Project Delivery Process D466

D466 - Users Present Model to Client Organisation in Workshop

DEFINITION

“User” members of the project team present the base model to a wider audience of management and users.  This builds commitment and understanding, and helps to reinforce the members’ understanding of both the needs and the prototype solution.

SUMMARY

The base model built up so far will contain many elements that address the client organisation’s business activities, though not yet fully tailored to the organisation’s specific needs.  Informing a wider user community about the results achieved so far will give them an impression on how business processes will be supported in future and the “look and feel” of the Software application.  This might well lower the barriers of resistance to the anticipated change in the business processes.

The user project team members can give an important contribution to further project work, by communicating the Software Application base model to the client organisation “in user language”.  At the same time as this improves the understanding of the project work and how the Software Application solution will work, it builds up links to the rest of the client organisation.

To give an impression of the planned business process support the following might be used:

• documentation developed for the client organisation’s business processes can be used, together with
• Software Application overview training material,
• the configured Software Application prototype installation, as well as
• the core testing data built up.

PATH PLANNING GUIDANCE

Optional - used where value is added by gaining wider understanding and commitment to the project’s goals.

DEPENDENCIES

Prerequisites (Finish-Start):

• Base model defined and set up  (Processes D322 through D400)

Dependent procedures (Finish-Start):

• Prototyping design processes

RECEIVABLES

• Business process documentation
• Description of Software Application global parameters, organisational structures, business processes from reference models.
• Initial model configured
• Core prototyping testing data for prototyping set up

DELIVERABLES

• Presentation of base model to client organisation

TOOLS

• Software Application overview training session
• Client business process documentation
• Software Application Analyser processes
• Configured Software Application application and core testing data
• Software Application Screen Cams

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

Inform users on cross-functional package issues

The base model has so far been defined and built by project team members with some input from selected specialists.  The processes to prototype have been defined, the basic parameters in the system have been set, the base model configured in the prototyping environment and core testing data have been built up.  The project team members have been prepared for their upcoming work - they are well aware of the aims and methodology of the project and have participated in setting up the base model.  Most other members of the client organisation, however, have not seen any implemen­tation results.  Though the final Software Application customisation has not been undertaken as yet, it can be very beneficial for the co‑operation of client personnel, if they have seen a first version of the Software Application system at an early stage in the project.

The use of an integrated package will support the information communication between different parts of the organisation.  A business process oriented design requires different units within the client organisation to work closely together. Showing in the base model how the different parts of the system fit together, where the gaps are and how the flow within the process across organisational units will be supported in the package, will enlarge the understanding for the prototyping team work.  Many questions might arise during the project as to how specific client situations should be handled using the package.  The project team will be dependent on the user community to decide on where and how these activities will be handled.  With an informed user community, the need for decisions that span client organisational units will be easier.

Different employee groups should be accustomed to the “look and feel” of the Software Application but will also need different information:

• user groups are primarily interested in which business processes are subject to change and the integration to other client organisation units,
• user management wants to be informed about performance targets and business process changes, expected responsibility changes and how these relate to the new application,
• IT department employees might be interested in the new technology applied and what changes can be expected to MIS services.

Let the user team members present the base model

The user members of the project team will know the most about day-to-day business issues and how current business practices are handled.  They also should have high credibility within the client organisation, since they have been chosen to represent the user organisation.  User team members also have been trained for the project and have taken the first steps in jointly building up the base model.  This resource should be used to talk to a wider user community, to talk “the client’s language” and discuss business issues close to the users.

Since the user team members will carry the implementation into the client organisation, this presentation will tie the team members into the project work and show up the joint implementation effort between the organisation and Consultant at an early stage of the project.  Project management will normally make a short introduction to the project aims and the time plan and hand over to the user team members to present the results achieved so far.

User groups can be dispersed over large areas. For clients with many geographical locations, the presentation by user team members can build up links between key personnel in the user organisation and the user team members.  It will also spread the effort of the implementation better across the project team.

Information for the presentation

The presentation will be directed at informing people about “the look and feel” of the system as well as its purpose.  For an overview of the Software Application, training material excerpts can be used.  This material will demonstrate the Software Application package modules, some basic information on the technical platform and an overview on the integration between components used to support the business processes.

Information about the Software Application package should be given together with information about the business processes to be supported.  These have been developed and documented in project model segment and should be used together with the package presentation.  Software Application Screen Cams can be used to give a quick introduction on how the system works in a standard configuration.

The base model in the Software Application system should be used to show what the system would look like with client specific test data.  Showing how the core test data will be handled in the system gives the client an impression on how the future solution will look.

Feedback

This process is intended primarily as a briefing and communications vehicle to develop future buy-in and commitment to the implementation.  As such, it is not an objective to collect feedback.  Nevertheless, some valuable information is likely to be gathered in this way and an effort should be made to collect and follow up any such input.  Also, the user community is much more likely to buy in if they feel their views are being sought and acted upon.