This presentation was originally given at the ProformaTECH Corporate Finance Technology Conference in 2014. Ryan Russell, CFO, Marketing Associates, LLC discusses the role of the CFO in selecting and implementing enterprise systems in a professional services organization including: - Exploring New Systems - Methodology Overview - Post Implementation / Continuous Improvement - Dashboards and Analytics

1. Role of the CFO in
Selecting and
Implementing
Enterprise Systems
in a Professional
Services
Organization
Ryan Russell
CFO, Marketing Associates, LLC

2. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
• Introduction – Marketing Associates
• Exploring New Systems
• Methodology Overview
• Post Implementation / Continuous Improvement
• Dashboards and Analytics
• Wrap - Up
2

3. © 2014 Proformative
• Technology enabled marketing
services
• Integrated direct response programs
• Application management services
• Communications
Strategy
• Integrated Marketing
Plans
• Brand Strategy
• Brand portals
• Asset management &
workflow
• Asset storefronts• Business Intelligence
• Marketing Analytics
• Risk Management
• Digital Intelligence
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization

4. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
4
• Who is Marketing Associates?
• Founded in 1967, full service, technology enabled marketing company headquartered in
Detroit, MI with 250 employees
• Developer of analytically-driven integrated sales and marketing initiatives focused on
delivering measureable results
• As a full service marketing agency we specialize in:
• Analytical Services
• Creative Strategy, Design & Copywriting
• Sales Promotion
• Direct Marketing
• Interactive Marketing
• Application Management Services
• Digital Asset Management
• Web Hosting

5. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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• Who do we serve?
• Fortune 500 companies across the automotive, financial services, hospitality and
healthcare industries. Our clients include Ford, Ford Direct, DuPont, KitchenAid,
Whirlpool, McKesson Pharmacy Systems, Rockwell, Tapco and Starwood.
• Typical Enagement?
• $50K to $3.5M SOW
• 1000 engagements, 5000 projects, 25000 tasks in a typical year
• 4 weeks to 3 years
• Predominantly labor based, with some outside cost
• Billings consist of labor, fix fee and mixed

6. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
6
• Why the change?
• Growth and diversification necessitated the examination of our current workflow and supporting business subsystems
• Understand the needs of the organization
• Workflow (experiencing efficiency and quality issues), along with trying to support 10 disparate systems
• Handle incremental growth profitability
• In the preliminary stages of an acquisition
• Organization requiring
• Improved Resource Utilization
• Improved Financial Control, Analysis and Reporting
• Improved Project Quality and Risk Analysis
• Improved Management Decision Making including visibility and control
• Improved Customer Satisfaction
• Financial System - integration
• Investment Requirements and flexibility

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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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• Start the process
• Use network channel to investigate, review potential solutions
• Competitors
• Previous employers
• Current employee base
• Reach out to software providers
• Current system resource
• Explore the Options
• Review systems and solutions – high level
• Short list – provide key information to prospects
• Demo – conference room pilot (fit to business)
• Help understand how the system will/won’t work for your organization / environment
• Caution – sales process
• Decision Time
• Changepoint chosen

8. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
8
• To ensure a proper implementation of the new system is accomplished:
• Planning Phase (3 weeks)
• Installation Phase (3 weeks)
• Definition Phase (4.5 months)
• Validation Phase (2.5 months)
• Deployment Phase (1 month)

9. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
9
• Planning Phase
• Form the project team – cross functional consisting
of each of the functional areas – led by key sr. resource
• Set team member expectations and achieve buy-in
• Prepare the hardware
• Data collection
• Develop Project plan and charter to establish
Project Objectives and Scope
• Reporting Requirements
• Rollout Approach
• Team Role and Responsibilities
• Project Plan
• Infrastructure Requirements
• Change Management and Issue Management
Role Responsibilities Resource
Executive
Sponsor
Provides executive team approval and sponsorship forthe
project. Has budget ownership forthe project and is the major
stakeholderand recipient forthe project deliverables
CFO
Project
Manager
The main contact forthe project. Works with the
implementation team to plan and coordinate project activities.
Signs-off project schedule and project change requests that do
not impact cost
CFO
Functional
Administrator
Makes final decisions and resolves conflicts orissues regarding
project expectations across organization and functional areas.
The functional administratorand project managerhave adirect
link forall communication
DBA
Technical
Administrator
Provides installation and setup services and resolving network,
server, and workstation problems associated with the
installation
DBA and Network
Admin.
Core Team
Members
Subject MatterExperts. They present the requirements and
coordinate the tasks within theirfunctional areaduring
implementation.
8departments

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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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• Installation Phase
• Software installed on production servers
• System Manager Training to the Functional Administrator
• System Administration training to Technical Administrator and Functional Administrator
• Definition Phase
• Software consultant provides a business process review to core team
• helps enable project team to make better informed decision
• Provides understanding of system
• Start the design of the system
• Consultant interacts with customer to present best practices and/or alternative approaches for business process and
configuration choices.
• Determine if customization is required
• Determine what data to bring across
• Concludes with a base definition review of the base definition, configured application and the proposed
new process

11. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
11
• Validation Phase
• Spot check – review the design with the department heads
• Test the design by running 6 jobs – start to finish through the system
• Determine data to bring over
• Start developing end user materials – training, user guides, tip sheets
• Deployment Phase
• End users set up and trained
• Business Rules established – old / new systems
• Data repository set up to capture FAQ
• Adoption monitoring
• Ongoing
• Project Management
• Training and Monitoring
• Documentation
• Support – implementation and ongoing
• Requirements

12. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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Year 1 after Launch
• Challenges
• Dual systems
• Business rules / monitoring
• User Acceptance
• Training
• Develop repository for documents and FAQ
• Improvements / Reporting
• 50+ reports to handle all needs
• Email notifications
• Engagement / project profitability and visibility
• Time submission and approval
• Invoice approval
• Utilization at individual and departmental level
• Project milestones
• Rework
• Customer feedback

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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
13
Years 2 -3
• Challenges
• Hardware upgrade required to move forward with new releases
• Separate out Development, Staging and Production database servers
• Improvements / Reporting
• All engagements on one system
• Develop smart naming nomenclature
• Adjust workflow to handle shorter range projects – expedite
• Utilization improves
• Install new service packs
• Install new release

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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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Currently
• New Enhancements
• Client Portal
• HR process
• Central repository for all knowledge items
• Cognos
• Improved reporting
• Improved dashboards
• Dashboards
• Employees
• Managers
• Executive

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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
• Employee Dashboards
• Employee PTO Year over Year
• My PTO counter with detailed drill in
• Employee Utilization
• Employee Training
• My 2 – week project plan
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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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17. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
• Manager Dashboards
• Department Utilization
• Last Time Entered by Resource
• Department PTO with detailed drill in
• Department Training with detailed drill in
• My Resource Workload – 2 weeks out
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18. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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19. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
• Executive Dashboards/drilldown
• Budget vs Actual Revenue
• Budget vs. Actual EBITDA
• Current Yr vs Last Yr Revenue
• Current Yr vs Last Yr EBITDA
• Budget vs Actual GM
• Budget vs Actual Net Profit
• Current Yr vs Last Yr GM
• Current Yr vs Last Yr NP
• Company Utilization with detailed drill in
• Project Losses
• Customer Profitability with detailed drill in
• Sales and Cash by Customer
• A/R graph with detailed outstanding drill in
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20. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
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Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise
Systems in a Professional Services Organization
Beginning
• Workflow
• Handle incremental growth
• Organization requiring
• Improved Resource Utilization
• Improved Financial Control & Reporting
• Improved Project Quality and Risk Analysis
• Improved Management Decision Making,
including visibility and control
• Improved Customer Satifisfaction
• Financial System – integration
• Investment Requirements and Flexibility
…Now…
• Automated Process with signoffs, elimination of 10
disparate systems
• 34% revenue growth in last 3 years
• Organization requiring
• Utilization from 79% to 89%
• From limted/reactive to robust /proactive
• Controls /reporting in place – rework down
• Dashboards – reminders -triggers
• On time/ Accurate /Efficiency leads to satisfaction
scores up
• Seemless intergration with Great Plains
• On budget – incremental licenses on annual true up

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23. © 2014 Proformative
Role of the CFO in Selecting and Implementing Enterprise Systems in a
Professional Services Organization
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Ryan Russell
CFO
rrussell@marketingassociates.com
direct: 313.202.6312
cell: 248.703.7604
777 Woodward Ave., Suite 500
Detroit, Michigan 48226
p 313.965.3000
f 313.965.2800
www.marketingassociates.com