From: Subject: DM Review - Business Intelligence Drives Strategy and Decision Making at Parkway Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 07:07:00 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0029_01C35B20.2A81DA20"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0029_01C35B20.2A81DA20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.dmreview.com/editorial/dmreview/print_action.cfm?EdID=7172 DM Review - Business Intelligence Drives Strategy and = Decision Making at Parkway
3D"DM Published in DM=20 Review in August 2003.
Printed from = DMReview.com

Business Intelligence Drives Strategy and Decision Making at=20 Parkway

By John Bryer


Parkway Corporation is a leader in designing, implementing, = marketing=20 and managing innovative parking garages and lots. With 30,000 = parking=20 spaces throughout North America, Parkway has had good judgment, = making it=20 a leader in parking real estate development and operational = management.=20

As the number of cars, parking properties and employees = substantially=20 increased, a strong demand was being placed on reporting, planning = and=20 evaluation. However, Parkway lacked an executive information = system.

With Parkway's ascension to the top came an influx of data,=20 information, assets and people. It was at this time that I was = hired as=20 vice president and chief information officer (CIO). The company, = though=20 solid in management, operations and financials, was starving for = business=20 intelligence (BI) to help manage its aggressive growth.

When I got to Parkway approximately three years ago, it had = legacy=20 systems but not a lot of reporting systems. Parkway was = information and BI=20 poor. Upper management had always been very experienced, but even = the best=20 management can only go so far doing business the old-fashioned = way. There=20 comes a time when objective, sophisticated e-business systems are = needed.=20 The company's Achilles' heel was inadequate reporting. Employees = were=20 going from system owner to system owner to get spreadsheets and=20 information. As CIO, I had a unique opportunity to help turn = things=20 around.

Normally, when companies decide to undertake a large-scale = project such=20 as this, they evaluate several service providers, but we looked at = one:=20 RCG IT. I had worked with RCG IT in the past; and its combination = of proof=20 of concept, fixed price and results-orientation proved its value = with=20 Parkway upper management. RCG IT also showed the executive team = that this=20 was a low risk method for getting the BI implementation that was=20 needed.

Furthermore, RCG IT had a track record of managing large = complex=20 projects as well as substantial data warehouse (DW) and BI = experience. The=20 team interacted closely with my staff, and this made for a smooth=20 implementation and development process.

RCG IT provided end-to-end application design, development, = testing and=20 implementation services following industry best practices. To = manage this=20 project, RCG IT implemented its proven BI methodology, which = included=20 several stages:

  • Surveying existing systems, data and capabilities,
  • Identifying key business drivers and data sources,
  • Analyzing the technology and business environment to produce = a=20 reliable, secure and cost-effective solution,
  • Defining a project plan and scope,
  • Developing a logical and physical data model,
  • Presenting a reporting architecture, and
  • Training end users and system maintainers.

The BI solution has played an integral part in helping redefine = the=20 corporate strategy. Parkway has been spending a lot of time = revitalizing=20 its strategy over the last six months. Its BI solution has helped = Parkway=20 make stronger analytical decisions regarding its different market = segments=20 and business practices.

Along with an improved business strategy, Parkway also realized = four=20 specific benefits from the implementation of the DW and BI = solution. The=20 company was able to reduce fixed labor and overhead costs = associated with=20 gathering operational information. The DW provided a more precise = picture=20 of revenue, profitability, operations and trends for both = individual and=20 collective parking properties. Customized views of operational = reports=20 became available to suit individual users' preferences across the=20 enterprise. The new BI/DW system served as justification to = enhance,=20 upgrade and replace outdated, ineffective and costly systems and=20 processes.

The savings in manpower required in generating these = operational=20 reports justified nearly the entire cost of the project in just = two years'=20 payback. Given that the BI/DW project is relatively new, Parkway = expects=20 to save thousands more over the application's lifetime. Still, = specifying=20 ROI for a project of this magnitude can be difficult.

While it can be very hard to quantify the benefits from a = system like=20 this, Parkway executives formerly made decisions based on = intuition,=20 experience and "gut" feeling; they did not rely on data, business=20 intelligence tools and analysis. Now, before buying a property or=20 undertaking a new business venture, Parkway is able to analyze = reports to=20 help determine if this business arrangement is worth undertaking. = I think=20 that the company is better prepared to make strategic decisions on = acquiring what will make money and deleting or fixing what will = lose=20 money. Overall, Parkway decisions are now more strategic, more = effective=20 and increase the likelihood that we will make the right decision = on=20 buying, selling and managing properties.

Parkway expects to have more demand from users who want access = to the=20 data to help them with their specific, daily work. The owners and = other=20 executives of the company clearly see the value of business = intelligence=20 and consider this tool an indispensable item.

RCG IT's BI solution comprises application design, = development,=20 testing and implementation of Web-enabled data warehousing = serving=20 as the IT framework for Parkway's Decision Support and = Executive=20 Information System. The system provides a picture of = revenue,=20 profitability, operations and trends for individual and = collective=20 parking properties, reducing labor and overhead=20 costs.

John Bryer, vice president and CIO of Parkway Corporation.=20


Copyright =A9 2003, The = Thomson Corporation=20 and DM Review.
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