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By
Paul Deis, CEO, PROACTION
Article Summary:
In previous newsletter articles, we focused on the
“front-end” of an implementation project, including
setting up clear top management support, involvement
and communication, and selecting a Best Practice
implementation project team. When these are
accomplished with Best Practice methods and
principles, the team is, at this point, operating in
a low-risk field – so far, so good.
In this article, we discuss preparation for a Best
Practice Conference Room Pilot. This includes
making sure the team itself is sufficiently educated
and trained, and that the CRP itself is sufficiently
organized. In our next issue, we will discuss the
detailed implementation preparation activities, the
“dress rehearsal” aspect of the CRP – where the
rubber hits the road before the rubber really
hits the road – and the Go-Live preparations
critical to success.
Topics include:
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Education and Training for a CRP
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CRP – the Dress Rehearsal
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CRP facility – organizing for success
Education and Training for a CRP
The first step in this area is to clearly separate
education from training. Briefly, in the context of
implementation, the purpose of education includes:
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New concepts
– these are underlying thought processes,
and assumed understanding that is embedded
in the Best Practices integral to the new
software. The implementation team must
clearly understand these if it is to be
effective in the CRP process and
implementation preparation that is at the
core of the CRP. Often these are different
ways of looking at things, different
perceptions. If one doesn’t understand
these, there can be a real crippling effect,
as people (unintentionally) try and
force-fit the new software to work the “old”
way.
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Example
– many problems associated with
implementations of material planning (MRP)
functions stem from the fact that those
using it have not been adequately educated
in MRP concepts. Effectively using software
delivering MRP capabilities has a poor
chance of succeeding if the users are
blindly clicking on buttons and following
rote procedures. A person who truly
understands the concepts involved with a
particular software function can almost
figure out how the software works on their
own.
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Precedes and informs detailed planning –
if those who are planning the project truly
understand the concepts behind the business
processes, and the revised, more effective
work flows that will come with the software,
the steps from “here” to “there” will be
considerably shorter and more direct.
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Speeds up detailed, hands-on training
– As was just mentioned, the actual amount
of detailed, hands-on training needed to
become proficient with the software is a
small fraction of that required to “teach”
rote-style, how a person is to do their job
with the new system. We have observed
people like this taking notes that say “hit
the down arrow 3 times, then press Enter…”
and the like. Frightening, from a
management point of view! As MRP legend,
George Plossl said many years ago “If you
think education is expensive, try
ignorance!”
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Ideally, education of the core project team precedes
the business process analysis and software selection
process discussed in the preceding chapters. If it
has, so much the better. If not, start now. In any
case, though, the education process should be
expanded to include others in the company who will
be using or otherwise involved in the system. The
implementation planning process that is the core of
the CRP includes a detailed education and training
plan for all who will be using the new system’s
functions.
CRP – the Dress Rehearsal
In any event or occasion where things have to “go
right” on the first day, not only planning, but
repeated rehearsals, practice and training are
absolute requirements. Smart theater producers know
this and make sure that, after the cast has
been selected, and the production planned in detail,
that there is enough time to practice, to rehearse
the play, so that on opening night, when everyone
is watching, things go smoothly. In similar
fashion, the wise sky-diver will train, prepare, and
practice thoroughly before stepping out of that door
in the perfectly good airplane at 12,000 feet.
Two major points bear reiterating here.
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Requirements
- make sure everyone fully understands the
To-Be business functional requirements,
which all too often have been poorly
documented during the initial stages of
work. These may need to be revisited,
revised, clarified, re-thought, and
otherwise solidified.
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Objectives
– it is easy to get lost in the details of a
new software system, changes, issues, and
the like. There should be, ideally as part
of the requirements, specific, measurable
objectives that the new system is intended
to help bring into operation. Examples
might be “reduce order cycle times by 50%”
or “improve service levels to 98%.”
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We have wondered for years why this kind of analogy
seems often lost on software implementation
planners, who sometimes treat preparations with
low-level contempt – as though everyone should just
“know how to do their jobs” with the new tools
“auto-magically.”
The Conference Room Pilot (CRP) has been used for
many years by wise implementation leaders to
educate, train, plan, rehearse and otherwise make
sure that the Go-Live event and transition is
smooth. To clarify, other discussions of the CRP
often include the business process analysis and the
as-is and to-be work described in the preceding
articles. Here, we assume these tasks have been
properly completed and focus on the rehearsal
aspects. We also suggest downloading and reading
our free White Paper “The New Conference Room
Pilot.”
CRP Facility Setup
– Organizing for Success
A
Best Practice implementation project has, at its
core, a rigorously done CRP. For the team to have
the ability to complete a Best Practice CRP, it
absolutely MUST have an appropriate, dedicated work
place and facility where the work can be effectively
and efficiently completed. There, the team can
meet, work, resolve issues, and repeatedly operate a
test version of the system being implemented.
Short-changing any of these seriously degrades the
effort.
We realize that much of this discussion may seem
mundane, even tedious (“can’t we discuss something
important?”) However, you might be amazed at
how often implementation teams seriously short-cut
these guidelines, only to have serious problems
later. Here, “adequate” means:
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Assigned Administrator
– the CRP facility should be the assigned
responsibility of an appropriately qualified
person with the available time to do the
work. This may be the project
administrator, or if the project is large
enough, a separate person.
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Computer resources
– either dedicated workstations, or where
people can connect their personal laptops to
the appropriate network, data base, etc. so
that the system can be tested and exercised.
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White-board space
– preferably, the walls of the room are
covered with write-on-able surfaces, e.g.,
white boards. These are essential
communication and collaboration tools.
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Business Process Maps/Documents
– readily available and visible in the CRP
work room should be at least high-level
charts of the business process mapping and
documentation process completed earlier,
with emphasis on the “to-be” information, as
this will be repeatedly used through the
entire CRP process to guide decisions, serve
as references and to keep the team on
track. Ideally, these are literally up on
the wall of the CRP work room. In one case
these charts consumed 11 large walls.
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Food, drink
– it is helpful if the team can keep working
in the room, to make the most of the
too-short (it always seems) time available,
something enabled by water, coffee
(“business rocket fuel”), and healthful
snacks, so people can keep focused. We also
recommend bringing in meals for the same
reason. Restrooms should be nearby also.
Help everyone make the most of the work
sessions.
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Chairs
– this is not the room for the 30-minute
meeting folding chairs. Keep the seating
from becoming a distraction or a business
source for the local chiropractor.
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Room for everyone – the entire team should be able to sit down and work effectively at
the same time, not sharing a workstation.
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Scheduled times
– the work sessions for the CRP should be
regularly scheduled, ideally during times of
the day when the participants are not
regularly interrupted for operational
decisions and actions, other meetings, etc.
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Dedicated system and data base
– the team will practice, test, alter the
configuration, enter data, and other
activities during the CRP. The system used
for this should be separate from the live
system, perhaps even on its own network, to
keep response times short. We do not
generally recommend using a vendor’s remote
training or demonstration system for the CRP
– sometimes done.
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There are too many differences, data issues,
and other factors that can seriously reduce
the effectiveness, relevance and efficiency
of the CRP. If such a setup can be uniquely
configured to work like a live system for
the company, it may work well. Planners
need to make sure that all configuration
settings and data can be modified, updated,
changed, restored to a previous setting, and
other aspects needed for effective testing,
planning can be performed, regardless of
where the data base and servers are
physically located. |
Now, the implementation team can proceed to the core
work of the CRP, detailed planning of the
implementation, iterative testing and “dress
rehearsals” of the full business cycle, data
conversion design and planning, and other go-live
preparations that insure a problem-free,
no-surprises go-live event and successful transition
to the new system.
In our next PROACTION Best Practices newsletter,
we’ll cover the major steps of the CRP
Implementation planning and preparation
leading up to Go-Live Day.
We welcome your feedback and comments. Send us your
questions and we’ll answer them in a future
Newsletter. Please type in the address.
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Paul
Deis
