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Can you help us install the EPM system and get it up and running in a few days? is one of the
most common requests EPM deployment firms get. And regardless of the size of the
organization, the short answer, is unfortunately, No. The challenge isnt technology; its a
series of policy, process, procedure and practice questions that have the potential to create far-
reaching organizational change.
Lets take a look at what an EPM deployment plan must include and how you can create your
own. Ive identified the major points and even put in estimated times for how long each phase
might take in a mid-sized organization with several hundred EPM system users. Before you
dismiss each time estimate as too short or too long, think about what you would need to do in
your particular organization in order to accomplish that section. The durations are not work
estimates, they are calendar estimates, so keep in mind how long it takes to get certain kinds of
people assembled for the kind of work you will need.
1. Establish the EPM System deployment team
If we have no project team then our project wont go far. Several people will have to be
assembled in order to bring this project from the idea phase all the way to production. With an
overview plan already in mind, you will need to think about people who will be with the project
as long as a couple of years.
The size of your team will depend on how wide a scope the project ultimately becomes. It is not
uncommon to find some people with the project for several months who are then replaced with
others as phases of the project change. The authority of the team and the support of
management are also critical to establish at this time.
Oh, and do I need to say it? Treat this project as a project! Amazing as it might sound, EPM
deployments are the most likely project in the organization to be deployed without any of the
elements youd put into any other deployment plan (something about a shoemakers children
going barefoot). So, make a project schedule, a budget, a charter, allocate sufficient resources
etc.
The results from these workshops (yes, it may take more than one) will be the business
objectives that will make up the scope and ultimately determine the schedule.
Identify management role impact
Once the business objectives have been agreed to by management, there will have to
be a session or two identifying the impact on the roles and responsibilities of
management. A common example often appears with resource capacity planning. In
high tech firms, resource capacity planning is almost always a management request of
the EPM system, yet who will have to get the authority in that process to allocate
resources, manage conflicts, and prioritize the work of people in different departments?
You wont be able to solve these issues at this point as you have no defined process, but
identifying who in the executive suite will be affected is important here so that youll be
able to circle back to include them in the process when the time comes.
We should have enough information now to develop our overall schedule with detail for the first
phase.
The output of this is a completed and accepted process document. Dont be fooled, the
accepted aspect may take several rounds and even require executive intervention from the
highest level before its complete but without an accepted process, theres nothing to automate.
The good news is, even if the deployment process stopped here, this is already of great value.
It is inevitable that those who work through these processes internally see things about their
organization that they had never considered. They will be more effective as a result starting
almost immediately.
Short list
Even if youre looking at one product but several implementers, get down to who youd
like to meet in person.
The end result of this phase is a shiny new EPM product sitting on your desk.
Time required for this phase can vary greatly depending on how much custom work was
required but well say twelve weeks given weve restricted ourselves to the first phase.
Training
Training is the poor stepchild of project deployments. Its often forgotten in a deployment
plan. Make sure our pilot personnel get the training they need to use the system
properly.
Time to rollout is highly dependent on the number of total users: Four weeks.
Weve only completed phase one and as you look at future phases youll need to rework
steps 3 through 9 (with the exception of step 5). Remember that each phase should
result in a working EPM production that leaves the organization more effective than it
was before.
Have you been counting the durations for each of the steps for the first phase? It adds
up to 58 weeks. Heres a schedule of the summary steps defined above:
Now, every organization is different. There are many factors that affect the total duration
of a project. The most significant of these is the extent to which existing enterprise
project management processes are mature. Next is the size of the organization and its
complexity. It is obviously simpler to deploy an EPM system into an organization that is
all located in one building than it is for an organization that is spread across numerous
divisions, offices, cities and even countries.
In each deployment the schedule will look different and not always shorter. There is
virtually always pressure to make a schedule that can be accomplished in days or even
weeks, but its vital that more than just the installation of EPM software be considered in
order to deliver a successful deployment.
If you would like to read more EPM-related articles by Chris Vandersluis, see HMSs
EPM Guidance site.