Almost a decade ago we did a proper analysis of the administrative processes in a government body. It went well and after 3 months we were ready to present our findings. All department managers started to question the government body processes as they found for the first time the boundaries of their responsibilities. Actually we moved back to administrative processes re-design, according to the related law. The next iteration of the quick and easy. The new information system was implemented seamlessly and it is still in use with few upgrades through the course of the years.
You are smiling... It is the government and it should be expected to be like that. The truth is that most of the businesses face the same challenges.
We spend more time in the discovery and GAP analysis phase. It pays off greatly. It is better to have an informed decision before you even start. The practice proved it is more costly to find out why it is not working later than sooner.
Our approach is to work with all the stakeholders and users. The change is not welcomed by everyone. We have got a communication plan for all the groups and engage even negative minded employees.
Discovery and GAP analysis
It starts with an analysis of the difference between customer needs and potential/desired performance. The delivered value is:
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A better understanding of the project
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App by App
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Critical level
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Identification and securing the scope/team(s)
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Brainstorm - Nice to Have vs. Must to Have features
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Budget (Mandays, Buffer, Customisations, Data Migration, Training)
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Timing (phases planning resources available)
It is free for some of the pre-defined bundles or very small projects.
IT infrastructure options
Your data should live somewhere. Nowadays you have plenty of choices
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Odoo SaaS - everything is hosted at Odoo. You only need to log in. Only Enterprise license, no 3rd party apps and no software code customisations.
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Odoo.sh - effectively hosting at Odoo of 3 environments - development, testing and production. Only Enterprise license, but you can add 3rd party apps and do software code customisations.
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Your VM(s) hosted at your premises or at any cloud. It is yours and you can do whatever you want. Both licenses - Enterprise and Community are available, including all 3rd party apps and any customisations.
Initial setup of the environment
Regardless of the infrastructure option you may pick up there are few very important pre-requisites:
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security hardening
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install of the chosen apps
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integration with the existing office network and Active Directory
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e-mail servers integration and preparation of the required account
Change management
Technology & Knowledge Transfer
Training is the most important aspect of the Odoo implementation process. It ensures there are fewer issues and more success, especially when an integrated business software system is implemented for the first time in the company or when the platform is changed from one solution vendor to another. Proper use of technology and an effective knowledge transfer, along with proper training is vital. The implementation consultant is a part of the project and would not only assist in a smooth and unhurdled operation but would also reduce the time gap between the untimely glitch and the solution.
Project management, Testing and early life support
After evaluation of the most viable options, selecting the best-suited and then training the employees, the real aspect of implementation is the project implementation itself. Project management ensures that proper implementation is imperative. The rigidity may backfire since there are a lot of time gaps between the processes of selection, evaluation and implementation. There is also a lateral improvisation which should be incorporated. Simultaneously, the core objective should not be diluted or changed. Testing is an important phase of the implementation process, which takes care of system and user acceptance testing. All the testers will require early life support.
The final touch (go live) & on-going support
Once the Odoo solution is properly-checked and implemented, it is the time to go live. It is advisable to pursue one extra additional functionality test, just as a safety precaution. An integrated business software solution is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous process. It is something that the company has to continuously keep tabs on to avoid any aberrations or systemic glitches which could affect the Odoo software functionality.
