Some Past Projects

An ASP application for Discovery Research

In 2003/04, I did custom mods, install & testing, bug fixes, and install of (customised) upgrades for this online surveys application. The system runs on an Access database, and contains 113 asp pages. To view the app, log in at www.discovery.ie/online and use 'guest' for both the username & password.

Text Analysis Application 

In 2003/04, I designed and wrote a unique Access application, for a Discovery Research survey product, to categorise large volumes of text comments based on sets of rules. Functionality to allow data to be entered online was incorporated. 

Financial Reporting & data exports/imports for Heller Ehrman

Heller Ehrman is one of the top 20 law firms in the US, and is regarded as an IT leader in the professional services field. In 2000/2001, the financial reporting systems were upgraded to Aderant (CMSOpen) systems based on SQL Server databases. I was the project team leader for spec & design, re-writing, testing and implementation of all financial reports, and data imports/exports, from the system. Some features of the project were:

• management of programming team - 3 off-site and 1 in-house
• total number of output items (reports /data extracts) was 170
• total project team count was up to 30
• the main pm tool used was MS Project
• project length was just under two years
• testing phase involved up to 20 users, and shareholder feedback
• project had constant high visibility at senior management levels

Financial Reports Delivery System 

In 2002, I was responsible for a project to streamline financial report delivery to users for Heller Ehrman. This involved

• setting up systems to automatically print monthly reports to pdf files, and then deliver by e-mail to user groups
• set up of a system to run reports using hundreds of individual filters, and then e-mail the resulting reports (in pdf format) to the appropriate users.

Historic Debtors Balance Analysis & Comparison to current balances

This Heller Ehrman project took place in 2002, and involved my creating SQL DTS packages that wrote to monthly databases of all outstanding sales invoices for historic months. These were then used each month to run metrics reports comparing the current debt positions to that in prior years.

Debt Collection Management Database 

I spec'ed, wrote, tested and installed this Access based application for Heller Ehrman which extracted month-end data from the debtors ledger, and tracked invoices due by attorney, and by collector. Comments and actions taken were tracked along with estimates for the payment amounts and date to be paid. The system was used very successfully from 1999 on, by most of the 500 or so attorneys employed and the team of 8 collections staff to collect the target total amounts by the year-end cutoff date.  An additional part of this application required me to create an Active X control which summarised daily cash receipts by client and by attorney, and then automatically e-mailed these summaries to various managers.

Executive Inquiry System (EIS) 

This Heller Ehrman system extracts and summarises data nightly from the SQL-Server based CMSOPEN financial databases. During 1999 through 2002, I managed the installation, testing, user-training, upgrades and maintenance of the application. The data tables  created are also accessed by the intranet, and I set up the tables and queries used by the MS SharePoint Service which accessed this data. I also enhanced the app forms and queries to allow marketing queries based on filters such as the clients industry, the type of law, etc.

Document Management System 

This Heller Ehrman system based on QuickImage converts daily sales invoices (and optionally purchase invoices & cash receipt remittance advices) to pdf documents and stores them on a separate server. SQL server databases store the addresses, and the files can then be accessed via browsers, the intranet or the EIS application. In 2001, I acted as project manager for the installation, system and user-testing, documentation and user training functions.

Annual Budgeting Database for Heller Ehrman

I was fully responsible for management, maintenance and upgrades of the Heller Ehrman Annual Budgeting system from 1998 through 2000. The budgeting process in this firm was virtually a continuous activity, involving dozens of on-line users. The system was Access based, and ran using Terminal Services over a WAN covering 10 US locations. I was responsible for project management of all mods, set up and testing of all new functionality, and for trouble-shooting. 

Freight Expense Import & Cost Allocation Database 

I spec'ed, wrote, installed and tested this Access based application for Heller Ehrman which imported cost, reference number and other weekly data from Federal Express. Items were allocated to matters and automatically charged to the clients, or to the relevant General (Nominal) Ledger account. The system was written in 1999 and integrated with the Aderant / CMSOPEN financial systems.

Equity-participation Excel Model 

In 1999 (at the height of the dotcom boom in the US), I created an Excel model, which was used in presentations at the firm's annual partner conference, to show graphically the bottom-line effects of taking equity in the firm's technology clients using various risk/return scenarios.

Year 2000 code review

I worked on the Y2K team for Heller Ehrman, which involved Visual Basic code review and updates in six Access applications.

Commodities trading - a confirmation & verification system

I developed this Access application in 1998 for PointWest Capital (a public corporation), which reconciled each days commodity trades with nightly data received from exchanges, and then produced exception lists.

Letter of Credit System (LCS) appraisal for Wells Fargo Bank

I worked on a contract basis for Wells Fargo for a 4 month period in 1996. One of my tasks was to appraise the system faults causing the LCS system to be out-of-balance with the GL account balances. I worked with the programming staff to produce weekly reports on the errors, and made recommendations on the system fixes needed. These recommendations were eventually acted upon.

Fixed Asset Budgeting & Cost Allocation Model for Shaklee Corporation

Shaklee are the second largest worldwide network sales organisation (after Amway), and I worked for them for a six-month period in 1996. I was responsible for setting up and testing an Excel-based Fixed Asset Cost Allocation Forecasting Model , which was then utilised by the worldwide group.

For more information on any aspect of the above, or to discuss how I may be able to assist with your project, please contact me.