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eBusiness Portfolio > Qwest Case Study

Project Category:
Customer Service

Project Title:
Telecommunications Customer Premise Equipment Ordering Application

Client Profile:
Qwest, a Fortune 100 telecommunications firm based in Denver, Colorado with offices in Minneapolis, MN.

Project Context:
Qwest Customer Service Representatives used a custom developed ordering program that interfaced in a batch process with an Oracle database to place orders for communications equipment. The database supported multiple applications with complex interactions. Intricate and unique business rules were needed to ensure that the proper configuration of equipment was requested.

Business Problem/Project Challenge:
The existing system had a reputation for being slow, error prone and extremely difficult to modify as business needs changed. A backlog of 350 problems and enhancement issues had developed.

The system was unnecessarily complex. The application was too specialized to be replaced by an off-the-shelf product. This left the choice of completely discarding the system and starting over (at a prohibitive cost) or reworking the existing system. A rework of the system was the preferred solution.

Project Goals:

	Improving the accuracy of order data
	Increasing the work load the system could process
	Provide a real-time transaction connection to the Oracle database
	Making future systems changes easier to incorporate
	Eliminating the backlog of identified problems and enhancements
	Implementing the system fix quickly and with minimal interruption to daily operations.

Business/Project Solution:
ArchWing rose to the challenge by designing a new and dramatically improved system architecture that consolidated business rules and processes, database access, and user interface presentation into defined business, database, and application objects.

The object-oriented architecture allowed the elimination of a significant portion of redundant original code. This had the effect of dramatically reducing errors, streamlining information presentation in the application, and isolating the location of database code for real-time access and significant performance enhancement.

To create the real-time database access, the project team successfully interfaced a relational database tool called the Object Lens with the existing Oracle database schema. The interface directly tied the schema information with defined business objects and their behavior.

The system fix was implemented in a series of seven releases that allowed the system to continue functioning with minimal disruption. The initial release of the system fix successfully focused on real-time database access, key performance bottlenecks, and high visibility errors. Following releases continued to improve quality and complete the project goals resulting in a system highly responsive to rapidly changing business conditions.

Because business objects and the business rules in their use were now well defined within individual business objects, system problems and enhancement changes could be implemented very quickly. This significantly reduced the cost to both maintenance and feature enhancements. A project that had the previous reputation of being unresponsive with a slow and buggy application instead became very responsive to users needs with excellent performance and high quality.

Finally, the business object and persistence model was extendable to consolidate other applications using the same database into a unified code base and quality assurance cycle, yet allowing a flexible distribution according to user needs.

ArchWing Innovations' personnel filled the roles of team lead, project manager, application architect, business analyst, object designer and programmer. They mentored Qwest personnel in the use of Smalltalk and object-oriented development.

Business/Project Benefits:
ArchWing Innovations realized all project goals. The solution implemented also included the following additional benefits to Qwest.

	Service Representatives were able to provide more efficient and accurate service to customers.
	The stability, reliability, and data integrity of the system was greatly improved.
	The new architecture allows for continuous change to the system with minimal effort.
	The original system was seen as a throw away system intended to be replaced at a cost of millions of dollars. The fixed system has instead endured for more than five years and saved the company great expense and business disruption while enabling rapid changes to market conditions.

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