Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) contracted with Holt, Sheets and Associates (HSA) in 2006 to develop a virtual file cabinet application. HSA proposed leveraging the Indiana Police Department’s FileNet system and infrastructure as the platform for their solution. One of the key elements of the project was a back-file conversion of existing documents.
As prime contractor for the project, Holt, Sheets and Associates subcontracted with a small conversion services company to convert all paper files to digital images. Three months into the back-file operation, the subcontractor had not produced a single acceptable image . . . all had been rejected by IDEM and HSA. With virtually no defined processes and insufficient quality controls, the sub-contractor could not be successful. The project was behind schedule and HSA lost confidence in the subcontractor’s ability to deliver - the project was in jeopardy. Holt, Sheets and Associates, with a history of successful experiences delivering solutions to government organizations, understood the critical nature of the front end of the process, feeding highly accurate and superior quality images into the document management process. It was too important to let it continue in its current state; consequently, a different approach requiring an experienced vendor with a proven ability to deliver was needed.
HOW DataBank GOT INVOLVED
Realizing that the subcontractor could not perform, DataBank was immediately contracted to undertake the conversion effort. Within days DataBank staffed the project and dedicated Theresa Maultsby as the Project Manager. Working as a team, DataBank and HSA applied their expertise and quickly identified the critical issues that required immediate attention. Theresa established a multi-faceted plan that would bring the project under control, restore the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s confidence in the backfile portion of the project and prove to HSA that DataBank was the organization that could, and would, deliver.