Application Implementation Methodology (AIM)

Mohamad Abou Haouili

Application Implementation Methodology

mohamadabouhaouili mohamadabouhaouili

it.abouhaouili@gmail.com

@abouhaouili

The company

The company

ERP Implementation

*Financials*Supply chain*Human

Resources*Manufacturing*Project

Management*Sales

Numbers

*3 pilot implementations.

*9 rollouts.

*24 modules implemented.

*185 custom components.

*18 Consultants.

*3 countries.

Application Implementation Methodology (AIM)

Agenda

*What is AIM

*AIM – Structure

*AIM – Phases

*AIM – Processes

*AIM – Preview / Demo

*Q&A

What is AIM ?

*Set of principles and guidelines that can be tailored and applied to specific situations.

*Strategic approach that clearly defines an organization’s business needs at the beginning of implementation and offers validity till the completion.

*Proven Methodology used for successful implementation.

Know What Needs to be Done AIM unlocks the

mystery...• Provides a detailed

roadmap for implementation

• Leverages the experience of

thousands of successful implementations

• Encompasses all essential project steps

4th Generation of Oracle’s Application Implementation Methods

Obtain a Quick Return on Investment We need a rapid

implementation...• Tailor the approach to specific

project requirements

• Only do what needs to be done

• Effort is focused on relevant, high-value tasks resulting in – High return on investment– Quick time to benefitAIM Defines the Fastest Route to Implementation

Validate the Solution Before Implementation

Are we on target...• AIM leverages packaged-

enabled reengineering to incorporate leading practices

• AIM supports prototyping during solution design

• Quality built in from project inception

Quality Checkpoints & Acceptance Certificates

Obtain User Acceptance How do we get buy-

in...• AIM includes Adoption

and Learning tasks throughout the project lifecycle– Build acceptance from project

inception

• AIM includes guidelines for facilitating communication throughout the organization

Adoption and Learning Process

A Complete, Effective Toolkit

Pre-seeded Content and Sample Data

Deliverable Templates

Customizable Workplans

Project Management Support

Detailed Task Descriptions

On-line, Context Sensitive Documentation

All delivered in an easy-to-use, web-based interface

AIM Advantage Puts All The Pieces in Place

• A proven implementation approach

• Complete toolkit• Highly tailorable to

project-specific requirements

• Addresses your objectives– People– Processes– Technology

Support for All Aspects of the Project

*Planning

*Requirements definition

*Business process alignment and modeling

*Customization

*Interfaces and integration between systems

*Data conversion

*Organization change management

*Application and technical architecture

*Reporting

*Security and access control

History of AIM

*October 1994, Oracle launches AIM

*July 1997, AIM 2.0, a refined version of the method

*September 1999, Oracle introduced AIM Advantage 3.0

*2007, Oracle has launched AIM's 3.1 version

*AIM will be part of OUM ( Oracle Unified Method)

Oracle AIM - StructureA task is a unit of work, which results in a single deliverable. I. e reports, schedules, code, or test results for example.

A process is a closely related group of dependent tasks which meets a major objective. A process is usually based on a common discipline.

A phase is a chronological grouping of tasks. It enables a flexible way to organize tasks, schedule major deliverables, and deliver projects.

Definition

Definition*Obtain a clear understanding of the

business processes

*Plan the project

*Review the organization's business objectives

*Evaluate the feasibility of meeting those objectives under time, resource, and budget constraints

*Emphasis is on building an achievable work plan and introducing it with guidelines.

*Strategies, objectives, and approaches are determined for each AIM process

Definition- Deliverables

*High-Level Process Designs

*Current Business Baseline

*Preliminary Conceptual Architecture

*Project Readiness Roadmap

*Communication Campaign

Definition- Critical Success Factors

*Sponsorship of senior management that is clear and visible to the project stakeholders

*Clear definition of the business objectives

*Active participation by key management and business users

*Access to information related to the existing business processes and systems

Definition- Risk Management

Risk Mitigation

Business strategy or businessProcess objectives are not sufficiently well understood.

Confirm the organization’s business strategy. If necessary, run workshops to document and analyzethe organization’s business processes.

Unclear expectations. Define clear objectives and performance measures, and attach a timeline for realization of benefits. Communicate regularly to manage expectations.

Operations Analysis

Operations Analysis*Develops Business Requirements Scenarios

*Assess the level of fit between the business requirements and application functionality.

*Gaps are identified and corresponding solutions developed

*Provide a proposal for :

*Future business processes

*Technical architecture model

*Application architecture model

*Workarounds for application gaps

*Performance testing models

*Transition strategy to migrate to the new system

*Solutions for gaps evolve into detailed designs during Solution Design

Operations Analysis – Deliverables*Future Process Model

*Business Requirements Scenarios

*Mapped Business Requirements

*Mapped Business Data

*Confirmed Business Solutions

*Conceptual Architecture

*Application Extension Definition and Estimates

Operations Analysis - Critical Success Factors*Active participation by team

management

*Clear definition of the business objectives to be addressed by the project

*Access to information related to the existing business processes and systems affected by the project

Operations Analysis – RisksRisk Mitigation

Insufficient considerationgiven to resolving gaps with alternative approaches.

Consider alternatives that do not require custom code development, such as altering business processes to matchsystem functionality, workarounds, cost/benefit analysis for all alternatives.

Limited access to information about business areas and their processes

Conduct frequent checkpoints that include a management review to verify that teams are not being blocked fromgathering information.

Solution Design

Solution Design*Develop the detailed designs to meet the

future business requirements.

*Document the design specifications properly.

*Define proposed application setups and test plans.

*Design the security architecture of the new system.

*Develop functional and technical designs for custom components.

*Develop unit, link, system, and system integration test scripts.

*Analyze user learning needs and develop the User Learning Plan

Solution Design – Deliverables

*Application Setup Documents

*Approved Designs

*Conversion Data Mapping

*System Test Script

*Systems Integration Test Script

*User Learning Plan

Solution Design - Critical Success Factors*Clearly documented application setups.

*Designs that are traceable to business requirements.

*Designs that remain within scopes.

*Allocation of sufficient time resources.

*Well-managed change control system.

*Good framework for transition and contingency planning.

Build

Build

*Develop, test, and accept standard and custom software.

*Develop and accept all documentation deliverables including:

*User Reference Manual

*User Guide

*Technical Reference Manual

*System Management Guide

*Create, test, and accept database extension and installation routines.

Build – Deliverables*Application and Database Server

Architecture

*Platform and Network Architecture

*User Guide

*Link-Tested Modules

*System-Tested Applications

*Integration-Tested System

*Performance Test Report

*Transition and Contingency

*Plan

Build - Critical Success Factors*Accurate and complete design

documentation

*Clear design and testing of platform, network, and other technical considerations

*Appropriate involvement of hardware vendors in the configuration of the hardware environment.

*Adequate testing

*Effective participation by executive and user management

Transition

Transition

*Convert and verify legacy data

*Perform acceptance testing.

*Prepare the production environment and configure the applications.

*Project team delivers the finished solution to the enterprise

*End-user training and support

*Begin to use the Production System

Transition – Deliverables

*Converted and Verified Data

*Acceptance Test Results

*Skilled Users

*Production System

*Production Support Infrastructure

Transition - Critical Success Factors*Effective participation by business

management.

*Sufficient technical and application architecture.

*Successful performance of acceptance testing

*Successful completion of the production readiness plan.

*Active listening and timely response to all concerns.

*Evidence that all employees understand their new performance objectives and expectations.

*Committed user involvement and ownership.

Transition – Risks

Risk Mitigation

Changes made to application setups in the testing environmentnot documented in the production.

Establish a procedure for migrating changes to application setups into the production environment.

Users who are unprepared to usethe production system.

Provides incentives for system skill mastery,and prevents system use by people who have not demonstrated the proper level of qualification.

Production

Production

*Provide agreed upon levels of user support.

*Measure system performance and enhance as required.

*Retire the former systems.

*Propose and plan the future business and technical direction.

*Improve organizational knowledge and skills for the new environment.

*Devote attention to post-implementation issues like user acceptance, productivity, and human performance support

Production - Critical Success Factors

*Effective use of change control tools and procedures.

*Adequate staff and expertise.

*Effective participation by business management and users.

*Effective technical and application architecture.

*Effective post-implementation environment to facilitate productivity.

Oracle AIM – Processes*A process in AIM represents a related set of objectives, resource skill requirements, inputs, and deliverable outputs.

*A task can belong to only one process.

*Project team members are usually assigned to a process according to their specialization and background.

*12 Processes as referred in AIM

Oracle AIM – Processes*Project Management ( PJM)

*Project Management itself is a comprehensive process and has separate way to handle it, i.e. PMBOK , Oracle PJM etc

*PJM Processes.

*Project Management life-cycle categories.

CR: Control & Reporting , WM: Work Management, RM: Resource Management

QM: Quality Management, CM: Configuration Management

Task ID

PJM Structure

PJM Processes*Controlling and reporting:

- Determine the scope and approach of the project.

- Manage change.

- Control risks.

- Control the Project Management Plan.

- Report progress status.

*Work Management* Define, monitor, and direct all work performed on the project.

* Maintain a financial view of the project.

*Resource Management

*Quality Management* Implement quality measures

* Project meets the organization’s purpose and expectations

*Configuration Management* Store, organize, track, and control all items delivered to the project

Project Management Life-cycle categories

Planning

Project Management Life-cycle categories

Control

Project Management Life-cycle categories

Completion

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness Process

Architecture

Business Process Architecture

*Task Code/ID : BP

* Identify the core processes of the organization.

*Produce a vision and high-level designs of how processes would operate after implementation of the application.

*Make business focused decisions either to change the current processes to suit the application

or to customize the application.

Commonly used templates

Oracle AIM – Processes

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness Requirements

Definition

Oracle AIM – Processes

Business Requirements Definition

* Task Code/ ID: RD

*Defines the business needs that must be met by the implementation project.

*Develop a complete set of business requirements scenarios that can be used to map business requirements to application functionality.

* Analyze and identify the reporting requirements for the business

* Carefully document audit and control requirements to satisfy financial and quality policies.

Commonly used templates

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness Requirements

Mapping

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness Requirements Mapping

*Task Code/ ID: BR

*Establish application fit to business requirements.

*Identify gaps and propose initial alternatives; propose feasible bridges to gaps

*Define detailed setup parameters. Commonly used

templates

Oracle AIM – ProcessesApplication & Technical

Architecture

Oracle AIM – ProcessesApplication & Technical Architecture*Task Code/ ID: TA

* Design an information systems architecture to realize the business vision.

* This process divide into two areas:- 1. Application Architecture, 2. Technical Architecture

* The process develops a blueprint for deploying and configuring:

* Oracle, third-party, and custom applications

* Supporting application server environments

* Critical interfaces and data distribution mechanisms between applications, servers, and sites

* Computing hardware, including servers and client desktop platforms

* Networks and communications infrastructure

Oracle AIM – ProcessesModule Design & Build

Oracle AIM – ProcessesModule Design & Build

* Task Code/ ID: MD

* Focus on the design and development of customizations to satisfy functionality gaps identified during Business Requirements Mapping (BR).

*Modification — changes to the base Oracle Applications code

* Extension — new forms, reports, programs, tables, interfaces and triggers that add functionality without changing the base application code

* Configurable Extension — addition of functionality through flex fields, alerts, and other configuration options provided by the Applications

Commonly used templates

Continue to Next Slide

Oracle AIM – ProcessesModule Design & Build

TE020 & TE030 Technical Analyst prepare unit test script and Link Test Script for each

module

MD050 & MD070 –Functional & Technical Design. One customization may include

multiple modules

MD020- Analysis and select best approach. Effort Estimation. Review & Approval.

BR030- Mapping- Business Requirement Mapping for GAPS identified.

RD050 – Identify Requirements and GAPS

TE070 & TE080 Testers perform a unit test and link test

MD110 –Code- Developer create Module source Code i.e. procedure, form, alerts etc

Oracle AIM – ProcessesData Conversion

Oracle AIM – ProcessesData Conversion

*Task Code/ ID: CV

*Convert and test all necessary legacy data for the operation of the new system.

*Conversion Approaches

* Manual Conversions

* Programmatic Conversion with or w/o tools

Oracle AIM – ProcessesDocumentation

Oracle AIM – ProcessesDocumentation

*Task Code/ ID: DO

*Reference that shows the users how to use application functionality.

*Set of procedures for using the application in response to day-to-day business events.

*Documents that describe the technical details of the application for the maintenance staff.

*Produce a set of procedures for managing the system.Continue to Next

Slide

Oracle AIM – Processes

Documentation

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness System Testing

Oracle AIM – ProcessesBusiness System Testing

* Task Code/ ID: TE

* Three main aspects of Business Testing – Planning, Early Introduction of Testing & CRP.

* Business System Testing does not address performance testing or the testing of data conversion programs.

Oracle AIM – ProcessesPerformance Testing

Oracle AIM – ProcessesPerformance Testing* Task Code/ ID: PT

* Enables you to define, build, and execute a performance test.

* To make decisions if performance is acceptable for the business

* Propose tactical or strategic changes to address the performance quality shortfall.

* Automated V/s Manual

* Types of Performance Testing

* System Performance

* Module/ Code Performance

* Hardware and Networks

Oracle AIM – ProcessesAdoption & Learning

Oracle AIM – ProcessesAdoption & Learning

*Task Code/ ID: AP

*Focuses on the use and acceptance of new applications by all users and the optimization of organizational performance.

*Adoption and Learning impacts the following five major audiences:

* Executives

* Implementation project teams

* Functional managers

* Users

* Information technology groups

Oracle AIM – ProcessesProduction Migration

Oracle AIM – ProcessesProduction Migration*Task Code/ ID: PM

*To migrate the organization, systems, & people to the new enterprise system.

*Assessing readiness for transition to production.

*Executing cutover to the new system.

* conducting post-production support

Oracle AIM – ProcessesProduction Migration objectives:

*Prepare the production environment according to the transition plan.

*Move to the production environment.

*Establish support for the production environment.

*Measure actual performance against expectations and plans.

*Refine and tune the system to reflect business process change.

*Determine future direction for business and technology opportunities.