Encompass Consulting Group - ECG Precision Methodology, Arizona IT Consulting

Methodology

ECG Precision Methodology™

Encompass Consulting Group utilizes a proven dynamic implementation methodology for system implementations. Our methodology is driven by five Project Phases with eight common Project Threads. Each thread defines a unique project driver necessary to a deliver a successful implementation.

Scope & Plan

During the Scope and Plan Phase the business and technology objectives for the project are defined, and a transformation strategy is developed. This step develops a project plan or “road map” to guide the team throughout the life cycle of the project and serves as a baseline against which progress will be measured. Other activities include assessing project risk, defining the organization structure and resource plan, and developing the communication plan.

Envision

During the Envision Phase a high-level business vision is developed for the organization to achieve performance improvement objectives for the implementation. Workshops are held to understand the “As-Is” and “To-Be” processes and to translate them into business requirements. The team will identify process gaps and develop a strategy and execution plan to eliminate the gaps and their associated risks. Technology configuration and integration requirements will also be defined to support the desired process and business information requirements. The activities include defining the business vision, refining the implementation strategy, establishing security requirements, defining data conversion and interface strategies, and defining training objectives.

Design

During the Design Phase, the project team completes the design of the new business processes, begins to configure and test the system to confirm it supports the target vision, and defines the required custom development work. System Design Documents will be developed for each area to document how the business requirements will be satisfied thru the system configuration. The project team will also work with the Technical team to confirm functional specifications with their business requirements, and develop technical specifications for interfaces, customizations, modification, conversions, reports and forms.

Configure

During the Construction Phase, the project team builds the new business organization and process structure by configuring the software and constructing major business process changes defined during Design. Thru documentation and unit testing the project team will have a deep understanding of the changes and their impacts to the organization. Activities include completing all of the configuration efforts, unit testing the configuration, developing integrated testing plans, and developing the cutover plan.

Implement

During the Implement Phase, the project team validates and implements the integration of the new business processes, the software package, production technology, process and systems security and controls, and organizational infrastructure and workforce changes. The system will be validated during Integrated Testing thru the execution of integrated test scripts. The integrated test scripts will test business processes from beginning-to-end and ensure the new design and business process configuration is functioning as designed. Integrated testing also ensures the configuration supports all security, reporting, interface and custom development requirements. During Implement, end-user training will be executed to ensure all end-users are adequately trained with the new system. The cutover plan developed during the Configure phase will be executed by the project team performing final validation and communication, as well as implementing the final configuration, reports, interfaces, custom development, and data conversion.