TRICON PROPOSAL

Innovative Leap: Strategic Blueprint for ACS's Digital Transformation

Submitted to

Daniel O’Brien

Director, Publishing Technology

American Chemical Society

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Executive Summary

Tricon Infotech, with its reputable standing in fostering generative relationships with clients, presents a tailored proposal to assist ACS in achieving its digital transformation, business diversification, and IT process optimization objectives. Our successful collaboration with McGraw-Hill, as recognized by Gartner, and our proven expertise in aiding publishers with digital transformation positions us uniquely to fulfill ACS’s immediate and long-term goals.

Understanding ACS's Needs

Our preliminary discussions and analysis have provided a clear understanding of ACS’s focus on enhancing its publishing systems, operations, and analytics. The aim to migrate to cloud infrastructure, diversify business models, and optimize IT processes resonates well with our prior successful engagements in the publishing domain.

Highlighting Past Successes

Our digital transformation journey with some of the top publishers led to [[describe the successful outcomes briefly]]. These selected case studies, among others, demonstrates our capability and understanding of the publishing domain.

Seamless QA Transition to Accelerate Delivery

Embarking on a transformative journey with McGraw Hill, a prestigious educational publisher, Tricon Infotech showcased the prowess of automated Quality Assurance (QA) in significantly condensing testing timelines from days to mere hours. This initiative, mirroring ACS‘s aim for IT process optimization, highlights the pivotal role automation plays in expediting delivery cycles, ensuring quality, and aligning IT operations with critical business timelines. This succinct engagement encapsulates a promising pathway for ACS to harness automation for enhanced operational agility and business continuity.

Data-Driven Digital Transition: The Unified Book Experience (UBX) Platform

Engaging with Taylor and Francis, Tricon Infotech illustrated a successful transition from HighWire, a third-party reading platform, to a custom-built Unified Book Experience (UBX). This transition, achieved within a year, encompassed integrated reading, licensing, and usage systems along with seamless connections to Salesforce and Library Management Systems. Furthermore, a bespoke eBook hosting platform and a GDPR, Counter-compliant AWS-based data analytics system were developed, enhancing content targeting and sales.

This narrative provides a blueprint for ACS, currently utilizing HighWire, showcasing the potential benefits of transitioning to a tailored platform while aligning digital transformation goals with actionable data insights.

Embarking on Generative AI: From Ambiguity to Clarity

When McGraw Hill aimed to harness Generative AI to revolutionize curriculum solutions, it sought Tricon Infotech’s expertise. Within 60 days, Tricon devised a “Generative AI sandbox” allowing secure and scalable testing of various AI platforms using McGraw Hill’s proprietary content. This exploratory venture illuminated numerous applications, such as automated content augmentation and operational efficiency enhancements, setting the stage for a broader initiative to integrate Generative AI into McGraw Hill‘s workflow. This narrative underlines the potential pathway for ACS to unravel the capabilities of Generative AI in transforming its publishing dynamics.

Gartner Recognition

Gartner recognized Tricon Infotech as a generative provider, spotlighting our strategic partnership with McGraw Hill in a case study. This recognition underscores our distinct approach of forging deep, collaborative relationships with clients, focusing on mutual growth and industry-specific challenges. The partnership led to innovative projects like a student-writing submission tool and exploration of Generative AI in education. This case study serves as a testament to Tricon’s commitment to go beyond traditional client-provider dynamics, emphasizing problem-solving and shared business objectives, which sets us apart in the industry.

Proposed Solution

Addressing ACS’s priorities of Cloud Migration, Business Agility, and IT Process Optimization, we propose a structured engagement. Our methodology of deploying cross-functional teams will ensure parallel progress across multiple business goals, tailored to the unique requirements of ACS.

PHASE 1

Preliminary Analysis and Planning

  1. MSA and Co-Discovery: Formalize the engagement terms and initiate a co-discovery phase to understand the current operational framework.
  2. Business Process Assessment: Conduct a thorough assessment to understand the existing processes, technology stack, and desired outcomes.
PHASE 2

Strategic Development

  1. Cloud Migration Strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan for migrating data and operations to the cloud.
  2. Business Diversification Plan: Create strategies for operational agility, business model diversification, and new product development.
PHASE 3

Implementation Planning

  1. Technology and Process Optimization Plan: Identify and propose new technologies and methodologies for IT process optimization.
  2. Resource Allocation: Determine the size and structure of cross-functional teams required for each strategic initiative.
PHASE 4

Execution and Monitoring

  1. Implementation: Begin the execution of strategic plans in a phased manner, with cross-functional teams working in parallel on different initiatives.
  2. Continuous Monitoring: Establish a monitoring and reporting mechanism to track progress against defined milestones and KPIs.
PHASE 5

Review and Transition Planning

  1. Review: Conduct a comprehensive review to assess the success of the initiatives and identify areas for improvement.
  2. Transition Planning: Develop a plan for transitioning the initiatives to the incoming CTO and other stakeholders.

Cost Estimation

At this juncture, providing precise cost estimates may be premature since a thorough understanding of the scope, resources, and requirements is pivotal for accurate financial projections. It’s prudent to articulate that a detailed cost estimation will be an integral component of the co-discovery phase. During this phase, collaborative exploration of the project’s intricacies will unfold, enabling a more accurate reflection of the financial and resource investment required. This transparent approach ensures that all stakeholders have a clear financial roadmap as they embark on this collaborative endeavor.

Success Metrics

The success metrics of successful cloud migration, increased operational agility, and adept incorporation of new IT methodologies, serve as lagging indicators, encapsulating the realized achievements of our endeavor. As a standard practice, we, at Tricon Infotech, align with our partners like ACS to define leading indicators at the outset of our engagement. This proactive approach ensures an iterative, measured progress towards the defined goals, embodying our unwavering commitment to our client’s success through vigilant assessment and necessary course adjustments.

OUR DIFFERENCE

A Generative Relationship Approach

Generative relationships are a cornerstone of Tricon’s unique value proposition, embodying a collaborative ethos focused on co-creating solutions rather than just delivering services. For ACS, engaging with Tricon in such a relationship means unlocking a realm of shared vision and innovation, where the journey of digital transformation is navigated hand-in-hand, nurturing a deeper understanding and alignment with the evolving dynamics of the publishing domain. Through this approach, Tricon emerges not merely as a service provider, but as a strategic ally committed to delivering outcome-focused solutions, thus differentiating itself in a landscape where many are content with just fulfilling the contract.

OUR DIFFERENCE

Outcome Focused

At Tricon Infotech, our cornerstone lies in an outcome-focused methodology, a stark contrast to traditional service engagements that navigate a fixed pathway from problem identification to solution deployment. Our approach is orchestrated around the envisioned outcome right from the outset, fostering a realm of agile, collaborative, and adaptive engagement. This methodology not only facilitates a rapid adaptation to evolving needs but also instills a culture of continuous alignment with the strategic goals set forth. The essence of this approach transcends the conventional transactional engagements, morphing theoretical objectives into actionable, result-driven solutions.

As ACS embarks on its quest to evolve its publishing framework, our outcome-focused ethos resonates significantly with this objective. By meticulously aligning our technical acumen with ACS’s strategic vision, we strive to not only meet but transcend the defined milestones. Every engagement is seen as a stride towards tangible, meaningful outcomes, ensuring that ACS’s digital transformation journey is propelled forward with a clear, result-oriented lens.

OUR DIFFERENCE

Cross-functional Teams

At Tricon, the essence of cross-functional teams lies in the meticulous assembly of diverse skill sets, each selected to address the multifaceted challenges of digital transformation initiatives. Instead of a simplistic, personnel-heavy approach, Tricon’s ethos is about aligning the right expertise to the right challenge. Each team, while engaged in varied initiatives, operates under a unified vision, focusing on substantial business outcomes. The collaborative synergy among team members not only accelerates problem-solving but also fosters a deeper understanding of the project’s impact on the client’s business landscape. This tailored, outcome-centric approach ensures that every endeavor is a collaborative journey towards achieving the client’s overarching goals.

For a multifaceted organization like ACS, navigating the digital transformation trajectory requires such a nuanced, collaborative, and expertise-driven approach, making Tricon’s cross-functional teams an indispensable asset.

Next Steps

Workshop / Co-Discovery Session

a workshop or co-discovery session with stakeholders from both sides to further refine the proposal based on ACS’s feedback.

Tech Leadership Discussion

An opportunity for a discussion between ACS and Tricon tech leadership to ensure alignment and address any concerns.

Contact

Ananth Tirupati
VP, Business Development
Stefan Kend
Director, Business Development
Manish Gupta
CEO, Tricon Infotech USA

Your Insights Matter

We have tailored this proposal to align with your objectives and to provide a comprehensive insight into how Tricon Infotech can be your partner in achieving your digital transformation goals. Your feedback is crucial for us to ensure we are on the same page and to fine-tune our approach to meet your expectations accurately.

Please take a moment along with your team to provide feedback on the information provided in this proposal. Let us know if there’s any additional information you require or any aspect you’d like us to elaborate further.

We appreciate your time and feedback. It helps us in delivering information that is in sync with your vision and requirements. Thank you!