Russian Electric Grid Company

Implemented our solution

1. The customer used more than 70 IT systems. It was necessary to describe 37 of them: current state, interaction with other systems, and the level of support.
   
   "When integrating the systems, there was a conflict of interest between contractors because clear areas of responsibility were not defined. As a result of the project, the areas of responsibility were clearly defined. However, it is impossible to improve your systems alone without coordination with professionals who supervise other systems", said Leonid Zakirov, Senior Software Engineer, Software Design Team, ICL Services.
   
   The lack of consistency resulted in duplicate functions.
   
   The customer selected nine key systems for detailed IT audit in accordance with ISO 2500. In this procedure, ICL Services identified the following metrics:
   
   
   • Functionality
   • Convenience
   • Reliability
   • Performance
   • Supportability
   • Quality of the integration
   The main methods for evaluating the systems were surveys and interviews with the customer's IT professionals. First, they filled out the checklists about what each system should be able to do. Then, employees answered how well each system met the requirements from the checklist. In total, 50 users of the customer's four main IT systems were interviewed.
   
   Technical data and survey results were loaded into a mathematical model. The results of the analysis allowed to understand how effectively the components of information systems are used and how they interact with each other.
   

2. Based on the survey findings, ICL Services prepared recommendations and action plans to ensure that the customer's change management system is fully operational and effective.

   "Reported results of the evaluation of the corporate information system's effectiveness allows us to choose the most promising directions for improving the systems used, as well as recommendations for the re-engineering of existing relations", said Irek Abdrakhmanov, Senior Software Development Manager, Workstation Infrastructure Tools Team, ICL Services.

   Audit helps the customer better understand all aspects of IT project management at the initial stage. ICL Services prepared recommendations to improve IT services and described what could be done to make the project life cycle more efficient and less labor-intensive. This report became the basis for the reorganization of the customer's IT service.

   The audit report included several recommendations:

   • Typification of projects and their consolidation within the framework of programs and portfolios
   • Procedures for initiating and formalizing decision-making processes on launching IT projects
   • Separation of operations and project activities
   • The main risk categories
   Each section of the recommendations contained a detailed justification of their necessity and an action plan for their implementation.

   "We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the customer's IT project initiation processes and prepared detailed recommendations for improving those processes. We used best practices from the ITIL library, as well as our experience in the implementation of our own processes and processes of our customers", said Azat Khakimov, Head of the Strategic and Project Management Office, ICL Services.

   To assess the competences of IT professionals, ICL Services together with the customer developed an evaluation methodology and described the competencies in the framework of the key roles for the IT department: Project Manager and Project Administrator, System Analyst, System Architect, and Business Analyst. Competencies for each role were evaluated using business cases agreed with the customer.

   Later, ICL Services conducted interviews with all the main participants of the customer's IT processes. A total of 60 managers and employees were surveyed.

   ICL Services helped the customer analyze the talents of the IT staff and select those who are better suited to a specific role profile. The report for each respondent included an assessment of competencies and recommendations for their development, taking into account the requirements for the respective role.