1. Microsoft Corporation
4/25/2017 3:12 PM
Session 1: Customer Solutions with Sure Step Created by: Aditya Mohan Director, Partner Product Management
Welcome.
Sure Step Introduction
Microsoft Corporation
©2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.

2. Today’s Marketplace: Situational Analysis
Customer
Partner
Customers want a partner they can trust
Need a partner with excellent soft-skills AND technical acumen
Economic uncertainty = Longer decision timelines
Differentiation/brand recognition
Leads are drying up
Budget is at premium; talent is still key
Operational efficiency is more critical today
Economic uncertainty = Excess resources
Today’s marketplace has challenges for both customers and partners. Customers feel they have unique needs and, while they may understand the benefit of using an ERP methodology, they also want their particular problems and issues to be understood by their consulting partner. Developing customer trust and support requires an empathetic consultant who can see the world from the customers point of view. Your soft skills in wining an engagement are crucial.
Some challenges specific to partners:
The economy. Tightening budgets have driven greater scrutiny for IT
expenditures and, in many cases, pushed out decision timelines. As one
partner said, “A couple of implementations where the customers bought, we’re
two to three months in, and they’re putting the project on hold six to 9
months.”
Gaining competitive mindshare. With multiple applications, multiple competing
products, and multiple competitive service providers, partners must invest to
develop their brand and remain top-of-mind with the appropriate customers.
Generating leads. Although being a Microsoft partner delivers certain benefits
in terms of lead generation, partners must also be able to generate and
nurture their own leads and accurately forecast their future business. As new
leads diminish, partners must identify opportunities to re-engage with and
nurture existing customers.
Finding and training talent. As one partner said, “Finding talent is really
difficult, it’s the be all end all. The biggest mistakes you make are hiring
mistakes.”
Scaling their business profitably. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Microsoft
partners is how to grow the business while managing costs, ensuring customer
satisfaction, and ultimately streamlining operations to maximize efficiencies.
As one partner said, “There are a lot of mom and pop implementers out there
but not many … grow beyond the $6 or $7 million level.”

3. 3 Guiding Principles to ensure Customer Delight!
Improve Collaboration
With Customer
Within the Project Team
Increase Productivity
Using tools and templates to be more productive
Increase Customer Satisfaction
Visibility
Control
Confidence in their investment
When talking with your customer, here are some things to think about:
What issues are forcing the need for you to focus on improving your service delivery processes?
What are you’re biggest challenges?
What steps have you taken to strengthen your service delivery processes?
Do you currently employ standard templates and methodologies in your practice?
Lastly, there are a number of ERP applications and solutions for your for your industry and vertical solution needs. For this course – we’re using Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step. In an effort to help all Microsoft partners be more successful in delivering on-time, on-budget Microsoft Dynamics solutions to customers, Microsoft began providing Sure Step to all its Microsoft Dynamics partners.
Sure Step includes:
Standardized content and workflow diagrams to structure and streamline the
solution delivery process, from initial business diagnosis to implementation and
hand-off to internal IT support teams.
Tools and detailed documentation for project activities, resource allocation, and
system configuration.
Best practices guidance based on the experience of Microsoft partners for
tailoring Dynamics applications to customers’ unique requirements.

4. Sure Step Overview Value Proposition
Customer lifecycle engagement methodology
Provides partners with comprehensive sales through delivery guidance
Framework for agreed upon partner and customer engagement model
For all Microsoft Dynamics® solutions
For Partners
Improved Collaboration
Increased Profitability
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
Value Proposition
Customers working with partners that follow a structured methodology such as Sure Step can achieve more rapid payback and be well-positioned to evolve as their business needs change.
Microsoft Dynamics partners can use Sure Step’s standard industry best practice templates to guide customers through the implementation project, document business value, and communicate the overall value of the project to management and investors. During the implementation and during subsequent upgrades, partners following Sure Step ensure they only make the changes or customizations that are actually needed to meet the customer’s business needs.
Key benefits for customers include:
Operational improvements driving greater business performance
Reduced training costs
Increased productivity through improved user adoption
For Prospect and Existing Customers
Confidence
Control
Visibility

5. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Demo
Demonstrate Sure Step

6. Due diligence, including sales
6 Primary Phases
Due diligence, including sales
Implementation
Post-implementation
The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step model divides a full Microsoft Dynamics
implementation project into six primary phases. Each phase consists of a set of
defined activities and tasks. The result of the work performed in an activity is
usually documented in a deliverable that provides guidance and direction in later
steps in the implementation process.

7. 7 Decision Accelerators
The Decision Accelerator offerings defined in the Diagnostic phase aid customer decision making for implementing a Microsoft Dynamics solution. You can select one or more Decision Accelerator offerings that best describe the customer’s needs in selecting an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) solution.
Decision Accelerators
Develop
Requirements and Process Review
Upgrade Assessment
Solution
Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint
Architecture Assessment
Scoping Assessment
Proof
Proof of Concept
Business Case

8. Project Types
Sure Step provides options for selecting content relevant to a particular type of project. You can choose to see content that best fits your customer’s specific implementation.
Project Types
Standard
Enterprise
Rapid
Agile
Upgrade

9. Cross Phase Processes
A Cross Phase process is a group of related activities that span multiple implementation phases in a specific project scenario. The model provides step-by-step guidance for important Cross Phase processes.
Cross Phase Processes
Organization
Program Management
Training
Business Process Analysis
Solution
Requirements and Configuration
Custom Coding
Quality and Testing
Technology
Infrastructure
Integration and Interfaces
Data Migration

10. Optimization Offerings
The model provides optimization offerings for performing a thorough independent review of an implementation. Optimization offerings are designed to help reduce risk and improve customer satisfaction for complex blended engagements that include consultants from several partners.
Optimization Offerings
Architecture Review
Design Review
Development Review
Performance Review
Health Check
Upgrade Review
Project Governance and Delivery Review

11. Project Management Library
Project management activities and tasks are embedded throughout the Sure Step phases and activities. Following the project management best practices integrated in the model can help guarantee the success of Microsoft Dynamics implementation projects
Project Management Library
Project Management Discipline
Organization Change Management Discipline
Agile Project Management Discipline
Processes

12. Consulting & Customer Roles
Many different job roles are typically involved in Microsoft Dynamics implementation projects. The model identifies and provides guidance for the consulting and customer roles that are involved in specific phases, activities, and tasks in an implementation project

13. Diagnostic Preparation & the 7 Decision Accelerators
Requirements and Process Review
Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint
Architecture Assessment
Scoping Assessment
Proof of Concept
Business Case
Upgrade Assessment
Within the Diagnostic phase of the Sure Step model, there are defined sets of services called Decision Accelerators. These seven Decision Accelerators map to the stages of the Microsoft Solution Selling Process (MSSP). They provide a due diligence process for selecting or “diagnosing” the right solution to meet business requirements.
Critical Offerings

14. Customer Needs Analysis: Diagnostic Preparation
Questions for Customer:
What are my business needs?
Does a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution fit my business needs?
How will my business work with this new system?
How will a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution scale to meet my needs?
How much should I budget for an implementation?
How do I justify to management the implementation's benefits vs. costs?
Explain the benefits of accurate preparation for a diagnostic phase. One of the success factors in Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is ensuring solid preparation for the diagnostic phase.
Understanding customer needs and being prepared to ask the right questions.
Decision Accelerators – focus on the purpose and key elements of the decision accelerators and then review the objectives and deliverables for each decision accelerator. Emphasize that Decision Accelerators can be mixed and matched to meet customer needs.

15. Opportunity Briefing Overview
Internal Partner Research
The customer’s general need for a business solution
Current system and the reason for changing it
Current master data and transaction volume
Number and type of users
Timeline for an implementation
Whether a budget is available
With what competitors is the customer engaging
The goal of the internal briefing meeting is to brief the internal Consulting Sales Team members on the customer opportunity and to transfer knowledge on the customer opportunity from the person responsible for the sale to the other participants from the consulting organization.
The following knowledge areas are addressed in the internal briefing meeting:
Customer's general need for a business solution.
Current system and the reason for changing it.
Current master data and transaction volume.
Number and type of users.
Timeline for an implementation.
Whether a budget is available.
What competitors the customer is engaging with.
Additional knowledge areas can include the following:
Description of the customer organization.
Decision makers at the customer organization.
Key people in favor or against a new business solution.
Background on the existing business system.
General understanding of the customer's industry.
General understanding of the customer's primary functionality needs.
Next steps with the customer.
This knowledge transfer can be part of the internal briefing meeting, or if the information is more extensive, it can be done in a separate meeting.

16. Requirements and Process Review
Review current processes to determine the requirements for the future state.
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Requirements and Process Review: the goals of this decision accelerator are to document the high-level requirements and business processes that should be considered in the scope of the ERP implementation. These will then be key factors in the customer's decision. This includes functional and non-functional requirements, as well as integration/interface requirements.

17. Upgrade Assessment
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Review current release of the Microsoft Dynamics solution to ascertain the best approach to upgrade to a subsequent release.

18. Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint
Determine how effectively the customer’s requirements fit with the proposed Microsoft Dynamics solution. This is a critical offering.
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Fit Gap and Solution Blueprint: the objective of this decision accelerator is to determine the degree of fit to the business. A Fit Gap Analysis is a list of business requirements and how they will be addressed in a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution. A Solution Blueprint is a functional document listing how the business would use a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution.

19. Architecture Assessment
Confirm the architectural design for the Microsoft Dynamics solution. This is a critical offering.
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Architecture Assessment: this decision accelerator identifies production infrastructure and hardware requirements to meet the customer's requirements for the ERP deployment. This can include any combination of the three offerings available in this accelerator: Architecture Assessment, Proof of Concept Benchmark, and High Availability and Disaster Recovery.

20. Scoping Assessment
Estimate high-level cost and resource plan to deploy the Microsoft Dynamics solution. This is a critical offering.
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Scoping Assessment: this tool provides a high level implementation approach for the Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution including scope, schedule, cost, and resources.

21. Proof of Concept
Validate requirements with customer's sample data. If the customer requires solutions from a Microsoft partner to fulfill its needs, a proof of concept also lets the customer try those solutions.
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Proof of Concept: this tool is designed to gain management support and confidence in the solution. A Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution is configured in the client's test system around certain critical requirements and demonstrated to their decision makers in a conference room setting to validate requirements.

22. Business Case
MSSP Stages
Critical Offerings
Prepare a solid business case for implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics solution.
Business Case: this decision accelerator aids in projecting return on investment (ROI) based on industry benchmarks, estimating total cost of ownership (TCO), and understanding the benefits of implementing a Microsoft Dynamics ERP solution.

23. Scoping the Project & SHOW ME
During this phase, you will:
Determine scope and risk
Review Scoping Assessment Delivery Guide
Review previous decision accelerators
Determine implementation scope
Complete the Dynamics Scoping Worksheet
Use the Microsoft Dynamics Costing Worksheet
The key deliverable is the Dynamics Costing Worksheet. This template enables the project manager to produce a high level estimate for upcoming phases. This estimate can only be produced based on the understanding of the scope.
Show the Costing Worksheet.
List documents that prepare you for this (Fit Gap Worksheet, Fit Gap Analysis and Solution Blueprint Report).
Point out that they may have different responses based on their ERP backgrounds, and that this is acceptable. The answers presented in the lab are simply one view of the solution. Focus students on the process whenever possible, as opposed to the specifics of the outcome.

24. Planning the Project & SHOW ME
During this phase, you will:
Guide the customer toward the most efficient implementation process and project type
Different ways to deliver an implementation:
Standard
Agile
Enterprise
Rapid
Upgrade
Project planning is a matter of drawing conclusions and packaging information and documentation already gathered in previous activities.
Advise the students about the project types that Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides. Provide guidance on which project type serves which aim. Ask students to identify the main criteria for selecting a specific project type.
Explain the impact of these project types by describing the differences between them.
Emphasize the recommendation criteria that Sure Step provides for the selection of the project type. Display the corresponding slide. Emphasize that the project type selection is a guide, and that a project may incorporate elements of multiple project types.

25. Successful Positioning & Selling: Key Activities
Examine how to prepare and plan for the Diagnostic Phase
Decide, plan, and deliver the decision accelerators
Identify and define the scope for the project based on results from decision accelerators
Guide the customer toward the most efficient implementation process and project type
Produce time and cost estimates for the project
Plan the resources for the project
Plan for risks
Create a project proposal
Achieve customer sign-off
A key success factor in driving Sure Step Adoption at a partner company is the degree to which you can align your sales and implementation teams around it.  The sales team must be able to position and sell the Diagnostic Phase offerings to prospects. Using the documentation you’ve compiled will allow you to lead Tailspin Toys to a more informed estimate of scope, time and costs to the prospect at the beginning of the project – and to better identify and manage changes as it moves forward.
NOTE: Talk about personal experiences in selling solutions to clients.

26. Next Steps Ensure that project planning is updated.
Examine how to prepare for and conduct a kickoff meeting with the customer.
Determine if key user training prior to determining business requirements is a necessity.
Create a training plan.
Understand the process of detailed business analysis.
Identify and document the gaps out of the workshop review documents.
Examine how to handle issues in your project.
Learn how to control scope creep by implementing proposal management.
Explain that students should think about:
What elements are necessary to build a solid foundation for your proposal?
Key areas they you feel are critical to complete?
What type of information would you include?
What are the key points you wish to convey about the project?
Based on all the data you’ve gathered from the client, it’s time to prepare your documentation for:
Project Objectives and Scope Project Approach,
Timeline and Service Deliverables
Project Organization and Staffing
General Customer Name Responsibilities and Project Assumptions
Since the project is still in the Diagnostic phase, only make high level conclusions.

27. Review Solution Design
Deliverables include:
Functional Design Documents (FDD) for Fits (Configurations)
Functional Design Documents (FDD) for Gaps (Customizations)
FDDs for Requirements identified as Gaps in the Standard Solution
FDDs for Integration and Interface Requirements
FDDs for Data Migration Requirements
Technical Design Documents (TDD)
Solution Design Document (SDD)
Different combinations used based on project type and needs
Gathering and documenting customer's business requirements is a critical path activity that is executed in the Analysis phase of the Microsoft Dynamics
implementation. The process involves a series of Business Requirements workshops conducted with the key users, business process owners, and subject
matter experts (SMEs) for the customer as well as a mapping of these processes to the 'to-be' processes identified in the ERP solution. The purpose of these
workshops is to collect the customer requirements that are being documented in the Functional Requirements Document (FRD).

28. FRD to Design Document Flow
Show:
As students how the information gathered during the Detailed Business Process Analysis feeds the FRD?
Examine the structure of the FRD document.
Open the Business Requirements Definition section.

29. Risks versus Issues Risk Issue
A potential (future) event that may have a detrimental affect on time cost, quality and deliverables.
Risk represents uncertainty
(something might affect performance and have an impact on the project)
An unpredicted (current) event that requires a decision otherwise a negative affect on the project may result.
Key points:
A risk is a potentiality of an event that may affect the course of a project plan.
A risk has no effect at the present time, in other words, it has not happened yet.
An issue is often a risk that has been realized (although not always).
A risk has no effect in its current state, while an issue may be problematic.
A risk may be absorbed into a project with no effect at all, while an issue usually has effects, mainly negative.

30. Important Considerations
Issue Management
Important Considerations
Manage issues proactively
Make issues visible
Consider impact:
Legal
Contractual
Consider impact on project:
Scope
Timeline
Budget
Templates:
Implementation Issue Entry Form
Issue List
A solid issue management process can make the difference between project success and failure. Critical issues that affect time, scope, budget, or quality of the project need to be resolved in an appropriate timeframe. A formal issue management process is used to handle important issues and to synchronize with scope, time, and cost management.
Important aspects for the management of issues include:
Managing issues proactively is essential. Issues that are ignored or not resolved in the timeframe needed, can negatively impact the project.
Make issues visible to the appropriate team members and stakeholders to gain their understanding and support.
Consider the impact of issues on legal and contractual requirements.
Consider the impact of issues on the project's scope, timeline, and budget.

31. Issue Management Process
Steps
Identify issue
Document issue
List issue
Analyze issue
Determine priority
Plan and communicate activities
Update project planning
Assign resources
Follow up on issue
Prove and communicate the resolution of issues
Close issue
Show:
How Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step can help address issues, and why issue management is critical to a successful project.
Review the Implementation Issue Entry Form and Issue List provided by Sure Step and talk about activities related to the resolution of issues that can be initiated on the Issue Work Form tab of the Issue List. The template supports copying the issue information from the Issue List to the Issue Work Form by typing the Issue ID in the appropriate Microsoft® Office Excel® field of the Issue Work Form.
Briefly review the issue resolution process.

32. Project Monitoring Proposal Management Manage project scope
Document, analyze, and approve scope changes
Change Request Form
Manage Change Requests
Application consultant
Detailed analysis
Review and Approve Change Requests
Review with team members
Review with customer
Finalize in to project plan
Inform team members of new schedule
Proposal Management is a critical process that needs to be carefully coordinated to manage the scope of a project.
Proposal Management is an activity that needs to be executed within all cross phases of the project implementation life cycle. It is the responsibility of the Program Manager to continuously monitor scope, and take necessary action to help the project stay on track. The end result will be a satisfied customer and a committed and motivated project team.
Explain that the role of proposal management within the Analysis phase is to ensure that changes to scope are documented, analyzed, and approved between Trey Research and Tailspin Toys. Point out that changes can arise as of the beginning of the project and must be managed at that time. This also means that the Project Manager must be perceptive for these possible changes from the beginning.
Show:
Change Request Form – it’s a document to capture the change requested and provide an analysis of the change and the impacts of that change. Additionally, the project manager can use the Change Control Request Log to manage the status and impact of all change requests.

33. Tollgate Review Overview
Recommended due to tendency to quickly slip into the next phase of a project 
May vary based on project type and needs
Project quality element
Occurs at the end of each phase
Tollgate Review presentation
Prepared by the Project Manager
Presented to the customer
The phase tollgate is a review conducted at the end of each phase in the project lifecycle. Sure Step recommends this activity based on project type, although you can direct students that they may choose to exclude or include it based on their specific project needs.
The tollgate review is a project quality element and represents a necessary quality stop at the end of each phase before the transition to the next phase.
Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step provides a document deliverable specifically for this review moment, the Tollgate Review Report.