Consulting Services

System Architecture Services

Defining a system architecture requires a structured approach to create a large system from heterogeneous subsystems. The role of the System Architecture is to describe what functions the system performs, allocate functions to subsystems, and structure how the subsystems are integrated to perform those functions.

In recent years, our primary business focus has been providing front-end engineering and systems architectural services to high technology business start-ups and established, product-line developers. We are very experienced in performing feasibility studies, developing specifications, applying development processes, and implementing solutions.

Concept Research/Feasibility Study

We specialize in exploring our client's system concept and researching the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed project. The feasibility analysis is composed of several key activities:

• Competitive Market Analysis
• Life-cycle costing
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Concept of operation synthesis

We will perform a feasibility study and document the results in a form suitable for evaluation of the project. We can also assist the client with the conceptualization, organization, structure, and content of project planning and requirements documents.

Competitive Market Analysis

Will the marketplace embrace the product?
What's your competition?
What features are the discriminators in the marketplace?
What's the price entry point?

Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. can get the answers you need.

Life-cycle Cost Analysis

Our life-cycle costing analysis uses a methodology for estimating capital expenditures that employs a comprehensive approach for determining total program cost over the serviceable life of the project.
Life-cycle costing addresses all costs associated with a project over its serviceable life. We can assist companies and governmental entities in all phases of life-cycle costing from needs identification through capital acquisition and staff training.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Cost/benefit analysis is a process by which the true costs of purchasing, placing, maintaining, and disposing of something is identified and valued. Does a system feature justify its cost? "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. can help you make the tough choices on what system features and automated services can maximize your profits.

Concept of Operations Synthesis

Concept of operations synthesis is the analysis and development of the scenarios for usage of a system. Business re-engineering and process modeling are activities that encompass the concept of operations synthesis. The interaction between human, computer, and communications equipment are analyzed and developed. This activity consists of many trades comparing system functions performed by the system versus the interacting human. Business objectives, current and anticipated marketplace needs and desires, and development cost and schedule must be constantly weighed and contrasted. This is an activity where "putting a line in the sand" is necessary. Decisions made here can have profound cost and schedule ramifications down the road. Our analysis approach and concept of operations products usually clear the fog by making the key issues visible and substantiating the critical decisions that have to be made.

Specification Development and Design

So many companies spend exorbitant amounts of money without knowing what they are building. We are experts at establishing and managing requirements baselines. Our requirements are clear, concise, and can be easily understood. You don't have to be an engineer to understand a specification developed by Folsom Consulting Group, Inc.

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. may be unique in its proactive approach in anticipating where things can go wrong. Contemporary risk mitigation approaches, including: technical performance measures, statistical analysis, and symptom correlation, are utilized for:

• User needs
• System functionality
• Data needs
• System and subsystem interfaces
• Processing and timing and sizing requirements
• Systems and technical architectures

Process Planning

Folsom Consulting Group's process engineering approach enables us to understand our client's enterprise's business processes, organizations, strategies, and technologies. This is necessary to achieve improvements in operating results. This approach comes from years of experience and an understanding of system architecture, large system development principles, and development methodologies. This combination of experience and skills allows us to form a cohesive and practical approach to the development process and the accompanying engineering activities.

Services are available to support the development of business and system plans, ranging from enterprise-wide plans to program-specific plans. These services utilize specific methodologies to analyze the business unit or program organization and develop strategies and plans for systems that produce an efficient end product with a committed and motivated team.

Methodologies

The complex task of developing the architecture for a large system is simplified by means of a rigorous stepwise refinement methodology. Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. commonly works with a variety of methodologies, from approaches our clients feel most comfortable with to our own preferred "Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. Approach." which treats every project on its own merits and prescribes a methodology accordingly. Here are some of the products we use regularly to ensure a smooth implementation:

Efficiency

Business process design and engineering consists of restructuring all the processes in the business so that they become efficient, transparent, and seamlessly integrated. In turn, this requires that every process in the existing system be scrutinized to assess their performance. Processes that perform cross-functional roles are carefully investigated before they are changed, eliminated, or replaced by new processes. Folsom Consulting Group, Inc. is well versed in restructuring and designing the business processes required to create an efficient and profitable system for your business.

Making Progress and Team Integration

Overcoming the inertia that often exists when a large program has just started and capably performing the initial engineering tasks will lay the foundation for a successful and profitable program. We can competently execute in the "program startup" environment when little direction or organizational cohesion exists. Our personnel will be immediately productive and complement the in-house staff that is available to work on the program.

Enterprise Programs

Folsom Consulting Group's unique combination of management and technology consulting has enabled our clients to move quickly to productive solutions for their operations.

Many consulting operations separate their technology and management consulting practices. This fundamentally separates new business processes and technology issues during critical stages of the decision and implementation cycle. Folsom Consulting Group has developed their Enterprise Consulting Methodology (ECM) and supporting programs with a different view. After many years of experience and research in the industry, we fundamentally believe that both new work processes and technology have to be identified, agreed, and implemented in parallel. This has to be done quickly to gain the competitive advantage.

Folsom Consulting Group's Consulting Programs employ a simple, three-stage framework to prevent problems before they occur. Each project follows this model, thereby ensuring that business goals, process change, and technology selection are linked throughout the process.

Technology Awareness

Customized education seminars, usually delivered on site, reviewing technology, products, case studies, and examples of where other companies and organizations are using systems to support their business and organizational goals.

Building the Business Case

Workshop driven consulting session with all the decision-makers in place to agree where technology and new work processes can make the biggest difference. Folsom Consulting Group's consultants facilitate this session, ensuring that any new systems are directed at solving the major business issues for your organization.

System Specification

Workshop driven consulting session to gain agreement, specification, and define new work processes that will support the system. The finished specification is used as the instrument to develop, test, and deploy the new system.

Folsom Consulting Group uses workshops as a vehicle to gain consensus and agreement in the organization about ways to improve methods of working and new process and system requirements. These intensive sessions provide productive use of management and staff time to determine new solutions for operational and organization problems.

Many of Folsom Consulting Group's programs are delivered on a fixed-price, fixed-time-frame basis. We can also customize our services to meet specific goals and client needs. Our Consultants have years of experience in the definition specification, design, marketing, and delivery of new products.

Folsom Consulting Group specializes in aligning business goals, process change, and technology in order to produce results in record time. We can assist your organization with decisions about workgroup and Internet-based technologies.

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