At J&R, we do not have a centralized home office. Instead, we have many offices in various locations throughout the country. It was our intention to create a work environment not limited by geography. Our goal was not to hire the most talented, dedicated and like-minded consultants within a fifty-mile radius of a specific location. Our goal was to hire the most talented, dedicated and like-minded consultants period. While this has obvious benefits for our clients, it has created another unforeseen advantage. We became very adept at developing tools and methodologies for our internal communication and collaboration. As a result, and more importantly, we use these tools and processes to enable the delivery of successful work solutions to our clients.

J&R understands and respects the level of complexity, size and cost invested in your Laboratory Informatics systems. We also believe that there is often a right way to approach a task or a project that will work best in the end, and we pride ourselves in determining the best tools and processes to achieve it. In most cases, we chose not to name the tool in the descriptions below. The applications themselves are temporary. And while we love discovering a new more efficient or powerful mechanism, it is not the brand that offers value. The value comes in enabling us to do a job more quickly, easily and successfully for you.

TenStep Project Management Process®

Our official methodology, TenStep, specializes in business methodology development with a focus in project management. Since everything we do is a project, it is critical that we follow a consistent project management process each and every time. So while we produce many different solutions, the way we approach each one is very similar. With such variation in systems and reports among clients and projects, and with ever-changing technologies, committing to a consistent methodology is critical to our success. This consistency of approach enables us to deliver comprehensive solutions that evolve as your business does, with the greatest efficiency, simplicity and economies of scale.

Fully Synchronized Communication

Let’s face it: we seem to have a lot of devices all designed to enhance communication, yet it can be harder than ever to speak to a live person! J&R consultants know how important it is that you can reach us when you need us. That is why we use technology that synchronizes all of our client and internal communication, including email, voice mail, text, chat, calendars, instant messaging and all phone numbers. What does this really mean? It means that we can access all of these important devices from any computer anytime, and it all synchronizes with our cell phones. Better yet, all our numbers are synchronized, so there is no need to search for the right phone number. Rest assured we will receive your email, text, voice mail or any other form of communication you choose to use. And most importantly, we will respond immediately. Without interrupting a meeting or a call, of course!

Time & Project Task Tracking

In the past, spreadsheets were often used to capture data. Not an ideal solution if multiple users are collaborating on a project, and you need to track the associated tasks. Today, we recognize that data belongs in a database. So we use database-backed programs to track all of the tasks we perform for each client on every project. As a J&R client, you can see every hour logged against any project or purchase order in real time. We have the ability to run advanced reports from these databases and will execute them weekly for your convenience. The beauty of the database lies not in simply capturing or tracking the data, but in our ability to provide you with the business intelligence you need to move your business forward.

Workflow Tracking

Sometimes things fall through the cracks. It can happen because humans are fallible. But luckily, databases typically are not! We use a flexible workflow database that enables us to track outstanding items so we have a case, a record of communication, and configurable reminders. It helps to ensure that items of any sort that require follow up get it, in a timely, efficient manner.

Code/Document Tracking & Storage

Our work requires the development of a lot of code and the creation of much documentation. It could easily get overwhelming; locating either when sent via email is a virtual nightmare. Where is the document? Is it the latest version? Who made changes? What was changed? In order to avoid possible inefficiencies – or worse – we use a database-driven system to track and store different versions of code and documents. This provides fast, simple sharing and recovery of code and documents among all stakeholders for any project.

Virtual Private Network

By using this VPN, J&R consultants can communicate quickly and securely with each other as well as our clients. The operative word here, of course, is securely. We would never put client information at risk, and given the level of collaboration that occurs among our consultants and across project teams with various clients, we must be certain of this. Simply stated, this VPN enables us to use the ease and convenience of the Internet without the worry of privacy loss. Messages sent within a VPN include an inscription and all accompanying data is encrypted, so only the intended recipient can accurately view the information.