Delivering Business Value with Microsoft Office OneNote 2003



[pic]Delivering Business Value with Microsoft Office OneNote 2003

The Microsoft Office Note-Taking and Management Program

Abstract

While nearly everyone takes notes, current note-taking methods can make it hard to realize value from them. Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2003, part of the Microsoft Office System, provides one place for information workers to take, organize, find, use, and share their notes more effectively on desktop computers, laptops, or Tablet PCs. OneNote 2003 helps information workers be more productive with their notes and leads to better sharing of ideas and information. With OneNote, they can:

• Collect more accurate and comprehensive information and efficiently manage it to increase productivity.

• Organize notes in one place to make better decisions and take action more effectively.

• Share notes to improve knowledge management and retain intellectual property.

This report summarizes the results of business value studies that demonstrate how OneNote can help organizations achieve the following benefits:

▪ Higher Productivity – Organizations deploying OneNote 2003 realized significant productivity gains because information workers can take more accurate and comprehensive notes and manage this information efficiently.

▪ Better Decision Making – Teams make more informed decisions because instant, up-to-date, business-critical information from meetings, phone calls, the Web, research, and other sources is located in one place—giving teams the information they need at the time they need it.

▪ Knowledge Management – Companies receive more value because OneNote helps employees share personal knowledge and notes, collaborate on projects, and preserve intellectual property. Critical information is available and readily accessible to the people and teams who need to use it.

This report was prepared for line-of-business, financial, and IT leaders who are involved with or make decisions about improving business processes that turn information into value.

June 2004

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.

This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.

Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, bCentral, the OneNote logo, OneNote, Outlook, SharePoint, Windows, and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

PRODUCTIVITY 4

LAWYERS MAKE THE CASE FOR ONENOTE 2003 4

CONSULTING FIRM USES ONENOTE TO BETTER MANAGE PROJECT INFORMATION 4

JOURNALISTS BREAK NEWS FASTER WITH ONENOTE 2003 5

BETTER DECISION MAKING 6

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FIRM EXPERIENCES FASTER CLOSE RATES 6

ARCHITECTS COMPLETE DESIGN PROJECTS MORE EXPEDITIOUSLY 7

CONSTRUCTION FIRM FINDS A COST-SAVING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS 8

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 9

TELESALES GROUP ACCELERATES THE SALES PROCESS WITH ONENOTE 2003 9

MARKETING FIRM REDUCES COSTS WITH IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE RETENTION 10

GLOBAL CONSULTANTS IMPROVE TEAMWORK AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 12

CONCLUSION 13

HOW BENEFITS WERE MEASURED 13

FOR MORE INFORMATION 13

Introduction

Organizations that purchase and deploy Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2003 can achieve cost reductions and other quantifiable business benefits by generating work process improvements in the areas of productivity, decision making, and knowledge management. OneNote 2003 can substantially enhance the ability of individuals and teams to share information, collaborate successfully, and respond quickly to changes in the workplace and marketplace.

OneNote 2003 offers information workers a more effective and flexible way to take, organize, and share their notes. Through its innovative design, OneNote fosters communication and collaboration among teams or organizations. From law firms and media newsrooms to consulting firms and construction companies, organizations are finding exciting ways to apply OneNote in business scenarios to drive better bottom-line value.

Nine such organizations are highlighted in this report. Standard financial measures were calculated for their OneNote investments, and were used to assess the total value of their OneNote solutions. The return-on-investment measures include net present value per user, internal rate of return, and payback period. The findings are based on the Business Value Analysis practice of Hollen, Inc., an independent consulting firm.

Key findings of the business value studies conducted at the nine organizations identified:

• Rapid Payback – The median payback period on investments in Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 is five months. For 63 percent of companies studied, they plan to recover their investments in the solution in less than six months.

• Significant Value per User – All nine organizations in this study realized direct business benefits from deploying OneNote 2003. The median net present value expected is U.S.$2,561 per user.

• Meaningful Rate of Return – The internal rate of return for OneNote investments is estimated to be 256 percent. Even the low value of 194 percent far exceeds the hurdle rate at any company.

[pic]

Productivity

Personal and team productivity is vital to being competitive in today’s marketplace. Microsoft realized that a program like OneNote 2003 could help individuals and organizations change the way they work, allowing them to dispense with routine and burdensome tasks while enhancing organizational productivity and business value.

Productivity: Lawyers Make the Case for OneNote 2003

At Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s legal offices around the world, lawyers use Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 to gather, organize, search, and share information; brainstorm legal arguments; prepare cases; and record witness testimony. Instead of jotting down notes on paper during phone calls and meetings, lawyers quickly type in OneNote files on their laptops and desktops, or they write in OneNote on their Tablet PCs.

Prior to going to court, lawyers take depositions—recorded testimony under oath—from witnesses and experts. Before OneNote, attorneys would lug a bulky tape recorder and boxes of case files to deposition hearings, and then secretaries or paralegals would spend time transcribing the testimony. Now lawyers take depositions on their laptops or Tablet PCs by using the recording features of OneNote. As a result, note taking is accurate and comprehensive, and time-consuming transcription is unnecessary.

“The audio recording is synchronized to our questions and the witnesses’ answers,” says Ron Abramson, a partner in the firm. “You can play back the exact words from the testimony given under oath and share the testimony with anyone who needs it.”

After two months of using OneNote, employees at Hughes Hubbard & Reed found that the amount of time spent taking, sorting, and rearranging notes decreased by 54 percent. Partners anticipate the timesaving features of OneNote will lead to nearly $2,500 in annual benefits per user, and, ultimately, to improved client satisfaction and increased business.

Productivity: Consulting Firm Uses OneNote 2003 to Better Manage Project Information

Increased individual and team productivity also is achieved with Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 at Infosys Technologies, an information technology and consulting firm based in India. One of its key divisions, the Microsoft Solutions Practice (MSSP), supports the company’s business units by providing technology solutions to its clients.

Accurate and timely information from client interviews, research, and brainstorming sessions is vital to MSSP’s work. With OneNote, Infosys MSSP consultants can easily find and use current information in their notes and research, which helps them complete client projects almost 7 percent faster and ultimately benefits the Infosys bottom line.

Sharing of notes increased by 11 percent, which means greater collaboration with team members, the business units, and clients. “Productivity is higher because OneNote makes managing notes from client interviews and research easy for consultants,” says Ravi Kant, Technical Architect, Microsoft Solutions Practice at Infosys Technologies. “Finding information from hundreds and thousands of notes takes seconds with the search functionality.”

MSSP consultants at Infosys have more time to devote to developing technology solutions and other billable client work because OneNote provides a better, faster way to perform ordinary yet essential tasks. The risk of errors or lost information is minimized because everyone accesses data from the central server. “The time saved is significant because we find information more quickly and easily with OneNote,” says Kant. “And we are confident that we won’t lose any information.”

Infosys will realize a net present value—the total value from investing in this solution—of $1,903 per user over three years, and the company expects to recoup its investment in OneNote within five months.

Productivity: Journalists Break News Faster with OneNote 2003

Similar productivity gains are being experienced at Globo Online, a division of the Globo Organization, the largest media company in Brazil. Using OneNote, Globo Online is beating its competition at breaking stories and estimates annual productivity gains of $65,910 for its core team of 50 journalists. To find out more about how Globo Online uses OneNote, to view a video case study taped at Rio’s Carnaval, or to search for other OneNote case studies: office/onenote/business/

[pic]

Better Decision Making

When Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 is deployed in combination with Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 and Windows® SharePoint® Services, information workers can update their notes and make the new data instantly available to all team members. Managers who have to make critical decisions can do so with the assurance that they have the most current information.

Better Decision Making: Product Development Firm Experiences Faster Close Rates

Having detailed information instantly available can make or break a deal, particularly for a product development company like Synapse, where the innovative team of engineers helps bring new inventions, such as an anthrax detector, to market. To provide customers with up-to-date and often complex information, specialty engineers must share their unique technical expertise with other team members.

Using Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, engineers can easily collect, organize, share, and retain ideas and project information. By using OneNote’s search functionality, they no longer have to spend time looking through copious notes for that critical piece of information. Teams have the ability to access the information they need and the advantage of having instant, up-to-date information that allows them to make more informed decisions.

OneNote also provides real-time business development support to engineers. For instance, an engineer at a high-level client meeting sends an instant message to a remote team member, asking for input on a specific question. The colleague quickly researches information and then sends notes, copies of Web pages, sketches, and other necessary information all in a single OneNote document by e-mail. The on-site Synapse representative becomes an immediate expert, answering complex questions with authority.

“Of three new projects that we landed, two were directly related to our ability to communicate with each other using OneNote,” says Scott Bright, Vice President of Operations at Synapse. “For example, at a recent prospective client meeting, we had immediate access to notes, drawings, and possible scenarios—all documented in OneNote. Meetings like that go much more smoothly with such preparatory information at our fingertips.”

Better Decision Making: Architects Complete Design Projects More Expeditiously

A Seattle-based architecture firm, Johnson Braund Design Group (JBDG), and its partner, Cole + Russell Architects in Cincinnati, make critical decisions with the assurance that they have the latest information available in Microsoft Office OneNote 2003. The two companies work together on hotel projects for Marriott International by using OneNote 2003 files located on a secure, shared Web site hosted by the Microsoft bCentralTM portal using Windows SharePoint Services.

Because the two firms are nearly 2,000 miles apart, success depends on clear, visually rich, accurate, and timely information to communicate with internal teams, partners, clients, general contractors, zoning boards, and other regulatory agencies. OneNote enhances the ability of architects and other team members to share project information in any location. Architects at both firms can access up-to-date information—such as code requirements, building material, and project status—which helps them make better decisions at each step of every hotel project.

The architects no longer have to rely on distorted black-and-white faxes to send requests and exchange information, so communications with other architects and contractors at job sites are much clearer—and less prone to errors and misunderstandings. As a result, the ability to meet deadlines has improved.

Figure 1. Architects clearly communicate design changes by marking up digital photos imported into OneNote. Their jotted notes draw attention to key information on which to base decisions.

Because the architects share design concepts, zoning requirements, and client information—accurately and nearly in real time—a project can be completed faster and lead to increased revenue. Joe Mattoni, Project Manager at JBDG, expects the benefits of OneNote used with a bCentral site to help the firms manage and finish the hotel projects every other week instead of once a month.

“OneNote gives us better collaboration, an improved ability to meet deadlines, and clarity in communications, which ultimately helps us better serve our clients,” says Mattoni. “All of our architects are excited about this major win. We anticipate that OneNote will help us complete 26 construction projects a year with greater consistency—that’s a huge benefit.”

Better Decision Making: Construction Firm Finds a Cost-Saving Decision-Making Process

The Nassal Company—a leading specialty contractor for entertainment-related projects such as the Men in BlackTM Alien AttackTM ride at Universal Studios Florida—also benefits from better decision making because of improved collaboration with remote teams of owners, developers, designers, and architects.

“With OneNote, information is shared quickly so we get an instant response,” says Stephen Dodson, Project Manager, The Nassal Company. “Production can continue at a steady rate, resulting in savings in the ballpark of tens of thousands of dollars on some projects.”

Find out about other benefits that The Nassal Company is receiving from OneNote, view a video case study taped at SeaWorld, or search for other OneNote case studies: office/onenote/business/

[pic]

Knowledge Management

Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 promotes and facilitates effective team collaboration, making it an important asset for any organization. With OneNote, teams can share information in such a way that all members, no matter where they are located, have the same view of the notes and the same up-to-date information.

Knowledge Management: Telesales Group Accelerates the Sales Process with OneNote

Collecting and sharing customer information are at the heart of a successful telesales business such as VMC Consulting Corporation. Using Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 with Siebel CRM on their desktop computers, the VMC sales team can take, organize, and share notes more effectively than they can by using CRM alone. According to a usage and financial survey, sales representatives shared their notes with coworkers about 5 percent of the time before OneNote 2003 was deployed. This number rose to 18.5 percent after consultants deployed OneNote.

Using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services in the Microsoft Windows ServerTM 2003 operating system, sales representatives also put their notes from Web research, customer inquiries, background information, audio files, and solution diagrams in one place that is searchable by all members. With shared OneNote sections on SharePoint sites, all team members can view the same versions of notes. When the notes are updated, all team members will have the updates instantly.

When a customer calls a VMC sales representative to inquire about a specific product or solution, the sales representative can search with instant results. (See Figure 2.) This reduces the amount of time the sales representative spends searching, eliminates the time consumed by contacting the customer again, and, most important, can significantly enhance customer satisfaction.

As a result of the time-saving OneNote features, VMC expects to save nearly $2,000 annually per user. “With OneNote, our team can share information about customer intelligence more quickly and efficiently, which means a sales opportunity can be moved along with more speed,” says Jay Womeldorf, Vendor Telesales Manager, VMC Consulting Corporation.

Figure 2. VMC sales representatives used this OneNote-based document to collect and search typed and handwritten notes, images, audio files, and additional information from a variety of sources.

OneNote also is used as a knowledge repository, so sales representatives can quickly access company training content, processes and procedures, and product information. If a VMC sales representative moves off the team, customer information remains with the company in easy-to-find OneNote-based documents on the SharePoint site, instead of in a box where it may be thrown away later.

New hires at VMC can easily access human resources documents, office procedures, training modules, links to video demonstrations, product information, and customer intelligence from OneNote files stored on the SharePoint site. This decreases by 25 percent the time required for a new employee to become fully productive.

Knowledge Management: Marketing Firm Reduces Costs with Improved Knowledge Retention

Collecting and sharing information is an everyday occurrence at Cheskin, a successful marketing consulting firm based in Redwood Shores, California, and with offices in three additional U.S. markets and Mexico City. Cheskin gathers a massive volume of information about clients, ideas, designs, and projects, forming an invaluable knowledge base that employees need to access regularly. For example, proposals created for one customer can form the basis for new bids because ideas that do not work for one client may be ideal for another. These types of proposals can often take weeks to create, so reusing them is invaluable.

Cheskin’s Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Ireland, deployed Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 to streamline processes and increase efficiency within her firm. With OneNote, marketing consultants can easily collect, organize, find, share, and retain ideas and information from a project’s proposal stage to its completion. They use OneNote to track leads, create proposals, manage projects, draft reports, and collect client information using customized templates.

Figure 3. Cheskin marketing consultants created custom stationery in OneNote to collect, and then reuse, the right information in the right format for each new client.

Retaining and transferring knowledge is also of utmost importance to Cheskin because training costs for a new employee reach almost $10,000. When a consultant changes teams or when a new employee is hired, the first task is to review background information collected in OneNote files. As more employees are hired, Cheskin expects a 30 percent decrease in the time it takes to get a new employee up to speed.

As with any professional services firm that generates the majority of its revenue from client billings, productivity directly correlates to the bottom line. With the improved knowledge transfer capabilities provided by OneNote, Cheskin’s revenue-generating employees are accelerating the value they bring to the firm.

Knowledge Management: Global Consultants Improve Teamwork and Knowledge Transfer with OneNote 2003

With 106,000 employees and offices in more than 140 countries, a massive amount of information circulates throughout the consultancy firm of Ernst & Young (EY). Since the EY Brazil office deployed OneNote, employee sharing of important notes about customers and projects is up 34 percent. EY Brazil projects more than a 20 percent increase in its ability to retain and reuse company knowledge and research from previous client projects, leading to faster delivery of results. Find out how EY Brazil teams are communicating better and achieving business objectives with speed and agility: office/onenote/business/

Conclusion

With Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, not only can information workers change how they take notes, but they also can manage, store, prioritize, and act on those notes in ways that can change how business is conducted.

OneNote provides a single location in which information workers can preserve their handwritten, typed, and recorded notes and research. Since this location is searchable and sharable, companies can depend on that information, knowing that they have current, reliable, retrievable information to which they can refer at will—minimizing the risk of misinterpretations and inaccurate notes that can lead to missed opportunities. Companies that take advantage of this capability enhance their opportunities for success with clients and team members.

In combination with other Microsoft Office System programs, OneNote can transform internal business processes so information workers can be more productive in meetings, at their desks, at presentations, and in brainstorming sessions—anywhere they work with ideas and notes. More importantly, OneNote will substantially enhance the ability of individuals and teams to share information, collaborate successfully, improve decision making, and respond quickly to changes in the workplace and marketplace.

For More Information

For information about the business value of OneNote 2003 and other customer case studies, see office/onenote/business/

How Benefits Were Measured

These findings are based on Hollen, Inc.’s Business Value Analysis practice. Hollen, an independent consulting organization, conducted client surveys, analyzed all business value contributions to nine companies, and conducted a cost-benefit analysis using proven financial metrics and tools associated with the investment in the OneNote solution. Microsoft retained Hollen to review the economic justification of OneNote solutions with select customers and to validate the linkage between investments in OneNote and quantifiable business benefits to these customers. Costs associated with software, testing, and training were included in the studies.

-----------------------

“When we can get a job done more quickly, we save time and our client saves money. OneNote helps us be more efficient, a quality that is important to us and our clients.”

— Peter Sullivan, Partner, Litigation Group, Hughes Hubbard & Reed

“Of three new projects that we landed, two were directly related to our ability to communicate with each other using OneNote.”

— Scott Bright, Vice President of Operations, Synapse

“With OneNote, our team can share information about customer intelligence more quickly and efficiently, which means a sales opportunity can be moved along with more speed.”

— Jay Womeldorf, Vendor Telesales Manager, VMC Consulting Corporation

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download