Insights

View full profileJim Cook

Head of CRM
Bluefin Solutions

Bluefin's CRM Project Methodology

There is well established, much loved (in some quarters) and often repeated methodology for implementing SAP projects - ASAP (or accelerated SAP). Most consultancies use a version of this methodology. There is always a Blueprint phase - what are we going to build and how are we going to build it - and a Realisation phase - the build. These are wrapped up in a preparation phases, initially for the project and then latterly for the business. The best projects also make sure that quality reviews are embedded in these phases and particularly as you move between phases.

CRM is different - of course I would say that - but there a number of key differences between a traditional ERP project and a CRM project. If these differences apply to your project (SAP CRM or not) then I would encourage you to also act differently. Some of the differences:

We always say that the best projects (from everyone's point of view) are PHASED, FOCUSED and FAST. I'm going to pick out a couple of key points from the table and describe how a different approach can help you achieve this.

Systems implementations in a sales and marketing environment need to be driven by the business ' if the Sales Director is on board you have a chance. However this creates real problems for those in IT and some of the comments you may hear are:  "we've always used SAP but they don't want it", "it's not user friendly", "we don't really know what they want and neither do they".

In traditional systems projects you write a spec, go off and build it, test it and implement it - job done. Unless of course the spec didn't really describe what they really wanted in the first place. In sales and marketing this is usually the case, requirements are often unclear and are constantly changing, just like the external market companies have to deal with.

To tackle some of these issues our methodology is based on collaboration, visualisation and iteration. These are some of the only constants in our CRM projects. Collaboration between the business, internal IT and Bluefin is vital throughout all phases of the project to achieve a shared outcome. Iteration through all the phases of a project is essential to constantly check that the requirements are still relevant and meet the business needs. Visualisation, using prototypes, demos, mock ups are used to make sure everyone is talking the same language.

So although these concepts are persistent throughout the project lifecycle I wanted to focus on the early stages of a project and describe an additional phase that we would encourage you to consider. Although the term prototype is traditionally mentioned within blueprint and realisation phases, we see it as much more than this and with a number of our customers we have run a prototype as a first phase of the CRM project.

The Prototype

The prototype is typically a 2 month process that builds standard system processes on your systems to run those processes that a key to the success of your project. We have a proven approach to understanding and prioritising those processes that need to be included - of course this priority is driven by the importance of this functionality to the business but also may be driven by how technically complex it is and how important it is to prove that it works.

Proptype criteria for success

• Create a common language: Visualising the process means fewer misunderstandings due to terminology
• Understand whether SAP will deliver the benefits we are looking for
• Identification of key gap: Non standard processes are a main driver for project costs
• Avoid building a solution which features that sound good on paper but will not actually be used in practice
• Start understanding the changes the solution will require of the business
• Understand and debate options for phasing the project
• The team and wider stakeholders are engaged in the process and vision 
• We have a foundation for planning and estimating the main project 

A successful prototype leads the project team into a blueprint phase, with everyone understanding, visualising and supporting the project. Of course life is not that simple but getting as many people on the same wavelength before a significant investment is made is vital and the prototype should also help understand the scale of the investment that is required.

The concepts of iteration and visualisation are of course included in a prototype phase. After a scoping workshop, the build is split into cycles. At the end of each of these cycles there is a playback session where the processes are demonstrated on the system. These sessions give the business a great feel for the system and always generate debate about the real requirements. This benefit that this is not a paper exercise but is standard SAP processes shown on the clients system with their data cannot be underestimated.

The final phase of the prototype allows us to discuss with the business how the project should be implemented. As I have said earlier, CRM projects lend themselves to phased implementations. With a greater understanding of the requirements and potential benefits the discussion about how to split up the project can be much more meaningful. The project may then really be PHASED, FOCUSSED and FAST.