Book Image

Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2010

Book Image

Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2010

Overview of this book

Delivering business solutions is more than just product play. Software is often viewed as the enabler; however, the key to success is how the solution is implemented and how the implementations are managed. With this as the background, Microsoft has developed Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step as the full lifecycle methodology for the Dynamics business solutions portfolio. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step enables you to maximize your Dynamics investments and increase your efficiency to select, sell, deliver, operate and support your business solution.This book details the use of the Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology to enable the full lifecycle of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step business solutions engagements. Guidance is provided on the due diligence process for the customer that overlaps the solution selling cycle for the service provider, through to the solution implementation phases, encompassing on-going maintenance and upgrades.This book provides detailed coverage of how to use Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step to successfully deliver Dynamics solutions for your business.The book begins by focusing on the aspects of due diligence and solution selling– whether you are the customer or the service provider, you can learn how you work together to select the right solution to meet the organization’s needs.In the ensuing chapters, you will learn how Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step can help improve the overall quality of your Dynamics business solution, including coverage of proactive and post go-live optimization offerings and a thorough explanation of how to upgrade your Dynamics solutions to the latest release of the products.Finally, the book discusses the essence of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step projects and how to successfully deliver these business solutions, including project and change management disciplines and processes.Additional key topics such as a guide to adopting Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step are also provided if you are looking to develop a consistent process in your organization.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step 2010
Credits
Foreword
About the Authors
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

What is Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step?


In the previous section, we discussed the criticality of having a solid approach for selecting and deploying ERP/CRM solutions. This is exactly where Sure Step fits in—as a method and process for customers and service providers alike. We will introduce Sure Step in this section, and in the rest of the book will talk about how it is designed to deliver on these promises to an organization.

Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is a full customer lifecycle methodology for all Microsoft Dynamics® solutions. It provides service providers with comprehensive sales through delivery guidance, project management discipline alignment, and field-driven best practices, while facilitating the due diligence process and a high-quality solution delivery for the customer.

The first release of Sure Step was launched in 2007, and since then Sure Step has evolved to meet the demands of the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem. Existing workflows have been modified and streamlined and new ones introduced. The methodology has also been expanded into a full lifecycle methodology that includes the customer's due diligence lifecycle as a precursor to the solution delivery process. Also, more content is being made available to the users, with the current release providing over a thousand content pieces, from guidance pages to templates to general project management libraries. The following are key characteristics of Sure Step, including some of the highlights of the Sure Step 2010 release.

  • Using six phases, Sure Step covers not only delivery, but also solution positioning and selling. The first phase, Diagnostic, provides guidance and content for service providers to help customers with their due diligence process in selecting the right solution to meet their needs. The remaining phases, Analysis, Design, Development, Deployment, and Operation, provide workflows and content for solution delivery.

  • Sure Step provides coverage for the entire Microsoft Dynamics solutions suite—Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and Microsoft Dynamics SL. With the latest release, Sure Step also extends the general coverage of this content into specific industry and cross-industry areas.

  • Sure Step provides a very flexible approach for delivering the solution, with both waterfall and iterative approaches. The Standard, Rapid, and Enterprise project types scale up or down to match the customer engagement, and the Upgrade project type caters specifically to upgrading an existing solution. Also provided is the Agile project type for those engagements that lend themselves to an iterative solution delivery approach.

  • The project types in Sure Step feature a structure that breaks down each engagement into cross phases or swim lanes. The Sure Step cross phases are Program Management, Training, Business Process Analysis, Requirements and Configuration, Custom Coding, Quality and Testing, Infrastructure, Integration and Interfaces, and Data Migration. These cross phases provide users with a very functional pivot to portray the activities or steps for delivering the solution.

  • Sure Step includes additional guidance on optimizing an engagement with directed offerings, both during the implementation and post-go-live.

  • Key process guidance, including project management and organizational change management disciplines, are provided in Sure Step.

  • Sure Step covers the typical roles involved in an engagement, both from the consulting and the customer organizations.

  • The Sure Step application also gives teams the ability to create projects with the starting templates in appropriate folders, either on their local machine or on a SharePoint server for bigger collaboration efforts.