Diagram Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology Designed to enable you to better serve your customers by helping reduce their Microsoft Dynamics total cost of ownership, the Sure Step Methodology can be used for projects encompassing large, medium, and small end-to-end engagements. The methodology provides different project types to suit your implementation engagement, as well as optional offerings to assist you during Diagnostic and Optimization. Flowchart diagrams within the Sure Step Methodology point you to tools and templates that can be used at different phases, while the content provides detailed guidance on roles required to perform activities and proven best practices. The content tools, templates and best practices of the methodology can help you increase the consistency, timeframes, quality and success of your implementations. Sure Step Methodology has six phases: Diagnostic, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and Operation. Diagnostic is a preimplementation phase that helps the customer with their due-diligence process for the selection of the right solution to meet their needs. The Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and Operation phases represent the five phases of an implementation project, with the Operation phase also encompassing post-implementation activities, in that it extends the project lifecycle beyond the implementation and into the Support stage. By stepping through the phases, you can navigate to the activities that make up an Implementation, Upgrade, Diagnostic Decision Accelerator, or Optimization project. You will see workflow diagrams with links so you can continue to navigate through the implementation methodology, activity by activity. Sure Step Methodology is presented in multiple languages, including English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish, to view the content in your preferred language. Depending on the language option you select, you may receive only the customer-facing templates translated in your language, or you may get additional content including guidance pages. Sure Step provides you multiple options to view the content. Filter by Solution: With the introduction of Industry and Cross-Industry content in Sure Step, this filter allows you to select General product guidance, or guidance for a specific Industry or Horizontal solution. Filter by Product: Sure Step provides content specific to the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM solution suite. This filter allows you to select the appropriate product group: Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, or Microsoft Dynamics SL. Filter by Project Type: Sure Step provides different options for your engagements this filter allows you to select the project type that best fits the needs of your implementation. The content in the Sure Step Methodology is broken up into seven key areas noted below. Diagnostic Phase Decision Accelerator Offerings The Diagnostic phase of the Sure Step Methodology occurs during the sales and due diligence stage of the engagement lifecycle. For this phase, the Sure Step Methodology provides seven top-level Decision Accelerator offerings to assist the customer in their decision-making
process for an ERP or CRM solution. Click on each of the Decision Accelerator offerings to understand the scope of each of these offerings, and any related lower-level offerings, and the value they can provide to the customer. This phase also includes activities for Proposal Generation, Finalization of Agreements, and Project Mobilization, and sets the stage for a successful implementation. Implementation Phases Project Types The Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment and Operation phases represent the five implementation phases of the Sure Step Methodology. Activities are defined in each of these phases, with activities varying depending on the type of project. The Sure Step Methodology offers the following project types: The Standard project type is a lean approach for implementing Microsoft Dynamics solutions at a single site. The Rapid project type depicts an accelerated approach for implementing Microsoft Dynamics solutions with minimal or no customizations. The Enterprise project type represents a standardized approach for implementing Microsoft Dynamics solutions in complex single-site deployments, or in global/multi-site organization wherein country/site specific unique business needs have to be factored on top of a core solution. The Agile project type represents a flexible and collaborative approach to implementing Microsoft Dynamics Solutions at a single site requiring specific features and moderate-to-complex customizations. While the Standard, Rapid, Enterprise and Upgrade project types are waterfall-based, the Agile project type uses the Sprint cycle approach to solution deployment. The Upgrade project type describes the approach for bringing an existing Microsoft Dynamics solution to a subsequent release of that solution. This approach starts with a Technical Upgrade to address moving existing functionality to the subsequent release. Any new functionality desired is then deployed using the above project types, Rapid, Standard, Agile or Enterprise. Cross Phase Processes Project Types A cross phase process is a group of related activities that span multiple implementation phases in a specific project scenario. When viewing activities by cross phase, dependencies are highlighted within the cross phase, as well as the interdependencies with the other cross phases. It is important to consider this relationship when performing individual activities. Understanding the relationship between the activities in a cross phase view helps clarify the purpose of the individual activities and provides each Project Team Member a clear understanding of their role, responsibilities, requirements, and how they impact other team members. Sure Step Methodology has nine cross phase processes, which have been further grouped into three areas. The Organization cross phase processes include Program Management, Training, and Business Process Analysis; the Solution cross phase processes include Requirements and Configuration, Custom Coding, and Quality and Testing; and the Technology cross phase processes include Infrastructure, Integration and Interfaces, and Data Migration. Click on each project type to see the relevant cross phase processes and their corresponding activities. Optimization Offerings The Sure Step Methodology provides pro-active and post go-live Optimization offerings that can be used to perform a thorough independent review of an implementation. The Optimization offerings roadmap includes Architecture Review, Design Review, Customization Review, Performance Review, Project Governance and Delivery Review, Health Check, and Upgrade Review umbrella offerings, each of which may include multiple individual offerings. Click on each of the optimization offerings to understand the scope of each of these offerings, and the value they can provide to the implementation. One or more of the Optimization Offerings could be employed on a given engagement. Project Management Library The Project Management Library section provides detailed information about typical activities initiated and conducted in Project Management. Project Management disciplines include: risk, scope, issue, time and cost, resource, communication, quality, procurement, and sales management. The process view for Project Management differentiates between initiation and planning, execution and monitoring and closing of projects. The project management disciplines and processes overlay the implementation phase activities and the guidance and templates from these disciplines is also referenced by the Program Management Cross Phase Process Activities. The Project Management Library section also includes detailed information on the Organizational Change Management discipline, in areas including integrated communications, training, sponsorship and organizational alignment. Roles The Roles section of the implementation methodology allows you to quickly find information about the specific consulting and customer roles involved in an implementation project. Click on a specific role to find detailed information on the knowledge and expertise needed for that role. Additional Resources Additional Resources provides you with important perspectives, such as the Information Flow Key Documents view, Project Type Selection guidance, and the Environmental Sustainability guidance. This section also gives you a quick and easy way to find all the deliverables and templates that are included in the Sure Step Methodology, and are used throughout the implementation project lifecycle. This section also includes a glossary of terms so you can understand the terminology used throughout this implementation methodology and relate those terms to the ones you commonly use within your organization. Legal Notice The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft on the issues discussed as of the date of publication and is subject to change at any time without notice to you. This document and its contents are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind, and should not be interpreted as an offer or commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented. Microsoft MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. All trademarks are the property of their respective companies. 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Diagnostic Phase To gather enough information to define the high-level project charter and make a confident proposal for the implementation phases. The Diagnostic phase starts during the sales process and ends with an accepted proposal and statement of work (SOW) for the next part of the implementation project. The major deliverable for this phase is the SOW and the Budgetary Estimate Proposal. Deliverables/Milestones Deliverables High-Level Project Charter High-Level Project Plan Statement of Work Budgetary Estimate Proposal [Optional] Decision Accelerator Deliverables, including Customer Reports Milestones Customer accepts the SOW and the Budgetary Estimate Proposal, including the high-level project charter and high-level project plan. The Diagnostic phase contains seven optional offerings, called Decision Accelerators, which aim to assist the Customer with their decision making process for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or Customer relationship management (CRM) solution. The phase starts with some important preparation activities that are three focused on bringing together the team that will be working on Diagnostic activities. After the team is in place and briefed, the Account team can deploy one or more of the Decision Accelerators as required for assisting the Customer. The seven Sure Step Decision Accelerators included in the Diagnostic phase are as follows: Requirements and Process Review: Review current processes to determine the requirements for the future state Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint: Determine degree of fit with Microsoft Dynamics Proof of Concept: Validate requirements with Customer s sample data Business Systems Architecture Assessment: Confirm the architectural design for Microsoft Dynamics Scoping Assessment: Estimate high-level cost and resource plan to deploy the Microsoft Dynamics Business Case: Prepare a business case for implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics Upgrade Assessment: Review current release of the Microsoft Dynamics to ascertain the best approach to upgrade to a subsequent release Each of these offerings provides the Customer with the corresponding deliverable document, such as high level Functional Requirements or Fit Gap Analysis spreadsheet. When the analysis of business processes is complete, the next set of activities relates to project planning defining the resources, time, and budget that will be required for the implementation. The requirements, scope, and project plan are also evaluated to determine the best project type to use for the implementation Standard, Enterprise, Rapid, or Upgrade. Following this, the high-level project charter and high-level project plan are created, and the Statement of Work (SOW) and Budgetary Estimate Proposal are finalized. The final step of the Diagnostic phase is the internal planning and readiness of the implementation team. In this activity, the Account team transfers the knowledge gained during the sales and pre-sales process to the Implementation team. Sure Step and the Microsoft Solution Sales Program (MSSP) The Opportunity Management (OM) process, which is part of the MSSP, is about engaging the Customer to discover and diagnose business pain, and deliver real business value through Microsoft and Partner solutions. It is comprised of sales stages to ensure team members, including the Account Manager, Specialists, Services, and Partners orchestrate effectively and align with the Customer. Sure Step can be used as an integral part of the Microsoft Solution Selling Process (MSSP) to help you close Microsoft Dynamics solution deals faster. The Diagnostic phase within Sure Step occurs pre-implementation and aligns with the phases of Prospect through Close in the MSSP. Properly diagnosing a Customer s particular business situation and/or pain points, help define the implementation approach by identifying high-level business requirements and proposing the overall solution. With a clear understanding of business processes stated from the start, a more accurate project approach, including cost estimates, can be developed, and may help you close the deal. Those estimates will be re-used after a successful deal closure as the basis for detailed analysis to help save project time and ensure delivery quality. An opportunity for selling a business solution exists. If available a list of the business processes or pain areas are available (for example, if they are noted in the Customer s Request for Information, quote, proposal, or a similar document), these items need to be supported and evaluated to implement the Microsoft Dynamics business management solution. Post-conditions The SOW is signed off by the Customer, and the Implementation team has been readied to start the deployment of Microsoft Dynamics. Diagram
Diagnostic Preparation On this page: The Diagnostic Preparation is an information-gathering exercise with the purpose of defining the appropriate skills required and identifying suitable resources to staff the team. The findings are then used to prepare that team once the implementation proposal is accepted by the Customer. Before a Diagnostic phase or any of its activities can begin, the purpose and objectives of the potential assignment must be identified. This includes creating an understanding of the Customer s current situation, business environment, and the main pain points or areas of improvement, that have been identified. As much information as possible regarding current and desired positions should be gathered in order to delimit the scope of the Diagnostic phase and to identify the appropriate skill sets and resources required for the Diagnostic activities. Typically at this stage in the Sales process, a dialogue is in progress with the Customer. In many cases, the dialogue involves some sort of high-level business process description and/or information related to the overall system landscape that the solution would replace and/or integrate with. This information might be in an RFI (Request for Information) or even an RFP/RFQ (Request for Proposal/Request for Quotation). In any case, as much information as possible must be extracted from these and other documents (including, for example, the customer Web site, company organizational charts, or annual financial reports) to gain a good understanding of the Customer s situation and business environment. This understanding helps build your credibility with the customer and gives the customer confidence that you and the team understand the business. This will in turn help gain the customer s trust and establish early confidence in the proposal and the team. In particular, as many of the following areas as possible should be investigated: Business environment in terms of economic, competitive, and legal/regulatory environments, etc. Customer organization in terms of Business Units, subsidiaries, management structure, main stakeholders for a potential project, and their relationship to the rest of the organization, etc. Mission and goals for the potential project, reasons for the initiative (cutbacks, Operational Excellence effort, reorganization, etc.), budget estimate, and time schedule. Key performance indicators (KPIs) together with the overall vision and company direction. List of customer business processes with process maps, use case scenarios, and/or any supporting documentation around any known high-level functional requirements. Information Services/Information Technology strategies and history as well as company culture in terms of best-of-breed efforts, in-house development, platform-driven development, migration and replacement, integration, etc. System landscape overview and/or any other available non-functional requirements, including identified high-level Integration and Interface requirements, security requirements, etc. Internal and external dependences that might have an impact on the project. Documentation is typically submitted by the Customer and/or prepared by the Sales team, based on Customer requirements and in a format specified by the Customer. It is also important, when preparing for the diagnostic phase, to provide prospective customers with an overview of the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology. That s because Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step will be used throughout the solution delivery life cycle (Diagnostic, Implementation, and Optimization phases). This overview will provide customers with a high-level view of Sure Step governance applied to the overall process, a feel for the activities and deliverables that will occur in each phase, and best-practice information on how they can work with their implementation partner to potentially avoid common implementation problems. Presenting this overview to prospective customers will increase their confidence in the visibility and predictability they can expect from a delivered Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step implementation. In addition, demonstrating the large toolbox of proven guidelines, templates, and best practices will assure them that they will gain valuable deliverables and ongoing support through the methodology, even when their solution is live in production. When presenting the Diagnostic Phase to the customer, ensure that they understand that the goal of the Diagnostic phase is to help them complete their due diligence and select a solution that meets their needs. The Sure Step To-Customer Overview Presentation, available on PartnerSource, is a valuable customer-ready presentation deck that is intended to be used by partners for exactly this purpose. In addition to the customer overview presentation, implementation partners can also use the Sure Step To-Customer Fact Sheet and the Success with Dynamics Sure Step Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/support/implementation/success.aspx). These tools can be used to provide prospective customers with more information on Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step and how it can help them be more successful with their Microsoft Dynamics implementations. Product Selection and Due-Diligence When engaging with prospects and executing the Decision Accelerators with them, the following tools can also be used by sales roles, presales consultants, and others to position and select the right product portfolio to meet the customer s vision and needs. Microsoft Dynamics Playbook Unleash Your Potential. This tool allows sales roles to ascertain which modules of a Microsoft Dynamics solution are applicable to a Customer, based on a series of questionnaires posed to customer stakeholders. The Microsoft Dynamics Playbook addresses the core Microsoft Dynamics solution. The Microsoft Dynamics Business Solution Roadmap tool was developed to help partners unleash the potential of their existing Microsoft Dynamics customers by helping identify new business areas for system expansion. Used correctly, the tool can help boost business success for existing customers and add-on services and license revenue for partners. This approach simplifies the sales process by helping create a Business Solutions Roadmap with customers to match the world of business process to the right Microsoft Dynamics functionality and the employees who should use it. This intuitive process enables partners to: Assess a customer s long-term business objectives. Align those business objectives with a customized Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution. Create a one-to-four year implementation roadmap that tailors the solution to a customer s specific business needs.
The tool supports all four Microsoft Dynamics ERP products. It may be downloaded from PartnerSource free of charge. Industry Playbook and/or Solution Finder. These tools provide Sales roles with access to various information, including industry pain points, competitive intelligence, etc. The Industry Playbook addresses the independent software vendor (ISV) solutions required for the corresponding industry. A qualified opportunity for selling a business solution If available (for example, by being documented in a customer s Request for Information/Quotation/Proposal or similar), a listing of which business processes would be supported/evaluated for implementation of Microsoft Dynamics Diagram
Decision Accelerator Offerings On this page: Product Selection and Due Diligence To outline how the Diagnostic Phase Decision Accelerators address many of the challenges of deployment and help customers achieve their implementation goals efficiently and cost-effectively through the strengths of Microsoft and Microsoft Partner consulting. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step can be used as an integral part of the sales process to help Microsoft and implementation partners close Microsoft Dynamics solution deals faster. The Diagnostic phase within Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step occurs before implementation. The offerings are organized sequentially to align with the phases of prospect through close in the Microsoft Solution Selling Process (MSSP). Properly diagnosing the situation helps define the implementation approach by identifying high-level business requirements and designing the overall solution. When you understand business processes up front, you can more accurately develop project cost estimates that help you close the deal and can be used again later, during implementation, to help you save project time Within the Diagnostic phase, there are defined sets of services called Decision Accelerators. These Decision Accelerators provide a due-diligence process for selecting or diagnosing the right solution to meet business requirements. They enable implementers to position requirements and process review as an offering that is independent of any particular Microsoft Dynamics solution. Documentation for requirements and processes for each decision accelerator offering can help organizations better evaluate and deploy Microsoft Dynamics solutions. Furthermore, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step includes questionnaires that can be used during sales to help identify a customer s business requirements. The Diagnostic phase contains seven optional Decision Accelerator offerings that aim to assist the Customer with its decision-making process for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) solution. The seven Diagnostic Phase Decision Accelerators can assist in accelerating the sales process and are defined as follows: Requirements and Process Review. Review current processes to determine the requirements for the future state. Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint. Determine how effectively the customer s requirements fit with the proposed Microsoft Dynamics solution. Architecture Assessment: Confirm the architectural design for the Microsoft Dynamics solution via these sub-offerings: Architecture Assessment Proof of Concept Benchmark High Availability & Disaster Recovery Scoping Assessment. Estimate high-level cost and put a resource plan in place for the deployment of the Microsoft Dynamics solution. Proof of Concept (POC). Validate the customer s requirements with its own sample data in a test environment. If the customer will require solutions from a Microsoft partner to fulfill its needs, a POC will also let the customer try those solutions. Business Case. Prepare a solid business case for implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics solution. Upgrade Assessment. Review current release of the Microsoft Dynamics to ascertain the best approach to upgrade to a subsequent release via these sub-offerings: Upgrade Assessment Upgrade Readiness These decision accelerators help address the following types of customer questions: How do I gather all requirements and map out to-be processes for my new system? Does Microsoft Dynamics fit my business needs? How will my business work with this new system? How will Microsoft Dynamics scale to meet my needs? How much do I budget for an implementation? How do I justify the benefits versus the cost to management? What do I have to do bring my existing solution to a subsequent or current product release? Decision Accelerators are typically low-cost, one-to-four week engagements, which can be undertaken by the customer before it has to make a major investment. The customer can choose one or several of these offerings, based on its specific needs. This will not only help identify any issues and address them ahead of time, but will also help achieve a more efficient deployment with fewer challenges in the future. In summary, Decision Accelerators are designed to accelerate the due diligence process and help customers make better investment decisions before they deploy a Microsoft Dynamics solution. Decision Accelerators help customers determine the fit of their architecture and infrastructure with the proposed solutions so they can determine the high-level costs in advance. Customers can identify the benefits and get solid information to project their return on investment (ROI), and build the business case, to get commitment from senior management. The ultimate benefit for many customers is not only that they save time and money on their Microsoft Dynamics implementation, but that they also create a long-term solution vision that can help them avoid pitfalls and prepare for the future. This enables customers to achieve even more value in the years to come. Product Selection and Due Diligence When engaging with prospects and executing the Decision Accelerators with them, the following tools can also be used (by sales roles, presales consultants, and others) to position and select the right product portfolio to meet their customer s vision and needs. Microsoft Dynamics Playbook Unleash Your Potential. This tool allows sales roles to ascertain the modules of a Microsoft Dynamics solution that are applicable to a Customer based on a series of questionnaires posed to customer stakeholders. The Microsoft Dynamics Playbook addresses the core Microsoft Dynamics solution. The Microsoft Dynamics Business Solution Roadmap tool was developed to help partners unleash the potential of their existing Dynamics customers by helping identify new business areas for system expansion. Used correctly, the tool can help boost business success for existing customers and add-on services and license revenue for partners.
Your Business Solution Roadmap This innovative tool is the first of its kind to align customers business software needs and goals with specific business areas, processes, and roles within their company. Partners lead existing customers through an assessment of their current Microsoft Dynamics functionality. During the assessment, customers will be prompted to answer a series of business capabilities questions. Based on the answers, the tool recommends specific modules or granules that customers should use to address their business needs. The tool automatically creates a Microsoft Office Word document that partners can use as the basis of a proposal that clearly illustrates how customers can drive business success by extending their Microsoft Dynamics solution to automate and integrate targeted operational areas of their business. This intuitive process enables partners to: Assess a customer s long-term business objectives. Align those business objectives with a customized Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution. Create a one-to-four year implementation roadmap that tailors the solution to the customer s specific business needs. Once the question/answer process is complete, the tool will generate a Business Solution Roadmap you can customize and then provide to your customers. The Roadmap includes a phased software implementation proposal that makes it easier to align business goals with the software functionality they already own. Customers can then share this proposal with key personnel across their organization to engage them in using the full capabilities of their solution. The tool is designed to run as a standalone program on a laptop computer to facilitate the interview process. Or you could print a copy of the questions for use with customers, and enter their answers later. The tool supports all four Dynamics ERP products, and may be downloaded from PartnerSource free of charge. Industry Playbook and/or Solution Finder. These tools provide Sales roles with access to various kinds of information, including Industry pain points and competitive intelligence. The Industry Playbook addresses the independent software vendor (ISV) solutions required for the corresponding industry. A qualified opportunity for selling a business solution Availability of the customer mission and goals for proceeding with implementation If available (for example, by being documented in a customer s Request for Information/Quotation/Proposal or similar), a listing of which business processes should be supported/evaluated for implementation of Microsoft Dynamics Diagnostic Preparation activities have been conducted (for example, by understanding the customer situations, scope of diagnostic activities, expected skills/resource requirements, etc.) Diagram