The Situation

SPI's client, a large retailer, called on SPI to revamp a solution for its Human Resources Department that had been using an outdated, heavily customized version of Cyborg.

The Need

The client sought a more supportable application and wanted to expand beyond the upgrade to include specific, automated payroll features, as well as continue its 24 x 7 offshore support.

The Challenge

The client's primary obstacles were a lack of Cyborg expertise and an aggressive timeframe for delivery.

The Solution

The client enlisted the help of a team that brought 5 years of application-specific expertise to the upgrade and comprised Cyborg consultants, SPI Human Resources experts and an SPI offshore support team. In addition to a fluency in CSL, (Cyborg Scripting Language) team members possessed the Mainframe, JCL, COBOL, DB2, VSAM and CICS skill sets as mandated by project requirements.

To execute the work, the hybrid team completed all necessary documentation and divided tasks between its onsite, consultant and offshore components.

SPI's onsite Human Resources team completed Requirement Analysis and Project Scope Definitions, while SPI's offshore support handled all development work. Both SPI teams implemented System and User Acceptance Testing, and Cyborg consultants performed physical upgrades and trained offshore resources on the enhancements so that they could resume their full support of the system.

After an 8 month, 16,000 hour project cycle, the client attained an upgraded application that had 24 x 7 offshore support, along with customized features, such as specified reporting and enhanced data storage.

Multiple Benefits

SPI's client has received numerous advantages as a result of the software upgrade, including :

• Cost savings of 55% (over having implemented the upgrade with software vendor resources)
• Additional savings gained from 24 x 7 offshore support and maintenance
• An ahead-of-time and compliant system
• The automation of manual procedures, such as customized reporting, additional information added to payroll checks and expanded data storage capability
• The production of documentation and templates, which will save 20% on future development costs.
• A committed Cyborg/Human Resources expert team