BC Lottery Corporation

In initial review, I found management had agreed to replace an aging computer infrastructure. They were in the process of deploying a new NT environment with standardized MS Office and Explorer browser to each employee with new Pentium computers. The corporation had a pilot web site for two years which had never been released to the public. It had also shown 3,500 retailers a quickly made mock-up of what an extranet might look like but without the underlying infrastructure in data tools, design team, protocols and plan to support any of these web initiatives.

My initial review included flow-charting mission critical business processes, network topology, platform and application review, business process reviews in finance, marketing, administration, executive office, warehouse, retailer gaming, information systems and network security.

The review goal was to establish a vision for what the corporation could look like if it re-engineered itself using an intranet, extranets and internet presence, link the vision to business goals, create a tactical implementation plan and seek management approval to proceed.

The review was completed on time. I recommended a repositioning of the corporation in marketing, internal administration and retail. The corporation's strong points were noted. These included the upcoming migration to a state of the art desktop, senior management recognition of the importance of reengineering using the webs and a strong retailer base interested in moving forward with technology to sustain business growth.

As well, deficiencies were detailed which would prohibit the vision from being achieved. These included lack of datawarehouse tools and data migration strategies, missing middleware components (web development, metric and support tools), lack of web design criteria linked to business goals, missing staff skill sets, isolated design and support teams, insufficient web security for passing data seamlessly to internet/extranets, missing tools for line staff who were content producers and the fact information existed in isolation throughout the corporation.

A plan was put forward and approved comprising nine projects. These were designed to create improved business processes, executive information systems, datamarts, retailer/sales/marketing and incentive information, intranet based imaging information retrieval, brand based internet sites, revamped product creation processes and linkages to external stakeholders via extranets.

Communication / Marketing

Communication involved:

• reengineering of several internal and external print based processes
• creation of a corporate and brand based web sites
• digital marketing training for senior marketing and sales personnel
• integration of digital banners, marketing web sites and strategic web partnerships into annual budget cycles
• ownership and content creation being passed from initial launch to internal line staff

Outside contractors were quickly used to create a generic corporate web presence. The corporation needed basic exposure on the web. The lack of modern data tools datamarts and security protocols meant key items such as winning numbers would be introduced as the other projects proceeded.

Meanwhile, existing internal communication and external processes were mapped and a plan laid to create a 24-hr internal corporate newspaper on the intranet. This would combine existing external clipping services as well as employee and department generated items. These ranged from Human Resource concerns to automated key sales and financial indicators from the soon to be created datamarts.

An outside web contractor/ad agency was contracted to quickly help internal staff design the site and prepare web wizards. The web wizards would allow line staff to securely place information and pictures into the newspaper without having to know HTML programming.

Parallel to these activities, paper based briefings were prepared on a weekly basis for marketing staff to familiarize themselves with digital marketing issues and resources. This included Secure Encryption Transmission (SET) standards, web metrics, financial digital money, banner advertising design, marketing internet resources, web TV and much more. As the deployment of the NT platform and internal internet access progressed, this was converted to Explorer Favorite files and electronic training.

Further, senior executives were given daily 1/2-hour training on the internet over a three-month period. This provided them with hands on application training and helped provide a personal context for the digital revolution. In many cases this moved the computers from the backs of their desks to their desktop and made it a critical tool at all times during the day.

Pilot web programs were initiated for the sports based products. This involved seeking strategic partnerships with external sports information sources for a combined banner/sports ticker and placing sports odds and results in digital newspapers. These acted as a prelude to the upcoming datamarts when the data could be placed digitally from a secure data server to external web sites.

Brand based internet site plans were developed. These were scheduled for release in spring 1998 to coincide with the development of the requisite datamarts and web security. Outside agencies were contracted to conduct customer focus groups and prepare the initial creative.

Design standards were created. A core web team was created. Daily team meetings were held including voice and video-conferencing. All documents and minutes were published on a pre-release intranet so all team members knew exactly what was going on at all times.

A process of rapid discount usability engineering was selected to create the intranet format. Separate groups of employees were used to determine groupings of tiers, key words and layout verification.

Parallel to this process, electronic style guides were prepared allowing for both corporate standardized styles with room to create different look and feels at detailed department levels. Cascading style sheets specifications were created. Front Page 98 was chosen for line staff to create their own initial web content. Training programs were designed using both hands on instruction, print and electronic material to accelerate implementation.

Meanwhile, Visual Interdev and other MS products were brought in to create an effective middleware set of tools. Staff was sent on training for development in web programming specifically in Visual Interdev and later for Java and Active X design.

A Java applet was used to create the menu bar for the intranet. A web hierarchical structure was chosen and final site design lead to commencement of a phased launch of the intranet during the later part of 1997 and into early 1998.

Launch departments were required to prepare a one-year web migration plan. This allowed them to address the issues of content production, tool identification, training, internal security and include this in their normal budgeting processes.

Key to all intranets and extranets are the ability to securely and quickly get at information of any type across the corporation. The large amount of data in the corporation was unfortunately effectively trapped in legacy data systems with cumbersome procedures to extract from multiple sources.

As a result the data team completed evaluation of data tools and selected Oracle. Staff was sent on training while outside consultants were brought in to quickly launch key work. Key data sources were identified as high priorities and a datamart design completed. Data cleansing and population followed.

Parallel to these efforts a process of identification of all data sources within the corporation was implemented. The review identified and quantified all print, audio, video, images and records within the corporation. A datamart migration strategy was then developed.

Included in these efforts were the preparation of briefing binders for digital imaging and information retrieval using the intranet. A Corporate Request for Information was prepared and a pilot identified for spring 1998. The goal was to eliminate information silos, which effectively slowed down management and product creation processes.

As the initial datamarts were created, a preliminary executive information system via the intranet was designed. This would allow senior and line managers to receive up to date key indicators in a graphical presentation via the intranet 24 hours a day. Rollout was slated for Jan-Feb 1998.

Security was addressed throughout all phases of the project. A strategy to allow for both internal and secure external access to the intranet was chosen. A plan was laid in place for digitally exporting data to selected sources.

In addition to the above-mentioned processes, projects in communication and executive information systems were chosen to increase the effectiveness with which new products were created. One involved the use of the intranet to internally speed up the authorization process for creative approvals.

Plans were laid to implement version control software in early 1998 to keep a digital audit trail of creative changes and approvals. As well, strategic stakeholders were approached and asked to convert existing courier and fax based approval processes to secure internet e-mail and then extranet processes.

Marketing and point of sales material from external sources was also identified for migration into the datamarts. This material was then slated for push technology to key marketing line staff desktops, via the intranet, to rapidly speed up flow of new product and market data, thus helping improve internal corporate responsiveness to market changes.

A business case covering technical, business process and implementation issues were prepared for a retailer extranet. Focus groups were held with retailers to assess their needs. A plan was laid out for a staged deployment as security and datamarts emerged.

The deployment of NT laptops to sales representatives in the field was accelerated. Security procedures were developed and intranet access to the corporation enabled. A process was recommended to continue this development towards paper based automation of sales representative processes via the intranet in 1998.

My assignment was completed on December 24, 1997. The corporation had an intranet, design and usability procedures with appropriate staff training to maintain it on their own. A generic corporate web presence was in place with work in progress for brand based sites in spring 1998.

A datamart strategy was in place with initial migration complete. This was a key underpinning of future development efforts for the intranet, internet and extranets.

Information of all types throughout the corporation had been identified. Management was given both the education and preliminary plan to migrate these onto the new intranet via imaging and digital information retrieval tools.

Key performance indicators were now seamlessly produced from once disparate systems and presented to management 24 hours a day via the datamarts.

Plans for a staged retailer extranet were in place with the appropriate data and security system processes identified for a successful conclusion. Additional extranets for key stakeholders and vendors were now possible in mid 1998 as the intranet rollout was completed internally and the security and data systems in place to track and manage multiple extranets.

Multiple internal communication and information vehicles were now combined into a 24-hour intranet based corporate newspaper. Intranet launch departments had a clear plan, tools and training to commence their own intranet presence. Each was focused on improving internal efficiencies via the web.

I had achieved my goal of creating an enterprise wide vision for the corporation using the various webs, rapidly accelerated deployment and created an internal infrastructure of systems and personnel to sustain the change.

© 1998 Guy Huntington, President HVL, Intranet Management Consultants,
The Business of Profitability, Productivity and Expanding Markets
www.hvl.net