Putting any project into action takes a number of crucial steps. Just heading out in what you hope is the right direction causes problems. We have been Microsoft partners for some time now and understand what it takes to deliver a successful project. Let’s take a look at the essential steps to ensure your project turns from an idea to success.

Understanding The Brief – The Define Phase

At the beginning of any project, the stakeholders need to understand what is required of them – and the desired end result. And all of this starts with a meeting. We sit down with you and understand just exactly what it is you want to achieve.  At this meeting, we gather all the information required to put your ideas into practice. We will ask questions about your existing or new business so that we fully understand what we will need to do to make your ideas reality. Whether that is implementation services, upgrades, performance tuning, training and support, we start by understanding your business so we can provide the very best Microsoft Dynamics solution. One that is tailored to you.

We define our success on the deliverables (the real things that can be achieved in each step) and with the initial step, you can expect us to deliver –

• A Functional Requirements Document that outlines just what is needed
• Fit Gap Analysis Spreadsheet so we can see what is and what isn’t possible
• Business Process Maps/Workflows so we understand where the project fits into your business
• System Specification as we start to think about the practical solution
• Data Migration Requirements, as we will need these when we come to implement

Going Deeper – The Design Sub-Phase

Once we have gathered information, we get thinking on how we can implement the project. Theory is great, but the practical delivery of a working solution is the whole point of hiring us. The deliverables above are checked and broken down so we can see what we need to do technically. One of the core principles that we work to throughout the project is risk management. With software increasingly becoming the target of hackers, we ensure that we put your in the safest position possible. We identify risks and ensure that the plan takes all of these into account.

This is the point where we will present a Microsoft Dynamics solution to you. We have gone away and assessed all of the requirements, analysed the potential and checked the risks. From here you have the decision to make. Will you go ahead with our proposal? We’d like to think so! There will be a lot of technical information contained at this point of the process. It is necessary to explain exactly what it is we will conduct for you. Don’t worry though. If you have any questions at all then we are here to help you understand. Ask as many (or as few) questions as you like. Our expert team are here to help you understand the project and the results.

Putting The Meat On The Bone – The Plan Phase

This is where things start to get really exciting! The plan phase is the part of the project where we take all of the agreements and research and get down to the nitty gritty. This is where you really start to see the project take off. A major part of our project delivery is to ensure you, the end user, knows exactly what you can do with the solution. So, training becomes an essential component of the project from here on in.

The key deliverables in this part of the project are –

• Risk and Issues Register so we know where we need to offer protection
• Project Charter which will act as a working document for the whole project
• Project Plan with timelines for delivery
• User Training Requirements where we can offer you support

There will be additional deliverables if this is an Enterprise project. Rest assured that we have the experience and expertise to help you get to where you want to be with this. The project management team will liaise with your team to ensure that we move things in the right direction, and work hand in hand while doing this. Communication is a cornerstone of what we do.

If you have any projects, then speak to us at your earliest convenience. We are here to answer any questions and to make sure you get the results you desire for your Microsoft Dynamics solution. Learn about the remaining phases in the project delivery in the blog from planning to implementation.