Case Studies

1. Technology Recommendation
2. Development Operations Examination and Business Review
3. IT Analysis
4. Development and Personnel Assessment
5. New Product Development
6. Technology Upgrade Requirements, Design and Development
7. Product Assessment, Re-Design and Development
8. Technology and Development Risk Assessment
9. eLearning Product Development and Integration
10. Biotech Disaster Recovery and IT Management
11. Computer Storage Product Evaluation
12. Evaluation of Company Claims and Capabilities

Case 1. Technology Recommendation
A joint venture between two major US banks had been formed to broadcast via satellite certain real-time financial instrument pricing to subscribers. The Chairman of the Board needed a review of operations resulting in recommendations for technology change that would bring the company to profitability. Feeling hostage to the technology environment and existing technology management, he also felt that in order to effect changes he would need someone he trusted to document operations so it could be transferred to the appropriate new employees if necessary.

Our initial task of reviewing operations was followed by a request to document the technology and operations and to submit formal recommendations regarding technology change. Our role was subsequently expanded to become General Manager during which time the MIS departmental operations were revamped and new management hired. All technology was documented and improved software was written and disseminated to the field.

Case 2. Development Operations Examination and Business Review
A large credit collection company was nearing bankruptcy in the face of expanding business. It's cost of operations and debt load were growing faster than income. We were initially asked to review operations and personnel and discuss initial observations. Having discovered key areas to fix that were most urgently needed, we were given an expanded role of implementing our recommendations.

The review and assessment of their technology and internal development operations indicated that the portion of the business involved in the development of new, proprietary computer technology to support data collection should be spun off, and that the collection operations division be merged or sold. In our final role we successfully found a purchaser who was able to restructure the bank loans enabling bankruptcy to be avoided.

Case 3. IT Analysis
A venture capital partnership had invested a considerably amount of money in an entrepreneurial group led by several Harvard physicians to build a world class system of hospitals and triage centers. We were asked to review existing state-of-the-art hospital information systems and make recommendations regarding how to make the new hospital's system world class. The initial report was so well received that the investors and principals requested we put a plan together to develop a key technological differentiator. The VC subsequently funded development of the technology while placing a principal of L&P Consulting as the CEO. Both ventures were successful.

Case 4. Development and Personnel Assessment
A corporation decided to assess the potential and overall probability of success of one of its holdings. This holding was a mid-cap health care software company in the process of developing new products to meet future competitive demand. Our initial consulting was to assess senior management, product plans and development personnel. We were then asked to expand and intensify our assessments to include: personnel skill-sets, product potential, chance for success, scheduling, and alternative methods for achieving the same goals at less risk and cost. The core of the product depended on the development of a single integrated database of both financial and clinical information.

The discovery process showed that the product development plan was overly complex and did not have full management support. Mid-tier management did not have the required vision or expertise to successfully execute the development plan. Recommendations were made to mitigate the problems and subsequently presented to management, but it was apparent that they were going to remain intransigent regarding the fundamental changes needed. The parent decided to sell the company.

Case 5. New Product Development
A software company was developing a set of software development tools for application and user interface development. Their product was based on Windows and they wanted to move to UNIX and C. They had discovered a company that was developing a competitive tool in the UNIX environment and wanted to negotiate a favorable licensing arrangement which would enable them to incorporate the code in their own product.

We were asked to evaluate the software and negotiate the best possible licensing arrangement. An arrangement was consummated in which the company we represented was given source code rights with very favorable royalty payments. We were then hired to clean up the code and design, and complete the development of the product using the licensed source code. The company later successfully completed an IPO.

Case 6. Technology Upgrade Requirements, Design and Development
A major bond broker-dealer wanted to enhance and upgrade its private customer electronic trading network. He wanted to deal on a personal level with the people he would hire to develop the network. He also wanted to explore potential ideas without getting in too deep financially, and wanted someone who could talk to his traders and pro-actively recommend new functionality. We were hired to upgrade the network as well as to completely upgrade the desk-top trading system software. The result was a vastly improved system providing scalability, improved performance and reliability, expanded functionality and improved user interfaces. We remained on retainer to perform on-going consulting.

Case 7. Product Assessment, Re-Design and Development
A major producer of medical devices had decided to enhance their offering by selling a distributed, real-time hospital equipment data collection and monitoring system bundled with their devices. We were initially hired to assess the product and quickly discovered that the system design was inadequate from a performance standpoint, was not scalable, could not be produced at the target costs, was developed on an inadequate system of hardware and development software, and its user interface was poor. We were then contracted to develop the required product.

We completely redesigned the network architecture and user interface and rewrote all the software. After successfully completing the project we oversaw the installation in several prestigious hospitals. Following that we were hired to train the sales force and to help put in place a proper go-to-market strategy. Finally, after overseeing the general release of the product, we helped staff the support group and provided ongoing support.

Case 8. Technology and Development Risk Assessment
A well-regarded VC firm had recently invested over $10MM in a pre-product start-up company. After a failed version 1 release, the board of directors and investors required answers to specific critical questions before additional funds could be released: Is the technology really there? In what condition is it? Does it work? How well was it designed? How skilled are the people? Did a proper development and QA process exist?

We were contracted to analyze and report on the overall product development organizational set-up and processes, and efficacy of the value proposition. Additionally we were to make determinations regarding appropriate levels of staffing and skill sets and to provide feedback regarding developmental risks, probabilities of meeting release schedules, and overall support issues.

It was concluded that the company plan was inadequate for supporting the product on an ongoing basis, the initial release feature/function set was inadequate and the company was not capable of predicting installation, configuration and integration requirements in customer environments. The current direction would prevent the start-up from successfully bringing the product to the commercial grade required for deployment.

Case 9. eLearning Product Development and Integration
A leading provider of eLearning content, learning management and related services required a robust collaborative web-based content delivery platform. L&P Consulting was retained to develop the platform and integrate it with the existing learning management system. The client also required that L&P generate the specifications and ensure that proper changes and upgrades were made to enable seamless integration with existing systems. It also involved setting up the infrastructure for servicing and maintaining the hosting environment and network. In addition to successfully delivering the product within a very short time frame, L&P developed a tool which enabled users to rapidly develop professional presentations and which could be delivered 'live' using the newly created content delivery platform. The product is being successfully marketed and is a cornerstone to the company's strategic plans.

Case 10. Biotech Disaster Recovery and IT Management
A leading Biotech company providing gene sequencing services to major Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies was having difficulties servicing their internal application requests and customers' needs as well as providing the needed applications for automation of their laboratory and gene sequencing algorithms. They also needed expert IT help to set up their backup and disaster recovery as well as to eliminate their single points of failure in their MIS and network operations. Due to the urgency of the problem L&P Consulting was hired to identify the key areas needing software development and to provide solutions without major rewriting or overhauling of the existing systems. L&P, because of their initial successes, was subsequently hired to manage the MIS department and to provide the necessary applications, systems and infrastructure which would enable them to increase throughput, automate procedures, modify and enhance on-line customer ordering and results reporting. L&P also helped put in place the necessary documentation and MIS procedures for certification. The company was subsequently acquired in a very lucrative transaction.

Case 11. Computer Storage Product Evaluation
A prominent venture capital firm was interested in evaluating a new computer storage product company for investment. They particularly wanted to examine the products technical features from a viability and competitive standpoint. It quickly became evident to the partners that the sophistication of the product required an expert in the field.

After reviewing the product and giving the VC firm a quick overview of their findings, we were hired to do more extensive investigation including sitting in on a product presentation followed by detailed discussions with the partners after the presentation. A written report was submitted supporting our findings.

Case 12. Evaluation of Company Claims and Capabilities
A prominent venture capital firm was interested in looking into a young company which had produced product and become profitable selling into the file sharing market. The VC had seen other companies in this area and wanted to more clearly understand the differentiating factors.

We were retained to visit the company, interview the key players and evaluate the product and its competitive features. Following that we submitted a report which cleared up the areas of most concern and interest to the VC.

It was determined that the products main differentiating feature, disaster recovery in the case where the central server went down, was not sufficient to raise it above the noise in this particular market segment. Other claims made that it could be used as a product to effectively compete in the backup space against prominent players were dispelled. Since this was a key area of interest for the VC, they elected not to pursue the investment.