SERVICES: VDDW Consulting

    Enlarge VDDW Services

  • The diagram to the right captures the menu of services FE provides in support of a client VDDW implementation. It also represents the path to VDDW value capture.
  • Each box represents a separate sub-service, and an engagement can be scoped to include all, some, or even only one or two of these sub-services. Because we prefer to operate in a catalytic role for deeper client impact, our menu of services is very modular. A client may engage us for merely one or two areas of service, all the way up to an entire project, and we front-load our approach with plenteous education and skill transfer to expedite self-sufficiency, meaning less consulting involvement, if that's what a client prefers.
  • While this menu captures the general order of execution of tasks as well as the areas of organizational responsibility, it is by no means rigidly linear or tightly-bound by role. The VDDW approach is a sophisticated integration of disciplines and consequently calls for broad cross-functional understanding on the part of team members and simultaneous execution of mutually dependent workstreams. Reporting enables validation. Validation will stimulate demand for ETL / data changes. Data sourcing realities will inform allocation model design. Roles and workstreams are tightly interlocked, and many parts are moving at once, not always in the precise order or under the complete control of the players indicated.
  • Click below to learn more about what each step on the path to value capture entails.
    • Readiness Assessment

      Interviews and examination of the company’s systems, processes, financials, organizational structure, and proposed team composition to determine the client’s preparedness for a VDDW project.


    • Education

      Hands-on classroom training with a VDDW case study to introduce the team to the core concepts and skills required to build a VDDW.


    • Basic Training

      Execution of a VDDW proof of concept based on client’s own data, model, and processes. Enables "burn-in" of the architecture, and the cementing of team understanding and member roles.


    • Battle Planning

      Detailed planning of project workstreams and contingencies

      Required roles and resources

      Data sourcing

      System sizing

      Project milestones and success critieria

      Identification of various risks and mitigation strategies


    • Vendor Selection

      Generation of RFP and scoring strategy

      Key interview and evaluation criteria

      Generation of representative case study and data sets against which vendors will demo

    • Modeling

      ABC Allocation Model and driver definition

      Corporate Dimension Bus architecture and measure definition

      ABC model / Dimension Bus synchronization


    • Integration (ETL)

      Data plumbing from source systems into the VDDW, and potentially from the allocation engine into the VDDW


    • Reporting

      OLAP cube / hypercube design and construction

      Measure-Granularity resolution and drill-across / traceback mechanisms

      Portal Construction


    • Deployment

      User Training

      Security Strategy

      Communication Plan

      Executive Emphasis

      Performance Monitoring

      Issue identification and resolution


    • Migration Planning

      VDDW / EDW gap analysis

      Survey & Audit of EDW application and end user access patterns

      Migration of missing pieces


    • EDW Sunsetting

      Communication Strategy

      Retention Planning

      Application Re-plumbing

      End-User re-orientation

      Phased Shutoff

      Lights Out


    • Validation

      Financial Integrity (internal preservation of matter and external tie-back)

      Structural Integrity (allocation network and rules definition)

      Results (performance and capacity analysis – outliers and member-to-member comparisons)

      Driver analysis on surprising results

      Identification of issues with data, allocation rules, and time-standards


    • Value Discovery

      P&L / Performance

      Resource Capacity

      Resource NOP-Leverage

      By Outliers

      By member-to-member comparison

      By affinities (market basket analysis)


    • Value Capture

      Capturing the value revealed by the VDDW can range from simple management decisions and operational policy refinement, to longer-term and farther reaching organization, process, and system changes. FE can help you scope out and execute the work needed to achieve results.