Implementation

How will your organization deliver the solution?

Axsium’s Axselerate implementation methodology is used during all Axsium-led implementations . This structured and disciplined implementation methodology is based on the Rational Unified Process™. Axselerate focuses on iterative modeling of the solution early in the project lifecycle which serves to identify potential design flaws and requirements gaps much earlier than more traditional methodologies. Our methodology, which has been proven successful with dozens of companies, ensures Axsium-led implementation projects are delivered on-time and on-budget with no surprises.

Discover and Design: Axsium’s Discovery process is designed to encourage discussion and uncover detail normally overlooked in the early stages of a project. Axsium consultants utilize their detailed industry and workforce management experience to capture the majority of requirements prior to the discovery sessions. Workshops are then used for validation and capturing detail on the more complex aspects of the client’s requirements.

Detailed, granular requirements are evaluated and an accurate configuration and coding effort is created in order to build a precise plan for the remainder of the project. All requirements are then filtered through Axsium’s EVI (Effort, Value, Impact) Scoping Model to finalize the footprint of the end solution and permit tracking the completion of system elements and features from analysis through design, build and ultimately, test.

Axsium subscribes to the premise that changes in the design of any enterprise software application are much easier and less costly to make the earlier they are identified in the system deployment lifecycle. Iterative modeling (through use case analysis) of pay rule, interface, workflow and other system behavior allows the identification of potential design issues before the code is written, which makes addressing them as cost effective as possible.

Code and Configure: With the emphasis on surfacing the detailed requirements and design via modeling prior to build, the code and configuration process is extremely efficient, reducing the amount of custom code and streamlining application configurations.

Utilizing a disciplined approach to code and data changes and other modifications to the system (both configurations and custom extension) is a critical discipline during the code and configuration phase. Axselerate follows a very structured approach to version control and code/data migration, designed to eliminate uncontrolled and potentially harmful system changes. This is achieved through clear documentation, restricted access to only accountable project personnel and effective tracking of configuration and code through shared files and version control software.

Test: Axsium employs various types of testing throughout the implementation of a workforce management solution. Unit and system integration testing rely on the test cases/models developed during design, ensuring the behavior of the system conforms to the business requirements. Our modeling approach greatly reduce the number of surprises that typically arise during user acceptance testing as end users’ detailed expectations have already been captured and built.

Deploy: Axsium consultants will develop and execute a Transition Strategy which includes clearly defined and prioritized tasks outlining how to prepare the production environment and how to migrate data and code prior to the go-live date. This meticulous preparation and planning eliminates the system surprises that can frustrate end users and undermine their trust in the new software.

Knowledge Transfer: From years of implementation experience, Axsium has compiled best practices into a comprehensive and detailed knowledge transfer methodology with the objective of making clients self-sufficient in deploying and maintaining their WFM solution. This knowledge transfer methodology begins with defining the key skills the client’s personnel must possess to support their particular system in production. With this list of skills a combination of on-the-job training and scheduled formal learning sessions delivered throughout the course of the implementation are employed to ensure the client’s personnel are sufficiently experienced to maintain the system in production.

Change Management & Training: The training and communications strategy is developed during design and executed throughout the workforce management implementation. Clearly defined lines of production support are also established and communicated to system administration and end user personnel. Upon deployment there is constant follow-up by the change management/communications support group during the first few weeks of production to proactively address user issues and maintain strong user adoption rates.

Axsium offers staff augmentation services to assist your organization during your WFM implementation. All of Axsium’s consultants have an industry focus honed through years spent working in and consulting to a specific industry vertical.  Add this industry experience to an average of 4+ years of WFM consulting experience, and you get a team of trusted business and technical advisors who consistently exceed expectations.

If the new solution was ready to be implemented today, would your organization be prepared?

Axsium's Organizational Readiness approach puts change management at the core of the WFM solution deployment. Too often, change management is overlooked or ignored early in the implementation as a "nice-to-have" component of the project. Then, as system and process adoption rates suffer, support and deployment costs increase. The final result is a vicious cycle of unsatisfied end users and overworked production support staff.

In workforce management, most change management needs derive from the inevitable process of standardizing and re-engineering the organization's WFM practices (pay rules, leave policies, scheduling processes, etc.). While standardization will greatly increase overall return on investment, it also creates significant change which must be addressed proactively.

To ensure the changes which will drive the majority of the organization's ROI do not become roadblocks to success, effective change management must focus on:

1. Internal project team. Requires education on how to effectively implement the selected workforce management solution, focusing on providing the customer with the skills to effectively participate in the implementation. This training is designed to teach participants the basic, conceptual skills needed to understand why the various tasks involved in the implementation are necessary and how to carry them out in a timely and cost effective manner.
   
   
2. End users. The various groups of end users will require different training content via a number of possible channels, including: business process documents, test scripts, instructor and user training manuals, web-based materials that include overviews, practice simulations and assessment exercises, in-application support, and job aids.
   
   
3. System administration and support personnel. Those supporting the solution will require training on how to maintain the system in production and how to troubleshoot issues and support end users. Axsium’s formal knowledge transfer methodology was designed to achieve one objective; make the client self-sufficient in managing its WFM Solution. To meet this objective, Axsium takes a detailed and gradual approach starting with the fundamentals of troubleshooting and system maintenance, then progressing into more complex skills. Each phase of the knowledge transfer contains both fundamental knowledge and Axsium best practices, delivered through a combination of classroom instruction and self-study exercises.