For the following months, we focused on how IS/IT is very important to the operations of a company. This time, we are going to point out the barriers and challenges in IS/IT Implementation. With the same company we visited for the first assignment, I would like to share about the case at EMCOR.
EMCOR, like any other companies used a computer-based information system which means that information during any transactions that will take place and data records of the company is stored in a specific application software in a computer system and being used when automates some of the information-processing activities of the company. This is where Information System has taken its place to make their work easier, accurate and faster than its traditional way of keeping records. While Information Technology serves as a help of their company in terms of general ledger to financial report because it is well structured and properly documented. Internal reporting was made manually and only periodically, as a by-product of the accounting system and with some additional statistics, and gave limited and delayed information on management performance long before the spark of new technology.
When we say barriers, most probably it is any condition that makes it difficult to achieve a certain objective or to make any progress in a certain goal.
Say for example a case such having a perspective to implement successfully. In a situation such like, there are critical perspectives that must be managed properly. And these perspectives must be addressed in parallel to ensure that all aspects are dealt with and that the project is completed in time. See the following:
1. Project Management
- on time and within budget
2. Process Management
- ensure that business system supports the customer’s business processes
3. Solution Management
- Designing and configuring the right solution to support customer processes
4. Data Management
- Optimal management of data in the new system and migration of data from the old system.
5. Technology Management
- Configuring and installing the right technical platform and environment.
These are some of the critical areas to be considered and be managed properly to achieve its goal to implement successfully. Now, let’s try to consider some phases in implementing a project/system. According to what I have surf through the internet, the following are the three distinct phases in a typical project implementation:
Implementation Study
In the Implementation Study, we specify the solution and focus on what has to be done. Match the best-practice business processes with customer-critical business processes.
Project Management
- Scope & formation
- Planning
- Organization
- Staffing
- Site readiness assessment
- Appoint steering committee
- Documentation
- Audits & reviews
Process Management
- Definition of business-critical processes
- Core team training
- Solution Management
- Variance analysis (modifications, integrations, etc.)
- Package planning
Data Management
- Data migration strategy
- Data identification
Technology Management
- Implementation environment definition
- Infrastructure and system architecture
- Definition & strategy
- Training environment installation
Implementation
During implementation, there should be configuration and adapting the system that was specified during the Implementation Study. The business processes and the solution are validated, and the technical infrastructure is installed and configured. And if necessary, develop customizations such as integrations with other systems.
Project Management
- Goals and delimitations
- Planning
- Organization
- Staffing
- Implementation kickoff
- Steering committee
- Documentation
- Audits & reviews
Process Management
- Work routine development
- Process model validation
- Core team training
- Preparation of end-user training
Solution Management
- Package development and delivery
- Training material
- Core team training
- Application solution validation
Data Management
- Data collection
- Data cleansing
- Data migration module configuration
- Data migration (trial)
- Data validation
Technology Management
- Implementation environment installations
- Infrastructure and system architecture implementation
- Technical training
Go Live
The new enterprise system is now put into operation. End-user training is completed, data from the old system are migrated to the new, and users start working according to work routines that have been developed. The entire customer solution is validated in an extensive test by end-users using full-scale production data in order to confirm that the system meets the targets that were set when the project started. Together with the customer, it should be confirmed that customer expectations are fulfilled. If the customer has facilities at different sites, go live first at the pilot site, and, after evaluation, at the other sites, according to the site rollout plan.
Project Management
- Goals and delimitations
- Planning
- Organization
- Staffing
- Steering committee
- Documentation
- Audits & reviews
Process Management
- Work routine validation
- End-user training
Solution Management
- End-user training
- Customer solution validation
- Customer support routines fully operational
Data Management
- Data migration (full-scale)
- Data validation
Technology Management
- Implementation environment validation & fine-tuning
- Infrastructure and system architecture validation & fine-tuning
- Technical training
Now, we had ideas on how to obtain our goal which is to implement a successful project. But of course, it is not easy to be done without an expected barriers and hindrances. Let’s go back to the adopted company.
As a recap during our interview with the interviewee, last July 2009 we tackled little about IT/IS Implementation. See for instance, the interviewee said that during a time that EMCOR is planning to change their system into a centralized connection where each branches can access the transactions happened any time in every other stores. One of the benefits in the system would be; the customer from one place could pay his accounts through the nearest EMCOR store. But the said changes happened to meet some challenges and barriers that they would have to consider in implementing the new system. The following are to be evaluated:
Project management
- Planning
- Audits & reviews (Cost)
- Implementation kickoff
Process Management
- Variance analysis
- Process model validation
- Preparation of end-user training
Solution Management
- Application solution validation
- End-user training
- Customer solution validation
- Customer support routines fully operational
Data Management
- Data validation
- Data migration (full-scale)
- Data identification
Technology Management
- Training environment installation
- Technical training
And they find the following as the barriers in their IT/IS implementation:
- Data loss and errors
- Possible discrepancies
- Employees to be trained
- Time preparations
- Time consumption
- Establishing accuracy after the implementation
- User’s usage and acceptance
Also, if it happens that the consumer/users don’t like the usage of the new system, it might be a wrong option to shift into a new system.
Source: http://www.ifsworld.com/uk/services/implementation/default.asp
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