Business Process Management

EBT applies three (3) types of business process management techniques, namely:

·     Business Process Automation

·     Business Process Improvement

·     Business Process Re-engineering

Business Process Automation (BPA) leaves the existing processes and procedures of the organization unchanged, but technology is applied to improve the performance of the organization. Therefore time should be spent understanding and documenting the as-is business model.

Business Process Improvement (BPI) involves making moderate changes to streamline the operating procedures, integrate processes and eliminate obvious bottlenecks so that the business processes are more efficient. Time is spent understanding the as-is business model, but the analysis scope is much less than that of BPA. Time spent should be sufficient to assist with the documentation of the to-be business model and development of the to-be business requirements.

Business Process Engineering (BPR) means totally revamping the processes and procedures of an organization and making changes to take advantage of new ideas and technology. Little or no time is spent on understanding the as-is business model as the objective is to obliterate the current way of doing business and implement drastic changes to improve quality and service and maximize the benefit of technology. This usually occurs, when no system exists or the existing system and processes are considered obsolete.

Each of these techniques has its strengths and weaknesses. Preliminary assessment of our client’s requirements is used to determine if the changes in business processes will be modest or risky and which technique should be applied.

Our business process management techniques are complemented by our business analysis techniques. Our business analysis techniques includes focus group meetings, questionnaires, one-on-one interviews, observations, systems analysis, data analysis and research. Our business analysis techniques:

·     Ensure that we understand the user requirements, work environment and communication protocol

·     Establish trust and build rapport between the project team and users, and with the key stakeholders

·     Gain a better understanding of the current business processes

·     Identify the problems of the current business processes

·     Obtain stakeholders input on the requirements for the new system

·     Identify procedures that should be modified to align business process with the new system

 At the end of the business analysis phase, EBT creates a Business Requirements Document (BRD) which will contain:

·     Current (as-is) business model

·     Solution (to-be) business model

The current business model will comprise of content diagrams, business process workflow diagrams and business use cases, describing how the system works. The solution model will comprise of requirements definition; business use cases of procedures that are different from the current business model; system interface for migration and integration; the conceptual data model; and class diagrams. Each business use case, describing a business or functional requirement, will defined the primary actors, pre-condition, flow of events, post condition, data involved, alternative path and business rules. The requirement definition will comprise of a listing of the functional and non-functional requirements for the new system.

 

Data Modeling

Enterprise Business Technologies uses ERWIN Data Modeler and Microsoft Visio to create Logical and Physical Data Models and to generate scripts which will be used to create the database. EBT creates logical and physical data models for OLAP databases in third normal form (normalized). Online Transactional Processing (OLTP) Databases are ideal for adding new records, and modifying or deleting existing records. However when analyzing the data, data retrieval can take a lot of time based on the number of tables to be accessed, tables to be joined, and number of records to be accessed. Therefore many organizations opt to implement data warehouse with reporting capabilities or executive dashboard. Analytical Processing is best handled by an OLAP database. The design for OLTP databases is different from that for OLAP databases.EBT creates dimensional logical and physical data models for OLAP databases.

Database Design

Before creating a database, EBT ensures conformity to the naming convention and database standards established by the clients. EBT ensures that the:

• Database object names will be consistent and descriptive.
• Table and column naming style will be consistent.
• Index and constraints naming style will be consistent.
• Standards will be developed for the location of source code, scripts, binaries (if any) and database files.
• Standards will be developed for where to locate documents such as the data models
• Access to tables will be granted through synonyms and views
• Policy will be developed for how to declare primary and foreign keys in the relational database

In designing the database, we determine the size and configuration of the database servers. There are four (4) factors that contribute to calculation of the size of the database server, namely: data volumes, usage complexity, number of simultaneous users, and system availability requirements. We also develop indexing plan and partitioning plan, and adhere to the security configuration of the client. If the client does not have one, we work with them to establish one.

Web Development

Enterprise Business Technologies design and develop websites using Content Management Systems (CMS), HTML, XHTL, CSS, JavaScript, Adobe Flash, PHP, Java and .NET

ERP Implementation

Most businesses use an accounting system to maintain their Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivables, Payroll and General Ledger. However because of federal government contract cost accounting requirements, timesheets are maintained in a different application and invoicing/billing is done through another application. This is very time-consuming; resulting in duplication of effort; and is prone to inaccuracy and inaccurate accounting procedures and practices. This round-about way of maintaining financial accounting, tax accounting and government contract cost accounting, results in:

• General Ledger not being updated on a monthly basis, but at the end of the fiscal year and into the start of the new fiscal year;
• Too much time spent compiling government contracting reports

In addition most small businesses have one accounting personnel on staff. This creates a challenge in implementing effective internal control procedures and may compromise data integrity.

 

To address these issues, EBT assist businesses in implementing ERP systems that can be used to record financial accounting, tax accounting, and government contract cost accounting transactions; and generate the required reports. EBT is knowledgeable about Financial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Government Contract Cost Accounting and Tax Accounting. We know and understand GAAP, FAR Part 9 - Contractor Qualifications, FAR Part 42 – Contract Administration and Audit Services, FAR Part 99 – Cost Accounting Standards, and FAR Part 52 – Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses. Our Financial Director, CPA and IT Director works together to ensure that the accounting solutions provided to our clients meet or exceed their expectations. We are also familiar with OMB Circulars and A-133 Audit Requirements.

EBT recommends ERP-GOV. ERP-GOV allows you to record direct and indirect costs for each contract, record general and administrative cost; generate invoices; keep track of percentage completed; general financial statements, and government contract reports.

 

EBT provides consultants with information technology, accounting knowledge, and experience in implementing ERP applications. We are committed to knowledge transfer. Therefore our implementation approach does not only train your staff how to use ERP-GOV. We also train your staff in accounting procedures and internal controls that are required to perform their job and use the system efficiently.