Laura M. Cross
Executive VP & COO
Examples of Ms. Cross’ experience include:
- Managed a team in the solution selection process and subsequent implementation of an accounting and manufacturing system to support the creation of custom, configured products. This included defining requirements, developing an RFP, gathering vendor information through the RFP response, consolidating vendor information, presenting findings to the client, assisting with the contract negotiation process, assessing the system’s fit to the client’s business, defining configuration, defining modifications, testing the solution, training end users, and implementing the solution. Additionally, it included complete management of the implementation, including vendor management, budget management, issues management, and status reporting.
- Managed a team in the solution selection process for a billing and subscriber management system to support multiple products and services in several call centers. This included validating and enhancing business, functional, and technical requirements, developing an RFP, gathering key vendor information, assessing scripted demos of each package, conducting site visits, consolidating findings, and providing a recommendation to the client. Then managed a team through the integration and implementation activities for the initial implementation in a 300-seat call center.
- Managed the transition of a highly flexible, complex, and practically unusable application into a simplistic web-based application for a large entertainment client. The application supported input of news and release information for publication to multiple user websites. Utilizing the complex architecture of the existing solution and Rational Unified Process (RUP) methodology, we reduced the average news entry process from 2 hours to 10 minutes and the average release entry process from 8 hours to 30 minutes.
- Managed a project team in the testing, troubleshooting, and implementation preparation for the launch of an Open Digital TV Solution. This included managing resolution of issues with various vendors involved in the integration.
- Participated in the due diligence of a business and technology solution that included validation and enhancement of business, functional, and technical requirements for various processes that were to be supported by the package solution. These processes included contract management, service level agreement, customer acquisition, customer care, product & pricing, order management, billing, accounts receivable, workforce management, service delivery, and service assurance.
- Managed a project team in the integration of call center components for a large broadband provider, including the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit, Automated Call Distributor (ACD), Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Middleware, Predictive Dialer, and front-end application to create automated screen pops. This included the development and management of the project plan across our integration team, activities of corporate and regional clients, and activities of several vendors.
- Managed multiple custom development efforts to support GNC’s distribution centers. Also, defined requirements and analyzed, designed, developed, tested, and implemented the custom solutions. Overall, these projects encompassed the processes of ordering the product from a vendor, picking up the product, receiving it into the warehouse, putting the product away, receiving orders for the products from customers/stores, picking the orders, invoicing the customers/stores, and delivering the product to the customers/stores.
- Managed a team in the definition of requirements and the design and development of significant customizations to a billing solution for a large telecommunications client. This included all modifications to current code and development of new code necessary to implement the billing functionality from the initial change of the bill cycle through to printing the invoice.
- Participated in the development of a global project plan to support the worldwide rollout of SAP financials, material management, production planning, and sales & distribution.
- Served as an analyst in the definition of interfaces between a mainframe-based legacy system and SAP Financials. This included identifying the interfaces that needed to be built, interviewing the accounting users to define current processes, interviewing the IT resources to define mainframe data sources, mapping the data, and developing the detailed interface specifications.
- Served as a lead analyst in an effort to complete a high-level global technology strategy for the travel portion of a major financial services company. Worked with representatives from around the world to define the current state of the company’s back office accounting applications and processes and then assisted in the development of tactical and strategic recommendations for short and long term initiatives.
- Managed the assessment of the technical support website for a software provider. This included conducting usability tests on the current site and future prototype site, providing recommendations for future site improvements, and providing recommendations for process and metric improvements within the site and within the company. Additionally served as the Account Executive for this client.
Vendor Applications
Convergys ICOMS, DST Innovis CableData, CSG/ACSR, SAP, webMethods, Red Oak Legacy Integrator, Pioneer,
Canal+, Brite, Intecom, SoftGen, Vignette, Melita, Noble Systems, QAD Mfg/Pro, Clinipac, Medipac, Microsoft
Office, Microsoft Project, Visio
Education
Grove City College
Affiliations/Certifications
SAP R/3 2.2d - MM/PP Modules
All-Star Kids Tutoring, Inc.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central AZ
B.A., in Computer Systems
SAP Academy
Board of Directors
Big Sister
