MACHSHAVA PITRONOT
(RATIONAL SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS)
CONFIGURATION AND INTEGRATION SERVICES
Machshava Pitronot provides additional benefits to its customers by not only selling software products, but also ensuring that the products are suited for the customer's environment, are properly configured, customized as necessary, and well-integrated in the customer's portfolio. Machshava Pitronot provides one-stop shopping for its customers acting not only as a reseller of software, but also as overseer of product implementation, provider of training, source of technical expertise, and advisor on product direction
The process used by Machshava to add value to customers in the sale of products in the Rational and BPM product groups is as follows:
Define the Customer's Requirements:
Working with the customer's business and/or technical staff, we help the customer articulate the need to be addressed. Why is the customer looking for a specific product? What problem is the customer trying to solve? Is there a need for greater efficiency? A need for higher quality? A technical gap to be addressed? It is only by documenting the customer's specific needs that we can assist in matching the appropriate software product to the customer's specific requirements.
Demonstrate the Products:
Our team will demonstrate and explain how IBM's Rational and BPM products can address the customer's requirements. Our team is technically proficient in the products we represent and can easily point out the features that will be most useful to the customer, based on previously articulated customer requirements. We are able to provide a high level overview of each product, or to drill down into technical details, as needed. We will tailor the product demo to the needs of the customer. For example, if customer needs a robust source management solution, we will emphasize that feature as we demonstrate the capabilities of Rational Team Concert.
Customize the Product:
Many of the products we support can be configured to better integrate into the customer's environment. The customization can range from developing standardized names for Rational Asset Analyzer, to determining which code snippets are appropriate for RD/z or a myriad of other system options and parameters. Our team's experience in the products we support enables us to help customers jump start the configuration process, often using our own checklists to ensure that we cover the full range of options.
Plan the Implementation:
With a software rollout, it is important to have a careful plan for deployment. We will work with the customer to determine whether to deploy the full range of features of the product to a small group within the organization or to deploy a subset of product functionality to a wider cross section of the organization or some combination of these approaches. For example, in deploying RD/z, there may be some groups who are interested in the product's ability to generate WSDL, there may be other groups who want to stay with basic Cobol but are interested in the productivity and quality improvements RD/z provides. By working with the organization's staff, we can plan a phased implementation so that each team is paired with the functionality that is most appropriate for their needs.
Deliver Training:
For any of the Rational or BPM products we support, our staff can provide formal training to large or small groups and can also provide informal mentoring to individuals or small teams. The training can be customized so that those being trained see terminology that is familiar to them. For example, in building a training class for RD/z, we can incorporate examples from the customer's code library using applications that those being trained are familiar with. This gives the students a head start on learning the product because they are seeing an environment already familiar to them.
We provide training both to the users of the product and to the systems staff responsible for installing and supporting the product. In the RD/z example, we can train both the developers who will use RD/z as a development tool and the systems group who must configure RD/z in the Z/OS environment, set up system libraries, modify system libraries, and provide appropriate security.
Proof of Concept:
The products we support are complex and most organizations will not implement before the product's usability can be proven via a proof of concept project. We can work with the customer from inception to completion of a proof of concept, in the process building expertise and enthusiasm within their staff. For example, with iLog BRMS, we can take a specific set of business rules, help the customer develop the vocabulary for those rules, and work through the entire process of building the business rules so that they can be maintained within iLog BRMS. During the proof of concept, we work with the customer to exercise and test all the product's features and prove that the product will work and deliver results in the customer's environment.
Monitor the Rollout:
Using the implementation plan as a guideline, we will work with the customer to develop a detailed plan for rolling out the product, ensuring that the product is properly integrated into the customer's environment, that additional support, if needed, is available in the first few weeks after rollout, and that there is a forum for reporting problems and successes and reacting quickly to resolve any unforeseen issues.
Provide Ongoing Support:
The technical expertise of our staff allows us to act as a Center of Excellence for the Rational and BPM products. Our staff can field technical questions, act as a conduit to technical expertise within IBM, and leverage the experiences of our other customers.
