Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 1.
Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Phase Model
Conduct Business Process Analysis.
A detailed business process analysis is con-
ducted in a workshop, therefore consultants compare the customers' current business
process with standard ERP processes. The result is a To-Be process model (see Figure
2) which describes business process steps using natural language text. For example,
an item arrival process could include events such as:
A vendor delivers goods from
different purchase orders.
Gather Business Requirements.
After defining the To-Be process model consult-
ants and customer start to gather and document requirements following a predefined
Word-template. Consultants document upcoming requirements using the Functional
and Non-Functional Requirements Document (see Figure 2). An example requirement
descriptions supporting the item arrival process could be:
The system should inform
the warehouse worker if the delivered quantity is higher than the ordered quantity.
Conduct Fit-Gap Analysis.
After the workshop consultants conduct a Fit-Gap
Analysis. For each requirement consultants try to identify an available solution. If the
consultants are able to identify a software solution they document it as fit, otherwise it
is a gap. In a next step the consultants and the customer jointly investigate ways to
resolve the gaps. There are three ways to deal with gaps: (i) Adding a 3rd party solu-
tion; (ii) Changing the business process; (iii) Customizing the standard application to
fit the requirements. Fits and gap resolutions are documented in the Fit-Gap Work-
sheet (see Figure 2).
Derive Functional Design Documents.
After the Fit-Gap Analysis consultants
create a Functional Design Document for Configuration which
describes how selected
standard software services need to be configured to fulfill customer needs. Further-
more, developers and consultants create a Functional Design Document for Customi-
zation
.
This document describes the planned development work needed to provide
solutions for the gaps.
