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IS Consulting Process (IS 6005)

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ERP projects: big-bang or phased approach? Vital role of consultants: availability, courageousness and tenacity. Telephone company uses Tel no. to identify customers! ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: IS Consulting Process (IS 6005)


1
IS Consulting Process (IS 6005)
  • Masters in Business Information Systems 2006 /
    2007
  • Programme in Professional Information System
    Practices

Fergal Carton Business Information Systems
2
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

3
This week
  • Homework how to reconcile Requirements
    Specification (wish list) with ERP generic
    processes?
  • ERP Finance modules for UCC
  • Scope
  • System requirements
  • Responding to an ITT / RFP
  • Requirements definition report
  • Functional requirements by dept, process, module,
  • Consulting profession

4
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

5
Scope
  • Robson Discrepancy Map

Sammon and Adam, 2004
6
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
7
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
8
UCC Finance Phase 1
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Purchasing
Cash
Fixed Assets
Budgeting and Forecasting
Reporting
General Ledger
9
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

10
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

11
UCC Finance requirements
  • For each requirement, a rating has been provided,
    as follows
  • M Mandatory
  • I Important
  • D Desirable (nice to have)

12
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13
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14
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

15
How to manage the risk?
  • Prioritise functionality what is the 10?
  • Process for identifying incorrect As
  • Allocate Bs and Cs to mini-project leaders

16
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)

17
Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and Consultant
18
Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and Project Manager
19
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?

20
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

21
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

22
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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