3.2.2. Design phase
The factors of success in this phase are related to the
clarification of structuring points. The purpose is to have a defined objects
solution.
However the failure factors are the difficulty in finding
«the right level of details» and miss some essential points.
3.2.2.1. Validate options and close open questions
As we saw during the previous phase in which we have
identified questions, also the work of the design phase will generate new
"opened points". The responses of all opened points will be mad during this
phase. This will be the role of project manager.
The decisional process will be related to:
· Operational modes and target organization. Identify
the differences or the similarities between existing organizational and change
needed to prepare new areas.
· The character of data bases and their administration.
This is typically the level of harmonization and centralization between
bases.
· Specific needs, the decisions on this point are either
accepts the cost of specific development and maintenance or to match
capabilities.
· Integration mode of the ERP, either to accept a
challenge and reduce functional scope or to agree with an important cost of
development and maintenance interfaces.
All Decisions are mainly produced by the ERP team project
which identify outstanding issues and take decisions. The project manager
should be reactive and must be able to responds to unsolved points.
After solving different questions, team project resume
decision and outstanding issues for the area studied. With this summary, they
can react immediately on such of opened points and ensuring integration between
the different areas.
This approach ensures the end of design decisions and start to
structure their solutions, which are identified, quantified and validated by
the steering bodies.
3.2.2.2. Define scope and structures
This is the main activity of ERP subproject. All
preoccupations are around the definition of an organizational structure, study
adequacy and integration between the ERP System and other applications.
For each domain / sub domain / process we will identify:
· Operating modes, which are defined by procedures
· Organizational structures; is the organization of work
(who does what) and circulation of information.
· Characteristics of repositories.
This classification will be done during workshop by the team
project.
The starting point is always running after a proposal from the
repository of the ERP. After that participants can identify differences with
their organizations.
The implementation of a functional scope guide allowed need two
aspects:
- Complexity of interfaces between the ERP System and other
information systems
- Impacts on integrate software package itself
3.2.2.3. Identify and address specific risk
It is important at this stage to identify specific functional
mode of the company. These characteristics could lead to a gap in coverage
between needs and capabilities of the ERP.
This identification is done during the study of adequacy
between desired functional modes and possibilities of the ERP System. It
focuses on a solution by seeking changes in the organization and removes
discrepancy without specific development and without compromising the original
goal.
? Avoid the specific development is the goal number one when
we chose a package solution.
These extensions should always be carefully validated, because
it reflects the choice of the company and extend existing operating capacity to
evaluate and stay in the standard options of the product.
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