Client Description InfraNext delivers next generation network infrastructure to telecommunications providers worldwide. Recognized for their ability to build the most difficult sites nationwide, InfraNext implements the industry’s best practices and provides state of the art solutions for every task. Known for their acute attention to detail, InfraNext Program Management gives clients the opportunity to outsource the entire life cycle of their projects, while maintaining accountability for all phases of the work. To make such a program management offering suitable to the client, InfraNext needed a web-based program and project tracking application, as the clients including Verizon Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Alltel would all be accessing the application externally.
Business Challenge InfraNext desired to convert their existing Microsoft Access Database application to an online, web-based application that enabled better communication and easier access to both internal and external users, as well as and increased business intelligence reporting capabilities. InfraNext was looking for a vendor to design and develop this online management application, migrate the legacy MS Access data, and integrate the application with other enterprise applications such as Quickbooks Enterprise. The number one priority for the new solution was scalability and lowered overhead costs. InfraNext choose Cephas Innovation because of our J2EE development architecture, open-source framework, and mature software development lifecycle methodology.
Technical Solution Cephas Innovation provided a completely new J2EE architecture to replace the outdated, non-scalable legacy MS Access application. Utilizing Java Servlet Pages (JSP) and Cascading Stylesheets (CSS) at the user presentation layer, the application look and feel is completely customizable by InfraNext. For increased scalability and reliability with lower overhead costs, an Apache Struts framework manages the business logic execution. At the heart of the technical implementation is the business intelligence reporting, which is built upon the JasperReports Java reporting framework. All of this runs on an Apache Tomcat web server using a mySQL database, both of which are open-source, enterprise scale applications.
Business Impact The deployment of this application allows InfraNext to offer it's program management software to any internal or external (client) stakeholder via an easy-to-use, web-based interface. The user interface can be uniquely tailored for each client through a separate cascading stylesheet (CSS). Increased user profiling allows better management of what users and groups have access to which projects and database levels. Scalability of the application is increased tenfold, as the previous MS Access application supported only a single user per database and required complex data compilation management, whereas the new online application supports hundreds of simultaneous logins through a single web interface, and through J2EE architecture is infinitely scalable in the future. Business Intelligence reporting, the primary purpose of the management application, allows InfraNext to view a wide range of reports based on real-time data (including exporting to MS Excel), which enables their staff to make timelier, more accurate business decisions.
Project Baseline Creation A project manager creates a baseline project plan using a familiar Microsoft Project-like interface, including common fields such as duration, predecessors, lag time, lag type (finish-start, start-finish, etc), and cost.
Dashboard Status Reports Project stakeholders can access dashboard status reports in either HTML or PDF format, as well as export to MS Excel. Report filters can be applied on various fields such as baseline version, market, and project.
Multiple Report Graphic Options HTML and PDF reports can present data in a graphical representation, using bar graphs, line charts, pie charts, and more.
