The document discusses methodology for rolling out a project management software called ]po[. It provides an overview of implementation steps and checkpoints during various phases. It also discusses key factors for a successful rollout like change management, user buy-in, training, and support. Multiple examples of typical rollouts are provided for different processes like accounting integration, workflow implementation, and involving other project managers.

1. ] po [ Rollout Methodology Frank Bergmann [email_address] (cc) Except where otherwise noted , content on this slide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

2. Contents Overview Schematic Planning Implementation Steps Overview ] po [ Project Definition Check points ] po [ Go-Live Check Points ] po [ Operations Check Points ] po [ Implementation Steps Definition Phase Extensions Phase Installation Phase Training Phase Go-Live Phase After Go-Live Phase ] po [ Rollout Options „ Vertical“ Rollout „ Horizontal“ Rollout Typical Rollout 1 – Test Operations Typical Rollout 2 – Accounting Integration Typical Rollout 3 – Workflow Rollout Typical Rollout 4 – Involve Other PMs Typical Rollout 5 – Further Options

3. Project Overview

4. Schematic Planning Defi- nition Extension Development Training Go-Live Support Gap Analysis Configuration Requirements Extension Requirements Data Import Requirements Base Inst. Legacy Data Import Configu- ration For medium sized companies Normal Support Train ing Train ing Kickoff Go-Live

5. ] po [ Implementation Steps After Go-Live Definition Training Installation Go-Live Scope & Application Workshop Design Workshop Permission Configuration Master Data Import SysAdmin Training Accountant Training Project Managers Training Server Installation Category Configuration Basic Configuration Milestone Go-Live Setting Live „ Hand Holding“ Support Contract Extensions Testing & Completion SQL & Application Design HTML Mockup Development (optional) Prototype Documentat., Training Mat. After Go-Live Training GUI Configuration Sign-off Feature Freeze

6. Rollout Objectives Overview Successful installation Improved processes Improved process visibility Users don’t feel threatened by the system Enough slack time for training User buy-In No major issues with the system Sound support User take advantage of system capabilities Goals Base Rollout Processes Users perceive a familiar environment Stable and well configured system Legacy data migration Sound and specific reports Clean data in the system Improved profit margin Clean instructions to users Time Progress

7. Key Terms for a Successful Rollout Change-Management Psychological process describing how person move on from an existing situation (comfort zone) to a new situation. All system users and some stakeholders need to go through this process Reference: Ross-Kanter “ Taking Ownership” In some projects, the supposed users reject to use the system Rejecting ownership is frequently related to bad data in the system that the user can’t trust. A user starts “taking ownership” when he or she starts to add or modify data. Buy-In Describes the attitude of stakeholders towards the system and the project team Based on

8. ] po [ Project Definition The decision “Adapt ]po[ or adapt the company” is the single most important factor to determine the project cost and implementation speed. The “Strong Key User” is the most important factor in a project’s success. A strong Key User is somebody with detailed knowledge of all company processes and has some technology skills, quickly understanding the logic of a software. The outcome of the Project Definition is used in the following phases, so it is important to document the decisions here.

9. ] po [ Implementation and Go-Live Each of the factors below need to be covered about 80% in order to allow a successful “go-live”. Small modifications (20%) are usually fine after the go-live if expectations are managed accordingly. The key for a successful go-live is the “Training Manual” that explains how users should use ]po[. Writing this manual can take 5-10 net days of work..

10. ] po [ Operations The #1 issue after the go-live is the quality of data in the system. Please make sure that user can “trust” the data inside the system and know who entered these data, so that complaints can be converted in improvements. The key for successful long-term ]po[ operations is a Support Team that is capable of modifying/ extending ]po[. This team can be either in-house with 3rd level support from ]po[ (recommended) of outsourced. System Admin is usually not an issue anymore after the go-live. But please make sure to test recovery operations every 2-3 month.

11. Process Map

12. Process Map for ]po[ Rollouts Not all companies need to implement all of their processes using ]project-open[. The following slides show a number of processes that are supported by ]project-open[ and that are available for implementation. The implementation of processes can be grouped in “phases” for reducing risk and improving user acceptance.

13. Consulting/PM Process Map Project Portfolio Tracking This is the most basic information to keep in ]project-open[. It will serve as a base for all other processes below. Keep a list of all open projects and the assigned resources. Use “Filestorage” to store project’s files on your file server. Use “project on-track status” to communicate green/yellow/red status with senior management This is the first step to use ]po[. Keep your Pre-sales Pipeline in ]po[ Start with this process if you sales and resource planning are important for you. Enter project opportunities into ]po[ using the project status “potential” and one of its sub-stati Use the project fields “probability” and “estimated value” to keep track of the presales pipeline Use ]po[ as a centralized list of customers and customer contacts As a result your sales pipeline will become more visible and you will be able to estimate future revenues and resource requirements. Project Tracking Start with this process if your projects frequently suffer from time overruns. Use GanttProject (in the future: OpenProj) to develop your project schedules Use the “estimated time” to capture your estimation Use Timesheet to log spent hours against tasks Use many small tasks in your project schedule to be able to detect deviations early. As a result you will detect project deviations early and be able to react to them early. Project Controlling Start with this process if you feel a margin pressure or if your projects frequently suffer from cost overruns Use Timesheet management to capture internal costs. Use the provider management module to capture external costs. You can export these costs to your accounting package later. Use the “Expenses” module to capture travel expenses etc. As a result you will gain visibility in the profitability of customers and the factors that determine profitability. Project Invoicing Start with this process if you have lose billable hours or if project invoicing takes up a lot of resources in your organization Define your billable and non-billable service types using “materials” and setup prices per customer and material. Define billable and non-billable tasks in your projects. Use Timesheet management to capture billable and non-billable hours. As a result, you may bill considerably more hours with considerably less effort. This list of PM related processes is useful for: Consulting companies (general, IT, strategic, financial, …) Advertising agencies Law firms Construction companies …

14. Translation Mgmt. Process Map Translation Project Portfolio Use ]po[ to maintain the list of currently open translation projects Translation Workflow Management Keep track of the translation tasks per project and their respective status Involve freelancers to download/upload their files themselves Provider Management Create Purchase Orders and Bills from ]project-open[ Query Management Keep track of queries and provide a history of queries to project managers Freelance Skill Management Keep track of your freelancer’s skills and improve the matching of freelancers to projects Quality Management Keep track of your freelancer’s performance This list of PM related processes is useful for: Translation agencies Internal translation departments Freelancers and groups of freelancers

15. HR Process Map Basic Employee information in the system Keeping track of current employees Integrate access and security management Resource management Keep track of available resources Keep track of resources assigned to projects Identify over- and under utilization of resources Skill Management Keep track of resources’ skills and skill levels Improve matching of resource skills to projects Recruiting Track candidates in ]po[ Keep track of the recruiting workflow Knowledge Management Keep or track critical knowledge resources in ]po[ Make knowledge resources available to the right people This list of processes is useful for most service companies.

16. IT Services Management Process Map & Rollout Continuity Mgmt Security Mgmt Provider Mgmt Capacity Mgmt (human) Service Desk Server Monitoring Capacity Mgmt (system) ITIL Processes Service Level Mgmt Release Mgmt Incident Mgmt Financial Mgmt (1) 1 HR Mgmt OCS Inventory Timesheet Mgmt Phase 1: Service Desk + Timesheet: This is all you need to calculate the price per service request. Purchasing & Inventory 2 Phase 2: Control systems and performance. Manual processes are hopeless, but Nagios + OCS Inventory do the job. Now you can compare SLAs with actual data. Financial Mgmt (2) Software Development Additional Processes IT Strategy Project Mgmt Project Portfolio Mgmt 3 Phase 3: Projects and their artifacts: This is driven by Timesheet Mgmt, because staff needs projects to log their hours. Then Release Mgmt comes naturally, because all relevant information is already there. Config. Mgmt Problem Mgmt 4 Phase 4: Additional processes: These are not directly connected to the other processes and can be introduced at any time.

17. Data “Hygiene”

18. “Data Hygiene” Intro “ Clean” data is necessary for invoicing, financial controlling and any high-level reporting. Data “pollution” can happen because of various factors: Insufficient definition on how data should be entered Lack of user training Time pressure may lead to a conflict between a user’s performance evaluation and clean data entry Lack of control to detect “polluted” data in the system Lack of power to force users to enter clean data “ An ERP system is mostly about trust: Users who pull out data at one end have to trust the users who entered data at the other end. This is the true challenge.” From a posting in [erp-select]

19. “Data Hygiene” Maturity Roadmap Incomplete Production Data: The parallel use of other systems or Excel sheets leads to the situation that not all “production data” (projects etc.) are available in the system. Inconsistencies in Core Data: Once all “production data” are available in the system, there may still be coarse inconsistencies in projects and financial, leading to incomplete invoicing and meaningless financial controlling results. Inconsistencies in Non-Core Data: Once projects and finance are OK, there may still be inconsistencies in auxiliary data such as task definitions, price lists, invoice “unit of measure”, etc. Consistent Data in all Major Processes: Once all data are captured consistently, you can correlate the organization’s operational with financial performance for all major processes and define performance indicators.

20. “Data Hygiene” Feedback Loops Data Hygiene is an iterative learning process. Example Processes: Projects (name, start & end dates, hierarchy) Customer information for CRM Provider information for provider mgmt. Invoicing (produce quotes and invoices for each project). Customer price lists Provider price lists Provider Billing (produce purchase orders and bills for providers) Project planning (% assignation of users to projects) Timesheet information Absences and vacation Quality reports and evaluations Skill database Query & issue management via forum … For each process you need to define: The manager responsible for data hygiene Norms to define “clean data” The reports (or other control mechanisms) to extract information The users responsible to enter/ correct data The “feedback mechanism” and its escalation levels Information Producer Information Consumer/ Manager ]po[ Information Producer Report Feedback Loop

21. Benefits from “Data Hygiene” ]po[ allows you to extract a wealth of high-level information if your data are entered correctly. Examples include: Profit & Loss per project Profit & Loss per customer over time Profit & Loss per sales rep or project manager Quality of delivered work vs. cost of service … (please see the “Indicators” section for a range or performance indicators).

22. Detailed Project Phase Description

23. Definition Phase Customer’s Senior Management learns about the application and identifies the ] po [ modules to be implemented. Identification of extension development necessities. Senior Management or Key Users specify configuration and customization necessities. Scoping and functional requirement definition for extension development. Scope of project Input for first cost estimate Decision structure Configuration requirements Extension requirements Input for detailed quote Scope & Application Workshop Design Workshop Work Package Objective Deliverables

24. Extensions Phase Build a functional “mockup” using static HTML pages based on input from the “Design Workshop”. Mockup confirmation in a functional design workshop and freeze of specifications. Define how extensions should relate to existing ] po [ modules. Design a SQL data model. Implement the specified extensions. Presentation of a prototype to the customer. Completion of the prototype functionality and testing in the customer’s context. Documentation of the extensions and development / adaptation of training material. Extensions sign-off. HTML mockup Functional specifications Reutilization Concept Data Model Working code Confirmation of functionality Working system Documentation & training material Working extensions Testing & Completion SQL & Application Design HTML Mockup Development Prototype Documentat., Training Mat. Sign-off Feature Freeze Work Package Objective Deliverables

25. Installation Phase Install the ] po [ application on a production server and (optionally) on a development/test server. Security configuration. Configuration of Admin / Parameters section according to customer requirements. Setup of user profiles and user profile privileges according. Adapt ] po [ categories (project types, customer types, …) to the specific business. Adapt GUI colors and font styles to the customer’s corporate design (optional). Create ] po [ customers, providers, customer contacts, freelancers, employees and prices from existing data. Installed applications Working application Secure application Adapted application Attractive application Usable application Permission Configuration Master Data Import Server Installation GUI Configuration Basic Configuration Category Configuration Work Package Objective Deliverables

26. Training Phase Allow PMs to efficiently use the “Translation Workflow”, “File Storage” and “Forum” modules. Allow accountants to efficiently use the “Translation Invoices” and “Freelance Invoices” (optional) modules. Enable the Sysadmin to perform backup, restore and recovery operations. Successful training Successful training Successful training SysAdmin Training Accountant Training Project Managers Training Work Package Objective Deliverables

27. Go-Live Phase Obtain technical OK to go-Live. Obtain user’s OK to go-live. Live setting of the application. Final transfer of data from the legacy to the new system (optional). Decision to go-live Operational new system Milestone Go-Live Setting Live Work Package Objective Deliverables

28. After Go-Live Presence of implementation team members during the first days after going live in order to deal with questions and issues. Training to deal with unanticipated or unresolved questions after the go-live. Ongoing support. Successful completion of the first project cycles All users are capable of using the system A stable and updated system „ Hand Holding“ After Go-Live Training Support Contract Work Package Objective Deliverables

29. ] po [ Implementation Phases After Go-Live Definition Training Installation Go-Live Scope & Application Workshop Design Workshop Permission Configuration Master Data Import SysAdmin Training Accountant Training Project Managers Training Server Installation Category Configuration Basic Configuration Milestone Go-Live Setting Live „ Hand Holding“ Support Contract Extensions Testing & Completion SQL & Application Design HTML Mockup Development (optional) Prototype Documentat., Training Mat. After Go-Live Training GUI Configuration Sign-off Feature Freeze

30. Change Management Strategies

31. ] po [ Rollout Options CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Vertical Rollout Option: One project manager starts using the system, possibly only for a limited number of customers Horizontal Rollout Option: A single process (PM, CRM, filestorage, ...) is being used by all PMs Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

32. „Vertical“ Rollout Pros Limited Risk: A single project manager „tests“ the functionality Skill Management: The initial PM will probably be interested in systems & IT The initial PM can later provide training & support to the other PMs Cons Integration Difficulties: This approach can be difficult if ] po [ needs to be integrated with existing systems. Summary „ Vertical“ is the best option for smaller companies and companies without PM systems.

33. „Horizontal“ Rollout Pros Reduces Integration Difficulties: „Big Bang“ rollout is cheaper if there are existing systems that would have to run in parallel otherwise. No duplicated training Cons Higher Risk: Initial implementation difficulties have bigger impact on the company Summary „ Horizontal“ is the best option for complex rollouts in larger companies in order to avoid high integration costs with existing systems. „ Horizontal“ may be combined with a „vertical“ test phase.

34. Typical Rollout (1) Start with the most IT-savvy PM. He or she will later provide training to the other PMs Start with project management and the freelance-DB. You will need to setup a few customers and freelancers in order to get started. Test Operations CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

35. Typical Rollout (2) Integrate with your financial backend. Train your ccountant(s) to import information from ] po [ and how to track bills & invoices from within the system. Accounting Integration CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

36. Typical Rollout (3) Now one option is to start using the translation workflow and to involve the first freelancers in the process. However, this is not a necessary step. Workflow Rollout CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

37. Typical Rollout (4) Now (some 1-3 month after starting with the first PM) your company is typically ready to rollout ] po [ for the other PMs. Involve other PMs CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

38. Typical Rollout (5) After this point there are several options on how to proceed. However, your company will have made a lot of progress understanding the system, allowing you to take an informed decision. Further Options CRM PM Workflow Accounting Freelance -DB Filestorage Quality-DB ... Man. Dir. Sales Manager Operations Manager Finance PM 1 PM 3 PM 2 PM 4 Customer 1 Freelance 1 Freelance 2 Resource Manager Customer 2 Processes

39. Two-Week Rapid Rollout

40. Two-Week Rapid Rollout Go-Live "Hand-Holding" Gap Analysis Configuration Requirements Extension Requirements Data Import Requirements Base Inst. Configu- ration Getting ]po[ running in two condensed weeks Go-Live Support (Contract) Training on the configured system. Last check with PMs if everything OK. Legcy Data Import Specs Preconditions Training for Accounting, Sales, ... The Go-Live Condition: All #1 prios need to be OK in order to go-live Week 2 is to fix prio #2 issues and questions, such as incomplete master data or process variants Prio #3 issues can be fixed remotely Week 1 Week 2 Fix Issues, clarify processes Fix Issues, clarify processes

41. End Frank Bergmann [email_address] www.project-open.com