Staying Paperless On IBM i In A Post-It Note World

August 17, 2015 Alex Woodie

At some point during the move to the all-digital office, customers discovered they’re missing something that’s little, yellow, and slightly sticky. Since 3M launched the humble Post-it note 35 years ago, it has grown to become an irreplaceable component of the American corporate machine. In fact, it’s so ingrained in how we work that IntelliChief recently added Post-it note-like functionality to its workflow management software.

“What we found was it’s really a Post-it note world,” IntelliChief marketing manager Tim Nissen tells IT Jungle. “It’s amazing how everybody understands the value of the mighty Post-it note. We thought, hey, if we can automate that. . . . There seemed to be a great deal of demand.”

IntelliChief, you will recall, was spun out from its parent company Quadrant Software several years ago to market and sell paperless processing and workflow system. Its Windows-based software serves as a content management and routing system of sorts to help companies’ back-office processes flow more smoothly. While the core parts of the product don’t run on IBM i, the majority of IntelliChief’s customers are IBM i shops, and the company has expertise integrating IntelliChief software with IBM i-based ERP systems.

The new annotation function that IntelliChief is shipping with version 3.5.1 of its eponymous software closely resembles the paper-based Post-it note. They are yellow and users can place them anywhere on the electronic documents (unmodifiable TIFFs) that IntelliChief manages; they can also resize them.

But unlike real Post-it notes, once they’re added to a document in IntelliChief, they’re staying with that document forever. IntelliChief does not allow users to make changes to business documents, yellow or otherwise–that’s what the ERP system is for.

Nissen says the Post-its provide one more way to get co-workers’ attention. “If you have something that literally says ‘Hey Steve see me about this–Paul,’ you know to just give him a chance to talk on-document about something related to a project,” he says. “It’s yet another way for people to communicate throughout a workflow.”

The IntelliChief system already has a place for people to write notes, a sort of “diary” that stays with the document indefinitely. But according to Nissen, some workers didn’t use it to the full extent that they could (or should).

“What we found is, depending on the amount of notes that have already been accumulated in the main field, some people would see something that was important to them and they would skim over [everything else],” he says. “It just goes back to human nature. Some people are meticulous when it comes to detail and they literally see all and review all. We all wish we were that way.”

For those that aren’t as detail-orientated, IntelliChief now offers a Post-it note that will really grab their attention.

In other news, IntelliChief has also developed a graphical workflow designer with version 3.5.1. The new GUI will be a boon for those among us who are more visually inclined.

“Being able to show it visually has been a great help,” Nissen says. “It’s all in a diagram format, instead of either code or a long-winded description. The visual media really works out well when you’re reviewing a workflow.”

Sponsored By
FRESCHE LEGACY

IBM i Modernization Planning with Fresche Legacy
Experience shows that it's best to develop a phased modernization strategy with early wins

At Fresche, modernization and efficient management of IBM i environments is what we do. It's our specialty. We provide highly experienced modernization services in conjunction with tools such as the X-Analysis suite (for deep understanding of your applications, data models, code complexity, business rules, etc.) and the looksoftware suite (to modernize your application UI and improve the complete user experience). Most IT departments have limited modernization experience and are not aware of all the pitfalls that can occur on a modernization journey. Fresche has already met and overcome most obstacles, including difficulties in testing, project management and integration.

Experience shows that there are six main steps that lead up to a successful modernization effort.

1. Analyze your application environment
In large IBM i shops, it is very likely that no one has a complete picture of the application environment. Knowing what you have - and how it currently supports (or doesn't adequately support) the business - is crucial in deciding how to proceed. There are many decisions involved in a well-planned modernization project, and those decisions cannot be made if you do not have accurate metrics about application and database size, quality and complexity, interdependencies, obsolete and redundant code, backup procedures, etc. Using automated tools like X-Analysis to perform a highly detailed analysis of your IBM i application portfolio provides you with a clear picture of what is used in your system and how. This information is crucial before planning your modernization journey.

In addition, you need to begin evaluating target technologies. Remember that one size does not fit all. Not all of your legacy technology needs to move to the same target technology, and some of it does not need to move at all. Hybrid solutions are the key: rarely is there one monolithic solution to a company's modernization needs.

Consulting an experienced vendor such as Fresche can help you with both aspects of this phase. Through Fresche's Strategy and Discovery service, or even by purchasing X?Analysis, you can learn everything you need to know about your IBM i environment and begin reviewing recommendations for modernization.

2. Find the Right Strategy
There are a variety of modernization strategies, and you need to decide which ones are right to support each part of your business. Among the strategies and solutions:

Strategy Solutions

Maintain Application Support Services

Manage Optimize existing applications and improve performance by improving processes,
understanding business rules, and re-using design elements.

Modernize           GUI, SOA and Mobile Enablement
                            Re-hosting
                            Automated Conversion
                            Code Transformation
                            Re-architecting / Re-engineering

Replace Re-write applications on the IBM i
Packaged Applications

Retire Some applications can be decommissioned when newer technology on the platform has
superseded the older functionality

Again, help from an experienced vendor such as Fresche can be invaluable in determining how to proceed. Most companies do not have an abundance of modernization skills and experience and benefit greatly from a vendor's knowledge.

3. Align IT Projects to Business Value Creation
Fresche's experience has shown that willingness on the part of IT and some users is not enough to sustain a thorough and on-going modernization strategy. It is absolutely essential to link each modernization project with a business improvement that will benefit one or more parts of the business. As you are building out your strategy, keep the following points in mind:

• What does the business get out of it?

• Move from an IT-centric perspective to a business-centric one

• Existing IT budgets are rarely adequate to fund mid-to-large scale modernization initiatives;
the business will need to sponsor and fund the project

• A professional and strategic approach to the business is required

You must be able to show what business problems you are solving with each part of the modernization project. You must also be able to show business the return on the investment.

4. Define a Phased-Approach Timeframe that Includes Quick Wins
Organizations typically do not like to invest in multi-year programs where the benefits only appear at the end of an extended period, so it's in your best interests to create a milestone-based plan where each milestone shows a specific business value. Establish one or more quick and visible wins early in the process to show business that the modernization strategy has definite and beneficial goals. These quick-win projects can include rapid Web enablement, UI and workflow customization, database modernization (long names, for example), and a published data model. A variety of tools from Fresche and looksoftware can help with all of these projects.

5. Seek input from line-of-business application stakeholders
In fact, this is something that you need to do throughout your modernization journey. We have already stressed how important it is to define projects in terms of their business value. But it is also important to include business analysts and users as early in the discussion as possible to validate the direction that you are considering and to ensure buy-in. Projects that succeed are ones where business analysts fully understand - and are looking forward to - the benefits that the project will provide.

6. Seek External Validation on Strategy and Approach
Planning and running a modernization project is very different from net new development. It requires in-depth knowledge of the existing system and an understanding of where some of the scope creep and problematic areas could potentially arise. We always recommend obtaining external validation of your approach and strategy from sources that specialize in modernization. Fresche can help, no matter what stage of modernization you are currently considering.

Do you have questions? Do you want some helping building your plan? Talk to an expert.

Want more details about our offerings? Visit our Web site for details.

www.freschelegacy.com

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