System Implementation

Better system implementation relies on core processes to define the people, process, and technology required.

From time to time, every organization will need to implement a new system or swap software providers. No matter how flexible your company might be, system implementation always brings its own unique set of challenges. Intricately trying to weave new technology across functional groups and integrating with other systems requires an understanding of system design. When distilled into simple terms, there are seven key steps:

• Planning. Integrating new systems requires a complete and thorough plan that covers the different phases. You will need to determine how your team will receive their training on the new system, how long the implementation will take, and which resources you will need to execute.
• Process design. Once the plan has been developed and approved, the next step involves process design. Many of today’s newer systems have built in functionality that represent core business processes, so even if you don’t have to develop one from scratch, you might still need to customize according to your unique business challenges.
• Solution design. Designing a solution involves creating a roadmap of your organizational requirements and bringing together the right technology components. It includes optimizing to suit your unique business needs.
• Customization and configuration. With the method and solution design in place, the next step requires both:
  • Configuration is the process of setting up any parts of the new system that your organization will use as they are.
  • Customization comes afterward and involves making changes to parts of the system to suit your business needs.
• Integration. System integration may involve migrating data from the old or existing systems into the new ones, or creating links between new and legacy systems. It’s essential to pay special attention to the data migration phase of implementation. Ensuring that the data migrates properly and determining a synchronization schedule that works for your organization will keep things running smoothly.
• Reporting. Most of today’s systems come with built-in dashboards designed to provide your teams with at-a-glance reporting that can save you time and energy. During this step, you will need to create a reporting layout that includes your teams’ metrics and insights.
• Training and Testing. The final step in system implementation is training and testing, which fits into the same category because one ultimately depends on the other. There is no cookie-cutter solution that works for every industry and niche. The process of testing is a discipline unto itself.