Pre-implementation analysis is the key to success in your company’s top-level operations. This method makes it possible to specify the business goals of the company. If the whole stage goes smoothly, the implementation of a particular system will become a mere formality. Learn the details by going to the rest of the article.
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Pre-implementation analysis as an integral part of implementation
Pre-implementation analysis is the most important part of system integration planning. Whether you choose to implement an electronic workflow or connect to a CRM, the whole process looks the same. Both the analysis and IT system implementation should proceed without disruption or any interruption to the company’s operations.
A key issue is the smooth cooperation between the company’s employees and the specialists who work on the software implementation strategy. Note that any introduction of changes in the subsequent stages of the work involves not only an extended lead time, but, above all, additional costs.
Pre-implementation analysis ensures that only the necessary elements defined based on the customer’s needs are implemented into the systems used in the company. There are situations when customers decide to implement systems without prior analysis. This results, for example, in the installation of modules that are incompatible with the company’s needs and business goals.
Want to ensure your project’s success from the start? Our thorough pre-implementation analysis identifies potential challenges and sets the stage for a seamless execution.
What is a pre-implementation analysis?
Pre-implementation analysis enables the customer to ensure that the new functionalities will fully meet the needs of their company. Such a solution can help with cost optimization in IT projects because the entrepreneur will pay only for the necessary modules – devoid of unnecessary functionality. Pre-implementation documentation is also an important part, which should include:
– Which processes in the company are sufficient for the standard system tool,
– Where specially dedicated solutions will be needed,
– Description of business processes and general characteristics of the company.
The pre-implementation analysis should involve the company’s management and specialists who are involved in the implementation planning of IT systems. This is a perfect combination and a recipe for successfully introducing the necessary modules – after all, no one knows a company and its goals better than the people who manage it. The consultant will objectively evaluate all proposals on the basis of available information, and then recommend the system with the most favorable specifications to ensure business models and goals alignment.
For what purpose is pre-implementation analysis used?
Pre-implementation business process analysis allows you to create a “tailor-made” project that meets all the requirements of business users from a dedicated group. When this step is missing, it usually leads to problems in creating an optimal solution that meets the company’s needs.
As a result, there may be a gap in functionality to obtain the information needed, despite the completion of all necessary data in the source systems. The software will not be tailored to the company’s overall requirements, will lack flexibility, and will not provide the necessary analysis in a timely manner.
Early on, pre-implementation analysis provides insight into end-user expectations. It allows you to define your needs so that the system, to the best of its ability, meets the objectives for which you are responsible. This gives you the opportunity to optimize and at the same time have an impact on unforeseen cost changes. Based on the analysis, it may be most beneficial for the company to discontinue the first stages of the project and start over.
The time-consuming nature of pre-implementation analysis is influenced by many factors:
– The extent to which the analysis will be carried out,
– Number of areas analyzed,
– The amount of pre-implementation documentation expected by the client and future users.
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Optimization of company processes
Want to ensure your project’s success from the start? Our thorough pre-implementation analysis identifies potential challenges and sets the stage for a seamless execution.
3 important steps on which pre-implementation analysis is based
1. Pre-implementation phase lasts an average of three months. During this period, pre-implementation documentation is prepared. It involves: detailed estimation of the cost and implementation time of the selected module. It is important that a sufficient number of reports are produced to provide users with reliable data and make it easier to choose the tools they need for project implementation success.
2. Pre-implementation testing gives users the opportunity to test their strength in data analysis, and additionally has a real impact on effective system implementation. In addition, you will tailor the module to their needs and see if it will actually work for the daily work you do.
3. Determine what the final version of the pre-implementation documentation will look like. It is worth defining one fixed document template depending on the specific expectations of the company.
Pre-implementation documentation – what should it consist of?
The analysis cannot take place without properly prepared pre-implementation documentation, which should include:
– Introduction: purpose of pre-implementation documentation, functions and product perspective, description of the company’s business,
– Business model: objects, information on company processes, class model,
– solution design: pre-implementation documentation containing the overall concept and detailed architecture of the system,
– other requirements,
– opportunity for further development.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies
While many newbies often get confused, it is necessary to know that risk assessment and risk mitigation are not the same. However, while risk management involves identifying and analyzing the threats, mitigating strategies involve taking measures to minimize those risks. Here are the best practices to assess business risks and mitigate them.
Identifying Risks— Threats in the IT industry can be both internal and external. Internal risks can range from bugs or hardware failure, and external threats can be anything from cybersecurity threats to loss of important data. You can hire IT Consulting Services to conduct the assessment and identify such potential risks. The risk identification process also helps identify vulnerabilities in the security system and employees’ skills.
Risk Analysis— Once you have identified them, analyze their potential impact and when they may occur. You can categorize them as qualitative and quantitative assessments. Qualitative assessment involves interviewing internal teams and stakeholders and reviewing the data already available. On the other hand, quantitative assessment ties the risks to potential financial impact. The latter is more effective and becoming a more effective method due to reliable accuracy. Assessing and analyzing the risks also allow you to identify mild or less threatening risks to the more threatening ones. This enables organizations to work on the next step more efficiently.
Select the Best Risk Mitigation Strategy— The next step involves coming up with a strategic plan for risk mitigation. As mentioned in the previous step, knowing potential threats and their impact level is beneficial to roadmap the best mitigation strategy. There are many risk mitigation tools to create the mitigation plan according to your business needs.
Implement Mitigation Strategy— The implementation phase is where you put your chosen strategies into action. This will help the projects run at their own pace without getting interrupted due to any kind of possible risks. Maintain a dashboard reporting system to collect real-time data for further assessment.
Continuous Monitoring and Learning— Even if the mitigation strategy decreases risks successfully, it doesn’t eliminate them entirely. That is why it is vital to monitor the mitigation strategies and watch out for any kind of changes. Updating the system from time to time also helps defend against changing and new kinds of threats. Learning from the reports and educating your team can also help with performing risk assessment and mitigate them even when they change patterns.
Want to ensure your project’s success from the start? Our thorough pre-implementation analysis identifies potential challenges and sets the stage for a seamless execution.