Case study Meet Data Visualization & Analytics Pathfinder, Richard Couillard, from CGI

What was the business problem that needed to be solved?

There are many business applications we have used SharpCloud for, but the key ones are:

• Gathering, tracking and managing Innovation ideas is a challenge in most companies. SharpCloud provides us a means to address the above both internally and for our customers. Using an intake form, ideas submitted by users automatically get allocated to a SME aligned with that vertical, who then reviews, provides insights and moves the idea to the next appropriate phase. Users can Like or Dislike ideas that allows for idea prioritization.

• Large, complex deployment projects are difficult to manage both from a resource and activity perspective especially when dealing with subcontractor resources and schedules. With SharpCloud we created a set of common Dashboards that provided deployment status Views including a country wide map that uses geo location coding to show the exact location and deployment status for over 1400 sites. This provided a highly effective and collaborative way to communicate implementation information to all project stakeholders, on demand.

• Providing up to date and accessible Project Management information to project resources and stakeholders is always a challenge with conventional tools like MS Project, Visio and PowerPoint. Using Sharpcloud we were able to develop highly effective stories that allow the PMO to manage project status, resources, availability and milestone timelines all through a series of user friendly, intuitive Views and Dashboards.

Why have other tools not solved this problem?

Most tools provide a single function well but lack the ability to provide a user friendly, collaborative user interface to quickly identify patterns in the data and understand potential trouble spots. This is especially true when using spreadsheets and workbooks to track information. The more data there is, the more difficult it is to provide effective decision support for the business.

How is SharpCloud solving the problem?

SharpCloud eliminates complexity in understanding what the data means and can help identify areas requiring attention based on a stakeholder’s area of concern. Not only can SharpCloud provide visualization of existing external data, it can be the data repository and record of truth, if needed. This is a valuable differentiator from many other visualization tools that only manipulate external data. SharpCloud can easily be the data repository for small or quick projects when standing up a separate data repository is not feasible or practical.

"SharpCloud eliminates complexity in understanding what the data means and can help identify areas requiring attention based on a stakeholder’s area of concern. Being able to identify trends or hotspots is critical when providing analytical reporting and SharpCloud provides a means to quickly provide both."

What were the benefits of using SharpCloud, to you personally, and to your organisation?

Personally, SharpCloud is a very interesting tool to work with. It allows me to apply my experience and creativity in solving complex business problems. I can leverage existing data from multiple sources and develop the required logic to produce informative and visually appealing Views and Dashboards in SharpCloud. There is no end to the level of creativity I can bring to any given situation and enjoy creating high value visualization for our clients.

"For our organization, it enables us to rapidly deliver high quality visualizations both internally and to our customers, which in turn enables them to make timely business decisions."

It is another tool in our portfolio of offerings that customers can now benefit from as we guide them along their Transformation journey.

Quantifiable results  

Quantification is often a difficult thing measure when it comes to Innovation and Transformation. That said, everyone who sees what we have done with SharpCloud, wants it.

There is definitely a perceived business value in what we can create with SharpCloud which means we are better able to provide increased value to our clients, which is what we strive for.