Creating the right team and strategy to ensure a successful system replacement is challenging. This important endeavor requires careful planning, integrated Business Analysis, and a clear project vision. There are three basic components of the process, all critical:
- Identifying and validating requirements of the business
- Thoroughly understanding existing system functionality
- Understanding how a new system will and will not meet those needs
This project is likely outside of your normal capabilities. Assembling a solid team is foundational to this process. You'll need an experienced project manager to oversee the transformation, along with SMEs, IT resources, vendor representatives, and a group of experience Business Analysts who have done this before using templates and standards to conduct complete business requirement definitions, data mapping and interface design.
The key to the success of any system replacement project is thorough Business Analysis. The BA team will be invaluable across all elements of your project vision. Their first task is to develop a solution-independent definition of the business need that creates the hub for the entire transformation.
As part of that effort, the BA team will meticulously examine the functionality of your current system, synthesize it and confirm understanding with stakeholders and users. They'll identify gaps and enhancements, assess data structures and elements, and ensure nothing is left out. Defining project scope is an important part of this step.
Remember, system replacement is not an endpoint but a starting point...
From there the team will dissect the capabilities of the proposed new system, mapping functions and data, identifying matches and gaps, and determining necessary transformations. Taken together these steps provide the foundation for effective configuration design, interface creation, and data migration.
Remember, system replacement is not an endpoint but a starting point for continuous optimization activities. Post-implementation involves managing operational changes, planning system updates, and accommodating new business requirements and compliance changes and addressing any technical debt. In many ways system evolution cycles mirror the original transformation on a smaller scale, and as such Business Analysts play an equally important role at the center of the evolution of the system.
System replacement is a demanding but rewarding effort, necessitating a dedicated, expert team. It's a major investment, but with the right team and careful planning, your business vision can be achieved.