Phases of A Successful Implementation: #6 Go-Live + Support
#6 Go-Live + Support
Description
During this phase of the project, putting final designed product into place. This is the time where you put all new processes into place, start using new software and help all users transition to everything NEW in their world.
Key Activities
These are the activities individuals involved in the project should be expected to do during this phase.
- Move affected areas of the organization from current state to future state
- Execute the data conversion
- Perform validations of performance, key processes, etc.
Inputs and Outputs of the Phase
Inputs will be what information will be used in this phase and the Outputs are results expected during this phase.
Input: Designed validated system and business processes
Output: Successful Operation
Resources
These are the roles that should be expected to be involved during this phase. They should always be a part of the communication plan, but will be actively involved in this phase.
Entire organization
Common Problems during this Phase
- Monitoring Key Areas – Identifying how much support you need in each area can be tricky. It is important to understand not only how many people and how many hours need support in the area, but also to understand how strong your resources are in that area. As well as, is this a critical area of the business when it comes to daily operation? This is where most projects go wrong. If this area is critical and your resources are weak, you need to staff this area with more support. If they begin to struggle right away, they will become the bottleneck and cause stress to the daily operation. If you staff support to be in place to help this weak area, they will be slow, but will not create such an impact to the organization. This go-live time will be a time that users are adjusting to their new norm. This will take more time for some, it is just how it goes. However, if you support them with resources who are comfortable, they can be there to not only expedite issues but also to ‘train-on-the-job’. On your next project, consider number of people, hours of coverage and the resource’s comfort level of their future state. You will notice a big difference in how your future state flows after you hit the green light.
- Resources Leave too Soon – This is probably one of the biggest issues you will see in a project and you won’t know it until the project is over because it happens at the end. Up to this point, additional resources have been at your facility helping you prepare to move to a new future state with better technology. This has been a heavy purse for the company to bear, so deciding when the best time to roll off resources becomes a critical task when you are nearing go-live. Typically, most projects allow for a couple of weeks of support. Usually two weeks, but sometimes four weeks if you are lucky. By the end of the first month, all resources related to the project have left. However, what most do not account for is that this is not enough time. Now, this is not an opinion, and this is why. When you think about changing processes and technology in all areas of your operating business, it is important to recognize not every scenario or process will surface during the first weeks of your implementation, when your support team is on-site. A more realistic time line is a minimum of three months. If you allow resources to leave too early, the business is left still being timid, not understanding how to handle situations, the business could begin to spiral in the wrong direction and everyone grows frustrated. This will be a big hit to their confidence and will begin to show in the moral.
This is the most stressful, exciting and rewarding time during the project. Use caution to distribute your support wisely, keep them around to build confidence and knowledge while everyone can enjoy the rewards of your hard work.
All the Best for your Project,
Stephanie
ABOUT
SL Smith & Associates became a firm in late 2014. It was a result of the owner, Stephanie Smith breaking out from working for SAP consulting firms and doing it on her own, convinced that the cookie cutter consulting the same way for every one was so frustrating and not getting the job done.
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