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Configuration & Customisation Phase

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Configure the system, carry out any customisation, prepare and convert data and test the solution.
Plan Phase Hold Kick Off Meeting Implement Essential Infrastructure Identify Data Conversion Requirements
Prepare Data Install Software Identify Customisation Requirements Schedule Customisation and Configuration
Plan Testing Carry out Customisation Carry out Configuration Carry out Trial Conversion
Carry out Tesing Update Implementation Activities List Sign off Configuration and Customisation Produce Configuration and Customisation Report
Plan for Implementation Phase Implementation Gate        

 

 
Ongoing Project Management
  • Solution Decision Report
  • Gap analysis
  • Functional Requirements (Functional Decomposition, Data Model, Business Process Model)
  • Data ready to be converted
  • System configured and tested
  • Customisations complete
The timing cannot be finalised until the data preparation, configuration and customisation is scoped and scheduled. The initial plan is likely to be a high level estimate, developed with the input of the vendor. It will usually be clear what has to be done, but the resourcing of the work, and scheduling may cause the plan to be modified. If this is so, it should be referred to the Sponsor for agreement.

When carrying out the planning, you might estimate one task to clean up the database will take X weeks. When you get down to the activity "Identify Data Conversion Requirements" you will do more detailed planning to the level below:

  • Add missing address details - 3 days
  • Clean up inconsistencies in client file - 1 day
  • Modify descriptions of product types - 7 days
    • Write a script - 2 days
    • Test script - 0.5 days
    • Run script and check results - 1 day
    • Identify manual fixes still required - 0.5 days
    • Carry out manual fixes - 3 days

At the planning stage you may have allowed X weeks to clean up data. Once you do the investigation, and put together a final plan, it may be 2X. When you look at resource availability, the elapsed time may become 3X. If this is going to change the overall time for the phase, you should discuss with the Sponsor and Steering Committee.

  • Project Manager
  • Sponsor
  • Business Analyst
  • Business Representatives
  • Business Users
  • Technical Experts
  • Vendors (Technical Staff)
  • Configuration Consultants

If the work involved is well beyond the expectations of the company, you should look at phasing the implementation. Perhaps some work can be done after a partial implementation. For example, very often reporting can wait a few weeks or even a few months after implementation.

The phase will also be constrained (and constrain) the Business Process Phase. The two need to work in parallel and often resources are swapped between each team. If one is moving ahead of the other, consider transferring resources such as Business Analysts between teams.

The biggest surprises are often in data conversion. A trial conversion should happen as quickly as possible and not wait until everything is cleaned up. No point in getting to the end of the work before finding more unknowns.

The goal of this phase is to achieve the following outcomes.

  • System configured to suit business requirements
  • System interfaced to other systems
  • Any customisation including building additional functionality or reports completed
  • Data prepared for conversion
  • Trial conversion completed successfully
  • User acceptance testing completed
  • Ongoing communication with Business Process team to assist with aligning the system and business processes
Schedule Gantt Chart A draft Microsoft Project plan for the phase. It lists activities and elapsed timeframes. Times are very approximate and may be significantly shorter or longer.
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