W Scott Erwin, Sr', CGFM, CRA

1
Dos and Donts of System Implementation

• Session 23
• W Scott Erwin, Sr., CGFM, CRA
• Director OSP, Texas State University San
  Marcos
• Dianne Bozler
• President, ERA Software Systems

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Agenda
Discuss Overall Process
From an Institutional Prospective
From a Partner Prospective
Discuss Ongoing Issues
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Phase 1
Define Goal What are we trying to
accomplish? Define Need What requirement are we
addressing? Are goals and needs REALISTIC?
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Before You Begin
Understand
Your Customers
Your Administration
Implementation Affects
YOU
Your Partner
Other Stakeholders
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Process
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

• Testing
• Roll-out
• Training

• Design
• Develop
• Configure
• Implement

• Define Objective
• SWOT
• Environmental Scan
• What does success mean
• Begin with end in mind

Set deadlines for every phase of the project
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Phase 1

• Reviewing your GOAL
• Who is affected?
• How are they affected?
• What are time requirements?
• What does success mean?

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Define your needs
Standards
For
Your
System
Your Culture
Your Needs
Your Desires
Your Limitations
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Setting the Standards
System Standards
Administration
Customer
Staff
Policy
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Define your needs
Standards
For
Your
System
Separate
Must-Have
From
Nice to Have
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Understand
You will not get everything you want in the form
and format you want it in.
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Phase 1

• Reviewing your GOAL
• Understand and account for your local culture
• What additional duties will be absorbed?
• New staff requirements?
• Other support requirements?

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Phase 1

• Reviewing your GOAL
• Policy Changes?
• Need implementation consultants?
• Other needs? (Computers, etc.)
• Understand the 95 to 5 rule

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Request for Proposal
Work with your purchasing office
Define Standards
Set specific deadlines and stick to them
Show N-Tell
Utilize cross-sectional team evaluators
Set standard evaluation criteria
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Define your needs
Evaluation
Dos
And
Donts
Do Set and agree to evaluation criteria and
weights with your evaluation team
Dont Artificially limit your responses with RFP
criteria and response requirements
Dont Make it a money only decision
Do Involve representatives from all stakeholders
Evaluators should know that their input is
important, however they are not making the
decision, they are only making a recommendation.
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Evaluation Table
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Phase 2
You have selected a partner Now What?
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Phase 2
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Phase 2

• Build your team
• Your staff
• Your partners staff
• The staffs need to be able to talk to each other
  directly.
• The good about this
• The bad about this

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Partners Implementation Team

• Project ManagerPartners project manager is
  permanently assigned to customer site and serves
  as the primary contact.
• Co-Project ManagerPartners co-project manager
  is permanently assigned to customer site and
  serves as the secondary or back-up contact who
  assists the Project Manager for GAMS
  implementations.
• Technical Support Team
• Customer Support Team

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Customer Implementation Team

• Project Manager
• IT Support
• Office of Sponsored Research Support
• Administrative Advocates
• On-site Trainers
• On-site Support

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Partners Role in Implementation

• Develop a project charter, business process
  analysis, and detailed implementation plan
• Define each participants role and responsibility
• Host weekly meetings (more as needed or requested
  by the site)prepare formal agenda and write-up
  to dos after the meeting

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Partners Role in Implementation

• Enforce project plan to ensure timely execution
  of all implementation tasks by ERA Software and
  coordinate with the site project manager for
  timely completion of site tasks
• Establish a formal communication channel to
  document all questions, concerns, suggestions for
  enhancements
• Provide on-site training (e.g., train the
  trainer) including syllabi and documentation
  that the site can use for its training sessions

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Customers Role in Implementation

• Assign an implementation team that can focus
  exclusively on implementing the new software
• Commit to implementing each software module
  within the agreed upon number of days
• Participate in the weekly implementation meetings
• Meet task deliverable deadlines

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Customers Role in Implementation

• Communicate with your sites management and keep
  them apprised of your progress
• Engage upper management to support your
  implementation efforts
• Communicate with the partners project teamask
  questions, request clarifications, suggest
  enhancements. Partner should assign a project
  team that belongs to you. Work with them to
  achieve your goals.

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• DEADLINES

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Implementation Phases

• Phase I
• Project Plans
• Process Analysis
• Phase II
• Software Installation
• Interface Definition
• Phase III
• Load Legacy (if desired) Data
• Phase IV
• Training
• Change Management and Preparation for Roll-Out
• Go-Live

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Key Success Factors

• Dedicated Resources
• Advocates from Management
• Communication Strategy
• Internal Project Plan
• IT Support and Involvement
• Trained Local Experts
• Using the software off the shelf before
  requesting customizations

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Challenges/Opportunities

• Challenges of installing and implementing new
  software systemsmore hardware, more stress on IT
  staff, training, CHANGES
• Challenge for pre- and post award administrators
  to populate profilesmeans finding data thats
  likely to be unorganized and spread all over the
  institution in shadow databases, CHANGES

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Challenges/Opportunities

• Challenge of building software interfaces to
  existing enterprise systemsHR,
  Financialsnegotiating CHANGES
• Consider redefining challenges as opportunities

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Challenges/Opportunities

• Opportunity of installing and implementing new
  software systems can mean a chance to re-examine
  current processes and procedures
• Why do we do it this way? Because we always
  have???

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Test your system

• Develop a testing plan with your partner
• Design real life tests
• Define successful results
• Utilize cross sectional testers
• Set timeline for testing completion
• Know what your Go-No Go decision points are.
• Understand that you cant test for every
  possibility.

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Phase 3

• Go Live
• Can be phased
• Can be all at once
• Training Plan
• Spend time developing plan
• Be realistic
• Be flexible
• Develop materials
• Customize to your culture
• Adapt and update as time goes on

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Guess What
Despite good planning and perfect execution,
Things can and will go wrong
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Key

• The key when things go wrong, is how you and your
  team respond
• Dont play the blame game
• Notify interested parties that there is a problem
  and you are working a resolution
• How you respond is pivotal in how the
  implementation will be viewed and accepted across
  campus (for years to come).

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Thank You Please complete your evaluations If
you have any additional questions, please contact
us.
W Scott Erwin, Sr., CGFM, CRA Director OSP,
Texas State University San Marcos we10_at_txstate.e
du Dianne Bozler President, ERA Software
Systems dbozler_at_erasoftwaresystems.com