Consulting Services Overview

Consulting Services Overview

About PIMD Partners in Micro-Development Inc. (PIMD) is an association of professionals from the education and ICT sectors, who are highly motivated and committed to improving access to education and ICT in developing countries and communities. Our expertise is in ICT for development (ICT4D) and education. As an NGO we lead projects, working directly with developing communities, that focus on the development of educational and ICT capability at a grass-roots level with the goal of assisting communities in becoming sustainable as a social and economic unit. As consultants, we are able to utilise the expertise and experience of our members in their own professional fields to offer professional services to Governments, private sector organisations, aid agencies, and other NGOs which help build capacity for development. PIMD Consulting Services provides specialist expertise in education and ICT. Our consultants have worked in a range of industries and sectors including: Non-profit sector Financial services Telecommunications IT and high tech Public sector Our subject matter expertise is in the following areas: Education Curriculum development (Primary and Secondary) Teacher training course development and delivery Using ICT in education Educational institution administration (secondary and tertiary) Staff development PIMD 2005 2 of 9

ICT for Development (ICT4D) e-society e-commerce e-government ICT in education ICT and small business capacity building IT Policy, Governance and Decision Making IT Outsourcing IT Strategic Planning Online Services Strategy and Planning Knowledge management PIMD Consulting Case Studies The following case studies include projects which our consultants have conducted individually in the course of their professional careers and as members of PIMD. They reflect the depth of expertise and experience of our team. Case Study A: BPR in the Public Sector Australian Tax Office The Australian Tax Office maintains an ongoing focus on business process reengineering as part of Integrated Administrative Design. A key area affecting taxpayers is the provision of advice. The ATO required this process to be reengineered to significantly improve service to taxpayers. Donna Vaughan led an internal team of representatives from each area of tax. They were taken through the process of identifying key bottlenecks in their process, issues relating to team structure and work practices, and system limitations. Experience in understanding the relationship between Government and society and the need for service guarantees, open government and transparency are important in assisting the public sector to improve its relationship with citizens. PIMD 2005 3 of 9

Case Study B: Curriculum Development and Teacher Training PIMD submitted a proposal to the Provincial Department of Education, North-east Province, Sri Lanka, to extend the current primary grade curriculum to include ESL and Computer Literacy for grades 1 and 2 as an investment in the future. The proposal was accepted and a pilot project for 25 schools was launched. Monica Vaughan, Helen McLeod and Lynette Buchanan reviewed the existing curriculum (from grade 3), developed an integrated ESL and Computer Literacy curriculum to complement the Government s curriculum, developed supporting teacher training, and delivered this training in the field to thirty teachers representing the pilot schools. This project has application for any educational pilot involving new methods and tools (e.g. computers) which need to be piloted to prove effectiveness before major investment is made. Case Study C: Project Management Coaching and Implementation A large financial services company wanted to introduce project management in the information technology department. Judy Hawkes provided project management coaching to staff that had not previously managed projects and facilitated process improvement; e.g. developed methods and tools for managing IT projects, maintaining software code, and providing help desk support. PIMD is able to utilise this expertise to assist Governments understand how to work with a more commercially oriented focus that is time based and outcomes focused. PIMD 2005 4 of 9

Case Study D: e-commerce Implementation and Launch In 1999, the largest underwriter of general insurance in both Australia and New Zealand needed to setup a new business unit dedicated to e-commerce with about 80-150 staff for 3 years. Their development strategy was one of rapid but small prototypes and pilots which were then scaled quickly. The project had three major initiatives: 1) Business to Consumer 2) Business to Business 3) Business to Enterprise Desne Doman (PIMD Consultant) was the Group ecommerce Manager (Technology) from project initiation to completion. Her role was to setup and source all required technological expertise and implement all technological aspects of the initiative. She played a key role in creating, managing and marketing of the e- commerce strategy. In 2001 they were ranked by Gartner and IDC to be the leading Insurance Company online in Australia. PIMD is able to utilise this expertise to assist Governments and private sector organisations in planning and implementing online services. PIMD 2005 5 of 9

Case Study E: Re-engineering and e-enabling Core Business Processes for a Major Telecommunications Company Telstra, the dominant player in the Australian market place, was seeking to improve customer service and reduce costs by e-enabling core customer processes. A company wide initiative was launched and divisions were asked to propose projects to e-enable their operations. Donna Vaughan led a consulting team to restructure the program to identify those processes which would yield the greatest benefit and to reprioritise and manage the program of work. Each identified process was re-engineered to take advantage of e-enablement technologies including automated voice response systems as well as Internet. This experience is applicable to any large service based enterprise in the public and private sector. The approach has particular application for e-government. Case Study F: Telecommunications Infrastructure Planning The client, a large, fullservice telco, was about to launch a new DSL broadband network service and required a detailed rollout and investment plan. Donna Vaughan led a team of thirty over a period of three months to build a detailed product plan, operational processes and IT support, and network rollout plan plus a detailed financial model to support the investment decision. PIMD is able to utilise this expertise to assist Governments in planning for telecommunications services by helping them to understand the economics and market dynamics for new services as well as segment take-up, technical and geographic planning constraints and options. PIMD 2005 6 of 9

PIMD Selected Consultant Profiles Mahesan Kandaiya Mahesan (Tony) Kandaiya, PIMD President, has extensive expertise in ICT having worked in the industry for over thirty years in Sri Lanka (IBM), Australia (IBM) and Asia Pacific roles (IBM). In these roles Tony was responsible for designing and implementing ICT solutions for core systems for the financial services industry and more recently e-business solutions for the capital markets in Asia Pacific. He has conducted training in both technical subjects and business application solutions in India and Australia. Tony was a founding member of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka and, whilst employed by IBM Sri Lanka, he was a key member of the IBM team involved in major computerization projects in Sri Lanka including the Department of Examinations, The Census and Statistics Department, Petroleum Corporation, Insurance Corporation, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Ceylon Electricity Board, Cement Corporation He also played a lead role on major IT implementation projects in India including Reserve Bank of India, TCS, ONGC, Indian Railways, TISCO, HAL. Tony holds a Bachelor of Engineering and is currently undertaking a Masters in Information Technology. Tony is fluent in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Donna Vaughan Donna is an experienced ICT and management consultant with a background in consulting to large corporates and public sector organisations. Her key areas of expertise are business planning, business re-engineering, IT strategy, planning and management, online services (telco industry), and large scale program management. Her industry expertise is in telecommunications, financial services, high tech, and public sector (local government and tax administration). Donna also holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law, and a Master of Social Science (International Development). PIMD 2005 7 of 9

Desne Doman Desne has extensive experience in IT Management working for large corporates, including the successful development of a leading e-business site in Australia in the financial services sector. She is an experienced Program Manager with specific expertise in speedily establishing new divisions, programs/projects, establishing management structures and focused teams in the corporate sector. Her industry experience is in financial services and emerging technologies. Desne holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration. Judy Hawkes Judy is an experienced IT manager and consultant with strengths in interpreting needs and translating these into practical actions, systematising, mentoring, and leadership. She has set up program management environments and processes for small to medium projects in several key organisations as well as services management structures for large and small IT organisations. Her industry experience includes IT and financial services as well as government. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Sociology. Monica Vaughan Monica is an experienced secondary teacher (Mathematics), education administrator for international student programs including ESL, and business administrator for non-profit institutions. Monica led the development of the PIMD Curriculum for ESL and Computer Literacy for Grades 1 and 2 in Village Schools in Sri Lanka, and conducted two teacher training courses for this project in Sri Lanka in October 2004. Monica holds a Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Theology, and Graduate Diploma in Accounting. Helen McLeod Helen is an experienced teacher at both primary and secondary levels. Her subjects are English, History and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL). Helen contributed to the development of the PIMD Curriculum for ESL and Computer Literacy for Grades 1 and 2 in Village Schools in Sri Lanka, and conducted a teacher training course for this project in Sri Lanka in January 2004. Helen holds a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma in Education, TESOL qualifications, and Master of Arts (Special Education). PIMD 2005 8 of 9

Lynette Buchanan Lynette is a talented language teacher having taught Indonesian and English as a Second Language (in Australia for indigenous students). Lynette contributed to the development of the PIMD Curriculum for ESL and Computer Literacy for Grades 1 and 2 in Village Schools in Sri Lanka, and conducted a teacher training course for this project in Sri Lanka in October 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education. Contact Us For further information and enquiries please email us at info@microdevpartners.org or visit our website at www.microdevpartners.org. Partners in Micro-Development Inc. P.O. Box 165 Gladesville NSW 2111 Australia Phone : 61-2-98161540 Fax : 61-2-98161542 Email : info@microdevpartners.org www.microdevpartners.org PIMD 2005 9 of 9