Tasks

This is the part of the sub-web covering the Implementation of Applications Software. To go to the overview of this sub-web, please click Overview. To go to the web-site home page, please click Home.

Introduction

In this brief document, we try to identify the different tasks involved in the implementation, which the customer needs to undertake, and the type of people required for each. It also points out the project management role.

The Work to be Undertaken

The work to be undertaken falls into the following categories:

• supervising the installation of the equipment, systems et cetera;
• supervising the implementation of the systems;
• project management.

Each of these is discussed in more detail below.

Equipment Installation Supervision

This task falls into a number of areas as follows:-

• site preparation, where the location of the equipment has to be agreed and the consequent location of power and network sockets;
• installation of suitable cabling to meet these requirements;
• re-arranging the office - this is quite often done at the same time;
• physical installation of the equipment.

This requires three different inputs:

• the external supplier who arranges cabling and physical installation;
• a technically-minded office junior who is responsible for ensuring that everything is in the right place at the right time, can spend time with the engineers e.g. showing them where sockets are to be installed, and generally learning how to become a future Mr., or Ms., Fix-it;

• supervision - somebody who can tell the office junior what to do, agree things like socket locations, argue, if needs be, with the supplier, and, generally, ensure that the job happens.

Software Installation Supervision

This task falls into a number of areas as follows:-

• planning the timetable for installation, training, system testing, data take on, parallel, and live running;
• installation of the software;
• provision of training;
• using the staff, straight from training, to enter test data and start taking on live data;
• monitoring the test runs and evaluating them;
• liaising with the supplier to correct errors and modifying training to cover problems encountered;
• reporting progress to the progress meeting;
• supervising parallel runs;
• general problem fixing and becoming the focus of queries

This requires four different inputs:

• the external supplier who installs the software, provides training, and corrects faults;
• technically-minded office junior who has the day to day responsibility for identifying and reporting problems and carrying out the instructions of the supplier or management to fix them, and generally learning how to become a future Mr., or Ms., Fix-it;
• general management supervision - somebody who can tell the office junior what to do, set overall management priorities, and look at overall progress;
• technical supervision - somebody who is, effectively, facilitating the implementation, by checking that the training is being provided at the right time and level, co-ordinating the training with the testing and data take-on, supervising and monitoring the testing, providing technical support to the office junior, arguing with the suppliers over technical matters et cetera.

Project Management

This heading covers the tasks of overseeing the whole process and ensuring that both parties (you and the supplier) are kept in line. This is a management task and, unlike your own, virtually full-time manager, does not, usually, involve much detailed work. The list of tasks is as follows:-

• supervise the production of an implementation plan, setting out the timescale and resources required to bring both manual and computer systems into use. This will identify where training is required and any gaps in skills or resources which may need to be filled;

• monitor progress and chase both your people and the suppliers to ensure that targets are achieved. This will probably require meetings every four weeks or so, which the consultant would chair, which would allocate tasks, setting responsibilities and timescales, then monitor progress and review priorities when problems arise.