IT projects implementation
According to the data from the Project Management Institute report, 45% of projects exceed the assumed budget, 7% exceed the deadline, and only 46% meet the expectations placed on them, which is why it is so important to prepare well for implementation. Realistic goals and measures of success should be set, which will become the starting point for preparing the functionality of the solution.
The larger the scale of the project, the more important it becomes to test it before implementation. PoC in the case of ERP class systems is extremely useful because it allows you to check whether the solution meets the assumed goals and at the same time does not destabilize the work of the entire enterprise. It also allows you to demonstrate the potential of technology or detect errors at an early stage.
Proof of concept – what is IT?
What is proof of concept? It is a trial version of an IT system whose implementation or upgrade has been only planned and requires thorough testing to ensure if it can meet the client’s needs and requirements and to check if all processes included in it are working well.
Proof of Concept in practice
The tested system is works with the IT services provider and has no influence on the already utilised ERP software. Thanks to that, the detailed testing stage can be independent thus the time needed for implementation, working on the effectiveness and the scope of operations can be substantially shortened.
The value of PoC is much appreciated by users who are work with critical processes which have significant influence on the company’s activities. In such cases the detailed planning and the testing stage is crucial: they ensure that the whole solution can be fully tested and checked in an external environment.
The implementation team then has a chance to eliminate any errors and incompatibilities before the actual deployment, which makes the whole process faster and allows for the introduction of the necessary updates in the ready-made business concept.
As a result our client gets a full picture of the system polished up to the slightest detail. Chris Kernaghan, a specialist in SAP ERP upgrade processes, highlights in his article “What Value is a Proof of Concept” that another crucial element is the added value of a more dynamic implementation stage: the initial lengthy configuration, which seems like the implementation team is not actually doing much work, is not the centre of activities.
An additional advantage of PoC is the chance to actually experience the benefits and simplifications introduced by the implemented system. A thorough insight into the changes in the indexes compared to the initial arrangement of the system allows for the identification and calculation of the potential ROI and an increase of trust in a well-tested solution.
We recommend reading the full article by Kernaghan which is available in English.
Proof of concept by Hicron
As a part of good practice principles and our multi-annual experience with complex projects we recommend that work commences from the proof of concept stage. One of our latest implementations is a project for a network provider, Play, where our consultants have prepared a PoC for innovative SAP solutions: HANA and Fiori. More information on this matter can be found in Case Study PoC Implementation for PLAY Polska.
