Projects

Here are a few examples of projects that we have tackled in the past:

• Webster was brought in to review increasing problems with the recently launched (and live) customer account management website of a major financial corporation. With the help of two associates, Webster conducted extensive interviews; reviewed the cross-enterprise architecture; examined source code, error reports, and data logs; did real-time monitoring of the live system; and conducted database architecture analysis. Webster made a series of focused, detailed recommendations, including changes to the software lifecycle, specific hardware and software upgrades, and remediation in critical technical areas.
• Webster led a joint review within a Fortune 50 corporation of a major re-engineering project that was at least 100% over schedule (4 years vs. 2 years) and more than 300% over budget ($500 million vs. $120 million). The review team interviewed dozens of individuals in various roles (including both business and development) and developed metrics for assessing completeness and reliability of a large number of systems and subsystems. Webster personally prepared the 70-page report (and accompanying presentation) detailing the joint findings, then presented the findings and recommendations to a large meeting of the project management staff.
• A global logistics firm retained Webster as an “acting chief technical officer.” As such, Webster made regular visits to the firm’s offices in Canada and the US to discuss, review and help direct a major internal technology effort intended to replace their existing customer-facing systems. Webster met mostly with upper management, as well as with the firm’s chief software architect, whom Webster had been asked to mentor.
• A large financial corporation brought Webster in to review schedule slippage problems with a major enterprise-wide remediation effort. Webster conducted interviews with over 40 employees and reviewed large amounts of documentation, then made a set of explicit recommendations for ensuring successful completion of the effort. The client then retained Webster to oversee the completion of the project, which he did successfully.
• A major subcontractor on a global communications project went through a disastrous design review (by the coordinating firm) of their work to date; also, they were behind schedule for their portion of the next project-wide delivery. This firm retained Webster as an “architect of architects” with responsibility to get their portion of the project back on track as well as oversee architectural efforts in other projects. Webster interviewed the entire subcontractor project team (30+ people, up through VP management levels) to assess project status, personnel skills, and internal IT practices; he also attended global project meetings in the US and Hong Kong. He drafted coding and design standards for the subcontractor developers; created the actual software architecture for the subcontractor’s network management subsystem (none had previously existed); worked with the coordinating firm’s program manager to established a managed specifications baseline for the subcontractor; set up a formal Architecture and Design group for the subcontractor; and mentored developers, architects and managers. The result: not only did the firm make the build delivery date, they were the only group in the global project to do so.

Investment/Acquisition Assessment Work

Webster has worked (confidentially) with firms seeking to invest in or acquire companies with valuable information technology (IT) assets. Specifically, Webster has conducted reviews of key IT systems and products to determine their quality, architectural soundness, and stability, as well as to evaluate the IT project management and software engineering standards and practices of the development teams for the systems and products under review.

Arbitration and Neutral Expert Work

Webster served as sole arbitrator in an intellectual property dispute between two software firms, which agreed (through their respective outside counsel) to abide by his findings. Webster personally conducted reviews of the software architecture, design, and source code of each firm, then issued his findings, which both parties accepted.

Webster also served as a neutral expert in another intellectual property dispute between two software firms. Again, Webster personally reviewed software architecture, design, and source code for evidence of misappropriation, then delivered his findings to the arbitrator (a retired judge).

Expert Witness Testimony

Here are the cases in which Bruce F. Webster has provided testimony (in deposition, hearing, and/or court) in the past four years:

• FATTOC, LLC et al. v. Madison Tyler Holdings, LLC et al. (JAMS Arbitration) [intellectual property]
• Oracle USA, Inc. v. Qwest Corporation (JAG Arbitration) [software licensing]
• Steward Software Company LLC v. Richard Kopcho, et al. (District Court, Larimer County, Colorado) [disputed IT project]
• Edward Shapiro, P.C., et al. v. Shreenath Laxman, et al. (US District Court for the Eastern District of New York) [intellectual property]
  
• Trading Technologies Int’l, Inc., v. eSpeed, Inc., et al. (US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division) [patent]
• Intellectual Science & Technology Inc. v. Sony Electronics (US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division) [patent]
• Gas Transmission Northwest Corporation v. SunGard Energy Systems, Inc. (American Arbitration Association) [disputed IT project]
• <case filed under seal> (US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division) [trade secret]
• In re CIGNA Securities Litigation (US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania) [shareholder suit over troubled $1+ billion IT re-engineering effort]
• SecureInfo Corporation v. Telos Corporation et al. (US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division) [copyright, trade secret]
• Michelle McDonald v. Lachian McDonald (Circuit Court for Montgomery County Maryland) [identity theft]
• BMC Software Inc. v. Peck Software Inc. et al. (US District Court for the Southern District of Texas) [copyright, trade secret]
• Lehman Brothers v. Wei Wu v. Deutsche Bank (US District Court for the Southern District of New York) [IT security issues]
• Evolution v. SunTrust Bank (US District Court for the District of Kansas) [copyright, trade secret]
• VIP Tone v. TengTu International Corp. (Superior Court of California, County of Alameda) [disputed IT project]
• Computer Associates v. Quest Software Inc. (US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) [copyright, trade secret]
• Apex Systems Inc. v. ACE Insurance (Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, Tokyo, Japan) [disputed IT project]

For more details, please contact us at 720.895.1405 or bwebster@bfwa.com.