Custom .NET Web Application Case Study

In 2005, NCRB manually processed 34,000 worker's compensation applications received through the mail. Insurance agents had to fill out paper applications, mail them to NCRB, wait for manual data entry, and sometimes repeat the process if the application was not completed properly or fully the first time.

NCRB's worker's comp department decided to build an online system to allow agents to submit assigned risk applications electronically. Paula Stana, the organization's IT project manager, was charged with overseeing the project.

Implementation:
Stana and her team began by analyzing the business requirements for the system. After identifying the needs, the team requested proposals from outside software development vendors. rmsource was one of five companies considered for the project.

After careful review, rmsource was selected because of its extensive technical capabilities. The project began with development of a navigational prototype to establish designs for the interface screens. After testing the designs with a pilot group of insurance agents, the project moved to the rules documentation phase. The rmsource business analyst wrote a blueprint for the system, including functional specifications, business rules and architecture.

When the project moved to implementation, rmsource's iterative approach gave NCRB early access to the system while it was still under development. This enabled users to evaluate the functionality and ensure that the system would meet all expectations.

Results:
rmsource delivered a fully functional web site using Microsoft.NET. A Microsoft SQL server is the back-end database, and the system is deployed on an IIS v6 Windows 2003 web farm.

The software ensures that each application is completed properly and fully before it can be submitted. According to Stana, the new system has received praise from both applications processors and insurance agents for its ease of use.

NCRB set a goal for the first year of receiving 30% of paper applications through the new online system. The results are tracking ahead of schedule with 20% of applications being submitted electronically just two months after full deployment.

"rmsource was the best fit because of their technical capabilities; they really did their homework to understand what we were trying to accomplish. They helped us analyze our situation and design a user-friendly system that works well for everyone.

"When we reached the implementation phase, rmsource's iterative approach worked well for us. We were able to get our hands on a portion of the system very early, so we could evaluate the usability. As a result, the business unit could make sure the system met all of our needs.

"We presented rmsource with a lot of challenges during the development phase, because there were other systems being developed simultaneously that had to be integrated. rmsource did a great job of putting the project plan together in such a way that they could do as much development as possible before linking the systems.

"We were impressed with how clean the milestone deliverables were, and their testing phase was extremely thorough. When the final product was delivered to us, the system was very stable. In the end, we got the product we truly wanted, and all of our usability needs were addressed. The processors love the electronic applications, because they're so easy to process. Our staff has had a great experience with rmsource delivering the software solution they promised."