Risk Management

Vulnerability to Various Risks

I offer a variety of risk assessment and analysis services to assist in determining your organization's vulnerability to various risks. Using a thorough vulnerability analysis process, threat assessments, and periodic site reviews, I am able to quantify vulnerabilities of your facilities, personnel, and operations. By partnering with me, you reduce costs by putting my knowledge and my expertise of emergency management to work for you.

Understanding Risk

Risk can be defined as a potential for loss. Risk Assessments are designed to establish baseline information regarding current and acceptable levels of risk for an organization, community, or the environment. A risk assessment is a process of identifying and minimizing the exposures to certain threats which an organization or community may experience.

Risk Assessment = Hazard Identification + Impact Analysis

I perform hazard vulnerability analyses to identify hazards and to determine their frequencies, intensities, and potential impacts. I rate the impacts and develop a score that rates the organizations ability to carry out its mission in light of each hazard. This information is then used in the prioritization of preparedness and prevention steps.

Risk Management

With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Risk Management and all aspects of IT Management.

I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world.

Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a Risk Management plan today.

Data Management

Gap Analysis Gap Analysis through data analysis turns data into information. There are multiple reasons for doing data analysis. Most are to do gap analysis between expected, a standard or the competition. Any organization that wants to be successful must have a structured way of gathering data, analyzing data and doing gap analysis. All important areas should have data collected and then turn that data though statistical data analysis into information. Data in of itself is really not worth very much. It is only when the data is tortured by statistical data analysis to reveal information that it becomes valuable. The gap analysis can vary in complexity and sophistication from some very simple averages and histograms to complex regression analysis. Data collection for gap analysis can be done for a number of reasons. Based on information better decisions will result at all levels in the organization. A few of the uses of information I'm gathering from statistical data analysis in a so called Data Warehouse: Needs Assessment I can design and conduct interviews to identify the needs of system users. These needs can be summarized, describing each data set in the organization along with the creation, maintenance, access, and analysis activities for each user group in the organization. Through a thorough analysis of each group's needs, detailed requirements and design specifications are documented to ensure the system supports your business objectives. Technical Architecture It is critical to the success of any Data Warehouse to design the most effective data aggregation strategy and data model. This will not only provide dimensional flexibility and superior performance, but will allow for future data growth and dimensional expansion. I will design an efficient, cost-effective solution to meet your Data Warehousing needs using industry best practices, proven methodologies, and a compilation of recommended database, extraction, and data modeling tools and technologies. Data Cleansing and Conversion I am experienced in developing data cleansing and conversion methodologies that assist you in the transfer of accurate data from any source into your Data Warehouse. I can also assist with integrating data from proprietary and standard formats as well as commercially available data sets. I have experience and relationships with leading extraction and translation tool vendors, which enables the implementation of a rapid and repeatable data cleansing and conversion process. Prototype Definition and Data Modeling I can provide you with a working model of your actual data that can then be manipulated, reported, and tested in your environment. Through production of prototypes for data, system architecture, and dimensional analysis, I can help you at any step in the process. Report Design and Generation A flexible report generation interface provides business analysts and executives with the ability to perform detailed analysis of custom reports from their desktop via Web browsers, existing applications, or custom reporting software. I can assist in the design and creation of reporting structures and systems. Implementation I am experienced in the implementation of Data Warehouse architecture and related databases. The integrity and implementation rules governing the consistency between information in the Data Warehouse and the operational applications are identified and initiated, which creates a smooth and effective transition from test to production. Database Services With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Data Management and all aspects of IT Management. I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a Data Management Plan today.

Team Coaching

Opportunities For Improvement There are always many opportunities for improvement! I work with you to determine the skills and processes you would like to see improve. I will apply my many years of project and technology management experience to help you develop a unit with shared goals, quality output, faster response times and better relations with business and technology partners. New Unit You are new to the unit or the company. Often there are people from many parts of the corporation who make up the new unit. I can help develop goals and create a mission for the new unit. I have the expertise and the skills to build a sustainable team. Training How to organize the negotiation? How to move past impasses? How to deal with difficult vendors? How to deal with difficult users? I can tailor a seminar or one-day workshop just for you! Career Management Put a spark into your team and into your career. Not just motivation but specific ways that you can enhance your career while improving the bottom line and getting recognition from your peers and senior management. Team Coaching With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Team Coaching and all aspects of IT Management. I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a Team Coaching Plan today.

Contract Negotiation

Specific Contract Negotiation I am happy to join your team of negotiators or manage a specific service contract negotiation for you. The list of vendors and suppliers I have negotiated with is extensive and my experience is deep in both the areas of technology negotiation and service contract management. Specific Contract Negotiation bringing together business and technology and understanding your needs in today's fast paced culture is my challenge. I pride myself on my quick response and streamlined negotiations on your behalf. When you have a negotiator with many years of Information Technology and acquisition experience you have the vendor at a disadvantage. With many years of combined Information Technology experience in application and service development and implementation, I bring you an advantage that is understated but dramatic in its impact. I am uniquely qualified to work with your team to identify the critical aspects of your acquisition, ensure specifications are met and protect the organization in its current and future structure. Request For Proposals Request For Information Request For Quotation It is my belief that a good RFP/RFI/RFQ is the basis for a quick contract negotiation. I can help you develop these documents or help you review the ones you have in-house. Contract Negotiation With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Service Contract Management and all aspects of IT Management. I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a negotiation policy today.

Process Management

Not Simply Flowcharting Many people believe Process Management is simply flowcharting ... it is surely not! Flowcharting a dysfunctional process will only help to ensure that it produces consistently poor output. Process Management goes way beyond creating a picture of a process in flowchart form. It involves gathering data, analyzing that data, adjusting the process based upon results, and then effectively deploying, monitoring and enforcing the new process. This is how I approach your unique situation: Impact Analysis In an Impact Analysis I determine the potential bottom line impact in revenue and profitability increases. Assessment / Recommendations Usually, I perform the Impact Analysis over several days during which key functional areas for improvement are identified. In addition, I develop recommendations for improvement and prioritize areas for improvement. Report / Proposal I present a report of the findings and recommendations to your management, along with a proposal to provide my assistance in facilitating the rapid implementation of the recommendations. The proposed assistance is intended to enable you to quickly realize the gains anticipated in the Impact Analysis. Assistance / Consulting My assistance starts with training your employees on the use of selected process improvement tools through workshops, presentations, and through on-the-floor instruction where the process is performed. This is done to introduce my techniques to your employees so that they understand the improvement process. This will also help to achieve the "buy-in" of your employees necessary to effect the cultural change needed to implement and sustain the improvements after the completion of my work. Cross Functional Teams I will assist building a cross functional team consisting of employees from various functional areas of your company. This team is formed to implement the improvements. With the training provided, the team, led by me, analyzes the current state of the process and identifies opportunities for improvement. From the opportunities identified, the team develops tasks to rapidly implement improvements. During this implementation period, the team meets periodically to report progress and resolve issues. Also during implementation, a performance measurement system is developed to ensure production goals are continually met and to help sustain the implemented improvements. Process Management With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Process Management and all aspects of IT Management. I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a process improvement plan today.

Quality Management

Maximize Your Profits I Show You How to Maximize Your Profits! To improve your business processes and to maximize your profits I'll take the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) Six Sigma approach. But ... what is Six Sigma? Six Sigma has at least three different meanings depending upon the context. There is not one answer to what is Six Sigma. The first answer to what is Six Sigma is that it is a management philosophy. Six sigma is a customer based approach realizing that defects are expensive. Fewer defects mean lower costs and improved customer loyalty. The lowest cost, high value producer is the most competitive provider of goods and services. Six Sigma is a way to achieve strategic business results. Another answer to what is Six Sigma is Six Sigma is a statistic. Six Sigma processes will produce less than 3.4 defects or mistakes per million opportunities. Many successful Six Sigma projects do not achieve a 3.4 ppm or less defect rate. That just indicates that there is still opportunity. A third answer to what is Six Sigma is that Six Sigma is a process. To implement the Six Sigma management philosophy and achieve the Six Sigma level of 3.4 defects per million opportunities or less there is a process that is used. The Six Sigma process is Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC). When answering the question what is Six Sigma understand that Six Sigma is not a set of new or unknown tools. Six Sigma tools and techniques all are found in total quality management. Six Sigma is the application of the tools on selected important projects at the appropriate time. These steps are the most common Six Sigma approach to project work: Define Define is the first step in my six sigma approach of DMAIC. I first ask leaders to define their core processes. It is important to define the selected project scope, expectations, resources and timelines. The definition step in the six sigma approach identifies specifically what is part of the project and what is not, and explains the scope of the project. Many times the first passes at process documentation are at a general level. Additional work is often required to adequately understand and correctly document the processes. As the saying goes "The devil is in the details". Measure Many think when they start a journey the most important thing to know is where they are going. While I agree knowing where you want to go is very important, I believe some of the first information you need before starting any journey is your current location. The six sigma approach asks the Black Belt project manager to quantify and benchmark the process using actual data. At a minimum consider the mean or average performance and some estimate of the dispersion or variation (maybe even calculate the standard deviation). Trends and cycles can also be very revealing. The two data points and extrapolate to infinity is not a six sigma approach. Process capabilities can be calculated once there is performance data. Analyze Once the project is understood and the baseline performance documented and verified that there is real opportunity, it is time with the six sigma approach to do an analysis of the process. In this step, the six sigma approach applies statistical tools to validate root causes of problems. Any number of tools and tests can be used. The objective is to understand the process at a level sufficient to be able to formulate options for improvement. I should be able to compare the various options with each other to determine the most promising alternatives. As with many activities, balance must be achieved. Superficial analysis and understanding will lead to unproductive options being selected, forcing recycle through the process to make improvements. At the other extreme is the paralysis of analysis. Striking the appropriate balance is what makes me highly valuable. Improve During the improve step of the six sigma approach ideas and solutions are put to work. I have discovered and validated all known root causes for the existing opportunity. The six sigma approach requires me to identify solutions. Few ideas or opportunities are so good that all are an instant success. As part of the six sigma approach there must be checks to assure that the desired results are being achieved. Some experiments and trials may be required in order to find the best solution. When making trials and experiments it is important that all project associates understand that these are trials and really are part of the six sigma approach. Control Many people believe the best performance you can ever get from a process is at the very beginning. Over time there is an expectancy that slowly things will get a little worse until finally it is time for another major effort towards improvement. Contrasted with this is the Kaizen approach that seeks to make everything incrementally better on a continuous basis. The sum of all these incremental improvements can be quite large. As part of the six sigma approach performance tracking mechanisms and measurements are in place to assure, at a minimum, that the gains made in the project are not lost over a period of time. As part of the control step I encourage sharing with others in the organization. With this the six sigma approach really starts to create phenomenal returns, ideas and projects in one part of the organization are translated in a very rapid fashion to implementation in another part of the organization. Implementation Strategy My ultimate goal is not simply to implement a quality system or provide training as an end in itself, but rather to derive the long-term organizational successes such a system can yield. The training, consulting and management systems I offer are vehicles that can be used to help an organization achieve that goal. My objective is not simply to provide training and consulting services, but rather to transfer my knowledge and experience to you so you can create excellence from within. In this regard my training and consulting practices are aimed at a participative approach. I want you to become first hand practitioners of the process, capable of instituting the infrastructure necessary to internalize your Quality System and thus derive long-term success. Determining the best way to improve the quality system you have in place is a difficult one and can be very costly - let me help you make the best decision - unlike many of my competitors I am not married to a particular strategy and can help you determine the best one for you! Quality Management With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Quality Management and all aspects of IT Management. I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world. Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a Quality Management Plan today.

SLA and OLA Management

The Support Relationship

"An SLA defines the support relationship between a service provider and its customer. The agreement describes the products and/or services the customer receives, each party's responsibilities, the financial agreement (if any) and how the service provider measures and reports services. The objective of the SLA is to present a clear, concise and measurable description of what the service provider does for the customer."

"An OLA defines the interdependent relationships among the internal support groups working to support an SLA. The agreement describes the responsibilities of each internal support group toward other support groups, including the process and timeframe for delivery of their services. The objective of the OLA is to present a clear, concise and measurable description of the service provider's internal support relationships."

How do I set up an effective SLA with an outsourcer or an effective OLA with my own service units?

Service level agreements should match your business needs as closely as possible. Getting service level agreements for system uptime could be critical, or it could be a detail of your overall operation because it is more important that your applications are accessible when you need them to be. On the other hand, your business may require that you have immediate response to support issues 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I will help you to set objectives that support what your business must accomplish.

Having objectives and metrics alone is not enough to guarantee customer satisfaction. Good SLAs also include both remedies and penalties for missing established service levels. These penalties need to motivate your vendor to achieve the objectives, and the remedies need to help make sure you get back on track quickly. In other words, you don’t want to miss your service levels over and over again, regardless of the size of the penalty.

I will negotiate with your prospective vendors to help craft SLAs and metrics that are achievable and a win-win for both parties.

I will check for examples of SLAs they have used with other customers who had similar business needs. And, as for any vendor selection process, I'll get references and make sure to analyze those references about the metrics used and the quality of the results.

If you are service provider I can consult you analyzing your operating level agreements and improving the overall performance of your service units, by tapping the desire, creativity and dedication of all service staff. Results include an energized workforce, higher quality, higher service automation, lower costs and improved profits.

SLA and OLA Management

With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for SLA and OLA Management and all aspects of IT Management.

I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world.

Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a SLA or OLA Management Plan today.

Management Consulting

My Focus

I am focussed on international management reorganization projects and dispose of extended know how to safely and efficiently design and implement corporate cross-boarder projects. My services range from the improvement of overhead cost and management systems in Logistics, IT and Software Engineering to business process improvement and the shift of functional management structures to process driven structures.

My services include evaluations of efficient (out)sourcing opportunities, the management or RFP processes and negotiations up to closing ad roll-out.

My clients relay on my capability to successfully combine management consulting and implementation management ... I start where traditional strategic management consultants end their jobs. If you need an alternative to traditional management consulting ... talk to me.

Management Consulting

With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer hands-on management for Management Consulting and all aspects of IT Management.

I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world.

Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding preparing your company a management plan today.

Interim Management

The Competitive Advantage

Interim Management is the use of a Senior Executive on a contract basis to manage a business function or project. The term applied to this form of working can vary from country-to-country. Interim Managers are often referred to as Executives on Assignment, Management Freelancers, Trouble Shooters or Change Agents.

Whatever the name, Interim Management is in the ascendancy and is being deployed to great effect by many organizations as both a strategic and a tactical management tool.

As Interim Manager I do not not just fill a gap in your organization, I provide a competitive advantage. Essentially, interim management is a risk free recruitment exercise. There is no upfront financial commitment for you to initiate a search for a candidate and you only commence payment once I start working and then only for each day worked.

As a full Management Consultant, I have worked with clients worldwide to develop solutions to operational and management issues. From creating actions plans, to implementing projects, I work with you to ensure your success.

As part of my Management Consulting Services, I am able to support you with experienced executive management skills for a limited period of time. I cover functions as CIO or CTO in most areas of IT Industries.

If your are seeking an interim CIO, CTO or an interim Vice President/Director experienced as head IT, supply chain and logistics management or head of profit/cost/service centers, I am able to provide you my experience in the IT industry. I will also be at your disposition if you are just seeking an experienced turn-a-round manager.

With many years of experience with both established companies as well as with start-ups I'm in unique a position to offer Interim Management skills.

I offer an international breadth of experience, having worked with some of the largest companies in the world.

Pricing: Please contact me at +43 681 10529517 in Vienna, Austria for more information regarding providing you my interim management skills today.