Know-how

CGI and Bell use close cooperation to create an innovative center and accelerate the development of leading-edge solutions

"We were able to deliver nine projects in nine months and generate substantial business benefits to Bell. Without the strong team aspect we would not have been able to achieve such success.'

Susan Barnard, Director ISIT, Bell Canada

The Client
Bell Canada is Canada's largest supplier of telecommunications services. With one of the world's most robust and reliable public switched networks, Bell Canada provides advanced voice, data and image communications to more than eight million business and residence customers across Canada.

In order to remain an industry leader, Bell puts a high priority on the efficiency of its systems and continually strives to reduce redundancy and manual processes. In doing so it not only optimizes its business processes, but also greatly enhances customer service. With its extensive range of consumer products and solutions, Bell strives to ensure its customers can easily change, discontinue or add to their Bell services, whether dealing with Bell by phone, Internet or in person at a Bell outlet.

It was with these goals in mind that Bell and CGI joined forces to create a center for innovation and technology excellence, an information technology "laboratory' that focuses on the rapid development and deployment of Bell's telecommunications initiatives.

The Challenge
Bell needed a solution that would enable it to reduce the impact of its manual processes and in doing so consistently increase efficiencies and automated customer services. However, when developing new initiatives in the telecommunications industry, time is of the essence. It was therefore imperative that Bell be able to bring new technologies to market within very tight time frames.

This posed a further challenge, for quality and reliability could in no way be compromised in the effort to introduce the new products quickly. This meant that Bell not only had to be assured of top quality products, but also of sound design, prototyping and testing processes.

The Strategy
In partnership with CGI, Bell Canada created the Electronic Bell Canada Customer Service (eBCCS) program. The program's objective was to allow Bell to significantly expand its ability to supply channel ready, end-to-end, rapidly implemented solutions while reducing project development costs. To this end, the partners created the center for innovation and technology excellence. The center brings together Bell and CGI specialists in parallel positions, who use a number of innovative procedures to achieve their common goal. Working under one roof also reduces implementation time and overhead. CGI has brought its in-depth knowledge of telecommunications and Bell Canada to the initiative, with Bell contributing its extensive customer service knowledge and industry experience to the center.

Quick to-market deployment is achieved through the team's pioneering and use of Rapid Application Development (RAD). The RAD methodology is defined by speedy development and shorter schedules and involves accelerated build and test cycles to support the very tight timeframes.

The team also uses time-boxing, co-location and 80/20, a revolutionary process that is time driven rather than task driven. The timeframe or "box' is first determined and is then filled with a high volume of work. An 80/20 project model is also applied, wherein core functions are identified and delivered as a priority. The team also uses a fast iteration methodology, rapidly developing a prototype to use as a baseline to test and increase functionality for the next iteration.

"We have a very strong working relationship with CGI and have benefited from a particularly strong partnership on the eBCCS engagement,' stated Susan Barnard, Director, IS/IT, Bell Canada. "We all check our badges at the door, with roles and responsibilities being based on who is best suited to the task. This flexibility combined with co-location and working in a RAD environment, has added value to the project.'

The entire initiative is service driven, which allows it to be applied to any number of Bell's products and services, from retail telephone sales to Bell ExpressVu and from Bell Mobility to Bell's call centers. Bell customers can now complete an increasing number of transactions electronically. Bills can be paid and telephone and communications services added, enhanced, disconnected or moved, all thanks to a single Bell/CGI team working behind the scenes.

The Solution
In very rapid timescales, CGI delivered the application from the ground up. Applicants can now receive detailed and accurate personalised quotations online - see www.thecheshire.co.uk. They can also receive a decision in principle in real-time and complete the application immediately, or opt to complete the process in stages.

All applicant data is retained and applicants never have to input the same data twice. In addition, strong validation checks ensure the accuracy of data to the extent it can be automatically transferred to the Society’s administration systems.

Due to Cheshire Building Society’s ambitious e-business plans, the site was thoroughly stress tested and proven to be capable of processing substantial mortgage volumes.

Colin Whittle adds: “The Cheshire is extremely pleased with the CGI framework and we are now using its technology to develop other Internet systems in-house. It delivers excellent developer productivity and allows us to build applications that really scale.”

The Technology

• Service-driven architectural framework
• J2EE
• Oracle Database
• Microsoft Com/Dcom
• UNIX server BEA Web Logic

The Results
The center for innovation and technology excellence has already achieved some remarkable results. Bell has seen a dramatic decline in the costs and time involved in implementing projects and solutions. Moreover, savings have been realized through the reduction of manual processes, while the return on investment has been significant.

Most importantly, Bell's customers are continually seeing their services enhanced. No longer limited to contacting a call center for service changes, customers now have a number of easy to access options available to them when they wish to add or alter their Bell services.

"We were able to deliver nine projects in nine months and generate substantial business benefits to Bell,' concluded Ms. Barnard. "Without the strong team aspect we would not have been able to achieve such success.'