Technical Advisory Services

If all the pieces of a project are together and it still feels like something important is missing, chances are that something is a Solution Architect. The discipline of translating the various components of a project into business value is called Solution Architecture. It’s a unique area of expertise, and not something normally performed by software developers, project managers, business analysts, or any other members of a project team. Solution Architects are responsible for both the solution design and the process used to create it. To perform well, they must have an understanding of business drivers, data structures, application capabilities, usability requirements, and technical constraints. Above all, they must excel at facilitating collaboration and consensus among stakeholders. Projects that are managed by the Contelligence Group have a strong emphasis on Solution Architecture. We are also available to provide Solution Architecture as a Technical Advisory Service for both end-users and vendors.

Solution Architects are responsible for both the solution design and the process used to create it. To perform well, they must have an understanding of business drivers, data structures, application capabilities, usability requirements, and technical constraints. Above all, they must excel at facilitating collaboration and consensus among stakeholders.

Projects that are managed by the Contelligence Group have a strong emphasis on Solution Architecture. We are also available to provide Solution Architecture as a Technical Advisory Service for both end-users and vendors.

This change impacts IT management in two ways: there are a lot more projects that are directly related to content; and the business is becoming more aware of the role that content plays in every project. All this attention creates the need for IT to strategically align content with the business. That sounds a lot like Enterprise Architecture, a venue where content has not received much attention in the past.

The Contelligence Group’s content strategy services provide a rapid knowledge transfer to organizations that recognize the need to integrate content into their enterprise architectural models. Having a well-defined Enterprise Content Architecture will remove a missing link in the alignment of portfolio performance with executive strategy and goals.

Collaborative Innovation is exceptionally rewarding—with it you can surpass expectations, reduces costs, and decrease time to market—the holy grail of any project effort! We believe that every organization can benefit from Collaborative Innovation, but not just anyone can lead it. It takes equal parts of mindset and methodology; it starts with “who you are” and ends with “what you do.”

The Contelligence Group is passionate about Collaborative Innovation. We apply the concepts to every project, whether the purpose is to create something completely new together or to arrive at the most valuable implementation of existing products. Our methodologies and repeatable processes for facilitating Collaborative Innovation engage stakeholders, align strategy, improve processes, and establish technical feasibility. Please contact us to learn more about our Collaborative Innovation Approach.

Applications that rely on structured data depend on a Data Model to ensure things work as planned. Unstructured data applications such as Intelligent Content depend on schemas, taxonomies, and related models to fulfill the same role. While most organizations have extensive experience modeling structured data, the directive to do the same for content is new and there are limited resources to guide the way.

One of the primary differences between structured and unstructured data modeling is the difficulty relating the models to an effective user experience. In the decades since computers were introduced, users have become accustomed to working with structured data. For example, there are seldom (if ever) complaints that an address must be entered into the appropriate fields. Other than sections, titles, and a few other major document components, there are no parallels with unstructured data. When typing an address in the middle of a paragraph we are conditioned to think of it as no different from the rest of the text.

Reconciling rigorous enterprise data requirements with usability that enables deployment is not an easy task. However it is essential. Without the proper model, the content cannot be processed. Without the proper experience, the content cannot be created. Either way, the business does not receive the required value. For a long time these two imperatives seemed impossible to reconcile, and many Intelligent Content (or Structured Authoring) initiatives failed. The situation is different today and there are best practice approaches that ensure content is usable and easy to create. The Contelligence Group pioneered many of these best practices in successful projects that have become a benchmark for the industry.