Pinnacle Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an association that supports IT professionals in higher education. I manage studies that collect data on IT services and spending for benchmarking projects. We provide that service through an interactive web portal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pinnacle Solutions?

We needed a partner for developing and maintaining a business intelligence (BI) analytics portal using SAS. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, Pinnacle adopted ownership and development responsibilities for an existing BI portal. Since then, we've used them for additional web development and they’ve helped us transition to new data visualization tools. They use PHP for web. We moved from SAS to QlikSense for data visualization. QlikSense was new to Pinnacle, but they worked with another one of our vendors to embed QlikSense objects into the PHP interface that Pinnacle develops.  Now they are building their competency with QlikSense.

For the first original development project we did with them, they developed a web interface that housed a survey. We provided very basic requirements based on vague ideas we had about what we wanted. We knew what we wanted the output to look like but weren’t sure how our systems would work. We flew them out to our office in Colorado for a daylong session together. We walked through our vision. They were able to break down the project and clarify how the data would work on the backend. At the end of the day, they had a clear enough understanding of what we were trying to do to provide a bid and project plan to us. We negotiated the scope a bit and, over the next eight months, they built the product.

The most critical thing that they’ve helped us with was a last-minute project. Our organization was moving to a completely different web platform and no one had realized that a specific functionality we had integrated into our website was going to be impacted by the switch. We were going to lose that service if we didn’t find an alternate plan. Pinnacle put together a project very quickly to help us design an interim web interface.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with a dedicated developer and a project manager. The developer owns the vision and does most of the development but sometimes gives small pieces of projects to other colleagues.

How did you come to work with Pinnacle Solutions?

SAS switched our vendor and assigned Pinnacle to us. We didn’t search for firms or do a formal RFP. When we started other projects, we did look at other vendors to do some comparisons. We stayed with Pinnacle because we have a great working relationship with them, they have a great rate, and we trust their work.

​​​​​​How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2014 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Every step of the way, they know what we're trying to accomplish and can help us get it done quickly. That original non-SAS project was successful, for example. The technology changed around us and our user needs changed, so we're going in a different direction now. But, because they have all that institutional knowledge about what we've done and what we need the service to do, the next iteration of it will be much easier.

How did Pinnacle Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We use their ticketing system to ask for specific deliverables. For larger projects, we use e-mail for updates. The developer sends me daily update emails that help me to see progress. Communication with them is best when we can keep them busy. 

Our project manager been amazing at listening to, understanding, and translating our needs. She has a great vision for how systems should work and is helpful with breaking down projects. The developer has also been a good project manager. We just kicked off a new project for which he was one that developed the project plan based on the requirements.

Pinnacle helped us seamlessly transition BI tools. They’ve been amazing with learning the QlikSense technology to plug it into the different web interfaces. They work very well with our other consulting group. They’re always willing to work together to figure out how to make something work and figure out how to do it efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Most impressive is their understanding of data and data architecture. They’re designing our system in a clean and logical way. We've worked with people in the past that code things in random places. They’re not systemic and things break constantly because the path to the endpoint wasn't clearly thought out. I never worry about that with Pinnacle. I know that if, for example, we specify the design of an element in one specific spot, that element will show up with the same design in all the other spots too. They think through how the system is supposed to work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I keep asking them to learn QlikSense so that I can use them exclusively. I love working with them!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I was the senior performance improvement project manager at a children's healthcare organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pinnacle Solutions?

We needed to develop a predictive model for appointment no-shows at three of our specialty clinics that would enable us to overbook effectively, which would also generate more revenue and allow us to see more patients who have more urgent needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pinnacle developed predictive models for us, as well as a dashboard for use by upper management and staff to be able to access the results quickly. This enables the staff to overbook appointments based on which patients have a higher chance of not showing up. We can also check to make sure the predictive modeling is consistent and accurate. We work with other vendors on pulling and processing the data from Epic to automatically generate daily reports.

The data was prepared using Enterprise Guide. Once the models were completed and validated, they were exported to Statistical Analysis Software (SAS), which is used to predict no-show appointments.

What is the team composition?

Since we already have a project manager from our team and from our SAS provider, we didn't require one from Pinnacle's team. Pinnacle provided a couple data scientists who worked on developing the models for us.

How did you come to work with Pinnacle Solutions?

I was tasked to research the application we'd want to purchase that would allow us to develop predictive models in-house. After finding Pinnacle, I got our management to agree on moving forward with them. They submitted an application superior to others we'd received.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $100,000 in this specific project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2016 to December 2017. From what I understand, Pinnacle is still working with the company to expand their predictive modeling capabilities to other clinics as well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were very happy with their work. Our internal statistician was impressed by the models they provided. Without Pinnacle's help, it would've taken us much longer to build the initial models. Their role was instrumental in the project's success. We've been able to reap the benefits of their work from a financial standpoint.

How did Pinnacle Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided weekly status updates on the project and were very responsive through phone and email. Whenever we ran into challenges, they were transparent and worked quickly through them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We've been very impressed by the outcomes of the predictive modeling they created. They were able to quickly understand our needs from a healthcare industry standpoint and were proactive throughout the process. They'll be writing a paper about the great work they've done for us on this project that will be presented at the next SAS Global Conference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Can you provide a brief description of your company?

We are a very large software developer company and software manufacturer. We have 4,000 employees. Our focus is on business analytics software at a high level.

What is your role and responsibilities?

You can think of me as a project manager. I work in the consulting organization as a project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals for this particular project?

In general, we use Pinnacle a lot. We use them a lot to do the installations and configurations of our software. They’re very good at that. 

I called on Pinnacle to help out after they did the installation of a SAS system. We needed to reinstall the software in a validated environment for pharmaceutical companies that are developing drugs. This project required installation of both the hardware and software. Everything they do needs to be documented very well for the FDA, and there’s a structured process to do what’s called IQ/OQ/PQ so Installation Qualification, Performance Qualification, or Operational Qualification and Performance Qualification – IQ/OQ/PQ, 21 CFR Part 11 bylaws.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Pinnacle Solutions for this project?

I have worked with them on dozens of projects. Pinnacle has at least one or two individuals that are quite good at understanding the federal requirements and exactly what needs to be done. I immediately got Pinnacle involved.   

Can you describe the project in more detail and what parts Pinnacle Solutions was involved in?

There are specific rules that the FDA requires for systems to be installed and managed when they’re developing drugs to be approved by the FDA. That’s a very specific skill set that not many people know how to do, but Pinnacle does. They scoped it out, and completed the project successfully.

Can you provide a sense of the initiative in dollar terms?

We’re talking $60,000 to $70,000 for this small project. The business that we’re dealing with is a small to midsize business, so every dollar counts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Pinnacle Solutions perform during the project?

They’re just fantastic, probably one of the best vendors I deal with.

What is unique or special about them compared to some of the other vendors that you worked with?

They’re exceptionally good with customer service. They don’t rely on SAS. Sometimes, it can be very tricky to implement SAS software. They figure it out on their own. They’re very smart and can figure it out. I think they have good experience outside of SAS with Unix and Linux.

Is there any area that you think they could improve upon or you would do differently?

No. Not really. 

BACKGROUND

Can you please describe your organization?

We are a public university in California. We graduate about 100,000 students a year. We’re the biggest and most diverse university system.

What is your role and responsibilities?

My role is the senior director of academic technology. I work on behalf of all of the campuses on system-wide projects that either directly influence the student learning process for students or help faculty or administrators across the system do their job more efficiently.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your organization’s goals for this particular project?

I contracted with Pinnacle based on a recommendation for a smaller contract of less than $50,000. We asked for bids on the RFP on a larger project later.They won the RFP. My university has been working with them since April to develop a system-wide student analytics dashboard, to track student success. Pinnacle has been using SAS Business Intelligence Suite to help us develop the system over the last four or five months.

SOLUTION

Can you please describe the project in more detail and talk about the work that Pinnacle is doing?

The system is for our senior administrators from our Board of Trustees, chancellor, campus presidents, provosts, deans, department chairs and faculty.That’s the target audience. It could be for the public as well. It could be for the governor’s office and the legislature.

We can track different areas of student achievement using analytics. We can track each student on class attendance, graduation date, grades, and other factors. We can also group students by many factors including age, gender, race, and others.

The purpose of the tool is to allow the leaders of the university to enhance student success. We can narrow down our focus to certain underachieving groups and try to improve. We can also create metrics and see if we improve each semester or year.

For that particular project, can you give us a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms?

It cost around $500,000.

When will the project be completed?

It’s not completed. We’re still working with them and don’t know when it will finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you please describe the stats and metrics that the system will track?

All of our campuses have goals; they have targets for graduation rates for certain cohorts. For us, it’s a six-year graduation rate that is targeted because a lot of our population is working.

The goals that they have set most recently are for the students who started in 2009 who need to graduate by 2015. Every campus has a goal ranging between an 80% graduation rate and a 45% graduation rate depending on their students. Through SAS, we run predictive models to see how likely they are to hit their goals.

How did Pinnacle perform?

Terrific, I’ve worked with other vendors as well. The engagement has gone well. It’s been challenging but they’re terrific.They’re very skilled in project management and have our stakeholders excited about the new system.  Everyone on their team is skilled at what they do. They have a statistician who’s helped us with the predictive models. They have tremendous expertise with the SAS products.

Pinnacle Solutions has come up with a lot of creative ways to let us do what we want to do without going to great expense or doing things that will require future maintenance that I don’t think we can support. So far, it’s been a very good relationship, very productive.

What is unique or special about them compared to the other vendors?

I think the difference between Pinnacle and the other vendors so far I’ve seen is that they spend a lot of time really listening to our needs at the front end. This isn’t the norm with other SAS vendors that I have encountered. With Pinnacle, the conversations we have are user-focused and the quality of product had been excellent.

Looking back on that project, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or you would do differently?

I can’t think of anything to improve.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your organization?

We are a small company based in Dallas, Texas. We process aviation data from databanks provided by the Department of Transportation. We compile data and sell the resultant data sets to various customers: airlines, airports, consulting companies, everyone in the aviation field. We take raw data, put programs to process it, then put it out on our own data sets that are accessed online.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m Vice President of customer services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals for this particular project?

Our goal was to create new access software for clients to get all of our products. Some products were on discs. We needed to complete the transition of all of our products from disc to online access, and to rewrite all the old software for the existing online products to a more interactive methodology. Basically, we wrote all of our software.

SOLUTION

Were any other technologies besides SAS involved in the project?

SAS was the primary one. I think there’s some MySQL in there and maybe some other languages, but mainly it was what we had it written down at the time we hired Pinnacle. At that time, none of it was SAS. There might be some remnants of the old system, but not much. They basically had to rewrite everything.

How did you select Pinnacle to work with?

Our data guy is a SAS programmer.  We went to SAS directly and asked for recommendations for companies that were authorized SAS distributors and received some names, one of which was Pinnacle.

Can you tell me about the scope of the project as far as what Pinnacle was involved with?

At the time they came on, we had an existing system of online access for a number of our databases for clients to go to our website, be connected, run reports and receive data. Some of the databases that we offer for rent were on disc.They weren’t online.

What Pinnacle was hired to do, is rewrite the existing access software for each of the products that are online at the time. Pinnacle had to rewrite the processing for one of the products so they started with the raw data and then stepped through all the processing of data up to the point where we put it online for access for clients. They also re-wrote that access software.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the initiative in dollar terms?

The dollar figure would be probably be 600,000.

When was that project completed?

It’s still in process, actually, but the bulk of it’s completed now. It’s been two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project? Do you happen to have stats or metrics to track improvement?

I don’t. Again, we’re a small company and everything they’ve done for us has worked. It has met or exceeded all the parameters we set for it. Pinnacle has been very good about adjusting the scope up or down as we proceed through these processes. They have been able to expand the project when we ask for expansion or contract it if we ask. Pinnacle has been very good about suggesting alternative passes, in terms of development schedule.

What is unique or special about Pinnacle compared to some other vendors you may have worked with?

One special thing is their response time. We have worked with two individuals at their company for the most part. They have both been very responsive in terms of the quickness of getting back to us with quotes or adjusting things as we go. Pinnacle is very responsive compared to the prior experiences we’ve had with other groups. They have held close to the deadlines that we developed mutually. And they’ve been very open to changes, they provide us updates as we go through the processes to keep us informed of the progress. This is different from other vendors.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or maybe you would have done differently?

Not at the present time.

We’re in Dallas, and they’re in Indianapolis. The distance isn’t an issue. We’ve had face-to-face meetings a few times, but we’re on the phone with them pretty much all the time emailing. They set up a system where we can enter tickets and some staff members work on them. The staff members will respond to ticketing messages when there are issues. We’re very happy with their efforts in terms of development and maintenance of the data.