About

With a business intelligence approach to delivering real-time information that enables data-driven decision making, Optimal has implemented real-time solutions on several projects. These projects span all research centers and create an added value for Optimal’s clients. Optimal has developed the Service Obligation Performance Tracking System (SO-PTS), Template Tracker, and performance dashboards to provide actionable data to decision makers, helping guide programs, projects, and policies.

Real-Time Data Collection and Analysis                      
Service Obligation Tracking System (SOTS)

The SOTS is a real-time data collection tool developed by Optimal. This secure online customizable application collects, monitors, and reports contact, demographic, service obligation, and employment data of scholars/obligees funded by Personnel Development Program Grants. Through its custom workflow structure, the SOTS automatically processes individuals’ information through their service obligation lifecycle. For more information on the SOTS please visit the NCSO Website.

Real-Time Data Monitoring
Template Tracker

Optimal designed, developed, and has implemented the Template Tracker, a configurable application that facilitates the auditing, scoring, and review. The Template Tracker helps to ensure consistent audit data collection, scoring, monitoring, and reporting by providing a workflow management approach. The Tracker allows for immediate identification of outliers in scoring, trends, and overall analysis of auditing process.          

Real-Time Data Reporting
Dashboard Reporting

To maximize the value of real-time data collection and analysis, Optimal designed real-time performance dashboards that display attendance, compliance, eligibility, and outcomes reports. These reports communicate the programs’ completed progress toward achieving performance benchmarks, monitor program trends, and measure implementation fidelity. In addition to displaying the evaluation outcomes, the dashboards help guide program administrators when making crucial decisions. The administrative reports assist funders in assessing staff efforts and activities led by the partnering organizations. The dashboards not only quantify evaluation outcomes and monitor the progress made in meeting program performance metrics, but also provide program administrators with the necessary business intelligence to improve the efficacy their programs. Optimal has successfully implemented dashboard reporting on its projects, including the Winning Fathers Demonstration Program and Supporting Healthy Marriage Evaluation.

Social Media Analysis

Optimal works with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Medicare Ombudsman (OMO) to conduct bi-weekly social media environmental scan reports. The goal of this project is to gather information about beneficiary concerns and opinions for specific topics of interest directly related to the CMS and OMO in order to facilitate informed decision making. The project combines multi-disciplinary approaches to develop keywords through rigorous research of text in each specific topic of interest. The keywords are then analyzed by Radian6; an online environmental scanning software that determines sentiment, sensitivity and volume of commentary per topic. This information is used to develop reports for the OMO to highlight primary areas of stakeholder concerns and beneficiary sentiment. Bringing together researchers of varied backgrounds has the potential for increased research and development of new processes and technologies that can be used on wide array of real-world applications and projects.

Optimal is currently working with the University of Maryland on automated content analysis to improve current processes. This collaboration provides an ideal platform for synergy and potential commercialization prospects.

If you are interested in an on-site Real-Time Seminar for your organization, please contact events@optimalsolutionsgroup.com for more information.