InfinityQS Case Study

The ultimate result envisioned by Lyle-Kearsley Systems was an on-line community where people in the quality control arena are able to stay abreast of industry news and trends. A web site that invites people to discuss issues, ask questions of qualified industry experts and search for information on quality control. LKS has branded this venture thequalityexchange.com. In addition to providing a community forum for the quality assurance industry, thequalityexchange.com was a completely new identity established as an on-line store for multiple suppliers to sell their products. The strategy is accomplished by decreasing the visibility of the LKS brand to encourage the participation of other vendors. The community site also provides support and contact information to buyers and publishes press releases. In addition to thequalityexchange.com, LKS needed a redesign of their existing home site to increase the accessibility to extensive information provided as well as to strengthen their identity.

A solution for thequalityexchange.com was required within a three month time frame and had two primary requirements: ease of maintenance and operability with minimal programming on the part of LKS. Shared Vision Group's answer to the problem was to build LKS a custom web site using Lotus Domino and IBM's Net.Commerce. Lotus Domino allowed our consultants to quickly build a web site with such features as discussion groups, newsletter subscriptions, frequently asked questions, question submission to experts, site wide searches, downloadable case studies, press releases, and more. Furthermore, the site was designed so that LKS could easily update the web content without programming. They merely need to fill out Domino's 'forms' and the information is instantly updated on the web site. The on-line store for selling services and products was also created with Net.Commerce. The primary strength of Net.Commerce is it's scalability. Features such as the ability to dynamically change content using Net.Commerce web-administration forms as well as the ability to accept payment via purchase order or credit were some other deciding factors for LKS. The functionality necessary for the success of thequalityexhange.com forum was the same that LKS required for their homepage. They liked the flexibility of being able to easily update information to keep the site fresh and appealing to regular visitors. Net.Commerce allows them to sell their software from their homepage with the same ease and scalability achieved on thequalityexchange.com site.

The fruits of the labor are forthcoming: LKS is currently marketing thequalityexchange.com to partners and vendors who will contribute content or sell their products on the web site. The new homepage for LKS, infinityqs.com, is the name of their product Infinity QS. The site was begun after completion of thequalityexchange.com.