Seamless Functionality and Usability

Governance WorkPlace delivers on the functionality most important to buyers, while in-house governance and service provider tools are not comprehensive or scalable. Based on our research and experience, most in-house tools are an afterthought, typically cobbled together using all-purpose applications such as, Excel spreadsheets, Access database reports, and PowerPoint and Visio charts, while provider solutions usually have a one-dimensional view of service management and lack the ability to integrate or scale with other outsourcing management tools, manage multiple providers or drill down into the details.  EquaTerra’s Governance WorkPlace fills the gaps that once existed in the outsourcing governance tools market.

Governance WorkPlace also seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Office and Outlook applications.  The document libraries, task lists, and calendar items in Governance WorkPlace can easily be connected to your Microsoft Outlook, providing offline access and editing.  The workflow, RSS and alert capabilities interface with Outlook or other e-mail programs.  The Governance WorkPlace environment requires minimal training, because  the underlying Microsoft technology is familiar and intuitive.

Governance WorkPlace is built around seven functional areas within enterprise services management and governance. A business scorecard exists for these areas with the appropriate best practices and automated decision parameters built into each. These management areas include:

1. Financial: Facilitates invoice verification, payment, financial tracking and reporting.
   
   
2. Issues: Enables the collection, resolution, tracking, management and reporting of multiple issue types, including an easily searchable repository of issue resolutions.
   
   
3. Contract: Provides a version-controlled repository for all contractual documentation, as well as an event calendar to enable effective and proactive management of agreements.
   
   
4. Performance: Enables effective service level information consolidation, decision making, tracking and reporting, and facilitates proximate-cause analysis.  Facilitates project requests, approval and tracking.
   
   
5. Compliance: Provides a repository and links to compliance-related documentation, and enables the effective planning, auditing, monitoring and reporting for all internal and external compliance-related areas, along with automated alerts.
   
   
6. Relationship: Facilitates the assessment, (re)alignment and action planning relating to the priorities and satisfaction between the client and its providers. Also facilitates effective two-way communication with business users regarding requirements, successes, value, performance reporting, charge backs, demand forecasts and issues relating to the respective service providers.
   
   
7. Consumption: Monitors, reports and tracks consumption, helping to manage the business case, modify behavior and identify resource consumption per business unit.