Context
A growing Southern California civil engineering firm with two offices had its technology systems managed piecemeal by line managers.
Engagement
The firm wanted one person accountable for all technology, so partners could focus on business development, with a unified approach and a controlled annual technology cost. We served as Acting Director of Information Technology for a three-month term (January–March 2008) at up to 40 hours a week, structured as a trial of the full-time role.
What we delivered
- A systems inventory and network documentation.
- A project plan with bi-weekly status reports and time accounting.
- A server upgrade plan and a review of vendor service-level agreements.
- An office technology layout for the two locations.
- In a separate follow-on project, coordination with a design partner on an implemented engineering-project presentation website.
Outcome
The engagement was scoped as a three-month trial of the full-time role, with every system inventoried and documented under one plan and a defined technology budget — the same "accomplish more with the staff and systems you already have" approach we bring to automation and integration work today.