Implementation methodology

Sure Step Methodology has been designed to enable you to improve the quality of rendered services, as well as to reduce the costs of system implementation and usage.

The methodology can be applied to large, medium and small projects. It provides different project types to suit your implementation engagement, as well as optional offerings to assist you during Diagnostic and Optimization. Flowchart diagrams within the Sure Step Methodology point you to tools and templates that can be used at different phases, while the content provides detailed guidance on roles required to perform activities and proven best practices. They all help to increase the consistency, timeframes, quality and success of your implementations.

Sure Step Methodology offers 5 projects types (Standard, Rapid, Enterprise, Agile, Upgrade), which differ in scope and the level of complexity of the implementation project. However, most of them encompass all project stages, compliant with Sure Step Methodology.

Sure Step Methodology organizes project work into six distinct phases during the implementation project lifecycle: Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and Operation. The Analysis, Design, Development and Operation phases represent the five implementation phases of the Sure Step Methodology. Diagnostic is a pre-implementation phase designed to assist the customer in the proper system selection. Operation- the last phase- includes also the activities aimed at smooth transition from the implementation to the post-implementation support.

Diagnostic Phase- Decision Accelerator Offerings

The Diagnostic phase occurs during the sales and due diligence stage of the engagement lifecycle. For this phase, Sure Step Methodology provides seven Decision Accelerator offerings to assist the customer in their decision-making process for an ERP or CRM solution.

Analysis Phase

The Analysis phase represents the official start of the implementation and includes all the activities required to initiate and effectively plan the entire project. It is initiated with a kick off meeting designed to provide project teams with an overview of the project vision, scope, objectives, and benefits. What is more, consultants conduct business process workshop to document and model the future state business processes. During the Analysis phase, gathering and documenting the customer’s business requirements is the most important set of activities that must be undertaken when implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV product. These requirements are then documented in the Functional Requirements Document which is an input to the Fit Gap Spreadsheet which indicates which elements are a “Fit” for Microsoft Dynamics product, and the ones that are “Gaps” that will need customization. The key document of the Analysis phase is the Project Charter – outlining the project schedule, milestones, resources, roles and responsibilities and deliverables. In case of more complex products, the solution concept is prepared.

Design Phase

The goal of the Design phase is to define how to implement the business requirements. The phase includes configuration of the overall Microsoft Dynamics solution and the design of specific customizations that are necessary to satisfy business requirements identified during the Analysis phase. Non-production environments are established to support the system configurations and prepare for the development effort required for integration and interfaces, data migration, and custom code development. The Design Phase culminates with the completion of the Solution Design Document.

Development Phase

The goal of the Development phase is to build and test the system components that are defined and approved in the design specifications, including developing the customizations, integrations and interfaces, and data migration processes. The major deliverables include the complete system configuration, completion and freezing of code for customizations, integrations and interfaces, and data migration. Other key deliverables include finalization of the Solution Design Document, and the completion of Data Acceptance, Process, and Integration Testing.

Deployment Phase

The Deployment phase is where all the efforts of the project team come together for a successful transition to the new Microsoft Dynamics solution. Key activities in this phase include End User Training, Performance Testing and User Acceptance Testing, and the actual move to the new production environment.

Operation Phase

The Operation phase involves the final activities that are required to close out the project and transition the solution and knowledge to the customer.  Key objectives of this phase include providing post go-live support, transitioning the solution to support, performing a final quality audit, and providing project closure.

Cross Phase Processes

A cross phase process is a group of related activities that span multiple implementation phases in a specific project scenario. When viewing activities by cross phase, dependencies are highlighted within the cross phase, as well as the interdependencies with the other cross phases. It is important to consider this relationship when performing individual activities. Understanding the relationship between the activities in a cross phase view helps to clarify the purpose of the individual activities and provides each Project Team Member a clear understanding of their role, responsibilities, requirements, and how they impact other team members.

Sure Step Methodology has nine cross phase processes which have been further grouped into three areas:

• Organization – includes Program Management, Training, and Business Process Analysis
• Solution – includes Requirements and Configuration, Custom Coding, and Quality and Testing
• Technology – includes Infrastructure, Integration and Interfaces, and Data Migration.

Optimization Offerings

Sure Step Methodology provides optimization offerings that can be used to perform a thorough independent review of an implementation. Offerings include the Architecture Review, Design Review, Customization Review, Performance Review, Project Management, Solution Overview and Upgrade Assessment, and one or more of these could be employed for a given engagement.