Interactive Reporting

Multiple sources of information are integrated into a custom database designed to support related business tasks and analysis. The reports are interactive, allowing users to select options pertaining to their needs and to obtain results in real time. They are implemented in a web-based interface that can be run from any standard internet browser. This allows information to be accessible from anywhere, opening up access from within the organization, from satellite offices to partner’s facilities or even home offices. Built-in access controls maintain security and confidentiality. Access is role-based, allowing navigation to be controlled based on a required login (login-id, password) and the user’s job function and access privileges.

The following sections outline some of the key differentiators from the typical approach of using report-writer tools or desktop applications.

Integrated Information

The centralized data repository and its integration with present company databases allow the information to be integrated into a form that is usable and manageable. Company databases may have differing representations of the same information and this problem needs to be solved before meaningful reports can be created. For example, different employee names or identifications may be used for the same employee. Secondly, certain ties between the information do not exist because the databases are separate. For example, revenue and cost numbers may be derived from different sources and might not be associated with the same definitions of product or unit of work.

Obtaining meaningful reports that can help drive the business requires disparate information to be integrated. This is often performed manually using spreadsheets and/or Access databases, and many productive work hours are spent loading and massaging data to obtain the desired reports. These manual processes takes time and the time that elapses prevents the information from becoming available when it can be most helpful for managing the business. For example, employee utilization numbers are needed most before the monthly bills go out, so that improvements can be made before the productivity numbers are cast in stone.

Role Based Access

User login id’s are associated with a role. A role is defined by the user’s job function and access privileges.

Users log into the system with username and password, and are presented with custom screens based on their role. Screens may vary by role in terms of available functions, report options, navigation and layout as well as report results. Role based access means that information can be made available to a broader class of users, restricting the information appropriately based on their needs. For example, it may not be appropriate to allow a given employee to have visibility to certain other employee’s productivity numbers. Producing separate reports for employees becomes overwhelming and difficult to manage in a batch-based reporting system or in a client-server environment. In the role-based approach, each employee is given direct access to the information, but only the information they are permitted to see based on their role in the organization.

Custom Select/Sort Options

Each report has a set of custom select and sort options. Select options can be used to filter the applicable data set, allowing users to generate custom reports on-the-fly. The set of available options are broader than is found in typical reporting tools, because, in this case, the application and underlying database are designed custom to meet the needs of the business. Using this approach, many unique disparate reports can be "boiled down" into a smaller number of more general reports. For example, in one case 50+ reports were able to be replaced by five, where the five were driven by the interactive reporting application with the capability to be generalized by selecting different options. Options are customized to the user-level based on the various roles, so that only applicable options and menu choices are shown. Sort options provide for displaying report results in different sort orders.

Summary Roll Up

The integrated database allows organizational relationships to be captured, allowing information to be rolled up to the summary level. Information can be rolled up to different levels of management, such as director versus manager, each reflecting individual spans of control. Other types of roll ups might include project, service type, product type, or other grouping. The custom structure of the database allows new database relationships to be defined that represent the classification and aggregation of items to support the roll ups needed to manage the business.

Drill Down to Detail

One important feature of the ICE™ approach is the capability to drill down on a summary number and obtain a report that breaks down into its constituent parts. These are then grouped by relationships at the next level down in the report hierarchy. The drill down process can be applied until the raw data supporting the report is displayed. This capability is made possible because business relationships are captured in the database and reports are built with many options, so it is possible to construct drill down reports by reusing business logic and report structures. The same logic and calculations are reused across the different reports and drill downs, so the reports are guaranteed to be consistent.

The drill down capability has a number of important benefits. First, all summary numbers can be verified and understood by the end user directly. This obviates the need to involve technical IT personnel in explaining the supporting data and algorithms and helps build trust in the summary numbers across the organization. Second, the ability to drill down allows users to understand the supporting data, which is often the level of analysis required to determine root causes and take proactive measures to improve business processes. Third, access to the more detailed data allows users to obtain a greater range of information than was previously available and lets them use the data in ways not previously conceived by the report designers. This is a key aspect in reducing the need for endless development of new reports, because the slices and aggregations of data needed for different purposes are already available to the user. All data can be exported directly to an Excel spreadsheet or statistical analysis packages for further review.

Parametric Business Rules

Business rules are applied for different reasons, such as aggregating information, performing calculations, or transforming data. Using the ICE™ approach, business rules are implemented from a single point of control in the application. This makes it easier to change business rules as the business changes. To support this end, business rules are parameterized, capturing key values and relationships applicable to the rule as input parameters and providing a mechanism for these parameters to be changed. Parameters applicable to the business rules can be changed through the administration system.

Business rules can be extended or changed without requiring the services of an IT professional. This cuts costs and reduces turnaround time, but more importantly it allows reports to be fine-tuned to the needs of the business. For example, in a productivity management system, the administration system can be used to specify which service codes are billable.