Four CUs Test New Management Tool

Four CUs Test New Management Tool

CUNA Online News Now, May 16, 2006  http://www.cuna.org/newsnow/06/products051706-1.html?ref=hed

WESTLAKE, Ohio (5/18/06)--Four credit unions are beta-testing a web-based management automation tool from the Cardwell Group.

Connections Online 4.0 is used to align work groups and individuals with the company's overall strategy, as well as to foster collaboration among functions and inter-disciplinary project teams.

Mid-Atlantic Corporate CU, Middletown, Pa.; Purdue Employees FCU, Lafayette, Ind.; Washington State Employees CU, Olympia, Wash.; and California Coast CU, San Diego, will test the new .NET version through May.

According to Bob Frank, Mid-Atlantic Corporate's vice president of information systems, 4.0's improved authentication and security, and its improved Business Priorities and Critical Measures modules, will provide indirect benefits to the corporate's members. The upgrade's enhanced security will allow Mid-Atlantic, which is a .NET shop, to expand its use of the product into additional areas within the credit union with enhanced reporting features.

"We're using the critical measures and business priorities features in the current version to keep the management team up to date on progress in these areas," said Frank. "We also make extensive use of the departmental projects section to track and prioritize all application development projects and to publish project status for all users to review."

Meanwhile, Bill Arnold, assistant vice president of information technology at Purdue Employees FCU, says he is looking forward to the enhanced integration between Connections Online 4.0 and Microsoft Project, giving the ability to export information directly from Project to 4.0.

Other new features of Connections Online 4.0 include authentication and security, primary user interface, strategy module, scorecard module, project module, people module and reports.