Full Description

The Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA), New York, was pressured to computerize some nonbusiness functions to increase staff productivity without losing quality of customer service. This paper describes the process that OCWA's steering committee and consultant went through to choose and design a local area network, identify five priority software applications, and select the primary database management system that will be used for all nonbusiness functions. The steering committee ensured staff involvement, minimized staff disruption, and allayed fears, while the consultant provided technical expertise. Together, the committee and consultant developed specifications and the implementation plan. An introductory section gives the background of existing conditions and the hiring of the consultant. In retrospect, it would have been better to arrange a joint venture between a knowledgeable local firm and an out-of-town consultant with computer expertise. The process followed for OCWA's development of a local area network proceeded from a needs assessment, which identified 13 areas in which OCWA could computerize nonbusiness functions; these are listed in a chart that evaluates them in terms of effort and benefit. The steering committee was established and narrowed the list from 13 to five top-priority applications. The consultant prepared specifications and detailed functional criteria to be used in selecting software. The consultant also created an implementation schedule. Total time from idea to complete implementation was 18 months.

Product Details

Published: 01/01/1991 ISBN(s): 0898675812 Number of Pages: 11File Size: 1 file , 360 KB