Requirements Gathering
Measurable goals will ensure a successful project.
To achieve a successful project you need a list of what you need to achieve. Some companies go through a formal process of requirements by department. Some an informal list based on what does not work with their current system. Either way, be sure you understand the business impact, and break it down to a requirements list so that you have measurable results so you can gauge the success of your project.
Design Solution
Setup, testing , and sign off on your decision solution to meet requirements.
A significant amount of time and effort will be spent in design solution. Set up decisions, pilot testing, and user acceptance are a critical part of your implementation. The goal of design solution is to confirm that your setup and process decisions result in a system that meet your requirements.
Development
Build the live database, documentation, custom reports and solutions, if applicable.
In the development phase your consultant will work off-line developing your Spectrum system, as well as documentation and customer reports and gap-fit solutions if required. If other resources are developing specialized solutions your consultant is project managing those efforts.
Pre-Conversion Planning
Plan the work, and work the plan!
- While data migration from your legacy system to Spectrum discussion will take place throughout the design solution process, the comprehensive picture of your solution design will not be visible until the solution design is finished in it’s entirety. It is at this point that a written plan of migrating data from your legacy system to Spectrum will be developed.
- While most of your data will be extracted and migrated electronically, it will make sense to migrated some of it manually. Take Take YTD Vendor 1099 amounts paid as an example. If there are 500 items in the population of this example of data to migrate, it will make sense to bring it over electronically. However, if there are 15 vendors with YTD 1099 amounts paid, the cost-benefit of an electronic migration does not make sense, and manual input into your Spectrum system makes total sense. Discussions such as this around each module, and each data element within each module will take place and be documented in the Data Migration Plan.
- Testing where appropriate will be completed.
- When a comprehensive data migration plan is documented and testing is complete, including data extraction from your legacy system, the data migration planning will be complete. This plan will include reports from both your legacy system and Spectrum to validate that data matches after being migrated.
Training Plan
Document training goals so that your expectations are met!
Many times software specialists train based on product features. At OnPoint we prefer to train based on the context of your company and your procedures. This starts with a list of each functional areas training requirements. The training plan will ensure that maximum benefit is received and maximum subject matter is retained when your consultant completes the engagement.
Go-Live
Data conversion, training, and go-live will come together all at-once during this focused period of time.
- Data conversion – Your data conversion will take place and reports will be run to compare the data in your legacy system to Spectrum. You will be asked to sign off that you accept the data in Spectrum as a mirror image
- Training – while your data conversion is taking place training is happening as well. It’s a great idea for training to occur as close to go-live as possible for maximum retention of subject matter.
- Looking over shoulders – Your consultant will be on site to assist with questions and issues that come up as you use your system to catch up with information that came in to your business as data conversion processed, and also with the initial payroll and other critical processes
You are live on spectrum! Yayyy!!!!
Woohoo! You are live on Spectrum!!!
Enjoy, celebrate, and daydream about all the great things that are to come!
Follow-up
Punch list and Phase II modules, if any.
During the implementation process your consultant will ask you to prioritize requests as “must have” and “like to have.” The follow-up phase will include:
a) phase II modules, if any
b) prioritization and implementation of “like to have” features