the technical, we saw several instances of duplicate data entry due to the primarily analog
ticketing process being currently leveraged. This is a two-sided debate – as many of the advocates for the analog
system argue using just PACE as it operates now will greatly slow down the job delivery process (and without
updates / training on the system we agree here). As it stands the system is too slow and the information too
fragmented to be used quickly and efficiently. Upgrading the platform, making it more accessible throughout
the production process (by way of remote and floor terminal access) as well as looking into streamlining the
presentation of data (e.g. critical information on the first page) would alleviate the majority of these concerns
and engender higher adoption.

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Uptime

Uptime encompasses those areas of infrastructure missing or compromised which can or are resulting in
operational downtime. During our Discovery, we observed the following:

1. No battery backups on workstation units: Beyond protecting the power supplies in the machines,
these act as a barrier to allow saving data during a power outage to prevent lost productivity.

2. No Backup Domain Controller: This means should the system you use to control login on the
workstations (ctrl alt delete login) fail, you have no backup and would be unable to log into
workstations without substantial manual fixes. The Domain Controller also functions as the authority
for share permissions and drive letter mappings, which when disrupted would also cause significant
productivity hindernace.

3. No buffer machine setup on-site: This means any workstation failure would result in the end user
being down until the system could be fixed or replaced with shipping time accounted for. While some
employees have workstations they could move to almost as kiosks, others have desktops specifically
tailored to their day to day needs which would be severely crippled should a buffer not be availible.

4. Suddenlink connectivity issues: As reviewed prior, the Suddelink connection experiences frequent
outages and downtime. While the first step would certainly be to have this oustanding issue resolved,
this needs to be resolved for the long term by moving the Suddenlink connection to backup and
making the Verizon connection fiber primary (especially given almost any business-critical system
such as PACE is better served as a Software as a Service model going forward – meaning the server
would be cloud hosted). However Software as a Service comes at a risk, and that is the reliability of
the primary internet connection for all locations accessing the software becomes mission critical.

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Technology Asset Status

3 Associated Documents: See Matrix Below

During our discovery, we leverage the documents found in the matrix below to guage the
health and status of each technology asset currently in production use. This information allows
us to make reccomendations on priority of replacement based on multiple factors; the reports
provide the folllowing detail:

Asset Breakdown

Asset Audit: A high level report on assets, their location, users with access, aging, and AssetAudit.PDF
most importantly - intended use case. PCPerformance.PDF
MacPerformance.PDF
PC Performance Review: A detailed report for Windows based PCs which shows average ServerPerformance.PDF
processor, memory, and drive usage.
N/A
Mac Performance Review: A detailed report for Mac OS based workstations and laptops
which shows average processor, memory, and drive usage.

Server Performance Review: A report created specifically for assets flagged as servers
in the client enviroment. Breaks down resource usage as well as any unusual behavior,
errors and event flags, or performance concerns.

Mobile Device Review: Should the organization provide any company provided mobile
devices (such as iPhones / iPads etc.) their current setup and deployment method will be
documented here.

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Solutions Plan

4 Associated Documents: See Matrix Below

Here we discuss the solution set suggestions based on our findings. This includes a multi
step process with proposals encompassing each step to solve a specific issue found in the
environment or workflow process. Refer to the chart labeled “Solutions Sequence” for a visual
layout of the suggested order. We have included details on each proposed solution as well as
a suggest budget range. The intent is to offer an operations road map for a multi month (and
potentially year) plan. As such, we have prioritized those solutions which protect data and
customer communication first, followed by workflow improvements, and eventually software
upgrade/replacement and training.

Solutions Plan Breakdown 1-2 Months $
1 Week
Data Consolidation: Rescueing at risk data prior to it being $2,400-4,200
lost and production effected. 2-3 Weeks $77,000
$15,000
Network Overhaul: Core infrastructure upgrades to the 4-6 Weeks
cabling and network backbone. $Variable
1-2 Months
Server Upgrade: Proposed consolidation of existing 1-2 Months $10,000
servers into a single, new deployment with data Minimum 2 Months $3,000-5,500
protection.
$?
Workstation Refresh: A list of the most at risk or
produtivity hindering assets in need of being replaced.
Cost depends on units approved.

Email Upgrade: An email migration which will provide
litigation hold, larger inboxes, and higher up time.

Google Drive Deployment: This will provide a
standardized cloud based file collaboration platform.

Critical Software Rollout: An upgrade and/or replacement
of the central critical application.

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Data Consolidation

This step must, and should come first. Given there is data spread across multiple systems and platforms,
and some of the most criticaldata is in a degraded state, we must capture that data and centralize it prior to
doing anything else. During this process we will:

1. Put into production a central storage solution (NAS).

2. Begin moving the data from each separate source (Mac Server | Houston External Hard Drive | Pre
Press External Hard Drive | Windows Server | Jim Backup MAC | Old PACE data) into the centralized
data store. This will be a disruptive process as we need to ensure no one is modifying or accessing
the data while it is being moved, and that they work out of the new data location once the move is
complete.

3. As the data moves into the central location, we will map it back out to the respective end users so they
have access to it again as quickly as possible (this will need to be done in phases, and coordinated
around slow periods or after hours).

Network Overhaul

This step should come first, but cannot due to the current status of data in the environment. This is
the foundation everything else stands upon, and is greatly out of date and under specced for the current
operating conditions. There are numerous issues with the networking equipment and cable health, including
cables not being able to transmit at the needed speeds to satisfy other solutions down the list. As such:

1. The network equipment and rack would be ordered and installed (but not made live).

2. The cabling would then be re-run back to the new rack and terminated into the new network
equipment.

3. Wireless would be mounted and installed in the necessary areas.

4. We would cut over to the new network and router.

All in all a straight forward, but labor and hardware intensive process – this is the most expensive
standardization project identified, and due to the age of equipment and cabling won’t become any more cost
effective to do as time goes on.

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Server Upgrade

Our next step would be to replace the server and create a new domain (corp.sampleprint.com). We need
to perform this step at this point as it will reduce labor efforts down the line. As we replace workstations we
can join them to this new domain all in one step. It will also allow us the policies and permissions we need to
roll out email migration tools / Google Drive in the coming phases.

1. Order and install the new server hardware in Houston and Dallas (minimum specced servers as the
majority of heavy lifting will be handled by Google Drive).

2. Once the equipment is installed, configure a new domain and set default policies.

3. As we install new workstations, place them on the new domain.

4. Any remaining workstations we will deliberately not be upgrading or replacing will need to be migrated
to this new domain prior to proceeding to the next phase.

Workstation Refresh

We would then begin replacing the targeted workstations. This would include:

1. Ordering and setting up the systems at our office.

2. Bringing them on-site at pre-scheduled times/dates with the employees.

3. Migrating their local data over to the new machine.

4. Setting their new machine up on the new domain.

To respect budget, we can target only the most critical systems to replace at first as there is a severe
amount of technical debt. However, replacing these targeted workstations will have one of the greatest impacts
on productivity and workflow, and will greatly reduce the time commitment during the email migration and
Google Drive rollout phases.

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Email Upgrade

Due to the lack of auditing and litigation hold, email falls into the category of protecting data and is high
on our priority list. This project is complicated by the fact that the email is stored away on local drives as POP
mail and not on a mail server. As such our process would be to:

1. Stand up the new email system and populate the users and permissions.

2. Inform all users what will be happening, when, and what we will need in terms of assistance and
compliance.

3. Perform a cut-over, show users how to access web mail to not interrupt the ability to send and receive
mail.

4. Work with each user to migrate their local POP data into the new mail platform: note – this email
history will not be available until the POP migration has completed.

5. Migrate signatures / important mail rules / auto completes where possible / contacts.

6. Work with client to streamline email organization, leverage distribution groups / shared mailboxes
etc. where appropriate.

7. Setup litigation hold and auditing policies.

Google Drive Deployment

With these safeguards in place, we could then shift our focus to addressing collaboration and workflow
issues prior to engaging and upgrade the software systems (such as PACE). Both Heidelberg and PACE confirm
they want to see some form of file management / NAS present for handling client files. Google Drive allows us
to deploy ‘Teams’ a framework for organizing data by department / function. This data then presents itself to
the workstation as a ‘Mapped Drive’, making it extremely easy to use. Once deployed, offices such as Houston
will be able to save files to Google Drive and they available in Dallas as soon as the sync completes (no more
than a few minutes at most), allowing for near real-time collaboration. We could also look into replacing file
share with Google Drive to deploy a ‘staging’ folder where client files are directly uploaded, again further
streamlining the process.

1. Approve and create the high level organizational structure.

16 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for Example Company

Pathfinder 16

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Google Drive Deployment Continued

2. Decide on group memberships / permissions.
3. Decide on access policy.
4. Enable Google Drive, deploy out on the back end.
5. Ensure end users have access to their drives and they are working correctly without issue.
6. Begin migrating the data from the centralized storage in Phase 1, to Google Drive.
7. Look to leverage tie-ins such as the web-site for a staging area for file submission.

Pace or Equivilent Roll Out

This step has been saved for last by design. Prior to engaging and spending money on upgrading or
changing software solutions, we want to ensure everything in the environment is stabilized and functioning
properly. This will also allow us to take our time and engaging with these vendors and deciding what the best
step is moving forward. From our discovery we know the following functionality is paramount:

1. An online catalog clients can access to order materials from a pre-authorized user list.
2. The ability to modify ticket layout to make it more conducive to workflow.
3. Tracking and entering time.
4. Using and customizing ticket job status.
5. Cost and change order tracking.
6. Invoicing and reporting.
Beyond this, during our discovery we noted several instances on lack of training on the existing PACE
system. Whatever solution is leveraged or upgraded, budgeting for software training for the end users will
be absolutely necessary. Given our over-all recommendation is to move forward with tracking as much as
possible digitally, ensuring everyone is comfortable using the system will greatly decide how successful such
an initiative takes hold.

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 17 ==

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Project Timeline

GOOGLE
8 Weeks [$

EMAIL MIGR ATION
6 Weeks [$10,000]

WORKSTATION REFRESH
3 Weeks [$Variable]

SERVER UPGRADE
2 Weeks [$15,000]

NETWORK OVERHAUL
8 Weeks [$77,000]

DATA CONSOLIDATION
2 Weeks [$2,400-4,200]

AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY

18 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for Example Company

Pathfinder 18

(979) 353-1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

SOFTWARE SYSTEMS TRAININIG
Minimum 4 Weeks [$Variable]

CRITICAL SOFTWARE ROLLOUT
Minimum 8 Weeks [$Variable]

DRIVE DEPLOYMENT
$3,000-5,500]

FEBUR ARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE J U LY

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 19 ==

(97m9)o3c5.r3e-d1n9i8fh4t|apwswsewn.ibsuubs@inseeslsapsa|thmfioncd.reerd.cnoifmht|[email protected]|pa4t8h9f1in-3d5e3r.)c9o7m9(

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Idea here is to get sales  Likely needs to be a 
people back selling as  person to person 

quickly as possible. conversation to convey all 
relevent information and 
*Contact Information
*Urgency context for handoff.

Securing new  SALES *Job Description Request  CSR QUOTING PREPRESS QUOTING
work All transferred to CSR rep –
Handles determining  then moves to next sales  Huddle to hand off sales to assigned  Creates proposal based on  Takes a look at scope of works  Takes into account any concerns 
scope of work / setting  CSR. Inform them of all relevant  request and includes proposal as  and submits and additional  or issues in pricing before 
initial client expectations. opportunity. information and job description.  part of electronic ticket  information / changes needed as  providing quote to CSR (notes 
Introduce CSR to client. At this point CSR  information with timestamps of  preflight process. made on electronic ticket for 
Status = New Job becomes POC for all client needs. price quotes. audit trail)
Status = Quoting Preflight
Status = Handoff Status = Requires Quote Status = Quoting

This would have CSRs “closing” sales, not sales people – but if  All roads lead to Prepress: They need to be involved in  This means the CSR is responsible for communicating the 
Sales is still involved by this step their leverage is greatly  ensuring the job is doable with the information and  needs back to the client in order to continue, rather than 
reduced.
materials provided. There also needs to be some form of  putting the responsibility on areas that are easily 
review on estimated vs time spent in Prepress as it’s a  bottlenecked such as Prepress.
large bottleneck in time and cost.

NO

CSR CSR CSR PREPRESS CSR

Communicates the quote (proof)  Creates pro‐active touch schedule  Quote (proof) Approved. Ensures  Performs actual work for setting  Is notified of the issues 
back to the client and closes the  all needed information is entered  up proof to be printed  preventing printing – notes and 
deal or communicates changes /  to follow up with client and  and collected from various  appropriately (tracked against  time should exist in electronic 
requests back to QUOTING (via  electronic ticket as time entry).
electronic ticket) – paper proof  Waiting on Client? YES remind them we’re waiting on  Approved? YES departments in order to proceed  Ready for Print? NO ticket. Decides on course of 
may exist here as well. information to proceed and this  Status = In Prepress
unabated. action and is responsible for 
Status = Quote Sent delay may effect delivery dates  communicating with client any 
Status = Waiting Prepress needs to move forward.
previously discussed.
Status = READY CHECK FAILED
Status = Waiting Client

Need transparency on when the organization is waiting on a  NO
client for something – and it needs to be real time and digital. YES

YES NO

CSR YES EXEC Job Adjusted? Utilizing the software  This has two facets: Technology and Training.
schedule so that its up to  Creating a real‐time digital schedule allows 
Quote Declined – was  Look at pricing / delivery  NO date and visible by CSR  everyone to be on the same page as to the 
this a pricing concern /  dates and adjust if  Job Lost reps to know where the  backlog and work to be performed. On the 
delivery date problem? deemed appropriate. training side, it allows CSRs to understand 
job is in queue. where a clients job is and how to 
Status = Quote Rejected Status = Under Review communicate that status to clients without 
PRODUCTION concerning them around delivery 
NO (They just wanted more changes) All we mean by this is Newman  expectations.
Printing has declined the work. Receives electronic ticket with 
QUOTING correct status and relevant  Once
information, with attached proof  chang
Re‐Quote with desired changes / update  on ticket (printed out as well for  tickets) 
pricing to reflect what was adjusted –  offset print jobs). 
GO THROUGH QUOTING ON THIS, CSR  up
should not make the adjustment  Status = Waiting Press
themselves and not communicate the  PRODUCTION
pricing changes to the client as a result 
or lost margin occurs. Begins working the job on the 
various press machines.
Status = Re‐Quote Required
Status = On Press

This step is RED due to confluence of reported issues. If  PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
something needs to be re‐quoted there should be a formal 
quote process to ensure the client is not cannibalizing margins  Preparing to ship  Shipped 
(being loaded / loaded on truck /  (With tracking number / expected 
with ad hoc changes. being picked up by UPS dropped  delivery date and time on the 
off at UPS etc.) electronic ticket.

Status = Preparing to  Status = Shipped
Ship

Idea here is to have transparency on where the deliverable is 
in the shipping process so CSRs can keep clients informed. It 
also would allow training of new personell to always check the 
digital ticket prior to shipping to ensure correct destination 

information

20 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for Example Company

Pathfinder 20

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

2A: Process Workflow Review

YES

Need a process for formal follow‐up with clients 
Newman Printing is waiting on to drive that work 
forward. Also shows professionalism and organization 

to stay on top of their deadline.

CSR

Need to discuss a process  Creates pro‐active touch schedule 
for this step as it becomes 
to follow up with client and 
quite blurry – when is 
Bob /someone senior  Requires Change Order? NO Waiting on Client? YES remind them we’re waiting on 
involved in deciding what  information to proceed and this 
needs to be quoted back vs 
just make the changes and  delay may effect delivery dates 

go? previously discussed.

Status = Waiting Client

In my high level meetings it wasn’t clear what the 
exact process was for involving executives in on a 
decision on what to press the client on for a change 
order vs just doing the work and moving forward.



No By making this a status, we could look at 
deploying alerts or events when something 
e on the press side – things run smoothly. The major  Adding this as a digital step would allow future tracking of: EXEC enters this step such as an email notification to 
ge here would be to allow a digital workflow (digital  A) Which department had the discrepancy Bob/Louis so they are aware of the issue and 
 for the work description / job tasks, with status being  Escalate for review and  can see the ticket information to read the 
pdated as it moves through the production floor. B) On which jobs / clients these occur most frequently communication with client by  notes / context of the work before engaging 
C) How long it takes for the assigned department to assist in  executives (Bob / Louis). with staff or the client. It also enables tracking 
PRODUCTION of how often this needs to occur and for which 
resolving the issue. Status = Executive 
Bindery / Finishing ‐Need to  Review types of work / clients.
designate where this job is at the 
end of this production process for  INVOICING Issue Resolved? INVOICING Write Off / Legal 
CSR rep transparency on ticket  (Flag Account)
status without having to ask  Make notes on concerns /  Is client contesting some portion 
manually. discrepancies and assign ticket to  of the invoice / work performed? End
correct department for 
Status = Bindery / Finishing explanation. Status = Payment Issue 

NO Issue Resolved? No

Status = Invoicing Issue

YES YES

CSR INVOICING No INVOICING INVOICING

Follow up with client as curtesy to  Review invoice and ensure there  Invoice clear to send? Send invoice electronically for  Invoice paid – close job.
ensure everything was done to  are no discrepancies in missing  faster verification (with send 
Product  satisfaction / potential survey  costs / time records. receipt via email if possible). Paid By Due Date? YES
Delivered opportunity to ask if they would 
recommend Newman to another  Status = Invoicing Review YES
business / friend?
Status = Invoice Sent Status = Closed
Status = Ready for Invoicing

This would be a benefitial client relationship step that takes very little time,  Read receipt adds a layer of “Yes someone saw this” to the aging 
but could offer huge customer service differentiation. It also could serve as  audit process. Sending digitally allows for faster invoicing and aging 
a heads up for any potential payment problems in the next steps. The last  turn around time overall. By having it in the system as a status, it is 
question has been found to be an effective feedback tool that people are  also possible to at a glance ensure the work has been billed when 

more inclined to answer honestly with or without realizing it. figuring out why the organization has yet to be paid.

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 21 ==

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

22 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for Example Company

Pathfinder 22

(979) 353-1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Ecosystem Map

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 23 ==

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(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Performance Review

DetailedJune 11, 2019 Performance Review

ACCOUNTING3

Identification Hardware Information

Client SConInc Manufacturer Lenovo

Location Bryan - Main Office Product Model RD530

Computer ACCOUNTING3 Chassis Type RackMountChassis
Processor
Nickname ACCOUNTING3 Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2640 0 @
Memory 2.50GHz (x2)
Domain SCONINC.local
32 GB (4 of 20 slots used)
Windows Server 2012 Standard
Operating System RTM Internal Drive(s) 2 Total Used: 160 GB / 185 GB (87%)

Asset Tag

Asset History Drive Usage - Current

Date Added 2013 Dec 06

Date OS Installed 2013 Oct 17

Last Startup 2018 Nov 04 04:29 AM

Last Contacted 2019 Jun 11 11:26 AM

Current Status Running for 219d 6h

Resource Usage - Last 24 Hours

100

100

Resource Usage - Last 30 Days 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

100% Drive Used % Warning Critical
Critical

75%
Warning

50%

25%

0% May 15 May 18 May 21 May 24 May 27 May 30 Jun 02 Jun 05 Jun 08
May 12

CPU Usage % Memory Usage % Drive Usage %

P24athJfuinned11e, 2r019 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for EPxaagme p2leofC3ompa2n4y

(979) 353-1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Technology Alignment

Backup and Recovery :1 :1 :7

Server Recovery | Score: (0.0 %) :0 :0 :2

Impact Question Why Are We Asking Technical Analysis Recommendation

ISP Bandwidth and If a large file or entire No. Data stores are spread among Since files are spread across multiple
Restore
system needs to be restored multiple machines with multiple file places - any data loss would be a

over the internet, is that formats and OS. Not all resources are complicated, protracted process

within your Time To accessible by everyone on the provided the data could be recovered at

Recovery goal? network. all.

Workstation Recovery | Score: (0.0 %) :0 :0 :2

Impact Question Why Are We Asking Technical Analysis Recommendation
See centralized file storage solution to
Mapped Drive Use Data not protected -- UNC Mapping / Network Access / address this problem. This means there
Centrally located data is Direct Access is no centralized method for accessing
easier to manage and (or having access granted) to Newman
protect files. currently.

TB Standard Workstation While saving all data to the By design - need to move off critical Prior to doing this - we need to
Solution: Max Backup server is preferred for data to centralized location first. consolidate data into a central file store
multiple reasons (RAID / solution. If we begin trying to backup all
Image based backup existing data sets, there is a high
recovery etc.) - we want to probability of drive failure and data loss.
cover all our bases.
Sometimes end users will
need to take laptops out on-
site where they cannot
reach the server, having
workstation based backup
helps ensure those files are
better protected.

Application Specific Backups | Score: (0.0 %) :0 :0 :1

Impact Question Why Are We Asking Technical Analysis Recommendation
6\VWHP 6HFXULW\
Many LoB applications store Need to update critical tools such as
PACE to current version and place the
We have and are following critical data in non-obvious software on a platform that can be easily
updated in the future.
vendor best practices for locations, or require PACE system severely out of date

all LoB application? backups to be done in a

certain way.

6HUYHUV _ 6FRUH
5HFRPPHQGDWLRQ
,PSDFW 4XHVWLRQ :K\ $UH :H $VNLQJ 1
7HFKQLFDO $QDO\VLV

$XGLW $FFRXQW 0JPW 7KLV 3ROLF\ ZLOO ORJ DOO WKH Required for several compliances - 7UDFNV ZKHQ D XVHU LV FUHDWHG FKDQJHG
6XFFHVV )DLOXUH $FFRXQW 0DQDJHPHQW ensures administrator actions are GHOHWHG RU D SDVVZRUG FKDQJHG UHVHW
&KDQJHV DGG PRGLILHV DQG auditable.
GHOHWHV

$XGLW $FFRXQW /RJRQ 7KLV 3ROLF\ ZLOO ORJ DOO WKH Required for several compliances - $XGLWV ORFDO DFFRXQW ORJLQV
6XFFHVV )DLOXUH $FFRXQW /RJLQV LQ WKH tracks when users access systems.
GRPDLQ

:H UHFRPPHQG WKDW DV D

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3K\VLFDO DFFHVV WR VHUYHU URXWHUV VZLWFKHV DQG DQ\ 1R (TXLSPHQW LV QRW LQ D VHFXUHG UDFN LV
URRP FORVHW UDFNV FRPSXWLQJ HTXLSPHQW ZKLFK DFFHVVLEOH WR DQ\RQH ZKR JRHV XSVWDLUV

GHDOV ZLWK VHQVLVLWYH GDWD EH

VWRUHG LQ D ORFNHG URRP

Pa'tRhPfDinLQd 3eDVrVZRUG 3ROLF\ _ 6FRUH Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 25 ==
5HFRPPHQGDWLRQ
,PSDFW 4XHVWLRQ :K\ $UH :H $VNLQJ 7HFKQLFDO $QDO\VLV
%\ HQIRUFLQJ VWURQJ <HV WKH\ DUH XVLQJ D FRPSOH[

(97m9)o3c5.r3e-d1n9i8fh4t|apwswsewn.ibsuubs@inseeslsapsa|thmfioncd.reerd.cnoifmht|[email protected]|pa4t8h9f1in-3d5e3r.)c9o7m9(

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Technology Asset Score Card

Department Name Location User Type Serial Purchased OS Avg CPU

CRM RANDLE-W7 Bryan Steven Randle Workstation DQPJRY1 8/14/2012 Win 7 Home 60%
Anne Lanches Workstation PK0369K 7/23/2013 Premium x64
VOSTRO460-PC Bryan
Win 7 Pro x64 55%

Desktop-1VR- Brenham James Viens Workstation MJ02KPHV 6/5/2015 Win 7 Pro x64 35%
G5U9 Tom Merces Win 7 Pro x64 44%

Sales OUTSIDESALES Remote Laptop MJ02KPJ4 6/5/2015

ROBIE-SALE Bryan Kimberly Laptop PC0FHTYK 9/20/2016 Win 10 Pro 12%
RUSSS-PC Bryan Mattes MJ584GV 5/3/2013 x64

Russ Stevens Laptop Win 7 Pro x64 71%

Preflight IMGPROOF Bryan Patty Viens Workstation 5CG7031H- 2/13/2017 Win 10 Pro 5%
DIGI1 Bryan WX x64
JONPC Bryan
Cory Robinson Workstation MJ048SUG 7/27/2016 Win 10 Pro 8%
x64

John Coltier Workstation PK2H3MX 1/13/2014 Win 7 Pro x64 18%

PrePress3 Brenham Leyla James Workstation R9028ZEK 8/2/2014 Win 7 Pro x64 62%

Back Office LMN-PC Bryan Bob Bilberry Workstation MJ05LMA4 7/18/2017 Win 10 Pro 12%
x64

D49794478D Bryan Curtis Chirdo Laptop MJ05V637 9/15/2017 Win 10 Pro 8%
x64

SHIPPING2 Bryan Russ Stevens Workstation PF11PM7V 4/20/2013 Win 7 Pro x64 99%

SHIPPING-P Bryan Jamie Lom- Workstation MJ335AW 8/30/2016 Win 10 Pro 17%
MAILINGPC Bryan bardo x64

Jack Brown Laptop MJ04DMUA 11/15/2012 Win 7 Pro x64 61%

ESTIMATOR Bryan Andy Nelson Workstation MJXEDAF 3/10/2015 Win 7 Pro x64 9%

26 Discovery for Example Company Pathfinder | Discovery for Example Company

Pathfinder 26

(979) 353-1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]

(979) 353-1984 www.businesspathfinder.com [email protected]

Avg Ram Disk IO Display Count UPS Battery? Critical Softwares Used Score

70% High 1 No PACE | Excel | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Il- 10
lustrator

42% Medium 2 No PACE | Excel | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Il- 7
lustrator

24% Low 1 Yes PACE | Excel | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Illus- 4
trator | Local Media Library

33% Medium NA [Travels] No PACE | Excel | Outlook 5

22% Low 1 Yes PACE | Excel | Outlook 1

80% High 1 No PACE | Excel | Outlook 10

40% High 2 No PACE | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Illustrator | 3
15% Heidelberg | Helios Preflight
33%
76% Low 2 No PACE | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Illustrator | 1
33% Heidelberg | Helios Preflight

Medium 2 No PACE | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Illustrator | 6
Heidelberg | Helios Preflight

High 1 No PACE | Outlook | WebPrint | Indesign | Photoshop | Illustrator | 10
Heidelberg | Helios Preflight

Medium 2 Yes PACE | Outlook | Excel | Word | WebPrint | FAME 2

18% Low 1 Yes [older than 4 PACE | Outlook | Excel | Word | WebPrint | FAME 1
80% High 1 years] 10

No PACE | Outlook | WorldShip | WebPrint | FAME

20% Low 1 Yes [older than 4 PACE | Outlook | WorldShip | WebPrint | FAME 2
76% Low 1 years] 9

No PACE | Outlook | Excel | Quoting | WorldShip | FAME

18% Low 1 No PACE | Outlook | Excel | Quoting | WorldShip | FAME 5

Pathfinder Discovery for Efxgagmple Company 27 ==

979.353.1984 | www.businesspathfinder.com | [email protected]


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