Somewhat Tuned

PDS is “a service provider for Courts, Prosecutors, Probation and Parole agencies providing behavior change intervention utilizing the Motivational Facilitation Method, a style of communication that moves our Participant towards change in a manner that does not inadvertently create roadblocks to the Behavior Change process.”

Their web site needs included the ability to manage content themselves, maintenance of class schedules, mapping to class locations, class registration capabilities, and to match existing promotional materials. Utilizing a highly customized WordPress installation, custom secure forms, an embedded public Google Calendar for scheduling and mapping, and embedded custom HTML in pages, I was able to meet all of these objectives under budget.

Most importantly, however was the ability to do sophisticated administration through two highly intuitive interfaces - Google Calendar and the WordPress Administrative panel. The next stage for PDS will be to add transparent and secure payment and registration verification through a service provider.

written by msouden

The CSBS is a small consulting business for social/helping professions. From their web site: “Our goal is to increase a Strengths approach across all of the helping professions for work with individuals and families.”I was asked to build a basic web site for the company which they could maintain themselves. We installed the Joomla content management system, and customized a very basic open source template. A company employee attended a Joomla training to administer the site, but it became clear that the needs of the company were fairly basic and required a minimal investment of ramp-up time and money.

We were invested in Joomla at this point already, so I compensated for Joomla’s complexity with good information architecture. I placed the content which required editing and changing so that it could be revised and added to by logging into the front end. This eliminated the need for anybody at the company to “learn Joomla”. Instead, they simply logged in and click edit.I remain available to this client for more invasive site changes as needed. This was a great learning experience, and one of the reasons I’ve elected to move into building WordPress-based sites for myself and for smaller clients. Joomla is an enormous and enormously powerful tool that can do essentially anything a company needs. Unfortunately this can also be a stumbling block for non-developers and the mass of companies who have a need for a web presence but not a ton of resources to invest in properly using a CMS of this magnitute.

written by msouden

Reality Counseling Services is a client that I landed while working for Ideal Solution. In truth I had little to do with the development of their site, and left Ideal before the full technology plan was realized. The reason I’m adding it is because I began to get some project management stripes by learning from Jeff Lawton at Ideal Solution how develop a technology plan which makes sense for a client’s particular needs, and how to work with the client to fulfill the plan over time. It’s a great example of fulfilling many different client needs with limited means. In a nutshell, the plan was as follows:

1. Build a web site - this is a straightforward Joomla CMS installation. This was a case where Joomla was a smart choice because while it presents a greater training challenge and ramp-up, the client will later on be able to provide a secure section for delivery of documents to constituents. We also consulted on and discussed the possibility and legal requirements in providing secure access to confidential medical information through the site. The privacy guidelines the company works within are more stringent than HIPAA due to the nature of the client’s work, and were being worked through as I departed.

2. A multiple-location VoIP phone system. Ideal Solution was to host the phone system at their data center. If I recall correctly the savings from separate monthly bills for five locations was roughly going to pay for the initial costs of the new web site. (If I’m wrong on this someone ping me and I’ll correct this.)

3. Phase three was to put into place an open source medical records deployment on a terminal sever network. While this phase of the plan was in it’s earliest stage of development, the developers were investigating the VISTA project and OpenEMR as options to centralize, improve, and secure the flow of records throughout the company. This was most likely to be housed at the company’s headquarters and be maintained by Ideal staff, which provided increased security. The plan made provisions for leasing new equipment which would most likely have been used to build a network of terminals which ran on one central server.

written by msouden

Another Ann Arbor is a small local nonprofit who’s stated goals is to “provide a means of communication for the African American community in Washentaw County. This is a web site where information is shared and matters of common interest can be discussed.”I was brought on to develop community awareness and participation with the organization. Over the couple of years of periodic work with its founder and with the assistance of Dr. Larry Gant at the UM School of Social work we were able to achieve several goals. These included;

A web site redesign to include a custom CMS-like dynamic back-end which allows for volunteer-based content generation.

I consulted on designing the information architecture, the functionality of its back-end, A3’s organizational needs and goals for the site, graphic design, and acted as liaison between the board and the site developer Michael Spaly.I also wrote content for the site and trained board members on using the publishing capabilities.Promotional materials, press releases, and creation of a newsletter and a database of recipients.Building, obtaining funding for, and acting as program manager for an after school science program for local 6th-8th grade students. This included writing and being awarded grant funding from Pfizer Community Grants and the Ann Arbor Community Foundation. The program leveraged an NSF-developed after-school science curriculum called Science Quest.

My work with A3 was very rewarding and my first introduction to leveraging my marketing background to produce effective technology tools.

written by msouden

The MQCCC is a public authority created by governor Granholm to leverage technology for improved training, screening, and selection of home care providers. I was initially brought on to market the “QC3″ to its main constituencies - those in need of in-home care and those providing it.Because the organization was very early in its start-up phases, I almost immediately began to assist the interim Executive Director in bootstrapping the organization. The complexity and challenges of supporting a fledgling organization made this an amazing and invigorating consulting experience for me.

Launching the QC3 required working with several state agencies and participating in board communications and meetings involving agency liaisons and elected officials. Early communications needed to be developed which would clearly explain the new organization’s objectives and purpose to multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives.Another key task early on was the development and implementation of a multi-phase technology plan for the QC3. Fascinating work - I had the opportunity to be part of creating an organization whose entire IT system was built completely on open source software, from the desktop applications to the phone system. Once of the developers on the project even authored this article in Linux Journal about the experience.

I continued to work with the IT vendor, Ideal Solution, over the next few years, as an employee and a business partner. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about the challenges of implementing enterprise-wide open source software solutions, a topic I’ll address in a future post.

written by msouden