ERP
implementation methodology
1
w w w. a s p i r e s y s . c o m
Challenges in ERP Project Large, Complex and Expensive; Drains a big chunk of yearly IT budget Spawns multiple business units and departments so deliverables are very high Known to run over budget and above scheduled completion time In short, delivering expected benefits on time, within the allocated budget using the given resources is the biggest challenge.
What Aspire does to solve it? We follow the time tested Oracle’s Application Implementation Methodology (AIM) framework. AIM entails all the tasks required to complete a project, what order they should be completed in and what kind of resources will help it complete in time with expected benefits. It also provides deliverable templates for all the tasks which can be followed by the team.
How AIM is different? Defines business needs at the beginning of the project and maintains their visibility throughout the implementation Defines internal, external, and time sensitive business events and maps each event to the responding business and system processes Helps gain accurate understanding of the business requirements which needs to be focused on during implementation
Primary Elements of AIM Task: It’s a unit of work, provides deliverables like report, schedules, code etc Phases: Group of tasks which helps in scheduling major deliverables and run projects on time Processes: Closely related group of dependent tasks based on common discipline and meets a major objective These primary elements are related in such a way that, every process runs in multiple phases with every phase divided in multiple tasks with strong deliverables and dependencies. Also, multiple processes run at the same time in an ERP project as shown below in the AIM framework chart:
w w w. a s p i r e s y s . c o m
Definition
Operation Analysis
Solution Design
Build
Transition
Production
Project Management Business Process Architecture Business Requirements Definition Business Requirements Mapping Application and Technical Architecture
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Module Design and Build
--------------------------------------------------
Data Conversion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Documentation Business System Testing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performance Testing
-----------------------------------------------------
Adoption and Learning
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Production Migration
Let’s look at the phases and processes in more detail. Phases: The phases in AIM is divided under 6 broad categories to provide quality & control check points for coordinating project activities that have a common goal. The six categories are:
Definition: Prepare Scope of Work, Align Business Objectives with Time, Resource and Budget Constraints
Operations Analysis: Develop business requirements scenarios, Identify gaps between requirements and standard ERP functionality
Solution Design: Develop detailed designs, create detailed narratives of process solutions
Production:
Transition:
Build:
Regular maintenance,
Deploy finished solution,
Code & test
refinements, performance
Configure production
customizations
measurements, system
environment, Train end
& enhancements, perform
support
users
business system testing
3
w w w. a s p i r e s y s . c o m
Processes Business Requirements Defintion
Define business needs that must be met by Implementation project Identify business events & document business processes for them
Business Requirements Mapping
Compare business requirements with standard ERp functionality & identify gaps Document workarounds, alternative solutions, application extensions to resolve gaps
Application & Technical Architecture
Design Information systems atchitecture that reflects the business vision Develop plan for deploying & configuring hardware required for successful implementation
Module Design & Build
Design, build and test custom program modules to fill in the gap identified in the business requirements mapping stage
Data Conversion
Define business objects required to convert legacy data to ERP tables Use the data for system testing, training, acceptance testing and production
Documentation
Create detailed documents on the user and technical material used in the project tailored to implementation
Business System Testing
Link test requirements to business requirements Utilize common test information & data profiles to minimize test preparation effort
Performance Testing
Define, build & execute performance test cases Propose tactical or strategic changes to address the performance quality shortfall
Adoption & Learning
Train users & administrators on the new ERP application Develop courseware tuned towards roles & jobs of the users
Production Migration
Move the company, system & people to the new ERP and provide post production support Monitor & refine production system and plan for the future enhancements
4
