Software Assurance Planning Services Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM SCOPING ASSESSMENT REPORT Scoping Assessment Report Revision and Signoff Sheet Change Record Date Author Version Change reference Reviewers Name Version approved Position Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Date i Scoping Assessment Report Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Background ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Audience ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Overall Implementation Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 1 Guiding Principles for a Successful Implementation.............................................................................................................. 2 Implementation Approach ............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Production Pilot, Then Full Implementation ....................................................................................................................... 3 Project Approach .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 High-Level Gantt Chart ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Project Effort and Cost Estimates ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Resource Plan ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Roles and Responsibilities.......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Project Organization Chart ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Critical Assumptions ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8 References ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Appendix A: Different Implementation Approaches ............................................................................................................ 10 Release Strategy........................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Deployment Model ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Appendix B: Project Role Descriptions ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Project Manager........................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Client Project Manager.............................................................................................................................................................. 14 Solution Architect ........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Development Consultant ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM ii Scoping Assessment Report Application/Technology Consultant .................................................................................................................................... 16 Business Analyst ........................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Key Users ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Change Management Lead ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 Trainer .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM iii Scoping Assessment Report Executive Summary This template assumes that you are recommending a Waterfall-Project-Type approach using the Standard, Enterprise, Upgrade, or Rapid project types. If instead you want to recommend an Agile approach (with Agile-Preparation, Agile-Execution, Deployment, and Operate phases) then we recommend that you use the alternative template that is structured for such projects. Background Client X is considering implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM (on-premise or CRM Online) as a global platform to provide a consolidated contact- and information-management system. The solution is expected to interface with a number of existing legacy systems in order to provide users with a centralized data repository and a consistent front-end user interface. Purpose The purpose of this document is to describe an implementation approach available to Client X and its associated cost. It should be read in conjunction with the “Client X Microsoft Dynamics CRM Costing Worksheet,” which provides the granular details around the effort and cost estimates for this approach. The cost and estimates presented in this document should be considered as only indicating the order of magnitude, but they should be sufficient for Client X to make a business decision about the best way to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Audience The intended audience for this document are Client X’s Business Decision Makers (BDMs) and Technical Decision Makers (TDMs) involved in selecting Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as a solution and determining the preferred implementation methodology. Overall Implementation Recommendations Based on Company X’s best practices, it is recommended that Client X begin with an overall solution analysis, design, and development, followed by a production pilot designed to validate the business and technical requirements. Upon successful completion of the production pilot, the solution would be rolled out sequentially to the remaining Client X departments. Following the implementation to the final Client X department, there would be a warranty support period provided to allow for knowledge transfer to Client X IT staff to facilitate the transfer of support for the solution in-house. This approach has a number of different aspects: By utilizing a phased approach, there is an overall reduction in project risk. It meets the desired project time frames set out by Client X. It makes use of a smaller implementation team, which is more manageable. A production pilot is used to validate business requirements and stabilize the solution design. The estimated services costs for the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM (or CRM Online) at Client X are $X, not including expenses or project contingency. Hardware or software costs are not included in this number and are to be determined separately. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 1 Scoping Assessment Report Guiding Principles for a Successful Implementation For any implementation it is essential to identify and prioritize those critical success factors that will guide how the project is defined. It is important to note that the prioritization is almost as critical as the identification because a project might not achieve all its objectives. The following is a summary of the critical success factors and guiding principles that are considered vital for the success of a CRM program within Client X: 1. Business Value and Performance Measurement. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to provide a solution capable of delivering the requisite business functionality to the end users within Client X. At each stage of the implementation, it is important to be able to measure the success of each projected improvement. 2. Minimization of Risk. Any implementation contains a number of associated risks at both a technical and a business level. The key aim is to practically minimize and actively mitigate those risks in order to have a low-risk project that can then be delivered according to plan in terms of timelines and budget. 3. Executive Involvement. One of the key characteristics of a successful implementation is early executive sponsorship and ongoing senior-management involvement throughout the transformation. Client X executives will be the key to both driving and supporting the required level of business and technical change. 4. Resources. A successful CRM implementation requires a team with a blend of a wide range of skills. The team must include individuals with strong business knowledge in all areas as well as the project and technical skills required to support the systems side of the implementation. Through the timely participation of the correct team players, supported by Best Practice, CRM can be deployed very efficiently. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2 Scoping Assessment Report Implementation Approach This section identifies an implementation approach that is based on developing a pilot system prior to a full-scale rollout. The pilot program is designed to test the software in a real-world environment, gather feedback from participants, and refine the rollout process. Typically, a small group of pilot users are trained on the software and then "pilot" the system for an agreed-upon period of time. All feedback is gathered from the pilot group and system anomalies are corrected and agreed enhancements made before the full rollout. Production Pilot, then Full Implementation As stated above, this approach involves the development of the solution and then validation through a production pilot on a limited set of users before rolling out to the balance of the Client X user base. Conceptually the steps would be as follows. 1. 2. 3. Overall Solution Design: Process Mapping Data Mapping Functional Design Technical Design Solution Build: Configuration, Customization, Unit Test Integration and Performance Testing User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Pilot the Solution and Stabilize: Implement to a specified area office to validate solution. Provide a support period with dedicated development resources to address additional business requirements and system issues. 4. Roll out to remainder of user group simultaneously. 5. Begin Post–Go-Live Warranty Support Period as specified before transitioned back to Client X IT. Project Approach Define project dates, milestones, project methodology, and project-management approach. Project Dates and Milestones The following diagram illustrates the key dates and milestones of the project. 6/18/11 Implementation options 6/22/11 validated Scoping assessment 6/14/11 delivery Implementation options and presentation 6/10/11 Services cost model 6/3/11 Scoping kick off 6/5/11 6/12/11 6/1/11 Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 6/19/11 6/22/11 3 Scoping Assessment Report Project Methodology The activities in the scoping assessment are part of the Diagnostic phase of the Sure Step methodology for Microsoft Dynamics. The Diagnostic phase is completed when both parties (customer and implementation-services provider) have reached a sufficient level of comfort to proceed with the next phases. The scoping assessment is one of the tools to reach this level of comfort. However, a FitGap Analysis, Solution Blueprint, conference room pilot, and Business Case are also components that can be part of the Diagnostic phase. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 Scoping Assessment Report High-Level Gantt Chart The following Gantt chart illustrates conceptually how a deployment at Client X would work for a pilot deployment followed by a full implementation. Client X Project Management Scoping & Analysis Global Solution Design Documentation UAT Pilot Training Pilot Deployment Post Go-Live Support Training Client Deployment Post Go-Live Support Training Client Deployment Post Go-Live Support Data Cleansing & Migration Company X Project Management Change Management Scoping & Analysis Global Solution Design Customization and Testing UAT Pilot Support & Stablization Performance Testing & Scripting X Months Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5 Scoping Assessment Report Project Effort and Cost Estimates The following chart indicates the deployment costs and effort estimate associated with the recommended implementation approach. Figure 1: Costs and Effort estimates for a Production Pilot followed by a Full Deployment Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 6 Scoping Assessment Report Resource Plan Roles and Responsibilities The following table shows the proposed allocation of project roles and responsibilities. Role Microsoft Consulting Partner Client X Estimated Number 1 Executive Sponsor Project Manager 1 Client Project Manager Key User Business Analyst Solution Architect Technology Consultant Application Consultant Comments 1 2 1 3 1 Table 1: Project Roles (Detailed Role Descriptions are covered under Appendix A) Project Organization Chart The following organization chart provides an indicative project-team structure for the implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics CRMbased solution. Figure 2: Preliminary Project Organization Chart Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 7 Scoping Assessment Report Critical Assumptions The following are the critical assumptions involved in the cost estimate associated with this deployment plan. <<Assumption 1>> << Assumption 2>> << Assumption n>> Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 8 Scoping Assessment Report References The following documents were referenced during the development of this document. <<Doc. 1>> <<Doc. 2>> <<Doc. n>> Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 9 Scoping Assessment Report Appendix A: Different Implementation Approaches The following appendix describes various release strategies that may be relevant to Client X. Release Strategy The overall release strategy consists of a spectrum with bigger, fewer releases on one end and smaller, more frequent releases on the other end. Figure 3: Release Strategy Bigger, fewer releases target the enablement of more long-term capabilities that require significant amounts of development, testing, and change-management coordination. The focus is on building sustainable business benefits, enhancing people capabilities, and facilitating fundamental business-process change. This release strategy is typically used when the change is big, complex, and profound in its implications for the organization as a whole. Smaller, more frequent releases are more targeted in their approach to driving business benefit. This release strategy prioritizes specific benefit goals and addresses those opportunities that offer the greatest value first. The intention is to develop and deliver multiple pilots, prototypes, and projects, and to enable Client X to accrue short-term benefits that can fund the next set of programs. When innovative opportunities are more compartmentalized, this approach works very well and builds momentum and a track record for success. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 10 Scoping Assessment Report Deployment Model The phasing in of innovation is another tough issue for enterprises contemplating change. We have defined four approaches for deployment: Big Bang, Function by Function, Location by Location, and Combination. Figure 4: Deployment Models Big Bang. Big Bang implementations imply the deployment of several new, innovative capabilities simultaneously across the entire business, as quickly as possible (once testing and validation are complete). The benefits lie in reducing overall execution risk by minimizing the level of integration required and by simplifying the conversion and cutover process. The drawbacks of Big Bang are that management effort is greatly increased (due to the planning requirements of this model); the development effort is not phased (so that a substantial resource load is required for execution); and the magnitude of change introduces substantial business risk. This approach works well if the scope is clearly defined with respect to outcomes, and if organizations have high executive involvement and discipline. Function by Function. Function-by-Function implementations look at discretely enabling specific capabilities that derive known, quantifiable business benefits. Often tied to a “quick-wins” release strategy, the benefits include the introduction of incremental change (enabling the change to be absorbed more easily), reduced risk (due to a more contained impact area), and the ability to gain experience quickly as the organization adapts to the change (which makes subsequent implementations easier to deploy). The drawbacks are a more complicated “shutoff” procedure (because certain business processes are eliminated while other legacy processes remain), more temporary interfaces to bridge the old with the new, and a strain on organizational bandwidth (requiring the maintenance and support of parallel systems and processes for an extended period of time). Location by Location. This model takes advantage of organizational and operational characteristics that enable a deployment that is reasonably isolated and has minimal collateral impact. Energy and resources are focused on delivering broad-based impact on a narrow space. Distractions are minimized with this model because new capabilities are implemented throughout a single Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 11 Scoping Assessment Report business unit. A major drawback is that the development effort is not phased in this model. The entire new environment must be designed, built, tested, and deployed. This approach drives longer development cycles, requires more complex and rigorous testing processes, and creates significant execution risks. In addition, dual environments will need to be maintained in this model, increasing the training and support costs for the organization. Combination. A Combination strategy is often the deployment model choice for many enterprises. These organizations mix and match the various approaches defined above into an overall solution-and-benefit case that meets their needs. The benefits themselves are determined by the options selected (for example, how many locations should receive deployment at once, which cluster of functions should be implemented first, etc.). Typically, a combination model is more costly than any of the pure approaches noted above and often results in a lengthier implementation timeline. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 12 Scoping Assessment Report Appendix B: Project Role Descriptions The following are the role descriptions for the roles described in this document and the costing worksheets. Project Manager Required Knowledge and Skills: System Implementation project-management experience. Global project experience. Ability to manage large-scale, complex engagements. Ability to locate and recruit knowledgeable resources in a short period of time. Overall Responsibilities: Redirect course of action based on changing business context. Maintain overall responsibility for project success. Provide day-to-day project management and leadership. Measure and monitor progress to ensure that high-quality project deliverables are completed on time and within budget and meet or exceed expectations. Provide process and systems advice to project team. Coordinate resources and team focus and ensure timely feedback. Manage issue identification and resolution. Lead the identification of project risks and create mitigation/resolution strategies. Manage interdependencies between Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation and other Project Initiatives. Establish a team working environment that is conducive for enabling the team to meet project requirements. At the Beginning of the Project: Establish Project Plan. Establish Project Resources. Establish Project Infrastructure. As the Project Progresses: Provide day-to-day Project Management. Manage Issue identification and resolution. Ensure all Project Deliverables are completed on-time, within budget, and within quality standards. At the End of the Project: Ensure an effective hand-over of the Microsoft Dynamic CRM System and all Project Deliverables to Client X IT Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 13 Scoping Assessment Report Client Project Manager Required Knowledge and Skills: System Implementation project-management experience. Global project experience. Ability to manage large-scale, complex engagements. Ability to locate and recruit knowledgeable resources in a short period of time. Overall Responsibilities: Organize and coordinate project logistics. Manage project stakeholders. Communicate progress to Client X internally. Participate in workshops and provide input. Redirect course of action based on changing business context. Maintain overall responsibility for project success. Provide day-to-day project management and leadership. Measure and monitor progress to ensure that high-quality project deliverables are completed on time and within budget and meet or exceed expectations. Provide process and systems advice to project team. Coordinate resources and team focus and ensure timely feedback. Manage issue identification and resolution. Lead the identification of project risks and create mitigation/resolution strategies. At the Beginning of the Project: Establish Project Plan. Establish Project Resources. Establish Project Infrastructure. As the Project Progresses: Provide day-to-day Project Management. Manage Issue identification and resolution. Ensure all Project Deliverables are completed on-time, in-budget and to Client X Quality Standards. At the End of the Project: Ensure an effective hand-over of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM System and all Project Deliverables to Client X IT. Solution Architect Required Knowledge and Skills: Package software-implementation experience. Ability to lead team of technical resources. Knowledge of Microsoft .NET integration tools and techniques. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 14 Scoping Assessment Report Overall Responsibilities: Provide thought leadership and insights across all project teams regarding current architecture and future vision. Lead design, development, and implementation of system architecture. Lead resolution of technology-architecture issues. Coordinate with other architects and team leads to determine if application designs align with other project elements, and enable the project team to meet performance goals. Identify and resolve issues that impact the integrity of designs. Coordinate efforts of Configuration and Integration Teams. Conduct quality assurance reviews of Technical Team Deliverables. Lead the resolution of centralized- or decentralized-database-architecture issues. Lead technology-infrastructure design, development, and support-related efforts. At the Beginning of the Project: Participate in Design Sessions. Oversee establishment of the Technical Infrastructure. As the Project Progresses: Coordinate Technical and Architectural issues between the various teams. Development Consultant Required Knowledge and Skills: Experience with leading the Software Delivery Life Cycle in a business environment. Previous Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 and custom-build application-integration Project-Management experience. Previous experience on complex integration projects. Full project lifecycle experience, including development, unit testing, integration testing, and implementation. Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution architecture awareness. Experience in designing a scalable solution that can easily scale as volumes increase over time. Solution and design documentation. Overall Responsibilities: Lead interface design, development, and testing effort for the back-end and User Interfaces. Work closely with project management to add value on specific design items and to verify overall design. Identify and resolve issues that impact the integrity of application designs. Conduct quality assurance reviews of team deliverables. At the Beginning of the Project: Liaise with Technical Lead and environment manager to determine version control and release-management guidelines. Provide direction and leadership in terms of integration. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 15 Scoping Assessment Report As the Project Progresses: Ensure solution architecture is being followed, and that canonical message standards are being followed by developers. Liaise with Project Management to provide updates on integration-project progress and issue management. Check dependencies across the integration project and ensure that data-dictionary specifications meet a standard that allows developers to work effectively and meet deadlines. Check that business rule logic is clearly documented and constructed to facilitate change when in operation. Ensure that adequate unit and system testing is performed to a high standard. Ensure that code freezes and version-control procedures are followed during testing phases. Determine production-release procedures and contingency-rollback plans for the user interface. At the End of the Project: Ensure solution design is documented to allow the operational team to effectively manage the integrations. Ensure that the latest release instances are checked in to the version-control system.. Application/Technology Consultant Required Knowledge and Skills: Past project experience using .NET developer tools. Java Scripting. Experience building and unit testing user interfaces in Microsoft Dynamics CRM . Microsoft Dynamics CRM Workflow. Full project lifecycle experience, including development, unit testing, integration testing, and implementation. Previous project experience designing solutions and Microsoft Dynamics CRM architecture. Solution and design documentation experience. Overall Responsibilities: Use knowledgeable .NET developer experience to ensure effective .NET development. Develop and unit test within the required timelines. Follow defined version-control procedures. Communicate instances where requirements and specifications to be followed are not clear. At the Beginning of the Project: Ensure that the .NET development tool set is ready for development. Discuss design standards with integration-team lead. As the Project Progresses: Communicate instances where requirements and specifications to be followed are not clear. Follow defined version control procedures. Design documentation both at a code-level and at a documentation level. Unit test .NET development. Liaise with .NET technical team and environment manager for release- management procedures. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 16 Scoping Assessment Report At the End of the Project: Ensure solution design is documented to allow the operational team to effectively manage the integrations. Ensure that the latest release instances are checked in to the version-control system. Business Analyst Required Knowledge and Skills: Data and Functional-Analysis Skills. Ability to analyze data feeds and to perform flat-file analysis, business-rule analysis, and data-dictionary development. Use case development. Technical documentation. Overall Responsibilities: Ensure accurate interpretations of requirements into specifications for developers. Analyze data feeds, determine source-to-target transformation and data-mapping requirements. Clarify, interpret, and articulate business rules for developers to build. Ensure a consistent approach to developing requirements across the integration points. Enable a standards-based Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) design with all transformations moving to a canonical standard. At the Beginning of the Project: Ensure that the tools and templates required are ready and available for requirements gathering, and use-case and datadictionary development. Identify source system contacts and establish working relationships to enable source-file and business-rule logic details. As the Project Progresses: Liaise with developers to ensure that requirements and specifications are easily understood and accurate. Ensure that data-dictionary-delivery timelines are met to provide developers with a ready supply of specifications to develop from. Provide awareness of specification dependencies and opportunities to reuse previous integration developments. Assist developers with Unit Testing. Assist developer with System Testing. At the End of the Project: Ensure that design documentation is updated and available to assist the operational team with operational error resolution. Key Users Required Knowledge and Skills: Client X resource. Deep knowledge of the business processes and systems associated with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM project. Knowledge of Client X systems. Ability to generate test files and access production files for integration testing and parallel runs. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 17 Scoping Assessment Report Overall Responsibilities: Ensure accurate interpretations of requirements into specifications for developers. Analyze data feeds and determine source-to-target transformation and data-mapping requirements. Clarify, interpret, and articulate business rules for developers to build. Provide example files and design documentation to project-team members. Explain how Client X systems work and how they impact business process. At the Beginning of the Project: Identify business contacts and establish working relationships for the Client X resource to provide source-file and business-rulelogic details. Ensure that example source files and existing documentation are available. As the Project Progresses: Ensure accurate interpretations of requirements for business analysts. Provide support to Business Analysts and Developers. Ensure that example source files and existing documentation are available. At the End of the Project: System environment cleanup: Ensure that any unwanted source files are deleted. Change Management Lead Required Knowledge and Skills: Senior Business Manager. Good functional understanding of the Contact Centers and Sales Management businesses. Previous project, change, and team-management experience (deployment across multiple departments and sites). Overall Responsibilities: As a member of the project-leadership team, this person will provide direction and guidance on setting the change strategy and deployment program. He or she will also manage key stakeholders and be accountable for ensuring that all change-management work is in complete alignment with the project’s overall goals and plans. Similarly, he or she will ensure that the leadership team understand supports and understands the value of the change-management strategy. Provide expert advice and day-to-day direction of all change activities, particularly stakeholder management, communication, job-impact assessment, and deployment readiness and training. Monitor the execution of change activities, including operationalizing all change activities for business streams and working closely with nominated business resources to implement at a local level. Provide program-management support, identify and manage issues, and influence change across multiple stakeholder groups. Trainer Required Knowledge and Skills (including Training Development and Delivery): Microsoft Dynamics CRM training experience. Desired: Qualified Workplace Trainer—Certificate IV. Ability to deliver training to a varied audience with different levels of computer literacy. Ability to work with employees at all levels of the organization. Advanced computer literacy and ability to grasp new concepts and processes rapidly. Ability to work with customers (functional team members and leads) to support and deliver end-user training. Software Assurance Planning Services | Implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 18 Scoping Assessment Report Experience in writing instructor guides for users and instructors and other training materials (e.g. Quick Reference Guides) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Work as a team member with content experts and other trainers. Experience with training documentation and setup of Microsoft Dynamics CRM training data in the application. Ability to interpret technical documentation (process, entity-relationship diagrams, report specifications, etc.). Ability to clearly articulate and train end users on new functions and systems and to support and encourage learners who might have difficulty in the new systems. Overall Responsibilities: The role of the Trainer(s) will be to deliver end-user training to the field. At the Beginning of the Project: Together with the Change-Management Lead, develop a training–curriculum-development plan and activities. Organize functional reviews of documentation. As the Project Progresses: Develop training materials and tools. Organize functional sign-offs with training Lead and Project team. Train other trainers (for example, site-based users) as required. Deliver training. At the End of the Project: Conduct post-implementation review for each function and site. Communicate results, improvements, and follow-up requirements. Confirm a repository for training materials. 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