Case Study:

GES Exposition Services

Oracle 11i
GP Strategies Corporation 1
At a Glance:
Oracle 11i implementation
Basics
Navigation
i-Procure
i-Expense
Oracle functional areas:
Accounts Payable
General Ledger
Purchasing
Project Accounting
Discoverer
Internet Expenses and
Internet Procurement
400 end users
Solution components:
Instructor-led courses
Post Implementation support
eLearning
Online Performance Support
Results
Comprehensive training program developed
within short timeframe
Established an effective and maintainable
training and support model
Increased the clients level of self-sufficiency
by teaching them how to use the tools and
methodologies to develop effective user support
in-house with RWD Info Pak

Successful go-live on time and within budget
An All-Star Exhibit:
The RWD and GES Partnership
In 2005, GES Exposition Services, a leading exhibition and
event services firm, ironically found itself in need of help
to plan its own event: a major overhaul of its financial IT
system. Challenged by a limited budget and an end user
populace that was geographically dispersed, GES decided to
use Oracle 11i as its new system of choice. However, after a
negative experience with a previous financial system, GES
quickly realized it now had an even bigger challenge: training
these dispersed employees to use the new system in a short
amount of time. What really attracted us to RWD was their
ability to teach us to fish, said Marty Droney. Instead of
just giving us a tool or a product, they trained us to train
ourselves and how to continue to increase efficiencies as we
used the new Oracle solution.

The new Oracle system would support GESs daily
operations and help staff to better manage events through
capabilities in Account Accounts Payable, General Ledger,
Purchasing, Project Accounting, Discoverer, Internet
Expenses, and Internet Procurement.
Our employees had different capabilities when it came to
using the Oracle solution. Some were more advanced and
required minimal support, while others were completely new
to using such a solution. We wanted to provide our employees
with training that could meet their individual needs, said
Marty Droney.
The services described in this case study were performed by RWD, now GP Strategies Corporation.
We selected RWD because we
wanted to work with a company
that had the tools, resources,
and experience to quickly create
and deliver a successful training
program. RWD did just that.
Case Study: GES Exposition Services Oracle 11i
Getting the Party Started:
RWD Brings in Solutions
To help GES meet their training and performance needs,
RWD first conducted an expedited analysis to prioritize
topics that could be covered by documentation and training.
Given the time and budget constraints, this was a crucial
step that helped to quickly identify the type of support that
GES employees would need most.
Once determining the appropriate support areas, RWD
created a comprehensive solution that included the
development and execution of in-classroom training to
financial users; web-based eLearning courseware for the
general employee populace; and the implementation of
RWD Info Pak

across the organization.

The roll-out of RWD Info Pak

was essential to the project

because it enabled GES to not only create work instructions
for pre-implementation training, but also provide post-
implementation performance support, which was critical
to the projects success.
RWDs ability to train us on their own tools gave us the
knowledge and the confidence to create documentation
ourselves and use the resulting materials once Oracle was
up-and-running, said Marty Droney. Having a sustainable
model of training and support will be critical as we enhance
our materials going forward.
A Show-Stopper:
The Partnership Produces Results
During the projects timeline, several key accomplishments
emerged. Among them were:
The project team successfully prioritized processes
to identify, document, and train those that were
most critical to GESs success
Increased levels of effectiveness and self-sufficiency
by teaching GES how to use RWD Info Pak

and
methodologies to develop end user support in-
house
Ensured that the project stayed on schedule and
within the agreed-upon budget
We selected RWD because we wanted to work with a
company that had the tools, resources, and experience to
quickly create and deliver a successful training program.
RWD did just that, Marty Droney added.
About GP Strategies
Founded in 1966, GP Strategies is a global performance
improvement solutions provider of sales and technical
training, e-learning solutions, management consulting and
engineering services. GP Strategies solutions improve the
effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and
superior training, consulting and business improvement
services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients.
Customers include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing,
process and energy industries, and other commercial and
government organizations. GP Strategies is headquartered
in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Additional information may
be found at gpstrategies.rwd.com.

GP Strategies World Headquarters

70 Corporate Center
11000 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 200
Columbia, MD 21044 USA
Ref. Code: Case_Study_GES_Exposition_Services_07.26.2013.indd
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