Your project in Tokyo:
Get it done quickly through focused analysis and clear communication.
If you are planning a system development or business process improvement project in Japan with an international dimension, Project Flex can help you push all of the work to completion.
Talk to me about . . .
Who should talk to me
• Managers in Japan with an upcoming project who think they probably don’t need a large team of consultants to complete the work. For the project you have in mind, one capable person with the right skill set can work as project manager with your team to move it ahead.
I can take on the job as a consultant, work with your existing staff, and get it done. (I can work simultaneously with multiple vendors, departments, and teams of any size.)
• CEO’s, COO’s, and other key managers who want to improve an important business process, but who don’t have staff that can understand both the big picture and the details at the same time.
The process can be Japan-focused or ‘global’ (span multiple geographic locations). This work requires someone who can understand your complex requirements and move ahead with speed and logic to the desired result. Together, we will design newer and better processes based on your requirements. I will maintain focus on the highest priority issues, switching focus when needed in response to changing priorities.
Vision.
I want to be seen by clients as a management “add on” who can handle a wide variety of challenging tasks with minimal explanation or supervision: a person who is easy to hire and put to work as needed.
Mission.
My mission is to provide extremely flexible solutions to short and medium term needs in business analysis and project management. I want clients to feel that work is moving ahead faster and better than it would with internal staff or with other vendors they have worked with.
As a project management and business process improvement consultant, I support businesses in Tokyo by providing:
• Project Management for projects of all sizes, both with IT development as the focus and projects where IT is not the main focus. (more)
• Business analysis work to clarify requirements, clarify options, and determine the scope of a project. Generally, business analysis is used to find causes of problems and then zero in on the solution to those problems. In software development projects: business analysis is the preliminary determination and documentation of requirements (how the software will work), which becomes the basis for proceeding to work with software development companies. (It can become the basis for an entire RFP process.) (more)
• Business Requirements Documentation
This is the detailed document in a software development project which tells the developers what is needed in the new system. When this is completed, a development team can start building your new system. (more)
• Business process improvement projects
This may aim to improve any part of your business process flows, including the parts handled by systems and the parts handled by people. Usually, the starting point is the recognition that a process is inefficient or out of date. The steps needed to make it more efficient might be completely clear, or this topic might be shrouded in uncertainties. The first steps are (a) definition of the issues, (b) definition of the unanswered questions, and (c) gathering information from the related parts of the organization. (more)
I can also help in these areas.
• Fixing and enhancing legacy applications written in Microsoft’s VBA language for Excel and Access. (more)
• Interim management when you have an unexpected departure. (more)
• Specialized training: when you need fast, low-cost, customized training for a specific purpose, I can define, design, and deliver it according to your description. Staff can learn something important and have fun doing it, and (when needed) pass a test. (more)
Industries I have worked in:
A focus on the financial services industry
Banking
Securities
Insurance
Asset
management
with experience in a variety of others, such as . . .
eCommerce
Business Process Outsourcing
Advertising
Semiconductor Equipment
More detail on areas of specialty
Project Management
You will benefit from having someone who can work with everyone in your organization and channel their knowledge and skills into a smooth, coordinated effort. This means working in the Japanese language with most staff, and also working in English with senior management and overseas staff.
Using standard techniques (PMBOC, Prince2, etc.), I ensure that the assembled team will always focus on the requirements and work that needs to be done. As PM I will create a project schedule and design a project organization with regular meetings and defined deliverables.
My experience in foreign firms in Tokyo has always included working smoothly, respectfully, and professionally with senior managers of multiple nationalities and backgrounds. I can work with local vendors in Japanese on technical matters and requirements and simultaneously with overseas counterparts in English covering the same topics from their perspective. (more)
Business analysis
Get complete documentation of the requirements for your planned systems, so that you can start the development project with clear objectives. Align strategies and current resources, and minimize risks.
My experience as a business analyst includes writing complete requirements documents in securities trading and insurance, and operations manuals in banking. I produce documents that are technically accurate while also being easy to understand.
My experience as a business analyst includes writing complete requirements documents in securities trading and insurance, and operations manuals in banking. I produce documents that are technically accurate while also being easy to understand. (more)
Business Process Improvement
You know that things can be done better. But no one has ever taken the time to analyze and sort out exactly how to do that without disrupting the ongoing requirements of the business. I can push past this bottleneck as your business process improvement consultant: interview staff, document the current state, analyze weaknesses and opportunities, and then propose a set of solutions.
This requires a skill set that goes beyond the usual IT department skill set. Working with IT staff, operations staff, and everyone else, we can optimize for the size and nature of the organization, knowing that changing the company’s ingrained habits might require special attention and care.
Experience and creativity are needed:
In cases where senior managers have asked me to “come up with a way to improve efficiency,” I have been able to identify real opportunities. Even in slow-moving organizations, it has often been the case that there are no significant barriers to moving ahead and staff are very happy to see processes improve from the current state. (But I am ready for those psychological barriers.)
Recent experience is in banking, securities, and insurance. I have also worked in accounting departments and in asset management. (more)
Have a Project in mind?
If your project is still at the conceptual stage, I will be happy to talk to you about it. If I am not the right resource to move it ahead, I will try to help you find the resource you need.
Flexibility to work on multiple tasks
You might have a variety of short-term needs, long-term plans, and organizational constraints all at the same time. These overlapping issues can make it hard to find the right people to work with. I can support you on multiple tasks. Together we can find logical approaches that are efficient, flexible, and which will help you hold down costs.
I look forward to hearing from you via the contact form on this page. (Bottom of page.)
