Abstracts.

Nick Tarsi: KPMG

KPMG is one of the “Big Four” tax, audit, and advisory firms that operates globally, working alongside Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and private organizations, and was ranked 29th on the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For.”

The Challenge

A state agency was using a large, custom-built system to provide benefits for approximately 1.8 million constituents around the state. The system is used by more than 90 offices and multiple state agencies. 

My Role

Implementation Support

My specific role as part of the implementation team on a 100+ person project that included multiple state agencies, private contractors/consultants, and public support groups. On the implementation team, it was our job to prepare the system to help bridge the gap from developers to end-users and help prepare the end-users in the field for the quarterly system updates. 


The Work
  • Our group was responsible for core segments of this project, including business requirements gathering, testing (SAT, UAT), training, implementation, and PMO.
  • Specifically, I was responsible for implementation efforts and preparing the field for updates and impacts that were going to take place with new quarterly systems releases.
  • Timely dissemination of digestible information was imperative to the success of this large-scale effort.
  • By cultivating an intimate understanding of organizational needs, we were able to set the foundation for the system (from requirements gathering through implementation) alongside our client counterparts. Timely dissemination of digestible information was imperative to the success of this large-scale effort across a multitude of stakeholders and groups with different priorities. 
The Outcome

Throughout my tenure, we achieved implementation goals for each release, resulting in benefits being delivered for nearly 2 million people. Our team was able to systematize processes and procedures to increase team productivity and decrease overhead costs by 50 percent.

Systems implementation is the embodiment of 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best.' Implementation done well is a lesson in operationalization and being able to systematize as many changes as possible will result in a smooth transition. 

––Nick Tarsi, Implementation Support