IS Consulting Process IS 6005

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IS Consulting Process (IS 6005)

• Masters in Business Information Systems 2006 /
  2007
• Programme in Professional Information System
  Practices

Fergal Carton Business Information Systems
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Last week

• Consulting project examples
• ERP projects big-bang or phased approach?
• Vital role of consultants availability,
  courageousness and tenacity
• Telephone company uses Tel no. to identify
  customers!
• Catering trade 14 stock loss, use of IT for
  control
• Gap analysis example colour coded fit of ERP
  to actual processes
• PCB case studies presented (groups 2,3,5 6)
• Skills a key issue in implementation debate
  (Project Mgt, IT support, PUs, )
• Structured process overview diagram a good
  communication tool
• Top down approach, talk to managers first
  protocol and common courtesy
• Including regional users in requirements
  specification

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This week

• Homework how to reconcile Requirements
  Specification (wish list) with ERP generic
  processes?
• ERP Finance modules for UCC
• Scope
• Responding to an ITT / RFP

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Gap analysis expectation mgt

• Describe existing processes
• Document how things are currently done
• Review inputs and outputs of current process
  (screens, forms, reports)
• Outline problems with current way of doing things
  (speed, risk of error, )
• What improvements are expected from system
  (single point of data entry, faster reports, less
  manual work, )
• How to design and communicate the proposed
  solution
• Review requirements documentation answer with
• Walk-through solution
• Get sign-off from users

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Scope

• Robson Discrepancy Map

Sammon and Adam, 2004
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What is meant by scope?

• Reconciling technological necessities of the
  system with business needs
• ERP systems impose their own logic
• Balancing the way you want to work with the way
  the system will let you work
• 2 stage model for scope decisions
• Choice of modules (Purchasing, AP, )
• Configuring the system to your way of working

Davenport, 1998
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Other scope definitions

• Number of modules
• Number of functional units affected
• Number of sites
• Extent of customisation
• Number of interfaces with legacy applications

Bingi, 1999
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UCC Finance Phase 1
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Purchasing
Cash
Fixed Assets
Budgeting and Forecasting
Reporting
General Ledger
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UCC Finance - modules

• General Ledger
• Accounts Payable/Creditors ledger including Tax
  Compliance Reporting
• Accounts Receivable/Debtors ledger/Invoicing
• Procurement Management
• Purchase Order Processing
• Cash Book, Cash Receipts, Cash Forecasting
• Capital Project Accounting
• Fixed Asset Register and Management
• Research Accounting
• Budgeting and Forecasting
• Tax Compliance Reporting
• Costing
• Report Writers
• System Manager

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UCC Finance requirements

• For each requirement, a rating has been provided,
  as follows
• M Mandatory
• I Important
• D Desirable (nice to have)

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Extent of customisation

• Response to RFT included contractual response to
  Level of Fit
• A standard functionality
• inaccurate response from vendor may misrepresent
  the ability of the software to deliver a
  functionality
• B, C, E alternative functionality, workaround or
  modification
• Notion of workaround misleading not a once off
  fix
• Total time workaround time number of
  transactions
• Remember the Pareto principle 10 functionality
  will give 90 of headache

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How to manage the risk?

• Prioritise functionality what is the 10?
• Process for identifying incorrect As
• Allocate Bs and Cs to mini-project leaders

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Fact finding techniques

• Sampling of existing forms and files
• Site visits
• Observation of work environment
• Research of similar systems
• Surveys of users and management
• Interviews of users and management
• Prototyping
• Joint Requirements Planning (JRP)

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Requirements Definition Report

• Introduction
• Purpose
• Background
• Scope
• General Project Description
• System Objectives
• Requirements and constraints
• Functional requirements
• Non-functional requirements
• Conclusion
• Outstanding issues
• Appendix (eg. Questionnnaires responses)

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System requirements

• System requirements describe the needs and
  desires of an information system
• Must-have
• Nice-to-have
• Requirements can be categorised as
• Functional (an action)
• Eg. the system should process a spending request
• Non-functional (a feature or constraint)
• Eg. budgets are confidential to the department
  concerned

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Why is identifying requirements important?

• 3 different views of systems

Management interpretation
IT interpretation
User interpretation
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Criteria for defining system requirements

• Consistent not conflicting or ambiguous
• Complete all possible system inputs and repsonses
• Feasible can be met with available resources
  constraints
• Required truly needed and fulfill purpose
• Accurate stated correctly
• Traceable directly map to system functions
• Verifiable can be demonstrated during testing

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Impact if requirements are wrong?

• Cost
• Delay
• Dissatisfaction leading to mis-use or dis-use
• High maintenance / enhancement costs
• Unreliability / down-time
• Reputation of IT suffers

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Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and Consultant
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Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and Project Manager
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What do consultants do?

• Tell you what you already know?
• Guarantee project completion?
• Take ownership of issues?
• Energise an existing project team?
• Cost you a lot of money?

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What do consultants not do?

• Give the answer up front
• Give their services for free
• Make a client look bad
• Replace clients own staff
• Get involved in politics

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Information Systems

• Types of assistance
• High level strategy
• Feasibility study
• Requirements specification
• Package selection
• Understanding costs of IS operations
• Know-how that you bring to the table
• Frameworks to present and prioritise requirements
• Trading off requirements when you cant do
  everything
• Technology and business awareness best practice
• Project management skills
• Communication skills

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Consulting process

• Process of consulting
• Understand the requirement
• Why is client using a consultant?
• What is the value you can bring to project?
• Writing a proposal
• Estimating FTEs
• Project management
• Project phases and tasks
• Project resources
• Deliverables
• Profitability of contract
• Communication with client

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Topics covered

• The IS Consulting Business
• What does the IS Consultant do?
• Why do organizations engage consultants?
• Managing Client Engagements
• Making the sales pitch, writing a good proposal
• Requirements analysis and understanding the
  client goals
• Task definition and project resources
• Preparing and presenting the solution options
• Making the most of Client Relationships
• Communication and selling on
• Building long-term client relationships
• Working your client base

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Recommended text

• Rick Freedman (2000). The IT Consultant A
  Commonsense Framework for Managing the Client
  Relationship, Jossey-Bass / Pfeiffer, San
  Francisco

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Reading for 2nd Oct

• Peter Keen, BPM, Future of IT
• http//www.actiontech.com/library/Documents/Prote
  ctedDocuments/BPMFutureofIT.pdf