AIM METHODOLOGY

Implementation Methodology, Project Activities And Resources

Oracle Consulting services adopts its proven methodology, called Applications Implementation Methodology (AIM), for the implementation of its applications, and Project Management Method (PJM) for the purposes of management of projects. These methodologies have been briefly described below:

Application Implementation Methodology (AIM)
The AIM consists of six stages. These are:
1. Definition
2. Operations Analysis
3. Solution Design
4. Build
5. Transition
6. Production

Definition Stage:
During this stage, the foundation of the project is set. This stage defines: the scope and terms; clarifies project goals and objectives; identifies people, resources , milestones and targets. Oracle and CLIENT project managers work together to build an achievable work plan. Business objectives are evaluated for time, resource, and budget constraints. Project managers introduce the work plan to team members together with guidelines on how project objectives will be achieved.
Deliverables:
1. Implementation Strategy Document
2. Work Plan

Operations Analysis Stage:
During this stage, CLIENT project team members introduce assigned Oracle consultants to the operational and administrative processes and practices of their business. End user, management, and technical business requirements are collected and documented in a business model.
Deliverables:
1. Updated Project Plan
2. Operations Analysis activity presentation
3. Business Requirements Document
4. Fit analysis of requirements
5. Proposed flow, as required
Solution Design Stage:
During this stage, CLIENT and Oracle project team members create process solutions by matching application features to the business requirements identified during Operations Analysis. Solution design may include mapping Priority 1 business requirements to delivered software features, prototyping each requirement in a test environment. The project team evaluates all alternatives based on requirements, maintenance, benefits, and cost.
Deliverables:
1. Updated work plan
2. Solution Design activity presentation
3. Installed Software
4. Training for Project Team
5. Test System Configuration
6. Prototypes
7. Prototype Models
8. Application Set up Document
9. List of policies and procedures
10. System test plans
11. List of issues
Build Stage:
All the business solutions identified and designed during the solutions design stage will be tested to ensure they meet the business needs.
Deliverables:
1. Updated Work Plan
2. Build activity presentation
3. Conference Room Pilot
4. Test results
5. System certification
Transition Stage:
During this stage, the CLIENT project teams will train the end users while the technical team configures the production environment and converts data. This stage completes with enterprise transitioning to the new applications.
Deliverables:
1. Updated Work Plan
2. Transition activity presentation
3. The production environment
4. Cutover plan
5. End user training assistance
6. List of user ids, menus and passwords
Production Stage:
This production stage begins with the cut over from the Transition stage. This stage includes both end user and technical support activities of the production system and also includes post production tasks to review the previous implementation and make plans for the future.
Deliverables:
1. Production support
2. System tuning support




Project Management Method (PJM)
Oracle Project Management Method (PJM) is Oracle Method’s standard approach to project Management. The goal of PJM is to provide a framework within which projects can be planned, estimated, controlled, and completed in a consistent manner. The overall organization of PJM is expressed as a process-based methodology, which is be tailored to a project’s specific needs.
The PJM involves 5 processes, which collectively form a complete set of all tasks required to manage a project. These processes are:
1. Control and Reporting
2. Work Management
3. Resource Management
4. Quality Management
5. Configuration Management.
Control and Reporting
This process contains tasks that help you confirm the scope and approach of the project, manage change, and control risks. It contains guides for you to manage your project plans and report project status.
Work Management
The Work Management process contains tasks that help you define, monitor, and direct all work performed on the project. This process also helps you maintain a financial view of the project.
Resource Management
This process provides you with guidance on achieving the right level of staffing and skills on the project, and on implementing an infrastructure to support the project.
Quality Management
The Quality Management process directs you to implement quality measures to ensure that the project meets CLIENT’s purpose and expectations throughout the project life-cycle.
Configuration Management
This process contains tasks that help you store, organize, track, and control all items produced by and delivered to the project. The Configuration Management process also calls for you to provide a single location from which all project deliverables are released.




Project Organization and Staffing Model

Project Organization
The proposed organization and reporting structure for the CLIENT project is as follows:


Roles and Responsibilities
Steering Committee
The purpose of a Steering Committee is to meet periodically (typically monthly) to discuss the overall status of the project.
Any issues that affect the project from a scope, timing resource/cost standpoint or that cannot be resolved at the work team level, should be discussed and resolved by the Steering Committee.
The overall responsibility of this committee is to maintain and set policy and direction for the project.
The CLIENT Project Director/ Manager should be a member of the Project Committee and be responsible for keeping the senior management informed of the status of the project.
This committee should be kept to an absolute bare minimum of members in order to conduct business in an efficient timely manner.
CLIENT Project Director
The Project Director will be a member of the Steering Committee, and will be responsible for conducting the meetings.
The Project Director will also be responsible for keeping the senior management informed of the progress of the implementation. CLIENT Project Manager will report to him.
Oracle Project Director
The Oracle Project Director will be the single point of contact for CLIENT regarding any issues relating to the delivery of Oracle Consulting and the associated Oracle/ CLIENT work plan.
CLIENT Project Manager
The CLIENT Project Manager will be the single point of contact for Oracle regarding any issues related to the delivery of Oracle Consulting and the associated Oracle / CLIENT work plan.
The CLIENT Task Team Leaders will report to the CLIENT Project Manager.
He will be responsible for managing the implementation and keeping the Steering Committee informed of the project status.
Oracle Project Manager
The Oracle Project Manager will be responsible for the day to day running of the implementation for Oracle tasks and will be accountable to the Oracle Project Director.
The Oracle Functional and Technical consultants will report to the Oracle Project Manager.
The Oracle Project Manager will be responsible for managing the Oracle resources on the project in addition to keeping the Project Committee advised of the project status.
The Oracle Project Manager will work closely with the CLIENT Manager.
Work Teams
Work Teams will be formed for each of the functional areas and modules that are part of the project.
Work Teams will be composed of representatives from each functional area.
These individuals will be responsible for making implementation decisions as to how their particular module will be implemented.
Work Teams will also serve as the core participants in the Conference Room Pilot



Project Control
Oracle has found through experience that a structured approach to project management is important to the success of deploying complex, technology solutions to assist companies like CLIENT in today’s competitive environment. Oracle’s project management approach combines project management principles with Oracle Consulting Service’s extensive experience in successful deployment of Oracle-based systems. This approach emphasizes timely delivery according to plans, clear company and project wide communications, and assertive management of project risks.
Below are just some of the ways Oracle Consulting Services plans to control the project.
1. Progress tracking against a baseline project plan and deliverable schedule;
2. Regular, formal management reporting;
3. Clear and regular project team communications;
4. Formal issue reporting and resolution procedures;
5. Formal change control procedures;
6. Formal procedure for submission, review, and approval of deliverables; and
7. Health Checks & Audits.

Planning and Managing for Effective Control and Quality
At the commencement of the project, the Oracle project manager will revise the project plan to ensure that it includes sufficient detail for day-to-day task assignment and monitoring. As Oracle works closely with CLIENT’s management and project leads, the project plan will be refined. The assumptions will be validated and adjustments to the tasks and activities will be made. The project managers will analyze task dependencies, then calculate estimates to complete. The resulting, detailed plan will become the base-line plan for the project and be used to measure progress.
The Oracle Project Manager and CLIENT Project Managers are responsible for monitoring progress against this plan and updating the plan based on actual progress, estimates to completion for unfinished tasks, resource availability, and approved changes to the scope of the project.
Milestones included in the plan are also used to assess progress. When milestones are reached, CLIENT will have an opportunity to evaluate, comment on and accept the deliverables that collectively represent each milestone. Actual progress will be based on the completion of weekly time sheets by all project staff and by identifying task and sub-milestone or milestone completion through the submission and approval of deliverables.

Monitoring and Reporting
The Oracle and CLIENT Project Managers will be responsible for joint preparation and presentation of regular project progress reports to the Project Steering Committee. Reports will be concise, and issue- and solution-oriented. The following suggested information should be included:
· Summary of work performed during last reporting period
· Summary of work planned for next period
· Major, unresolved changes to project scope
· New/unresolved issues influencing progress
· Summary of Deliverables and Submission/Approval status
· Summary of project financial information
· Changes Control Log (the procedure is discussed in detail later in this proposal)
Health Checks
The purpose of a Healthcheck is to ascertain the health of a project, identify issues and agree on appropriate actions. In addition, Project Start-up Healthchecks are intended to ensure that the project has planned to address all requirements of the contract and that the CLIENT and project teams are fully briefed on the objectives and their responsibilities. By conducting a risk analysis, the past, current, and prospective future of the project are uncovered and risk containment measures explored and documented. Unless otherwise requested, the concluding action of the Healthcheck is to discuss the findings openly with the CLIENT Project Manager. This is also an opportunity to gain a perspective of CLIENT issues and problems.
Project Team Review Meetings
Weekly progress meetings will be held among the project team members according to time and location identified. These brief meetings enable the Project Manager to monitor progress against the detailed Project Plan, deal with any problems which have arisen and agree on the objectives for the following period.
Steering Committee Meetings
Oracle recommends that formal progress meetings should be held on a monthly basis (or at set intervals by agreement). Regular progress meetings will enable CLIENT's management to review the overall progress and state of the project. All such issues which require attention of the senior management can be raised.




Roles Of Oracle And CLIENT Users

Legend: P = Perform, A = Assist, R = Review

Main Implementation Activities
Oracle Project Team
CLIENT Project Team
DEFINITION


Establish Project
P
P
Plan Project
P
P
OPERATIONS ANALYSIS


Initiate Operations Analysis
P
A
Assess Current Business
P
A
Define Business Requirement
P
A
Provide Overview Training
P
A
Assess Fit
P
P
Propose Architecture
P
P
SOLUTION DESIGN


Initiate Solution Design
P
A
Installation
P
R
Train Project Team
P
A
Map Business Solutions
P
P
Prepare For Testing
P
P
Plan Business Transition
P
P
BUILD


Initiate Build
P
A
Prepare Environment
P
A
Construct Production Architecture
P
R
Test System
P
P
TRANSITION


Initiate Transition
P
A
Train End Users
A
P
Deploy Production System
A
P
Production Cut over
P
P
PRODUCTION


Support end users
A
P
Refine System
P
P