An exterior building products producer in Northern Ohio had a business process problem. Faced with increasing order volume and product line complexity, their process for managing "Remakes" had become outdated and a drain on resources. A patchwork of systems and manual processes to enter, maintain, and track the orders had been created over the years, tied to a great deal of paperwork and coordination. Management, workers, and customers all were frustrated with the inefficiencies and errors endured because of this process.

The company engaged JCTS to design and implement a streamlined, cost-effective system. JCTS quickly prepared an analysis, a design solution, and an estimate. Significant effort was devoted to Project Management activities because the company requested that JCTS perform the work under a fixed-bid arrangement. A detailed statement of requirements was developed, revised, and formally approved, providing a clear framework to base any functionality or scope changes. A process of defining, estimating, and approving any changes was strictly adhered to, giving a high level of visibility to project progress and costs.

JCTS discovered that the system of naming and costing "Remake" components had evolved separately from the system used for regular orders, and that downstream systems (e.g., production scheduling) were not able to use the "Remake" nomenclature. The company's products are highly configured and combinations of features and options were grouped in an efficient manner for regular product order entry. However, the "Remake" naming system required that each combination be uniquely identified and costed. As the list of products and options proliferated, the number of necessary product codes grew geometrically, and the company had stopped creating them. A person was then required to decide which existing code was "close enough" for billing purposes, and then handwritten paperwork describing what was actually needed accompanied the order to manufacturing.

The project drove the activities of both the company's resources and the JCTS personnel. The newly developed system extends and adapts the naming and pricing conventions used for regular order entry, thus enabling the full integration of the downstream processes. Training of new personnel, both internal and those at the company's retail locations is also greatly simplified.

The process of critically reviewing every change request succeeded in keeping attention focused on the project team's performance, bringing the entire project in on schedule and under budget. On the strength of this performance, JCTS' personnel remain at this customer's site, continuing to deliver additional systems development and support.