Workforce Express is a CSG product that is native to the CSG billing system used by one of the largest Multi-System Operators (MSO) in the broadband industry. The enhancement process for this product was cumbersome and required a year and a half from requirements gathering to delivery. Changes were needed to improve the process and make it more responsive to the needs of the industry.
The Client
The MSO was known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. They were a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transactional-based voice and data services.
The Business Issue
Contractual issues were straining the relationship between the billing vendor and the MSO client. The fact that the MSO represented over 90% of the Workforce Express install base and was driving the requirements for the majority of ongoing product development created additional tension. The MSO expected CSG go be responsive to its needs however, the enhancement process was not as responsive as the MSO expected. CSG used a traditional “Waterfall” approach to providing enhancements and versioning their product. Requirements were collected, documented and delivered to the development team, who would begin a build-cycle that lasted anywhere from six to 18 months. The MSO required enhancements that could be applied across the enterprise more quickly than the traditional development cycle that CSG could provide to ensure that they maintained operational efficiency and were able to increase customer satisfaction. They turned to Cliintel to intervene in the situation and resolve these issues.
The Solution
Cliintel instituted an iterative approach to the development process to ensure that the timeline between requirements and presentation of the concepts was decreased. This would allow for the inevitable changes that occur once the client gets to see how the concepts and functionality they envision are translated into product functionality. This was accomplished by instituting a production beta paradigm that could quickly provide iterations to a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) team. This allowed the UAT team to validate design concepts, provide corrective action when necessary and also fostered a closer relationship with the development teams at CSG, eliminating a majority of the communication barriers. Communication and efficiency improved to such an extent that over the next year and a half, CSG was able to provide seven consecutive releases improving the functionality and usability of the Workforce Express product Cliintel instituted process enhancements that included the weekly collection of prioritized change requests from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across the enterprise. Bi-weekly Change Control Board (CCB) meetings were established to review and prioritize the requests. The CCB was composed of CSG executives and development staff, as well as representatives from the regional divisions of the MSO. Cliintel coordinated and moderated the discussions and the prioritization of enhancement requests.
The Results
The entire process was successfully implemented over the course of nine months. Communication and efficiency improved to such an extent that over the next year and a half, CSG was able to provide seven consecutive releases improving the functionality and usability of the Workforce Express product.
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