in running and managing the business operations for companies of all shapes and sizes, Although most business persons at a middle management level or higher have gone through at least one ERP implementation and the software itself is mature – there are not many implementation frameworks available. Examples of common questions that you and your employees may have are how will this software impact my company? Which ERP solution will best fit the needs and requirements of my business? What is the process for running and managing these programs after installation?
Understanding the need to provide a comprehensive framework that addresses all of the questions and issues concerning ERP solution implementation, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step offers a systematic, standardized methodology that contains all of the tools, templates, and best practices needed for each step of the implementation process. With Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step, that following specific standards and procedures in the ERP implementation.
Here are five important reasons why Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step should be used in conjunction with your ERP implementation.
- Consistent, repeatable model of implementation. By providing an implementation model that enables you to follow a series of the same implementation methods applied for businesses of all shapes and sizes, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides a system that promotes consistent implementation quality and success at all stages of the process. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step offers a clear, understandable services delivery approach that can easily be learned and adopted by all members involved in an implementation project.
- Step-by-step guidance of the implementation process. The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step system offers a step-by-step implementation approach that incorporates visual elements such as process flow diagrams and charts along with detailed descriptions of each implementation stage. By using the available tools, templates, and resources that the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology provides, a customer gains an in-depth knowledge of solution implementation and a familiarity with the processes involved in implementation.
Figure. General Ledger Approval Journal Process flow that comes out of the box with Microsoft Dynamics AX. Example of standard best practice business process flows that help streamline the ERP Implementation
Six phases are contained within the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology: Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment, and Operation. In the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step program, all six phases offer detailed explanations of what each phase serves and the important milestones and deliverables that are expected to be achieved during the phase’s completion.
Figure: Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step reducing risk from your ERP implementation by providing clear phases such as Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and Operation.
Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step, however, doesn’t provide a cookie-cutter approach. Based on the type of the implementation it has the capability to serve up different templates and deliverables. For example, it provides the following project templates based on your needs:
Standard Implementation: Typically used as a lean approach to implement an ERP at a single site with moderate complexity
Enterprise Implementation: Typically used where a standardized approach for implementing an ERP in either a complex single-site environment or in a global/ multi-site organization where country specific solutions have to be factored on top of a core solution.
Agile Implementation: Uses an iterative, incremental process for developing and implementing the ERP. This project gives customer greater control over the final solution because customers can quickly change the direction of the solution from one sprint cycle to the next. It is typically used at a single site requiring specific features and moderate to complex customizations.
Rapid Implementation: an accelerated approach for implementing an ERP with minimal or no customizations. This can be used in situations characterized by a limited scope where the basic application features are desired, and/or where the large majority of the customer’s business processes are not considered complex.
Upgrade: Used for ERP Upgrades from one major version to another. This can be for simple technical upgrades or include upgrades with configuration of new functionality.
With support for different project types that allow detailed information on the diverse selection of implementation processes that fit the needs of a wide variety of businesses and industries you can feel confident in taking a forward step towards your ERP implementation.
- Minimization of implementation risk through optimization offerings.Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step offers seven optimization offerings that provide guidance for both technical and functional designs and review the performance and operations of your ERP system. These offerings are particularly helpful for large, complex implementations because they effectively and proactively organize the management of project quality from the first phase to the last.Through the seven optimization offerings – Architecture Review, Design Review, Customization Review, Performance Review, Health Check, Upgrade Review, and Project Governance and Delivery Review – an exhaustive, independent review of the software implementation is performed to ensure that within each phase the solutions meet the customer’s needs and requirements, as well as offering descriptions on the impact that the various components of the implemented solution will have on the customer’s business operations, and identifying and presenting any potential problems or issues to the customer. Each optimization offering is described below with examples of how Ignify typically delivers these to customersArchitecture Review: With this Optimization Offering, Ignify reviews the overall architecture, reporting strategy, and infrastructure to meet the customer’s business requirements, which includes operational and delivery review activities that may be initiated and executed throughout the ERP implementation. Through this review, Ignify offers advice to the customer on detecting any operational risks and addressing potential problems before they occur.
Design Review: We pride ourselves in being able to leverage standard functionality and using creative configuration Vs. customizing the application where possible. Our design review is typically directed by a lead functional consultant to review that standard functionality is used to the extent possible to meet business requirements. In addition the design review is helpful to identify current business pain points that can be met with standard functionality in the ERP that can help increase use of the system and increase the ROI on your ERP implementation.
Customization Review: Ignify will typically get involved in reviewing modifications made to your ERP and evaluating multiple things including whether the code meets best practices, and whether the code has been customized or can be eliminated since there is already standard functionality in the current version or future version of your ERP. For example, in one implementation that we evaluated we found that a customer had built out a custom Bill of Materials (BOM) not realizing that their ERP already provided native BOM functionality out of the box.
Performance Review: Typically we get involved in analyzing the performance of your application by using performance review tools including logging, database monitoring, hardware monitoring, etc. to identify choke points that are causing issues in delivering optimal performance. Recommendations may include increasing hardware size, re-indexing the database on a regular basis, improving your database log clean-up or setting up a data archival/ purge process on a periodic basis.
Health Check: With a Health Check, Ignify identifies any problems with the ERP deployment, and offers ways that those issues can be resolved. With the Health Check, a report is provided to the customer that details the data that was gathered and analyzed during the review process, offers implementation scorecards, and then gives the customer recommendations on how to address or fix any possible issues that were identified during the review. With this Optimization Offering, the performance of the ERP implementation is fine-tuned to make sure that the software fulfills all of your business needs and requirements.
Upgrade Review: During an upgrade very often implementers and customers will focus on just upgrading to the latest version and do just a technical upgrade. Ignify uses the upgrade review as a tool to evaluate if new functionality in the new version is applicable to solve business problems for you and also whether customizations that were upgraded can be replaced with standard functionality. This then allows the path for a functional upgrade and allows you to get the true business benefits of the new version.
Project Governance: Both during and at the end of the implementation project, this Optimization Offering evaluates how the ERP implementation delivered against its initial vision and performed against schedule and quality, as well as providing phase by phase recommendations and project health dashboards. With Project Governance, Ignify regularly assesses the ERP implementation and continues to offer findings and recommendations to the customer, ensuring that the customer continues to receive full, proactive support after implementation.
Delivery Review: With the Delivery Review, the review team works with you after the ERP implementation in order to ensure continued successful outcomes from the ERP software. The review team assesses the overall implementation, analyzing the project delivery process and lessons learned from each stage of the implementation and then offers the customer recommendations for the future based on their findings.
Each optimization offering provides a report to the customer containing the findings and recommendations of the review team; the customer then deciding whether to adhere to all the recommendations or a subset of them.
- Increased management oversight with Project Management disciplines and processes.Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides best practices management activities and tasks throughout phase implementation to ensure that all pieces of the integration process – knowledge, resources, procedures, schedules, communications, and so on – are completely tied and connected together into a cohesive operational whole. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step breaks down these management activities into different disciplines and offers in-depth information on the activities and tasks that comprise each of these disciplines.
Figure. Complete ERP Project Management offering if available in the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step with 3 distinct phases including Project Initiation and Planning, Project Execution & Monitoring and Project Closing.
Through the Risk, Scope, Issue, Time and Cost, Resource, Communication, Quality, Procurement, and Sales Management disciplines, you are able to fully organize, coordinate, and oversee all aspects of an implementation project, starting from the project’s initiation and planning process, then progressing to its execution and monitoring, and finally ending with the project’s closure. By providing detailed guidelines for project management disciplines and processes, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step allows managers to identify and assign the specific tasks and activities necessary for each part of the implementation process, thus enhancing the project’s efficiency by determining the tasks to be accomplished and assigning them to appropriate team members thus also increasing the chances of an overall successful ERP software implementation.
- Defines the roles and responsibilities for stakeholder involved in the implementation process.Because the implementation of an ERP solution involves many people from different areas, determining the roles of each individual within the project and their associated responsibilities can sometimes be a difficult and confusing process. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step solves this by offering a clear-cut determination of the individual roles which comprise the implementation process and providing guidance and direction on the implementation phases, tasks, and activities that each team member is accountable for performing or overseeing. Offering clearly defined roles, project communication is enriched by eliminating misunderstandings about project ownership and assignments and establishing expectations on what each person’s involvement in the project will be.
Another advantage to the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step role definition process is that it can support the implementation needs of customer organizations of all sizes. For example, in a smaller organization multiple roles are assigned to one individual. By offering a scalable solution, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step covers the functional requirements of all businesses, large and small.
Conclusion
An ERP Implementation is akin to a heart transplant and can be scary and intimidating. However, by putting a sound methodology in place and working hand-in-glove with a capable partner, you can de-risk the implementation and lay the foundation for a successful implementation.
Microsoft provides a very feature-rich and flexible ERP solution for countless companies around the globe and it backs this up with Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step to streamline implementation processes from beginning to end and to enhance overall productivity while meeting customer needs. built on Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step offers pre-built deliverables that can help accelerate your implementation and lower cost of an implementation. The combination of SureStep for a streamlined implementation with RAPID for lowered cost and efficiency can guarantee an on-time and in-budget implementation.
For more best practice guidance email us at dynamics@ignify.com
Authored by Ashley Harbaugh and Sandeep Walia. Ashley is a Technical Writer at Ignify and Sandeep Walia is CEO of Ignify. to mid-market and Enterprise businesses. Ignify has been ranked in the Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle, Microsoft Dynamics Presidents Club and was selected as the Finalist for Microsoft Partner of the Year in 2010. Ignify has offices and team members in Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, Tennessee, Illinois, Washington, Canada, Malaysia, India, Philippines.
