In 2022, a newly formed Systems Department began building its foundation to improve processes, data, and technology for people at Dome. The focus was simple: to provide high-quality customer partnerships and offer diverse, sophisticated technical expertise that would improve processes and access to information, thereby enabling a smoother flow of work and strengthening data-driven decision-making.
Over the course of its first year at Dome, the Systems team developed a method to receive requests via our Help Center (launched in Spring 2022), vet requests with a cross-section of decision-makers at Dome, make monthly improvements, and then publish them. Improvements ranged from simply adding or removing options from a particular piece of software to creating robust automation, so that manual entry was no longer needed. A lot of effort was put into “error-proofing” so that fewer mistakes were made, and removing unused reports, forms, and fields so that there was a cleaner, more usable interface. The projects over the last year ultimately yielded an estimated 3,555 hours of time savings across Dome.
We see a lot of potential for improvements, and this past year was an effort to create methods to listen to our customers, and thoughtfully respond to their needs."
— Meredith Hargreaves, Chief of Staff
The Systems Departments’ efforts were consistent with Dome’s approach to Lean thinking – valuing our people, seeking to understand what people believe is most important (based on their experiences, being closest to the work), and then finding ways to deliver on that value in the least-waste way possible. What we learned from this was that more examples of what is possible are needed. While incremental improvements can help reduce time and effort, there are exciting and impactful capabilities on the horizon that we’d like to share with Dome.
"We want people to develop an understanding of what is possible – and there is so much more!
In 2023, the Systems Team is most excited about a few key developments. The team is looking forward to offering dynamic, dashboard views of data that can help our people. This will be a multi-year effort, but the pilots in 2022 proved successful. One customer said that this new offering, “has been transformational in how we obtain and use data.”
Another important area of focus will be rolling out new, easy-to-learn software that will enable project teams to improve change order management. The project managers that have begun using it have found the simple, visual interface and real-time data to save time and improve communication. With an intentional process to implement this effectively, we’re going slowly to make sure that those who are using it have what they need to be successful. “We’re excited about this technology and how it will help our teams,” said Gary Dorfman, Systems Project Manager.
In addition to these two areas, the team will be working on establishing or improving specific standards and best practices within Dome, integrating data from various sources into one place to create a single-point-of-truth approach, and continue to respond to day-to-day requests that will support our internal customers with needed reports, forms, and improvements to our existing systems.
In order to produce the results that Dome needs, a key element to success is keeping connected and building strong team relationships. “Good communication and transparency help us work well together, so we hold one another accountable and make our calendars visible to one another to help with that. As with any newly formed team, we’ve worked together using various tools such as Predictive Index and Management Drives to connect, learn about our natural preferences, strengths, and blind spots, and how to work best together. We also have virtual ‘no-work-talk’ lunches to chat about our lives and get to know each other better. In some ways, getting to know each other remotely has been fun – we know when Gary is heading off to soccer, Elise has a pet climb across her chair on the screen to say hello (she has many), or one of Meredith’s curious kids decides to drop in to say hello.”
As Dome’s technology environment evolves, our Systems department will continue to seek ways to maximize its impact. To do this, we are deeply appreciative of Gary Dorfman and Elise Krueger’s expertise. “Gary and Elise have been invaluable in shaping our Systems Department. Their unwavering commitment to making things better for people at Dome through their technical expertise and experience has been instrumental,” says Meredith Hargreaves. To recognize and celebrate their contributions, their roles are changing to reflect their capabilities. Elise is moving into a role as our Senior Software Engineer, and Gary is now our Systems Project Manager.
Congratulations, Elise and Gary!
We wanted to spotlight their unwavering commitment to our company’s core values and significant contributions to our company’s success; Gary and Elise, System’s Team Members, have new titles to reflect the invaluable work they are contributing to Dome.
Senior Systems Engineer
Elise Krueger
Elise joined Dome in the summer of 2021. She began her career in the healthcare industry as a Systems Analyst supporting a hospital to optimize its systems workflows and technology. After switching majors to Computer Information Systems and a successful multi-year project, she switched to working for a consulting firm. Dome was lucky enough to have worked with Elise as one of her clients in 2018. Since Elise joined Dome, she has been working on optimizing Viewpoint and building the Systems Department.
As a Senior Software Engineer, Elise is a technical advisor for Dome, working to support and improve our software tech stack. She works persistently to understand Dome’s needs by researching the root cause of technology issues and delivering solutions.
In her brief time at Dome, Elise has made noticeable contributions to the Systems Department, including the launch of Dome Help Center to give Domites a place to get help in collaboration with the IT department, and the formation of an Advisory Committee that evaluates and guides requests and ideas for technology changes.
Elise is building a great career path and wishes to pass on some helpful advice: Keep learning and asking questions! On winter Sunday mornings, you will most likely find Elise having a warm drink, coffee, or tea, by the fire with a good book!
Systems Project Manager
Gary Dorfman
Gary joined Dome in 2015, and since then, he has become a crucial part of our Systems Department. He started in accounting and eventually transitioned into a special projects role with much to do with technology and data. This increased his passion for systems and pushed him to expand further knowledge in the space.
As Systems Project Manager, he will manage change, expectations, and implementations – communicating changes with the team and liaising between software engineers and our customers to meet their needs. “I’m most excited about saving time and administrative efforts for our project teams to be able to focus on executing work,” says Gary.
Gary has managed many successful projects, such as transitioning time entry, expense management, onboarding, and time off management from email to the web. At Dome, he has worked on automating accounts payable, compliance, payroll, and finance workflows.
Looking ahead into 2023, he is looking forward to managing projects such as implementing new software that will enable project teams to manage their change orders more efficiently and effectively. He is also working on creating analytical/proactive reporting, guiding standardized use of software solutions across Dome, and building on the skills/knowledge of the Systems Department.
Gary would like to pass on a career lesson: keep learning and applying what you learn, finding areas that are interesting to you and valuable to the business while being a team player.
On Sunday mornings, Gary plays soccer, has brunch, and watches sports.
