This document discusses the Tester/Trainer model, which utilizes junior consulting resources to complete testing and training documentation and execution for an ERP implementation project. This allows the project to reduce costs while maintaining quality. Key benefits include project cost reduction for clients of 30-40% by using lower cost junior resources. It also allows for people development within consulting firms and ensures business continuity for clients who lack internal resources. Potential challenges include managing client expectations of inexperienced resources and replacing resources if they leave the project. Success requires selecting committed, open-minded resources with a strong desire to learn and properly integrating them into project teams from the start.

1. OrganizationEffectiveness
WhitePaper
TestingandTrainingonaBudget:
TheTester/TrainerModel
May2014Johnd’Ambrosio,HitachiConsulting
CynthiaClingenpeel,HitachiConsulting
Better
LeverageModel
Wemakeithappen.Better.

2. 1
ExecutiveSummary
Intoday’sdifficulteconomicclimate,
businessesarelookingforwaystoreducecost
whilesustainingqualityineverythingtheydo.
TheTester/TrainerModelisonewayfor
organizationstomaintainhighquality
standardsandreducecostduringan
EnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP)project.
Tester/Trainersarejuniormembersofa
consultingfirmthatareeducatedandguided
toproducehighqualitytestingandtraining
documentationinadditiontohelpingwith
testexecutionandtrainingdelivery.Ifdone
properly,businessesandconsultingfirmscan
notonlyrealizesignificantimplementation
costsavings/higherprofitability,buttheycan
realizeseveralotherbenefitslikebusiness
continuityandemployeedevelopmentatthe
sametime.
Thiswhitepaperprovidesanoverviewonhow
toset-upthismodelforanERP
implementationwithminimaldisruptionto
thebusinessorproject.
Whatisthetester/trainer(Te/Tr)model?
Insimpleterms,theTe/Trmodelisanapproach
tocompletetestingandtraining
documentationandtheexecutionoftesting
andtrainingforanEnterpriseResource
Planning(ERP)projectusingjuniorresources.
TheresourcesarecalledTester/Trainersand
areusuallymembersofaconsultingfirmwho
havelimitedexperienceandarerelativelylow
costresourcesforaproject.
HowdoIbestutilize
juniorresources?
What’sdifferentfromthe
traditionalapproach?
Traditionally,clientsutilizeBusinessAnalysts
(BAs)andSubjectMatterExperts(SMEs)who
arefunctionalexpertstakenfromthebusiness
topreparevarioustestingscripts(e.g.,unit,
integration,enduseracceptance,etc.)andend
usertrainingmaterials.Additionally,theyassist
withtheexecutionoftestingandtrainingfor
eachfunctionalareaofanERPproject.With
manybusinessesrunningleanintoday’s
uncertaineconomy,clientsdonothaveBAor
SMEresourcesavailabletocompletethis
detailedwork.Whenconsultingfirmsare
askedbytheirclientstoprovidethese
resources,theygenerallyusemid-level
consultants.
InsteadofutilizingBAs,SMEswhomustbe
backfilledintheirjobsormid-levelconsulting
resourceswhohaveotherproject
responsibilities,additionaljuniorlevel
consultingresourcesareusedtosupplement
theprojectteamtocompletetheseimportant
tasks.Dependingonthesizeandcomplexity
ofthearea,eachfunctionalteamhasoneor
moreTe/Trembeddedtotacklethese
deliverables.Theyspendthemajorityoftheir
timeearlyonintheprojectlearningtheclient’s
business,theendusercommunity,the
technologythatisbeingimplemented,and
theprocessesthatarebeingdesignedor
redesigned.Withtheproperguidance,
knowledgetransfer/education,and
leadership,thesejuniorresourceswillbeable
toproducehighqualitydeliverablesand
significantprojectsavings.
Whyimplementthetester
/trainermodel?
SinceBAs,SMEs,andmid-levelconsultantsare
relativelyexpensiveresourcesandhardtofind,
theTe/Trmodelprovidesanalternativefor
developingtestingandtraining
documentationandexecutingtestingand
deliveringsystemtraining.Themore
experiencedindividualsarebetterutilizedin
otherareasoftheprojectincludinganalysis,
process/systemdesign,development,
hands-ontesting,issueresolution,testing
incidentresolution,andadvancedtraining
delivery.

3. 2
ClientBenefits
ProjectCost-Reduction:Themajorbenefitfor
theclientisareductioninoverallprojectcost.
Usinglowerlevel(andlessexpensive)
resourcestocompletethetesting/training
documentationandexecutioncanoffera
significantreductioninprojectfees.Since
manyclientsdon’thaveinternalresourcesto
completethesetasks,theylooktotheir
implementationpartnertoprovideresources.
Forexample,inthetypicalmodel,whena
clientdoesnothaveinternalBAsorSMEsto
dedicatetothesetasks,mid-levelfunctional
expertsarecontractedtocompletethetesting
andtrainingdocumentation,testing
executionandtrainingdelivery.These
resourcestypicallycostaround$140-$165/hr.
Byusingjuniorresources,thecostisreduced
toapproximately$100/hr,areductionof
around30%-40%.WiththeaverageERP
projecttakingaround1.5yearstoimplement,
theprojectcanrealizeasavingsof
approximately$120,000-$150,000per
resource.
BusinessContinuity:Asmentionedpreviously,
manyorganizationsdonothaveenough
internalresourcestocreatetestingand
trainingdocumentation.Employingoutside
resourceshelpstheclientmaintainbusiness
continuityduringanERPimplementation
project.
HigherQualityDeliverables:HavingTe/Trs
createtestingandtrainingmaterialsallows
additionaltimeforexperiencedproject
resourcestoworkonconfiguringthenew
softwareanddesigningthenewprocesses.
Thisadditionaltimeshouldincreasequality
andreducereworkofthesolutionlaterinthe
project.
SomeofthedeliverablestheTe/
Trscanparticipateininclude:
Testing
■■ Createtestscenariosanddata
■■ Create,updateandmaintaintestingscripts
■■ Assistwithtestexecution
Training
■■ Createcourseinstructor/userguides
■■ Assistwithtrainingenvironmentset-up
■■ Createtrainingdata
■■ Createjobaids,exercises,andproficiency
tests
■■ Deliversystem/solutiontraining
CONSULTINGFIRMBENEFITS
ProjectProfitability:Justastheclientreceives
acost-benefitfromimplementingthismodel,
consultingfirmscanimproveprofitabilityand
theirleveragemodelonERPprojects.Ifthe
rightresourcesareassigned,thecostsfor
developingtestingandtrainingmaterials,
executingtesting,anddeliveringtrainingcan
begreatlyreducedwithoutasacrificein
quality.
PeopleDevelopment:Alongwithenhanced
profitability,thismodelisagreatwayto
developjuniorresourcesinacontrolled,real
worldenvironment.Theintensenatureofthe
roledevelopsless-experiencedresources
quicklysincetheyareabletolearnthrough
completeimmersion.Inordertosucceed,the
resourcesmustquicklylearnthefunctional
areathathasbeenassignedtothem,the
processesthatrunthebusiness,andthe
technologysolutionthatisbeing
implemented.WithinthelifecycleofoneERP
project,ajuniorresourcewillexperienceand
completemanyofthetasksassociatedwitha
mid-levelconsultantandshouldhavethe
knowledgeandskilltooperateatthislevelon
theirnextproject.Thisknowledgeincludes:
■■ Learningatleastonebusinessfunctional
area,itsprocesses,andtheERPsoftware
thatsupportsit
■■ LearningtheSoftwareImplementation
LifecycleandanERPvendor’s
implementationmethodology
■■ Testingmethodologyandexecution
■■ Trainingmethodologyandexecution
Iftheresourceisequippedtohandlethisrole,
theprobabilityincreasesthathe/shewillbe
willingandabletohandleotherconsulting
mid-levelrolesinthefuture.Thisprovidesa
low-riskandcost-effectivewaytodevelop
peopleandassessleadershippotential.
Better
Project
Delivery

4. 3
Whataresomepitfallsofthemodel?
Everymethodologyhasitspitfallsandthisone
isnoexception.Withouteffectiveplanning,
theTe/TrModelcanunravelquickly.Noneof
thefollowingpitfallsaredeal-breakers,butif
theygounconsidered,theycanbevery
damagingtothesuccessofthisapproachand
ultimatelytheproject.
PotentialChallengesfortheClient
Expectations:Clientsmaybecomefrustrated
withinexperiencedresources.Patienceis
requiredtodevelopTe/Trsandtheclientmay
expecttheconsultingfirmtodeductsomeof
thetimeittakestobringresourcesupto
speed.Forexample,clientsmayaskthatthese
resourcesnotbillforthefirsttwoweeksas
theybecomeacclimatedtotheproject.
Settingexpectationsearlywiththeclient’s
projectleadershipisonekeytoalleviatingthis
issue.
Additionally,theclientmayexpecttheTe/Trto
learnbusinessprocessesandtraintheir
end-useronthem.Don’tletthishappen!This
misstepcanbeeliminatedbyexplainingtothe
clientwellinadvancethatitisunlikelyforthese
resourcestolearnthecurrentandfuturestate
processestoalevelrequiredfortraining.While
Te/Trcaneffectivelydeliversolutionorsystem
training,BAsshouldbeintheclassroomto
explainthenewprocesses.IfBAsarenot
availabletoassistwithendusertraining,
SubjectMatterExperts(SMEs)areanacceptable
alternative.LimitedSubjectMatterExperts
(SMEs):TheclientmayhavelimitedSMEsto
workwithTe/Trstocoachthemoncurrent
andfutureprocessesandprocedures.An
effectivewaytoaddressthisissueistoset-up
standingmeetingsbetweentheSMEsand
Te/Trstoknowledgetransferthisinformation.
PotentialChallengesfortheConsultingFirm
JuniorResourceCapacityandSkills:TheTe/Tr
modelputsjuniorresourcesintoanintense
role.Therolerequiresashortlearningcurve
andifaresourcedoesnotcatchonquickly,
mostlikelyhe/shewillnotsucceed.Insome
cases,therolemaybebeyondsomepeople’s
skilllevelandcapacity.
Additionally,therolerequiresahighdegreeof
contactwiththeclientwhichneedstobe
monitoredclosely.Resourcesshouldbe
coachediftheyhavenothadsignificantclient
exposureinthepast.
Re-Staffing:Itcanbechallengingtoreplacea
Te/Trwithanotherjuniorlevelresourceifone
leavestheproject.TheseTe/Trsbecomevery
skilledintheareatheyareworkingandmost
clientswillnotwanttoinvesttimeandeffortin
bringinganotheroneuptospeed.
Roll-off:Someclientsbecomeaccustomedto
havingtheirTe/Trsaspartoftheirteamandwill
notwanttoletthemleavetheprojectoncethey
havefulfilledtheirrequirements.Set
expectationsearlyaboutwhentheseresources
willroll-offtheprojectandtransitiontheir
worktoaclientresource.

5. 4
HowaretheTester/Trainerssuccessfully
integratedintotheprojectteam?
Traditionally,BAsoreventeamleadsare
taskedwithcreatingtestscriptsandtraining
materialsfortheirfunctionalareas.IntheTe/Tr
model,ajuniorresourceisembeddedintothe
teamtocompletethesetasks.
Howdoyougetthemintegratedintotheir
teamsfromday1?
Selecttherightresources:
Choosingthecorrectresourceisacrucial
successfactorfortheTe/TrModel.Themodel’s
successisheavilydependentontheresource’s
abilitytolearnanddevelopquickly.
Usingthefollowingguidelineswillassistwith
selectingthebestresourcesfortheTe/Trrole:
Characteristics:
Commitment–Resourcesmustexhibit
behaviorthatshowstheyarecommittedto
gettingthejobdone.Giventheinvestment
theconsultingfirmandclientwillmakein
theseindividuals,itisimperativethattheyare
committedtoexcellenceregardlessofthe
levelofeffortrequired
Open-Minded–Duetotheintense
integrationprocess,theseresourcesneedto
beabletokeepanopen-mindthroughoutthe
project.Theywilloftenbeaskedtodothings
theyhavelimitedornoexperience
completing.Anopen-mindwillallowthemto
operateeffectivelyinunknownterritories
DesiretoLearn–Mostconsultantshavea
stronghungerforknowledge,butthistraitis
especiallyimportantwithintheTe/Trmodel.
Theseresourcesmustbewillingtolearna
largeamountofinformationinashortamount
oftime
ActiveCommunicator–Te/Trmodelis
dependentonopencommunicationbetween
theTe/Trs,teamleads,projectleadership,and
endusers.Te/Trsneedtoknowwhentoraise
theirhandstoreportissuesandwhentolet
someoneknowtheyarenotreceivingthe
supportneededtobesuccessful
Matchfunctionalknowledge:
Resourceswithspecificfunctionalknowledge
shouldbeplacedonprojectteamsthatare
abletoleveragethatexperiencewhenever
possible.Forexample,ajuniorresourcewith
anaccounting/financebackgroundshouldbe
placedontheaccounting/financeteam.
Provideinitialtraining:
Amultiple-day“bootcamp”isnecessaryto
trainjuniorresourcesonconsultingbasics
priortogoingtotheclientsite.Thiswillallow
theresourcetohitthegroundrunningfrom
day1attheclientsite.
Bootcamp–Priortotheirfirstdayonthe
project,juniorresourcesshouldattenda“boot
camp”whichincludesthefollowing:
■■ Athoroughtimelineoftheprojectandits
deliverablesaswellastheirindividualgoals
anddeliverables
■■ Concise,tested,andproventemplates
■■ Overviewofclient’sbusinessandthe
problemforwhichtheyaresolvingthrough
theERPimplementation
■■ Overviewofclient’sfunctionalareasthat
willbeaffected
■■ Overviewofthetechnologysolutiontobe
implemented
■■ OverviewofERPimplementation
methodology
■■ IntroductiontoOrganizationalChange
Management(OCM)anditskeyactivities
(e.g.,communication,learning,end-user
adoption,leadershipengagement.)
■■ Clientexpectations
■■ Consulting“do’sanddon’ts”
Manageclientexpectation:
Itisimportantfortheclienttobuy-intothe
benefitsofthemodel.Projectsavingsmaybe
enoughtomotivatetheclienttosupportthis
approach,butcommunicatingthebenefits
earlyandoftenwillhelptheclientrecognize
theneedforspendingadditionaltimeupfront
withjuniorresources.
Createalearningenvironment:
Projectleadershipmustcultivatealearning
environmentfortheTe/Trsthroughoutthe
courseoftheproject.Thejuniorresources
musthaveleadershipsupportinthefollowing
areastoensuresuccess.
Howdowecollaborateand
worktogethereffectively?

6. 5
Provideopportunityfor
communication/facetime:
■■ TheTe/Trsneedleadershipanddirection
fromthetimetheyarriveontheproject
throughcutover.Weeklymeetingswitha
consultingmanageroraboveandtheir
peersareamust
■■ EachTe/Trshouldbefullyintegratedinto
theirfunctionalteam.Atthestartofthe
project,ensurethattheteamleadsare
awarethattheTe/Trsaretheirresources.
Additionally,Te/Trsneeddedicatedtime
fromtheirfunctionalBAstounderstandthe
businessprocessesandtimefromteam
leadstolearnthesolution
■■ EngagetheTe/Trs’clientcounterpartsand
SMEsearlyandoftensotheycanhelp
mentorthemSolicitandListento
Feedback:
■■ ActivelysolicittheTE/Tr’sfeedback.Often,
juniorresourcesarehesitanttospeakupor
providetheirfeed-backbecausetheyview
themselvesas“workerbees.”Encourage
criticalthinkingandthoughtleadershipby
engagingwiththemandaskingfor
feedbackandideas
■■ ListentoandconsidertheTe/Tr’sfeedback.
Moreoftenthannottheirideasarerighton
target.Trustthatyouhaveselectedsharp
resourceswithvaluablethoughts.Project
leadershipmustcreateanenvironmentfor
two-wayfeedbackthroughoutthecourse
oftheproject
■■ RecognizetheTe/Tr’saccomplishments
often.Ifimplementedcorrectly,Te/Trsare
learningandgrowingmorethananyother
resourceontheteamandtheyarethe
futureoftheorganization
■■ IfaTe/Trisnotmeetingexpectationsand
patientcoachingisnoteffective,youmay
needtofindanalternativeresource.The
roleistooimportanttoallowsomeonewho
isnotmeetingexpectationstocontinuein
thisrole
Providecontinuingtraining:
Ongoingtraining,inadditiontothebootcamp
providedpriortoon-boarding,isrequiredto
developtheseresourcesintotheTrainingrole.
Thefollowingtrainingisstrongly
recommendedduringtrainingdocumentation
development:
■■ Presentationandtrainingskills
■■ Trainingmaterialdevelopment
■■ PowerPoint(asneeded)
■■ Datacreation/stagingandcoordination
■■ Trainingtemplateutilization
■■ Trainingpilots(i.e.,mocktraining)
development
■■ Trainingevaluationdevelopmentand
feedbackassessment
Ifanautomateddocumentationcreationtool
willbeutilized(e.g.,RWDUPerform,Oracle
UPK.),extensivetrainingonthistoolisessential
forprojectsuccess.
Createaneffectiveprojectteamstructure:
DualReportingStructure:Te/Trsmusthave
supportfromboth(1)teamleads(2)anOCM
mentor.Theleadonthefunctionalteamshould
guidethejuniormembersinbothhowto
developthesolutionwhileprovidinggeneral
consultingskillsthroughthetestingphase.The
OCMresourceshouldmentorthejunior
membersinhowtoworktogetherasateam
andaddressprojectchallenges.Oncetraining
preparationbegins,theOCMmentorbecomes
theirmanagerandthedirectreportfortheTe/
Trs.
Strategizearoll-off
Afirmroll-offdateshouldbeestablishedwhen
theTe/Trstartstheproject.Unlessextenuating
circumstancesarise,thisroll-offdateshouldbe
honoredduetotheintensenatureoftheTe/Tr
role.Whenshouldtheyroll-off?Someclients
havethemroll-offaftertheirtrainingdelivery
iscomplete.However,thistimingmaybetoo
soon.BecausetheTe/Trshaveextensive
knowledgeofthesolutionandtheenduser
community,atwo-weektoonemonthperiod
assistingwithendusersupportcallsisagreat
waytoutilizetheseresourcesduringcutover.
Whatcanbeachieved?
Bythetimego-livearrivesfortheERPproject,
severalobjectivesandoutcomesofthe
Tester/TrainerModelshouldhavebeen
realizedincluding:
■■ Highquality,comprehensivetestingand
trainingdocumentation
■■ Successfulunit,integrated,anduser
acceptancetesting
■■ Completionofendusertrainingand
adoption
■■ Ahighlyregardedprojectthatmetor
exceededtimelineandbudgetary
expectations
■■ Well-trainedjuniorresourcewhoareready
tofortheirnextchallenge!
TheTester/TrainerModelisn’tanapproach
thatwillworkforeveryERPproject.Inorder
tobesuccessful,businessesneedtobe
flexibleintheirapproachandwillingto
acceptanewwayofthinkingabouttesting
andtraining.Consultingfirmsneedtohave
juniorresourcesthatcanhandletheintense
natureoftherole.Leadershipfromboththe
clientandconsultingfirmneedstobepatient
andsupportiveoftheseresources
throughoutthelifecycleoftheproject.
TheTester/TrainerModelcanhelpyourealize
significantcostsavings,rapidpeople
development,andhighqualitytestingand
training–allonabudget!

7. 6
AboutHitachi,Ltd.
Hitachi,Ltd.(TSE:6501),headquarteredin
Tokyo,Japan,deliversinnovationsthat
answersociety’schallengeswithourtalented
teamandprovenexperienceinglobal
markets.Thecompany’sconsolidated
revenuesforfiscal2013(endedMarch31,
2014)totaled9,616billionyen($93.4billion).
Hitachiisfocusingmorethaneveronthe
SocialInnovationBusiness,whichincludes
infrastructuresystems,information&
telecommunicationsystems,powersystems,
constructionmachinery,highfunctional
materials&components,automotive
systems,healthcareandothers.Formore
informationonHitachi,pleasevisitthe
company’swebsiteatwww.hitachi.com.
AbouttheAuthors
Johnd’AmbrosioisaSeniorManagerinthe
OrganizationEffectiveness(OE)practicewith
HitachiConsulting.
Mr.d’Ambrosiohasmorethan13yearsof
leadershipexperienceprovidingproject
managementservicesandchange
managementassessments/delivery.Mr.
d’Ambrosiohasledlargescaleglobal
companiesthroughorganizational
transitionsthatarevitalforenduseradoption
andsuccessfulenterprise-wide
transformation.Hehasextensiveindustry
experienceinhealthcare,consumer
products,andhightech.Mr.d’Ambrosio
holdsdegreesinComputerSciencefromThe
CitadelandaMBAwithaconcentrationin
FinancefromtheUniversityofSouth
Carolina.
CynthiaChaoClingenpeelisDirectorof
OrganizationEffectiveness(OE)atHitachi
Consulting,andistheOTSpracticeleaderfor
theSouthernandEasternRegions.
Ms.Clingenpeel’sexpertiseisinleading
globalcompaniesthroughtheorganizational
andpersonaltransitionsessentialto
successfulenterprise-widetransformation.
Withover20yearsofbusinessand
informationtechnologyconsulting
experience,Ms.Clingenpeelspecializesin
businessstrategy,organizationalchange
managementandenterpriseprogram/
portfoliomanagement.Ms.Clingenpeel
holdsdegreesinManagementScience
EngineeringandMathematicswith
specializationinOperationsResearchfrom
SouthernMethodistUniversity(SMU).
HitachiConsultingistheglobalmanagementconsultingandITservicesbusinessofHitachiLtd.,aglobaltechnologyleaderandacatalystofsustainablesocietalchange. Inthatsamespirit—andbuildingonitstechnology
heritage—HitachiConsultingisacatalystofpositivebusinesschange,propellingcompaniesaheadbyenablingsuperioroperationalperformance. Workingwithintheirexistingprocessesandfocusingontargeted
functionalchallenges,wehelpourclientsrespondtodynamicglobalchangewithinsightandagility. Ouruniqueapproachdeliversmeasurable,sustainablebusinessresultsandabetterconsultingexperience.
www.hitachiconsulting.com