Software Consulting Services
Selecting and implementing an enterprise software solution is a complex process. At HEADA, our consultants have deep expertise in helping organizations through the entire system life cycle. From ERP systems to EHR, EAM, HRIS, CAD, RMS, CAMA, CRM, CIS, SIS, WOM, permitting, utility billing, and enterprise-wide software solutions, we help organizations and government agencies redesign processes, focus responsibilities, and independently select the best solution to address their unique challenges and embrace the modern capabilities of today’s marketplace.
Services
From assessing software needs to selection and implementation, we can guide you through each stage of the process, no matter where you’re starting.
System Planning
HEADA works with you to thoroughly understand the current state, develop and document measurable goals and outcomes, and navigate the system selection process. From there, we inform the process with market research and analysis to explore possible solutions.
- Needs assessment
We review and document the current state of your organization and identify gaps that are preventing you from achieving your business goals.
- Business process improvement
Our team thoroughly reviews and maps your business process and workflows to identify inefficiencies and pain points, as well as opportunities for improvements.
- Vendor analysis
We conduct market analysis to help understand the vendors, their services and products, their project track record, and typical costs.
Software Procurement
We provide you with a clear view of opportunities to improve business processes and assist with requirements gathering, system integration needs assessments, and system selection activities.
• System integration needs assessment
We can help you identify and document system integration touchpoints to help guide your system procurement strategy.
• RFP development
We leverage our industry knowledge and procurement expertise to prepare an RFP designed to meet your needs and requirements.
• Procurement planning and system selection assistance
We provide the tools and insights you need to efficiently and effectively schedule and score proposals to aid in the decision-making process.
• Requirements analysis
We develop and document your organization’s current and future needs in a detailed set of system requirements.
Contracting
HEADA can guide you throughout the contract negotiation and approval process with your preferred vendor, helping ensure that your best interests are met and project goals and objectives are achieved.
Software implementation
We customize our services to meet your needs with project management, organizational change management, system maintenance, and transition support planning, to keep your projects on schedule, on budget, and within scope.
- Independent verification and validation dentify risks early, avoid costly rework, and manage your projects with confidence
- Our IV&V services are designed to provide an independent assessment of your project, identify risks and issues, and help you meet your business needs.
You can avoid many software defects and project challenges when you detect deficiencies early. HEADA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services provide clients with advance notice of potential trouble—helping prevent implementation problems before they start. Our team has the expertise to provide IV&V and similar services for a broad range of system implementation projects.
HEADA’s third-party verification and validation processes focus on prevention—not costly, inefficient remediation and rework—to provide project stakeholders with confidence, while giving implementation teams the support they need to reach objectives on time and on budget. Our experienced staff will help you identify and respond to risks, providing practical recommendations to reduce the likelihood and impact of preventable complications. We review vendor deliverables with fresh eyes—and an agenda strictly focused on providing clear, objective, and high-quality assessments.
Our services range from point-in-time assessments to a full-time multidisciplinary role, and can scale to suit the size and scope of any implementation. Services include:
Continuous IV&V: Our team monitors day-to-day project practices against plans and best practices to verify and validate that the right work is performed—the right way.
Point-in-time IV&V: We begin with a preliminary IV&V assessment of each project, followed by periodic IV&V assessments. We typically complete assessments after each development phase to identify potential risks, provide a neutral perspective of the vendor project plans and contract, and evaluate organizational readiness.
Independent project health assessments: We evaluate projects spanning multiple agencies or departments and assess if their progress is in line with business and technical objectives, employing best practices, and utilizing appropriate control processes and systems to ensure satisfactory completion.
Third-party reviews: We provide assessments of at-risk or failing projects, acting as independent and objective experts to identify the root causes of problems, reenergize management, rebuild team morale, and regain stakeholder trust.
In-depth reviews of test processes, practices, and outcomes: Our automated code and/or continuous integration reviews assess software code quality, while our system architecture assessments provide system test results to determine the soundness of the system structure and security controls.
• Full-time project management
We can work as the implementation project manager, identifying project risks and issues, monitoring project activities, providing recommendations to mitigate risks, and leading the coordination of vendor activities.
- Implementation oversight
We will act as an active advisor to the client-side project manager, as well as lead select implementation activities. - Organizational change management (OCM)
Using established methodologies, we help you gauge potential resistance and develop strategies to address and overcome barriers.
Project Recovery
We can help you correct a project that is slipping and get it back on track. We identify risk, maintain open communication, and resolve challenging issues.
• Project turnaround
We can rapidly assess your troubled project and develop and execute an immediately actionable project recovery plan.
• Vendor replacement
When a project turnaround is not possible, we can help you determine what may be salvageable and help identify a new vendor.
How HEADA can help The human aspect of projects can often be forgotten in the maze of regulatory changes and legal requirements with which organizations and government entities must comply. Whether we work with you from project inception or come in to refocus an initiative already underway, our team has the background to understand your needs, and the depth of project experience and technical expertise necessary to provide the guidance and support you need.
HEADA is not affiliated with any specific software vendor, allowing us to be truly objective. We stay abreast of the best solutions in the market, as well as industry best practices, emerging trends, and updates in the software vendor community. Our independence allows us to provide objective system consulting services and offer recommendations that serve your organization’s best interests.