TAR Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the market risk manager at a bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TAR Solutions?

We brought them on for a data integration and reporting project. Essentially, we had various sources of data and different reporting systems. It was important for us to centralize our data to run reports through a dashboard.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To assist us in achieving our goal, they built a dashboard in Tableau for front office management. With our existing systems, it was difficult to define things like company exposure, given our bird’s eye view of overall sensitivities. They were responsible for marrying our eternal static data sources and our internal resources to make sensitivities and sector exposure more clear. In that process, they pulled together custom fields to enhance the final product.

The product was intended to make it very easy to access and distribute accurate data across the company. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with the founder.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working in September 2018, and it wrapped up in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve significantly improved our ability to examine risks and congregate exposure information that’s reflective of the market. They were experienced and knowledgeable in the field, which helped build our internal confidence. We ended up with a fantastic product that we can rely on.  

How did TAR Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We were communicating on a daily basis, working through questions and concerns as they came up. I’ve been part of engagements without much communication, and oftentimes that yields solutions I didn’t want. Communication was excellent through email or phone, and he was able to stick to our timelines. There was never an issue with prioritization. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their business skills and willingness to keep up communication helped us reach a strong final product quickly. It was truly built organically from daily communication. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything for me to suggest. We were happy with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to reach out to them and build up two-way communication.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former head of regulatory technology at BNP Paribas, a French bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TAR Solutions?

We were looking for someone to build a dashboard for our BI solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TAR Solutions was responsible for building our capital market dashboard for reporting sales analytics to our salespeople in real-time. Mainly, it displayed P&L, sales credits, and trades done with clients, with the ability to organize by client, salesperson, and other factors. It was built using Tableau, and they integrated data from multiple sources including our SQL Server backend into the platform. It had between 600 and 650 users.

How did you come to work with TAR Solutions?

My colleague initially engaged and hired TAR Solutions, but I think their Tableau expertise was a major factor in their decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between £250,000 and £500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from May 2014–November 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ultimately, TAR Solutions was delivering against customer satisfaction. Also, the fact that so many people used and relied on the dashboard speaks to their success in building it. It was considered critical by our salespeople.

How did TAR Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The project wasn’t really structured as a deadline-driven project. It was a really iterative process, and TAR Solutions managed that relationship quite well. The team’s communication was excellent; we had lots of face-to-face meetings and they provided regular progress reports. One of the things that set them apart is their ability to collaborate with all the different stakeholders involved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of the data technology and the nature of their technologies is really impressive. They’re specialists in Tableau and Alteryx, which both allow very rapid delivery, and they know them inside out. 

Their second differentiating factor is their knowledge of the capital market business. They don’t go through a whole cycle of writing specs. TAR Solutions actually talks to users and works very closely with them to deliver a solution. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They really delivered a lot of value to the end-user.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them. The technologies they use to solve business problems, plus their knowledge of the business itself, make TAR Solutions a great asset.