AGI´s Enterprise Software Implementation Methodology
The Method
The AGI Symphony Methodology is the roadmap for the journey to a successful project implementation. It provides direction, milestones, 'preflight' checklists, and answers to questions such as 'who', 'what', 'when' and 'how'.
SYMPHONY is built around the following assumptions:
Software and supply chain best practices are our area of expertise, but no one knows your business as well as you.
You want to participate in the implementation, but you want direction on what tasks need to be completed and when.
You want the project to be predictable, and you want to know what you're going to get for your money–and when.
You want a quality system that fits your budget and time constraints.
You want to use AGI as little as possible after go-live, and therefore want to receive training throughout the implementation project, not just at the end.
SYMPHONY is streamlined. AGI doesn't clutter it up with unnecessary detail to make it pass a 'weight test'. It includes an ideal mix of structure and flexibility to meet the needs of our customer base, which ranges from large, highly complex, multi-site rollouts to small-scale, single-site deployments. AGI can do this because most of the same activities need to occur regardless of the size of the project. However, the complexity of those activities and the time they take will certainly vary from customer to customer.
SYMPHONY is predictable. The keys to predictability are good planning and good communication. SYMPHONY supports both of these by providing deliverables that allow both AGI and customer Project Managers to build the plan together and then keep each other informed about the progress of their respective teams.
The People (The Who)
Ultimately, every implementation comes down to the quality of the team that performs the work. AGI Professionals are second to none. Each person has a fundamental desire to perform quality work for our customers; it's a prerequisite to employment with AGI Worldwide.
Perhaps, like many customers, you are concerned about your team's expertise, or how much time this implementation project is going to take out of their day-to-day responsibilities. AGI understands these concerns and builds our teams accordingly. Software implementation is our focus–AGI knows the shortcuts that can be taken, and those that must be avoided.
For less experienced customers, AGI provides strong Project Managers armed with detailed plans and checklists to assist your team and ensure everyone understands critical path activities that must be performed to achieve success.
For more experienced customers, AGI still provides the strong project management and detailed plans and checklists but often collaborates with your project manager to align our implementation methodology with yours. This ensures everyone is speaking the same language and that AGI will meet your organization's requirements.
Our skills and qualifications
AGI Project Managers have a minimum of five years in supply chain project implementation or a related field. As a result, they have significant industry knowledge as well as AGI product functionality knowledge. Project Managers are hired for their ability to drive projects to completion on time, and on budget. They are detail-oriented and excellent communicators. In addition, they play a key role in account management, communicating with your sponsors as well as the executive sponsor at AGI.
AGI Solution Architects are subject matter experts in several of today's leading WMS solutions, as well as supply chain business processes. They lead customer teams through the process of mapping your business strategy and WMS solution alignment to ensure the most optimal product.
Consultants and Technical Leads are AGI's software developers. They perform solution modifications either at the object level, the database level or within the WMS source files themselves.
Roles and responsibilities – AGI
Every one of our team members has the responsibility to make your project a success. Within that overall purpose, AGI distributes project roles and responsibilities as described below:
A typical project team consists of one Project Manager, one Solution Architect and one or more Consultants, depending on the scope and timeline of your particular project.
Project Manager: Responsible for the overall management of the implementation, including AGI resources, budget management, status reporting, project plan, scope control, issue management and key milestones.
Solution Architect: Applies knowledge of AGI's WMS products and Supply Chain best practices to map customer's operational requirements to the WMS product suite. Also conducts quality assurance and specification verification checks on the personalized solution.
Consultant: Performs personalization, configuration, documentation and training services.
AGI Management: Provides executive-level oversight to the project and communicates with the customer management sponsors.
Worldwide Support: Provides customer support after on-site go-live support is complete, and after a detailed transition meeting from the project implementation team has taken place.
AGI Trainers: Provide classroom and hands-on training for customer personnel.
Roles and responsibilities - Customer
While AGI is in the business of implementing software solutions, no one knows your business as well as you. For that reason, your involvement is especially important at several key points in the process.
There are typically four customer role types involved: functional, technical, Project Manager and Project Sponsor. These roles may be combined into two or three individuals, or distributed among several individuals depending on how your organization is structured.
Typical roles and skill sets suggested for customer team members are as follows:
Project Manager (PM): The customer Project Manager is a liaison to the AGI Project Manager throughout the implementation effort. The customer PM directs the activities of customer team resources according to the Customer Responsibilities Workplan - a subset of the standard AGI project plan that is provided to the customer PM by the AGI PM. This workplan aids in meeting the milestones set forth in the overall project plan, which is maintained by the AGI PM. This role typically requires 1-2 days per week for an average project.
Functional Resources: These individuals participate in the System Workshop and the Conference Room Pilot. They may also participate in System Testing, Train the Trainer and End-User Training depending on individual availability and skill sets.
Technical Resources - Systems Administrator: Responsible for the day-to-day administration of the installed system and provides ongoing support of the system once it is implemented (after go-live). This resource should be made a member of the project team as early as possible. Ideally training begins during the Configure Phase. This individual is also involved during the Validate Phase (Conference Room Pilot).
Management Sponsor: The Project Manager may also hold this role. This individual is the project champion who has authority to sign off on the Statement of Work and other deliverables and ensures that the project has sufficient attention and visibility inside the business to succeed.
Tools
AGI takes a very pragmatic approach to electronic tools, using them only where it makes sense and adds value to the goal of a successful implementation. AGI uses industry-standard personal productivity tools such as the Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project, Visio for process flow charting, and Instant Messenger to handle real-time questions and requests.
In addition, AGI uses communication tools that ensures that tracking of project deliverables, change control, knowledge objects, deliverables, status reporting, discussion threads, etc. are all kept in one centralized repository, accessible anywhere in the world by the joint project team. AGI creates a forum for executives to discuss progress and express any concerns and uses many of the powerful Agile techniques to ensure that the entire project team is communicating and collaborating at the appropriate level.
