Implementation Life Cycle Plan

The various stages involved in the implementation life cycle are listed below:

Installation
Product Walk Through Plan
User Training
Data Setup/Conversion
User Acceptance Test
Parallel Run
Live Cut over
Post Live Support

Preparation of plans, communication and agreement on the same with the client is a very important exercise.

The benefits from this exercise are:

Smooth implementation due to clear communication & agreement of plans on both sides.
Adherence to time frames.

The Implementation Plan

This is a master plan for the whole implementation and contains the following:

The major activities involved ( which would relate to the stages in the implementation life cycle )
Start & end dates for the activities
Number of business days for each activity
Responsibility for each activity ( Client / Oracle Financial Services Software Limited)
The size of the implementation team
Proposed travel plans of implementation team

As the implementation plan includes a schedule for various activities planned, there is a set of information required to arrive at schedules.

These include:

Total number of end users
Total number of funds running / to be setup
Volume of existing data to be taken on
Daily transaction volume

Based on the above information, the proposed Implementation Plan has to be drawn and communicated to the client. Communications might have to be exchanged back and forth to arrive at a plan that is mutually agreeable for both sides. Once the plan is finalized, this will be the basis for the other plans to be drawn up.

Installation Stage Plan

This aims at planning out various activities associated with the installation of Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing (both server & client components).

Tasks Plan

The tasks planned under this activity include:

Number of databases to be created ( Live, user training, UAT, etc.,)
Size of databases to be created
Structure of directories to be created
Number of client work stations on which the front end modules are to be installed

Required Information

Information required from the client for the above exercise includes:

Number of servers & client workstations
Configuration of server & client workstations
Details of operating systems installed on server / workstations
Details of installation of the RDBMS (/ Oracle )

The availability of certain minimum hardware and software configuration before the installation is to be ensured by the client. This has to be communicated to the client during the pre-implementation stage through the Installation plan.

The details of the minimum hardware and software configuration are listed under Installation in Implementation Tasks topic .

Deliverables

The deliverables to the client includes:

Installation Diskettes/CD for front end modules ( FMG, AGY)
Database objects (Installation scripts)
User Manuals
Training material
Installation & Operations Manual
Support Procedures Implementation hand over document (which is prepared at the end of the implementation)

All of the above deliverables (except the Implementation hand over document) are to be taken from the base line being maintained and duly certified by SQA. Annexure P contains a sample of the Software Release Form used for the above clearance. The media used for carrying the software would be CDs. It is advisable to carry two sets of the software with one set serving as a backup. Before starting the installation, the software should be copied onto an area on the server and the media preserved.

For details of creation of databases and installation of front-end modules, refer Installation Manuals.

Product Walk Through Plan

The Product Walk Through (PWT) is an exercise where the end users from the client side would conduct an in-depth evaluation of Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing vis-à-vis their business processes.

Objectives of PWT

The aim of the PWT:

To enable the end users to understand the capabilities of the system
To identify and document specifications for potential gaps

A PWT would normally be conducted prior to the implementation of the product. However, there could be situations where the PWT might be conducted as the first stage of the implementation process.

A plan for the PWT would incorporate the features to be covered under the PWT broken down by logical days. The features covered would be in a logical flow to simulate the flow of operations in Oracle FLEXCUBE Investor Servicing. The time planned for the PWT would have to take into account the range and depth of the evaluation planned.

Presented below are two different situations:

A client might want to view the working of all features in the system and so the exercise might go through with a few transactions beings performed.
In a different situation, a client might want to run past data (e.g., 1 months data) in the system and compare the results with the actual one.

The time required for the PWT in both cases could be different. As a result, it is very important to get the following information from the client beforehand to arrive at the time to be scheduled for the implementation:

The depth to which the evaluation is planned in terms of the number of funds, transactions, etc.
The range of features to be evaluated
The number of users who are planning to participate in the exercise

User Training Plan

This plan addresses all the activities involved in the training of end users.

It would contain:

The planned mechanism for the training. For example, the training could be split into sessions such as Classroom and Hands-on sessions. During the Classroom session, the features could be explained by the trainer after which the users actually practice on the machine during the Hands-on session.
The timing of the training sessions. This has to be fixed to enable the users to plan time out of their normal activities.
A day wise breakup of features to be covered as a part of the training.
A list of requirements for the training such as training rooms, whiteboard, etc.,

Data Setup / Conversion Plan

This stage of the implementation looks at two major sets of tasks:

Set up of static data (Entities, Loads, Funds, etc.)
Take on of past transaction data in case of existing funds. This will not be applicable in case of start up funds.

Both the above can be carried out either manually or through automation primarily depending on the volume of the data to be taken on.

To arrive at the time schedule for the above tasks, the following information is required from the client:

Static Data Setup
- Number of funds
- No. of loads
- Number of brokers
- Number of Unit Holders
Transaction Data:
- No. of transactions to be taken on along with the number of logical days.
The steps involved under this stage is as follows:
- Data Preparation
- Preparation of program for automated data take on (not required in the case of a manual take on)
- Data take on

Data Preparation

A part of the data preparation is carried out during the pre-implementation phase while the other steps are carried out at the client site. In the case of a setup/take on, the system expects a set of data in a specific format. The information on the data expected and the format should be communicated to the client during the pre-implementation phase.

This would help by

Giving the client time to prepare the data required in the specified format
Cutting down time required during the data setup & conversion phase of the implementation
Identification of issues to be resolved. E.g., sets of information which are not available in FCIS but are required from the clients point of view for the working has to be resolved.

Structure of the data requirements

The document containing information on data requirements should have the following structure:

Name of field
Format (data type, size)
Explanation of the field

Information Check List

The earlier topics highlighted the need for information to draw up the various plans. There are various other sets of information, which would help in the preparation for the implementation. This topic looks at what information needs to be gathered and the potential sources for them.

Table 1-3 Information Check List

Information	Source	Remarks
Key Personnel at client organization	IMG	Information on the key personnel in the client site is absolutely critical. Information required includes: Name Designation Role in the client organization Influence in decision making processes Level of involvement expected in the implementation process Any other details that could help in handling this person.
Details of the client organization	IMG	Address Lines of business Business statistics (size, turnover, profits, etc.,)
Back ground information on the order	IMG	Though not critical, this information would help the implementers get an idea of the background of the order. This includes: When the order was signed Was a PWT done before the order was signed Were there any intermediaries involved
Order Details	Project Manager, Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing / IMG	Version of Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing to be installed Start date of the implementation License details Structure of the implementation team
Software to be carried by the implementation team	Product Release Library	Installation diskettes Scripts for creation of back end objects Kleandb Bkuputil Access Disk Set up Wizard Stracks Report font conversion utility
Details of requirements from an earlier Product Walk through (PWT)	PWT Gap Report available with concerned Project Manager in Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing	Applicable only in case a PWT was done prior to the implementation Details of gaps identified during the PWT
Information for project plan	Client	Total number of end users Total number of funds running / to be setup Volume of existing data to be taken on Daily transaction volume
Information for Installation plan	Client	Number of servers & client workstations Configuration of server & client workstations Details of operating systems installed on server / workstations Details of installation of the RDBMS (SQL Server / Oracle)
Information for PWT plan	Client	The depth to which the evaluation is planned in terms of the number of funds, transactions, etc., The range of features to be evaluated The number of users who are planning to participate in the exercise
Information for Data Setup / Conversion plan	Client	Static Data Setup Number of funds No. of loads Number of brokers No of Uhs Transaction Data No. of transactions to be taken on along with the number of logical days
Travel Details	Project Manager, Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing, Admin dept.	Dates, times & modes of travel Foreign Exchange Visa
Statutory Reporting Requirements	Project Manager, Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing	Weekly Status Report Weekly Time Sheets Expense Statements (Monthly) Mandays Report (Monthly)
Sign Off formats	Project Manager, Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing	Sign offs required are normally linked to the milestones for payment. For example, if the payment terms are 50 % upfront, 25% on completion of UAT and the remaining 25% on completion of implementation, then the signoffs required are for UAT and Implementation. Generally sign off formats required to be carried are: Installation PWT Data Conversion User Training UAT Parallel Run Live Cut over Implementation
List of deliverables to client	Project Manager, Oracle Flexcube Investor Servicing	CD/Floppy sets of the product User Manuals Training material Installation & Operations Manual Support Procedures Implementation hand over document All the above are to be taken from the baseline with a certification from SQA. For implementation hand over document do v require SQA certification?.

This topic contains the following sub-topics:

1.2 Implementation Life Cycle Plan