© 2003 advantiv, inc. 1 software system upgrades responding to a necessary evil warren mills, ceo...

1© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Software System Upgrades

Responding to a Necessary Evil

Warren Mills, CEO

Advantiv, Inc.

2© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Presentation Overview

1. Forces driving need to upgrade

2. Typical reactions

3. Decision criteria

4. Requirements for upgrade success

5. Risk reduction with DecisionDirector 3.0

3© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Advantiv, Inc.

• Founded in 1997– Dan Miller– As Marketect

• Help Colleges and Universities with the selection process for new ERP solutions– Used in over 50 campuses

• Assist Vendors in Product Definition

• Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona

4© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Frequent Reasons for Change

• Lack of support for current version– Vendor forcing the upgrade– Expense of supporting older technology

• New functionality required– To save money– To remain competitive

5© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Frequent Reactions to Change

• “Didn’t we just install that system?”• “I just learned the system!”• “It can’t be that difficult….just run some CD’s”• “It will cost… HOW MUCH?”• “It will take… HOW LONG?”

6© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Upgrades create Opportunities

• Review business practices

• Consolidation of processes

• Move toward standards

• Add functionality– CRM– Data “dashboards”

7© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Areas of Assessment

1. Stakeholder satisfaction 2. Usage by system module3. Areas for efficiency improvements4. Customization to convert to vendor standard5. Readiness: Cost, schedule, staff, stakeholder

support

Make the decision as quickly as possible Involve as many stakeholders to ensure decision

acceptance

8© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Requirements for Success

1. Shared understanding of vision, scope, and impact

2. Detailed understanding of organizational requirements

3. Senior leadership sponsorship

4. Realistic budget and strong financial controls

5. Strong project management Consider outside help

6. Stakeholders with realistic expectations

7. Communication and documentation of all decisions

9© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

The Stakeholder Solution

Project Management

Software

Stakeholders

Project Mgrs

Technicians

Project Complexity

DecisionDirector

Rational

10© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

DecisionDirector3.0

KnowledgePacks

Brainstorming, Survey,and Voting Forums

Process

Project KnowledgeBase- Audit Trail of Decisions Made- Knowledge Transfer- Document Repository

PrioritiesCharter

RFP &Scoring

ImportanceSatisfaction

Have/Need Data Model

Share/Discuss

Vote/Prioritize

GatherData/

Knowledge

DiscoverKeep

Informed

Reuse

Project Team Vendors

Consultants

ExecutivesTechnical Staff

Functional Staff

KnowledgePacks

- Strategic questions- Critical issues- Business requirements- Legacy database

How it Works

11© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

DecisionDirector 3.0 – cont.

• Built on best practices • Easy to use – Web-based; users trained in 20 minutes • No installation - Hosted• Scalable – Unlimited users, unlimited input• Flexible –all customizable

12© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Forum Example – Brainstorming

13© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Forum Example: Information Gathering and Voting

14© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

KnowledgePacks: Table of Contents Example

These numbers indicate the number of functional requirements or related statements for each module with the KnowledgePack.

15© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

KnowledgePacks: Content Example

16© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

KnowledgePacks - Available as of 3/1/2003

• Financial Management Systems

• Human Resource Management Systems

• Student System/ERP for Higher Education

• Advancement/Fundraising

• Grant Management

• Information Access

• Data Warehousing

• IT Requirements

• Fleet Management

• Room Scheduling

• Furniture

• Document Management

• Internet Portals

• CRM

17© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

ROI in Typical Assessment Project Phase

• Decreased data collection time by 40%

• Decreased data analysis time by 25%

• Reduced design stage of project by 30%

• Reduce costs by 20%-40%

18© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Benefits

• Reduced risk– Less scope creep from clearly defined expectations and

deliverables– User adoption because of early project engagement

• Reduced costs– Fewer meetings, less travel– Faster to project benefits

• Accelerate and improve decision making process– 5X more people involved– Senior Administration visibility

19© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Current Projects

• Pace University• Case Western Reserve University• University of Texas - Arlington• Bowling Green State University• University of Kentucky• Temple University• Wisconsin Independent Colleges and Universities• California Community Colleges

20© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Sometimes No Choice

21© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Act… Don’t Dither

22© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

The Stakeholder Challenge

… DecisionDirector 3.0 can help.

23© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Questions ?????

24© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

Model for Stakeholder EngagementDecisionDirector

PrepareProject

ProvideData

Rational Software

Project Management Software

Compile,Collate, and

Re-state

AcceptReview and

ApproveValidate

DeliverDesign,Plan,

Document

Stakeholders

ProjectTeam

Success = Technology + Implementation + Stakeholder Expectations 100% 33% 33% 33%

25© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

When to Use – System Assessments

1. Define Initiative

2. Determine Critical Path

3. Have/Need Analysis

4. Finalize Action Plan

26© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

When to Use – System Selections

1. Define Requirements

2. Collect Vendor Responses

3. Evaluate Vendor Responses

27© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

When to Use – System Implementations

1. Determine Readiness

2. Re-Validate Project Charter

3. Define Data and Process Model

4. Stakeholder Acceptance Plan

28© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

When to Use – System Verifications

1. Verify Functionality

2. Verify Training/Usage

3. Assess Stakeholder Satisfaction

29© 2003 Advantiv, Inc.

When to Use – System Enhancements

1. Ongoing Idea Collection

2. Determine Customer Interest

3. Action Plan