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| eSTELPLAN Implementation |
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Introduction
As you read this document, it will become apparent that the implementation process is quick, clear, and defined in comparison to the implementation of a generic system. There are several important reasons for this: Industry Specific Software Implementation Experts Flexibility Industry Best Practices Initial Decisions Training Location Invera recommends that, where possible, the training is held at an Invera Training Center. The benefits of this are:
Core Team Approach Philosophy Invera recommends that the training of the individual users should be done by members of the Core Team. Training end users is more than just showing them which 'buttons' to press, it includes the review of the policies and procedures associated with using the system and new workflows for your company. Consequently, it provides an opportunity for solidifying in-house expertise and creating a mechanism of evaluating end user feedback on new procedures and workflow. If required, Invera can also assist in the end user training. Personnel Company Project Manager One of the most critical initial decisions for the implementation process is the selection of the eSTELPLAN Project Manager and the members of the Core Team. The Project Manager should be the highest level resource available to the company. Frequently, controllers or general managers take on this role. The task of project management will involve a significant commitment of time and energy. Whenever possible, the internal project leader should be able to commit nearly 100 percent of their time to the project during the implementation cycle. This person will not only lead the Core Team of users, but will be responsible for ensuring that all elements of the process are managed efficiently and effectively. Core Team Of similar importance is the selection of the Core Team members. The Customer Core Team is responsible for these specific areas: Attending the eSTELPLAN training sessions to learn
about the software. Sales Your Invera Team Invera will assign the following qualified individuals based upon available resources during the time of installation. Senior Manager/Project Manager Your Senior Manager is responsible for overseeing the successful implementation and planning for the eSTELPLAN system. All activities are monitored by this individual to ensure adherence to the implementation schedule and goals established by the Implementation Team. This individual has the experience and authority within Invera to assure and control available resources, scheduling, and commitment to Customer's objectives. Installation Analyst Person responsible for managing the installation process. Senior Analyst This individual will be coordinating your installation, conducting the training and assisting in the live implementation of eSTELPLAN. He/she will be responsible for the following until you are 'live' with the software Be your main day-to-day contact during the preparation
and planning stages of the installation and be available to take your
calls on any issues. Your Application Support Analyst is located in our Customer Services Center in Montreal, and will be your primary contact concerning program operational and procedural issues after 'live' software implementation. Technical Analyst(s) Your Technical Support Analyst, located in our Customer Services Center in Montreal, will be your primary contact for all issues relating to the operating system, RDBMS and other operating software. This individual may also assist Invera personnel who may be on-site installing your system and thereafter be your technical contact. Until you are running 'live' with the software, you will work most closely with your Senior Manager, Project Manager and Training and Installation Analyst(s). Following implementation, the primary contact will be through the Customer Services Center. Implementation Schedule Introduction Prior to starting the implementation process, it will be necessary to establish a comprehensive schedule for eSTELPLAN implementation. The average implementation process will take between 5 and 7 months depending on the size and nature of the company. Smaller companies have been known to implement in less than 3 months. It should be noted that one of the most important determinates of the time frame required to implement eSTELPLAN is the time the Core Team commits to the project. Some of the key events for scheduling are listed below: Description of Events Responsibility Implementation Strategy While reviewing the schedule, it will be important to determine whether one or all branches will go live at the same time. The majority of companies take all branches live simultaneously to avoid the complications of running multiple systems at the same time. This decision may be based not only on the organizational structure of the implementing company, but also based on the dynamics of one or multiple legacy systems. Training Schedule Formal Core Team training normally runs between 10 to 15 days for most customers. When determining the Core Team training dates, the most usual format is to allow a week's break in between training sessions. This is done to keep the continuity of the training going while allowing for retention and discussion by the Core Team during the week off. Pre-Training Preparation Manual Review At approximately the same time that the hardware arrives, you will receive a comprehensive set of eSTELPLAN manuals in both CD-ROM and paper form. These are excellent tools to get started in the exploration of the system. Of particular importance will be the Reference Manual, the Business Practice Summary, the User Guide, and the Installation Manual. All provide detailed information that will be invaluable as a foundation for the learning process. These manuals contain flowcharts, guidelines, reference information, and procedural assistance that will strengthen the Core Team’s knowledge of the system prior to training. This will allow the training to start at a higher level. Additionally, detailed manuals in all of the functional business modules of eSTELPLAN should be reviewed by all department managers to understand initially the scope of capabilities available within eSTELPLAN. Business Operations Review Frequently, customers attend the Core Team training sessions and determine that their current business processes can be improved dramatically through the use of the capabilities of eSTELPLAN. In order to effectively accomplish this, key information and procedural requirements for each department should be clarified to all the Core Team members prior to the start of training. Prior to the Core Team training, it is recommended that all companies do a thorough review of existing processes and procedures with their existing software environment. This is an excellent opportunity to ensure that redundancies are eliminated, that critical issues are noted, and that the Core Team members have a clear understanding of the implications of their respective functional areas on the rest of the company. While the business review is being done, it is necessary to collect examples of current reference information. This will allow the Invera team to evaluate where changes in coding are necessary or favorable for eSTELPLAN. Often, a company will have unique product or product coding requirements. The collection of this data allows the Core Team to be better prepared for the training and facilitates a higher level of support from your training consultant who will assist in the determination of new product and reference file coding. Core Team Training Scope Invera Core Team training is comprehensive. Training includes a detailed review of all the modules, the reference files, and normal and special procedures. It is important to note that the training process is not only intended to educate the Core Team members, but also to enlighten the application consultant regarding any unique business requirements that might exist. It is expected that the Core Team members will introduce company-specific concerns throughout the training process so that they can be addressed in a timely manner. All training includes step-by-step examples, reference review, hands on exercises, and discussion. All classes will be provided with additional resources in the form of handouts, customized examples, and training data specific to the product line of the company attending. Post-Training Procedures Practice Subsequent to the Core Team training, it is critical that the Core Team members immediately start to practice. There is a specific correlation between the amount of practice that occurs directly after the training and the success of the project. Retention levels are dramatically higher if Core Team members use the time immediately following the training to fully explore what they have learned and to start to formulate appropriate business flows . Because of this additional requirement for the Core Team members, maximum assistance should be provided to the Core Team members to allow them to devote their time to this endeavor rather than letting them ‘catch up’ with the work they may have missed during the training sessions. This post-training period is also the time for Core Team members to read all of the relevant manuals. Although all fields in eSTELPLAN provide comprehensive online help, functional details, examples, and special situations are all addressed within the module-specific manuals. As these manuals are also provided on CD-ROM, this is also an excellent opportunity for end users to be given access to the manuals so that they can familiarize themselves with the capabilities of the system. Reference & Parameter Review Once the Core Team has had time to practice on the system, the entry of the reference information should begin. It is the recommendation of Invera that all reference data be mapped out on paper prior to entry into the system. To this end, Invera has provided a manual named Reference Coding Forms that can be used in conjunction with the Reference Manual which details the appropriate sequence for reference information entry. Subsequent to the entry of reference information, it will be necessary for the Core Team to do a detailed review of the entries to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the data. Your Invera Project Manager and application support team members will also do a verification but the final responsibility for the accuracy of the reference files lies with the company. Procedural Development and Documentation Concurrent to, and after the completion of the reference files, it will be necessary to fully develop and document all business flows and procedures. At this time, the determination is made on what applications are appropriate for business flows, how paper work must be generated and how it should flow, as well as the distribution of responsibilities by department. This is also an excellent time to review reporting requirements from edit, audit, and information requirement standpoints. This will assist in the determination of whether a standard report is suitable or whether a custom report needs to be developed utilizing any of the available custom report writing tools. It is critical that all procedures developed be fully documented. Invera recommends that as procedures are being documented, that they be submitted to the Invera Project Manager for the purpose of review and feedback. As well, it is helpful to once again compare these procedures to the Business Practice Summary provided with the eSTELPLAN manuals. Data Conversion Some companies elect to have certain historical and current data in their existing system mapped over to an eSTELPLAN format and then inserted through a gateway. Invera offers its customers the opportunity to buy various gateway programs to facilitate this process. It is important to remember that the implementation of a new software package is an excellent opportunity to improve upon the quality and integrity of the data contained in your legacy system. Many customers elect to key in new data to avoid bringing less than ideal data into eSTELPLAN from their legacy system. If you either elect to purchase eSTELgateway products or create custom gateways, it is imperative that test conversions be done well ahead of the live date. If eSTELgateway products have been purchased, Invera will perform test conversions to assure the acceptance of the data into eSTELPLAN. Review Meetings Throughout the post-training period, it is necessary for the Core Team to have regular meetings (at least weekly). The purpose of these meetings is to review progress, discuss open issues, share procedural developments, and to meet as a group to audio-conference call with the Invera Project Manger to have questions answered to the group. These meetings provide the ideal opportunity to inform senior management about the progress of the implementation process. As well, delays and open issues can be addressed with or reported to Invera for resolution. End User Training Once all the procedures are developed and documented, the end user training commences. This phase usually takes up to one month and should be completed three to four weeks prior to the live. The end user training should include basic user training, module-specific training, and training on inquiries and reports that can be utilized to improve efficiencies. All end users should also receive an overview of how eSTELPLAN is to be utilized throughout the company in order to comprehend work impact. Mock Live Once all end users have been trained, they will need to have ample time to practice. This practice should be supervised to ensure that users are exploring the system completely rather than superficially. To determine whether there has been sufficient training, Invera recommends that a mock live be done over a two to three day period where all work that would normally accrue for a day be entered into eSTELPLAN in all areas of the company. This mock live will help to determine readiness, procedural gaps, potential bottlenecks as well as redundancies, and additional information requirements. Readiness Review Once the mock live has been completed, it will be necessary to do a readiness review with Invera to finalize additional training needs or questions that have emerged from the mock live and end user training. This review will determine whether the live date can still be met and to determine if any procedural omissions exist that need to be addressed. Live Implementation Week Prior to Live In the week prior to the live implementation, users should attempt to reduce work backlog as much as possible to make the live weekend and first week after live as stress free as possible. For example, a) creating checks for accounts payable from the legacy system ahead of time for the subsequent week and waiting to mail them, b) advance expediting of all ready to ship material that is due in the first day or two of live. At this point in the process, all conversions should have been tested and accepted. This is the appropriate time to have the data 100 percent ready to load at the end of the week. Audit and load sheets should be prepared for all information that will be manually loaded. This might include accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory, open sales and purchase orders. At this time, sale and purchase orders due out into the live period can be entered. Live weekend During the weekend prior to the live, all data should have been loaded into eSTELPLAN. At this implementation point, it is imperative to balance the accounts payables, receivables, and inventory against the legacy system. As well, an audit can be done to ensure that all open purchase and sales orders are entered only for their remaining balances. Live Implementation This normally begins on the first business day after a weekend. Invera will have your Project Manager on-site along with any additional Invera resources that have been requested at the main or remote branches. The Invera support teams will be standing by should any issues arise that can not be handled on site. At this point, the system should be fully implemented. Each evening your Invera team will provide audit and balancing information to company management to ensure that the system is running as expected. Subsequent to this first week, the company is live
with the software and will continue to fully utilize the system with
the support of the Application and Technical Support departments. Additional
training and procedural development resources are available as necessary
through your Project Manager. |
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