Top Tips for a Successful Traceability Solution Implementation

Or How to Minimize Risk

Topics• Design a ‘Solution’• Who Should Be on the Project Team• Select the Right Project Manager• Manage Risks• Develop a Good Project Plan• Preparing your Facility• Test, Test, Test, then Test Again• The Executive Sponsor• Training for a Successful Project• Managing Your Go-Live• Phrases To Avoid During Your Implementation

Top Reasons Projects Go ‘Off the Rails”

• Lack of Understanding the Solution They Were Buying• Lack of Understanding Their Day to Day Business Processes• Not Enough Preparation Up Front• Lack of Committing the Proper Resources to the Project• Not Taking the Experienced Solution Provider’s Counsel

Warning Signs• Did the Solution

Provider Ask Questions? • Talk to your team?• Walkthrough? • Demo before

understanding your business?

• Identify Pain Points?

• Talk with you about assigning pain points a priority?

• Ask about your existing business systems?

• Focus on providing you with a ‘Solution’ (Good) rather than ‘Software” (Bad)?

Build a ‘Solution’ Design• THE most important phase of the project!

– Why your vendor should NOT do it for free• Design for Improved Processes

– Don’t make an Inefficient Manual Process Faster• Understand how the Solution will Fit with Existing Business Systems• Incorporates the Goals for Everyone• Operations Should Drive the Project• The Design Document or ‘Foundations” is the Blueprint for the Rest of the Project• Team Members Should Be the Most Experienced

– Not Always the Department Manager• Look for Exceptions During the Design Phase

Selecting Your Project Team• Organizational Change

Involves People• Select a Cross Functional

Team– IT, Operations, Finance,

Purchasing, Sales/Marketing, Customer Service, Executive Sponsor

– Ensures Support from All Levels Inside of Your Company

– Eases Fear of Losing Their Jobs

• Regular Project Meetings– Encourage Open

Discussions– Manages

Communications– Manages Expectations

Selecting the Right Project Manager

• Selecting a Strong Project Manager is the Second Most Important Step!

• Planning – Knowledge – Preparedness - Communications• Experienced in Managing Complex Projects Involving Inside

and Outside Stakeholders– Understands your Business Systems– Leadership in Keeping the Project On Track – Timeline and Goals– Manages Scope Creep– Educates Self On the Solution In order to Ask Good Questions

Managing Risks• Lots of Moving Parts!

– A Complex Project with many Variables and Points of Failure

• Benefits of ‘One Throat to Choke’– One Phone Call– No Finger Pointing– Hardware from One Vendor Who

Knows the Specs– Leverages the Solution Provider-

Hardware Manufacturer Relationship to Your Advantage

• Do the Heavy Lifting During the Design Phase

• Take the Advice of Your Experienced Solution Provider

• Have an RF Site Survey Done During the Design Phase

• Plan the Response to Problems in Advance– Team Members Leave– Hardware is Backordered– Network has to be Improved

Develop a Good Project Plan

• Well-Defined Milestones and Tasks• Include Contingency Plans• Use the Solution’s Provider’s Proven Methodology

– Process and Procedures Development by Learning What Works AND What Didn’t Work

• Clearly Defined Roles and Responsibilities• Every Phase of the Project Signed off by Team Members on Both

Sides• Implementation on the Client Side Involves More than Software

– A Good Solutions Provider Includes this in their Plan

Preparing Your Facility• Facility Preparation:

– Reconfigure Racks– Product Placement in the

Warehouse– Staging Areas– Workstations– Labeling Locations– Designing Barcodes Labels– Buying Hardware– Acceptance Testing– End User Training

• A RF Site Survey is a MUST even if you have a wireless network in place

• It’s Easy to get Focused on the Software

• Ensure Your Solution’s Provider Includes Facility Preparation in the Timeline and Project Plan

• Choosing the Right Hardware

Factors In Choosing Hardware• How rugged? • Form Factor – Lift Mounted, Handheld, Stationary Workstation? • Type of Barcode – 1D or 2D? Need for Photo?• Signature Capture?• Scan Distance? Barcode Size? • Scan Intensive? • Warehouse Air Conditioned? • Freezer Use? Cooler Use? Temperature? • Screen Viewed in Direct Sunlight• Gloves On? • Consumer Grade Versus Ruggedized – Consider TCO! • How Connect to the Business System?

Test, Test, Test, then…Test Again• Thoroughly testing each

work flow or use case is often the first thing to go if a project falls behind

• Modifications or interfaces makes this even more critical

• UAT’s and Scripts must cover normal processes and exceptions

• Ensure your test environment effectively mirrors your production environment

• Go Live is NOT a substitute for testing

Your Executive Sponsor• When the Going Gets Rough– Resource Allocation– Issues Resolution

• You Must have C-Level project support

Training for A Successful Project

• Usually 4 weeks before Go Live• ‘Train the Trainer’ - Train key users who will train other

employees– Become your in house knowledge base

• Customize your training program for each employee’s job function

• More than once, different scenarios, including exceptions• Ensure custom functions are documented • Respected trainers can ease uncertainly about the new solution

Plan for a Managed Go Live

• Expect Minor Issues• Ensure Enough Support

Team Members in Place During the Week You Go Live

• Recruit People Who Know the Process if Enough Support Team Members Not Available

• It’s Okay if Your Support Team has to Stand Around Waiting

• Post-Implementation Support – Hardware Maintenance– Mobile Device Management

lightens the IT Load in managing your new hardware

Phrases to Avoid for Success• Our Existing Wireless Network is Just Fine…• We Won’t Need Hardware Maintenance• We Want to use iPad’s in our warehouse• We Won’t Need Software Maintenance…• Bob/Sue Does Not Need to Be Involved Because…• Our Busy Season Starts in 8 Weeks so We Need

to Be Live by Then…