IT and PROJECT MANAGEMENT
A project only succeeds with proper planning.
Our project managers are skilled in the most effective methodologies, including waterfall and agile approaches to software development life cycle projects. The application of general project management fundamentals is critical for the success of projects. But a methodology is useless if not implemented properly by a skilled, experienced project manager. Camber’s project managers have decades of experience of implementing successful projects.
We’re proud of our successes. Read our Case Studies to understand why:
Accounting Standard—Implementation Cutover
The Challenge
A Fortune 10 technology company sought to be one of the first to implement two new major accounting standards on revenue recognition and leasing. This was an opportunity to demonstrate its industry leadership and excellence in execution.
Camber's Solution
With Camber’s technical accounting and project management expertise, cutover to the new statements was seamless.
Camber was able to identify potential issues with cutover to the new standards before they became problems. Their deep understanding and broad experience with implementations led them to identify solutions, assemble a team of the company’s subject matter experts, and develop and execute a project plan.
Client's Result
With the team’s focus and expertise and Camber’s leadership, the cutover was executed without issue.
System Implementation
The Challenge
Camber's client had an aggressive goal to early-implement both the new revenue accounting standard (ASC606), and the new leasing standard (ASC842) at the same time.
The change required a massive overhaul of the entity's revenue platform and lease tracking systems, while reporting concurrently on both the old and the new standards internally until go-live.
The client's accounting and operations teams were consumed with implementing the new technologies required to conform with the new standards, and they had no time to consider the complexities involved in flipping the switch on the day of conversion.
Camber's Solution
Camber's expert project manager went to work to identify key technical accounting problems that would have otherwise resulted in catastrophic internal and external reporting problems if not addressed. The problems were identified, and Camber’s PM designed solutions. From there it was a matter of using classic project management skills to assemble a team of SMEs and develop a cutover plan.
Client's Result
The client had multiple issues, including some of which they had not been aware. These were identified by our consultant, solutions were designed, a plan was implemented and completed with no issues. Camber was part of a talented team that accomplished what very few other companies would dare attempt.
Divestiture
The Challenge
Much as in personal relationships, it’s rarely pleasant when two companies separate. The difference is that when a company is sold or divested from within a larger company, there are personnel issues, intellectual property issues, operational changes and system considerations.
Camber's Solution
When Microsoft decided to sell its share of ownership in the joint venture MSNBC to NBC Universal, Camber was brought in to manage the impact to financial operations. The entity was managed on Microsoft’s internal accounting, finance and HR systems. Who better to understand the detailed infrastructure than Camber, whose project manager had managed these functions as an employee of Microsoft.
Client's Result
As with any break-up there were issues, but the key to making the deadlines and deliverables was minimizing drama by implementing basic project management fundamentals - planning, communication, and timely issue resolution. The divestiture was a success, and the result was two happy exes.
Acquisition Integration
The Challenge
A key control was not implemented in a timely manner at the acquired entity and jeopardized the parent’s audit.
The acquirer didn’t have the staff nor the resources to take on a critical project on another continent, and the acquired entity had few resources available, barely getting their books closed and responding to the new requests of the parent. The acquired company missed several months of completing the requirement and senior management was beyond concerned.
Knowing Camber’s knowledge of SOX and their internal control environment, there was no question that Camber was the team needed to solve this problem.
Camber's Solution
Camber’s team was on a plane within days. A team of the acquired entity was assembled by Camber and a plan put into place. Accountants throughout the world were educated on the new requirement. A new tool to systematically identify journal entries requiring review and a sign off tool were built by Camber.
Client's Result
100% signoff on all JEs was complete in the first month of implementation.
IT Security Audit Readiness
The Challenge
With the ever increasing importance and complexity of IT security, internal controls to ensure compliance with the many different compliance standards such as ISO, FISMA, Services Organization Controls 1 &2 (SOC-1 and SOC-2), PCI, SOX, etc., are highly important and receiving much more attention from auditors. Ensuring an organization not only has IT Security controls in place but a program to ensure compliance has become a resource-intensive endeavor for nearly all companies.
Camber’s client is a large technology company providing a travel and expense tracking services to other organizations. The organization’s compliance team was breaking under the weight of demonstrating to its internal and external auditors its compliance with the various IT Security controls required by different regulatory bodies. Multiple audit objectives across the different standards resulted in the same requests and questions of the same people in the organization from auditors from different jurisdictions and regulatory objectives. The same evidence was provided by the same people in the organization multiple times to various auditors. The result was inefficiency, delays, frustration and time away from the organization’s true objective—information security.
Camber's Solution
Knowing Camber’s knowledge of internal control program management, we were sought out to support the audit function. But Camber’s team recognized the opportunity to solve the problem rather than just be an additional resource and fill resource gaps.
An audit readiness process was established to clearly define requirements and make documentation available to auditors minimal involvement from the our client’s team.
A database was developed to track all of the evidence and the evidence was then mapped into the various authoritative compliance requirements.
A simple query of the database identified the evidence to meet any one auditor’s objective. For example, a query of “all evidentiary matter to meet ISO control #67 for European operations for the widgets business” would result in all relevant documents on a Wiki site that Auditors can access, and no further involvement is required from our client’s team.
Client's Result
Our client was able to meet deadlines previously missed that jeopardized overall compliance, and now has more time to focus on security and making their products better.
Our client is more efficient, estimating significant yearly savings in hours and audit fees.