DRAPER & ASSOCIATES provided professional consulting services in the information technology/ information services(IT/IS) arena to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. A Draper consultant served as the project manager/coordinator for the integration of the hotel operations' IT/IS systems during construction and/or renovation. Draper planning and management services began with the development of a systems budget and continued through end-user operational training. These services were performed for projects in a vast array of scenarios ranging from domestic new property development to international property renovations.

Early in each engagement, Draper consultants worked with senior Ritz-Carlton staff to develop a systems budget for the hotel's IT/IS requirements. This was then presented to owners of the property so that budget allocations could be made. The systems budget served as the basis for the specification and purchase of the hotel's IT/IS operations equipment, all of which was incorporated in a systems matrix created by Draper consultants to specify standard systems, quantities, and locations. Draper then worked closely with both Ritz-Carlton and hotel owner staff to coordinate the specification and purchase of equipment necessary to meet the stringent Ritz-Carlton guidelines while ensuring operability at the end-user level. Once hardware and equipment specification were complete, Draper became the focal point for design layout and installation coordination.

Draper consultants worked closely with the project director to coordinate the IT/IS equipment design layout. This design layout formed the basis for technology input which the architect incorporated into the construction documents. Draper then assisted with the coordination of installation. Through the use of project plans and action item agendas, project dependencies and the status of critical activities were relayed to the project team members in a timely manner. Culmination of the IT/IS installation was the end-user operational training. In conjunction with hotel operations staff, the Draper consultant developed a coordinated training plan to integrate hotel IT/IS training into the overall hotel opening training plan.

In addition to these direct oversight responsibilities, Draper & Associates developed an automated project template for each of the hotel location scenarios that provided senior management the capability to quickly and easily assess the impact of schedule changes on the project.