P S S I: Lanning A Uccessful Iebel Mplementation
P S S I: Lanning A Uccessful Iebel Mplementation
P S S I: Lanning A Uccessful Iebel Mplementation
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APRIL 2003
Siebel Systems, Inc., 2207 Bridgepointe Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94404 Copyright 2003 Siebel Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photographic, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of Siebel Systems, Inc. Siebel, the Siebel logo, TrickleSync, TSQ, Universal Agent, and other Siebel product names referenced herein are trademarks of Siebel Systems, Inc., and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Other product names, designations, logos, and symbols may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Programs, Ancillary Programs and Documentation, delivered subject to the Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, are commercial computer software as set forth in DFARS 227.7202, Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation, and as such, any use, duplication and disclosure of the Programs, Ancillary Programs and Documentation shall be subject to the restrictions contained in the applicable Siebel license agreement. All other use, duplication and disclosure of the Programs, Ancillary Programs and Documentation by the U.S. Government shall be subject to the applicable Siebel license agreement and the restrictions contained in subsection (c) of FAR 52.227-19, Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights (June 1987), or FAR 52.227-14, Rights in DataGeneral, including Alternate III (June 1987), as applicable. Contractor/licensor is Siebel Systems, Inc., 2207 Bridgepointe Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94404.
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Contents
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Contents
Define Your Data Management Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Map Your Business Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Identify and Understand Your User Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Incorporate Best Practices into the Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
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This guide provides an overview of how to successfully implement your Siebel software by following best practices guidelines on planning and managing process change within your organization. Many people of various titles are required to be involved in your Siebel implementation. This book intended for:
Executive sponsors Business and IT sponsors Project team members Other project team members who want to understand the stages of an implementation
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Additional Resources
The following Siebel guides may contain information relevant to planning your Siebel implementation:
Siebel Business Process Implementation Guide Siebel Cross-Industry Business Process Guide Developing and Deploying Siebel eBusiness Applications Planning a Siebel Upgrade
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1 Establish measurable business objectives. You should define the specific business
results you want to achieve through the implementation of your Siebel application. Establishing your business objectives helps keep your Siebel implementation on track. Measurable business objectives help you quantify and understand the benefits of your Siebel solution.
2 Align your organization. You want to align your executives, managers, and users to
a single vision, set clear expectations for the required changes, and identify performance metrics for your implementation. It is very important that prior to the start of the Siebel implementation your organization is aligned around the your Siebel implementation solution.
5 Develop a user-adoption strategy. How well your users adopt the new Siebel
application and use it in the way intended directly affects return on investment. Developing a strategy to affect user adoption early on in your implementation saves you retraining costs down the line.
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7 Train users. The development of a comprehensive training plan for your Siebel
implementation assists you in achieving higher rates of user adoption. Your users need to learn the new Siebel application as well as the business processes associated with it. Training should be role-based and ongoing.
8 Monitor progress. Once you have implemented your Siebel application you must
monitor, measure, and track your systems results. The results you obtain will help you to continuously improve your system and the systems use. In summary, the complete implementation of a software system can appear to be complex. But the key to success is not complex; it is careful adherence to the best practices described in this book. These best practices that have been developed over more than 10 years of product market experience and many successful implementations. The primary focus of this book is the importance of planning, as discussed in Chapter 1, Establish Vision and Business Objectives, Chapter 2, Align the Organization, Chapter 3, Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan, and Chapter 5, Develop a User-Adoption Strategy. This book also discusses implementation concerns in Chapter 6, Phase the Implementation and Chapter 7, Train Users. Lastly, this book discusses the importance of sustaining your success in Chapter 8, Measure Progress.
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Figure 1 illustrates components of a successful implementation. Each of these components is discussed in this book.
Plan
Implement
Sustain
1 2 3 4 5
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management Develop a User-Adoption Strategy
6 7
Train Users
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Figure 1. Components of a Successful Siebel Implementation
Measure Progress
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This chapter discusses the importance of establishing an articulate vision and measurable business objectives for your Siebel implementation.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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An articulate vision and clear, communicated business objectives are key to success. Best Practices for Establishing Business Objectives:
Establish the Vision for Your Implementation on page 17 Make Sure That Business Objectives Are Measurable on page 18 Define Metrics for Measuring Against a Baseline on page 19 Communicate the Vision and Business Objectives on page 21
Train Users
Measure Progress
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Figure 2 illustrates how business objectives are derived from your vision and business strategy and how they are the thread that links the whole implementation.
Successful implementations always begin with a clear vision and precise objectives. It is important to put these in place to best achieve a positive return on investment.
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Establish a clear vision for your Siebel implementation in relation to business drivers Make sure that business objectives are specific, measurable, and achievable Define metrics for measuring performance against baselines Communicate your vision and business objectives across the organization
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Your customers are unhappy with the way they are treated when they interact with your organization through your call-center agent, field sales or service representatives, Web site, or partners Your employees activities are not customer-centric and therefore are ineffective in achieving your CRM objectives Your partners feel that they don't have the information they need to truly act as an extension of your organization Your call-center operations cost 200% more than the industry average Your revenue per sales representative is 50% lower than the industry average Your marketing, sales, and service functions don't share a common view of the customer Your market share is being eroded by entry of new and more nimble competitors New legalization has opened new markets to your business
Example
A medical instrument company rolled out a Siebel eBusiness solution to its sales representatives. The company defined a vision that was easy to understand and easy to articulate: to retain and acquire more customers. To achieve this vision, the company used the Siebel application to consolidate global call centers so that all used standardized and consistent processes for call handling, complaint investigations, and complaint reporting. Because of the clear vision established from the beginning, the many levels of the organization were aware of the why for the Siebel implementation and understood and supported the solution.
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Examples
These are some examples of business objectives:
Reduce technical response time by 20% over a three-month period Increase forecasting accuracy by 15% during the first quarter
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Sales
Number of sales opportunities Sales-focused activity time Sales close rate Partner performance
Customer retention rate Inquiry response time Cross-sell and upsell rates
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Sales
Campaign cycle time Campaign development cost New product cycle time Staff turnover Staff training costs System support costs
Sales cycle time Customer acquisition cost Staff turnover Staff training costs System support costs
Service cycle time Fulfillment order errors Problem-resolution rate Staff turnover Staff training costs System support costs
Once you have determined what your metrics are, you need to baseline them. Many companies invest millions of dollars in state-of-the-art technology and rightfully expect high results. After rollout, however, these same companies, when probed to show exactly which parts of their operations have improved and by how much, struggle to deliver the numbers. This problem that can be avoided by gathering baseline data prior to the implementation, getting executives to agree on the current state, and then using the baseline to measure future performance and improvement. Consider the following examples, in which companies established a baseline and measured improvement against it:
A large European telecommunications company increased revenue per customer by 20% An international computer hardware company cut order processing time by 65% A worldwide financial company improved lead conversions by 50% A leading car manufacturer improved primary customer service metrics by 32%
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The IT professionals need to understand what you want to accomplish, so that they can develop the best implementation approach and identify configurations that are necessary to bring about the desired results. Communicating the vision and business objectives helps your project team to focus the project scope and prioritize implementation decisions. Executives need to understand why the change is needed so that they can provide a business-centric, implementation strategic plan for business units. Managers use business objectives to understand the value of the new system early in the process and to communicate the benefits to users.
Lack of clarity in your vision statement can lead to user confusion. For example, one company issued a vision statement to Improve the ability of our call centers to operate at a lower cost. The users interpreted this to mean we are making significant job cuts and went on strike. The reality was that the company had no intention of reducing the workforce: it wanted to increase call center efficiency to keep up with increasing call volumes. To achieve the desired results for your Siebel solution, you need to have everyone focused on and supportive of the objectives. Workshops can be used as forums where the implementation vision is communicated to frontline managers. Workshop participants get the same information at the same time, and feedback is encouraged. Workshops can also help the organization identify areas of resistance and can be used deliver a consistent and positive message. Newsletters, email announcements, and intranet articles are good methods to broadcast the vision and objectives to the entire user base, as illustrated in the following example.
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Example
The CEO of a software company succinctly defined the companys vision for its Siebel application and communicated its vision to employees by email. In the email, the CEO explained why the Siebel application was chosen and what the company expected to achieve from the implementation. The email assured employees that the CEO supported the initiative, was involved in the project, and would expect results from each employee during the rollout of the Siebel application. The CEOs first email was the launch of the communication strategy; it detailed the expected ways the organization would receive communication and provided a forum for feedback. This email was the first of many updates sent to the organizations employees to inform them about project progress and future plans. As important as communicating the message is encouraging two-way communication. After the initial email announcement was sent, the company set up an intranet site where employees were able to ask questions and post feedback, anonymously if they wished. The company committed to answer any questions within two days of posting.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Identify at least four measurable business objectives Rank the business objectives in order of importance to your business Make sure that objectives are time-bound Develop metrics for measuring achievement of objectives
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This chapter discusses the importance of aligning your organization to achieve success with your Siebel implementation. A successful implementation not only requires alignment with strategy, benefits, and metrics, but also requires alignment between people, process, and technology initiatives. Implementation success requires careful and meticulous coordination across units, functions, and geographies to lead, manage, and monitor change.
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Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
Make sure that executives, IT professionals, managers, and users support the implementation. Best Practices for Aligning Your Organization:
Identify and Manage Stakeholders on page 29 Establish a Change Management Plan on page 31 Ensure That Your Change Management Plan Is Balanced on page 34 Make Sure That Managers Understand the Change on page 36
Review the Checklist on page 38 before starting the next step. Train Users
Measure Progress
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IT professionals. Need to understand what you want to accomplish with your implementation so that they can determine the implementation approach and any necessary configurations to bring about those results. This helps to keep your project on budget and on time. Executives. Need to know your business objectives so that they understand the need for the changes that Siebel application brings and so that they can communicate those changes to the business units. Managers and users. Need to be aligned so that they are receptive to the new system when it is rolled out to them. Managers also are responsible for reinforcing the vision, communicating the project details to the field, and supporting the users at rollout. Aligning of your managers to your Siebel solution is an important element for your success.
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Identify and manage stakeholders across the enterprise Establish a change management plan Balance the institution of your change management plan throughout your implementation Make sure that managers understand the change
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Business Stakeholders
A business stakeholder is typically a representative of the business unit who is impacted by the Siebel implementation, for example the VP of Sales in a CRM implementation. Your business stakeholders need to believe in the new system, and they need to be able to articulate the benefits to the individual business units. As the vision is communicated within the organization, your business and system stakeholders become the Siebel implementation advocates and garner user support. Each business unit affected by your Siebel implementation needs to understand the business objectives that drive the initiative. The ideal business stakeholder understands the overall business factors that resulted in the Siebel implementation and can list the benefits for the individual business unit.
System Stakeholders
A system stakeholder is typically an IT professional involved in the Siebel implementation, for example the CIO. By understanding the vision, business objectives, and how these map to your Siebel application, your system stakeholders can support process integration and improve system performance.
External Stakeholders
An external stakeholder is someone from outside your company who is involved in the implementation of your Siebel solution. This may be a partner, an outside integrator (such as Siebel Systems, Inc.), or regulators for your companys business (SEC). Regulators impact your implementation because of the requirements they place upon your business, and these requirements need to be taken into consideration while implementing your Siebel solution. External stakeholders need to understand your vision and business objectives.
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It is no small feat to manage employees and other project stakeholders so that each contributes favorably to the project outcome. The matrix in Figure 4 provides a guideline to help in this effort. Any stakeholder can be mapped to the matrix based on the stakeholders level of support for the initiative and on the stakeholders power to influence the success of the initiatives success. Each quadrant corresponds to a unique strategy for managing and communicating with the stakeholders in that quadrant.
High Convert the unsupportive yet powerful stakeholders who resist change. Leverage the powerful and supportive stakeholders who are the critical players for realizing change.
Power
Manage the unsupportive and less powerful stakeholder to minimize any negative influence they might have.
Support in the change effort the less powerful but supportive stakeholders (usually those responsible for maintaining and using the application). High
Low Low
Support
Managing stakeholders, particularly resistors, can be a delicate process. The act of inspiring change and gaining the support of others often requires winning people over individually. Consequently, effective employee and stakeholder coaching must be part of the change management execution process. People require empathy as they adjust to the changes occurring in the organization and day-to-day roles, and therefore need coaching to adapt to these changes smoothly and quickly. Supervisors, and even a special change management team, should offer ideas, insight, and support throughout the change process. It is customary for people to resist change, however, one very effective means for getting people to not resist change is to share successes early and often to pacify their fears and overcome their pessimism. To make use of this strategy of sharing, your communication plan should leverage champions, team leads, and opinion leaders as change agents who provide fact-based accounts, personal experiences, and support validating management's position.
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Effective and sustaining sponsorship. Your change management plan should make sure that sponsorship is visible and ongoing. The skills and capabilities of the people responsible. How the people implementing the Siebel solution respond to change and resistance is important in your program. You may consider providing education or training to help people respond positively to change and respond appropiately to resistance. Areas of resistance and how to manage them. Pockets of resistance are certain to appear in the course of any implementation. These need to be identified and managed throughout your program. Ignoring resistance (and those who resist) will have a negative impact on your implementation. Culture of your organization. Consider how you have implemented other large projects in the past. Have people been receptive? Is there a culture of communication and trust, or does news spread by rumor and gossip? Understanding the culture of your organization is very important, and helps you to address areas of resistance and to develop an appropriate and successful communication plan.
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Communication plan. A key component of a change management plan is the communication plan. Many software implementations fail because they do not address the people factor in the process, and do not recognize that people are uncomfortable with change in general. Bringing people along with clear and consistent communication messaging helps to address this. The communication should be two-way: provide methods for users, managers, and project staff to communicate their concerns back to program management. Plan project processes to handle this feedback, and, as appropriate, communicate it to the entire user community.
Here are some best practices to consider in developing your communication plan:
Town hall-style meetings Brochures and bulletins Breakfast meetings Cross-functional planning retreats Employee presentations Formal announcements Kiosks Mail drops and emails to all staff TV broadcasts to all staff
Roadshows Small group discussions Informal lunch-and-learn sessions Celebration of milestones Exhibitions Hall postings Open houses Story boarding Broadcast voicemails to all staff
Users as Change Agents. An effective agent of change can be your users. Early on
you want to identify the enthusiastic supporters of the Siebel application. Each of your user groups naturally has opinion leaders who take the lead on new projects and are respected by their peers. Successful implementations identify these opinion leaders early in the implementation process and promote them as agents of change.
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Example
A large technology company was experiencing some resistance during the implementation of a Siebel application. The company determined that they needed to involve more of the organizations users in the planning process to generate enthusiasm for the application and the upgrade. To enhance corporate communications, the company announced an applicationnaming contest. Users were invited to suggest a name for the application and design a logo. More than 60 users from all levels of the organization submitted entries. The organization also introduced monthly newsletters and a Web site where users could obtain project updates, company news, and share feedback. The contest provided users with a sense of ownership for the application, and the company's willingness to share news and learn from feedback fostered a sense of corporate community and comfort with the implementation.
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Process
Create Need for Change Build the Leadership Team Set and Communicate Direction Align Organization Lead the Transition Determine Need for Next Change
Training
Communication
Importance of Lever
High Medium Low Not Applicable
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Aligning your organization necessitates a skillful and balanced application of change levers.
Compensation and Rewards. The most direct way to change employees' behaviors and
performance is by aligning rewards and compensation to the desired behavior. Examples of compensation and rewards include salary, bonuses, awards, benefits, performance reviews, promotions, praise, and public recognition. Because people do what they are paid to do, providing the right incentives to drive desired behaviors is a critical lever.
Management Behavior. Ultimately, employees do what they see their superiors do. management behavior consists of actions, attitudes, and decisions of a supervisor, manager, or executive that actually supports the publicly communicated message of change. Consequently, the management behavior is a powerful factor influencing employees perceptions the organizations commitment to change. The behavior and actions of management must manifest values and principles supporting the change. Only when managers walk the talk through their daily actions, decisions, and words can a credible message of change be delivered. (This is discussed in more detail in Make Sure That Managers Understand the Change on page 36.) Policies and Processes. Because a change program typically requires modifications to the way a company does business, corresponding changes to the company's policies and processes are usually required. Modifications to policies and processes may span many organizational activities, for example, for the success of your CRM implementation, customer facing employees need documentation and training on policies and processes related to lead assignment and management, proposal development, order management, service delivery, and so on. To ensure quick organizational alignment, these front-office processes need to be integrated to backend operations like procurement, inventory management, and manufacturing. Training. Organizational changes can quickly become a traumatic experience for employees if they lack the skills, training, and tools necessary to cope with the ensuing change. Because employees can successfully demonstrate only the skills they have mastered and can accept change only when they feel comfortable with it, well-executed training and development programs are requisite to providing employees the confidence they need to carry out their new tasks. Training is discussed in more detail in Chapter 7, Train Users. Communication. Your communication plan should facilitate open and honest exchange of information, providing decision makers with accurate and insightful information from a variety of sources and foster cross-functional collaboration so that best practices and successes are shared with all concerned.
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Example
A midsize software company was implementing Siebel Sales to their global sales force. A major reason for implementing the Siebel application was to streamline and improve the forecasting process. The VP of Sales understood this and some of the sales managers also understood, but many of the regional managers had not heard this message and did not understand the importance of improving the forecasting process. Three months after the implementation of Siebel Sales, only a small fraction of the sales force used it for forecasting while the remainder of the sales force was still using everything from MS Excel spreadsheets to homegrown tools. Clearly the forecasting process had not been improved.
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The company then held workshops for the managers to educate them on how to use the new system for forecasting. The workshops emphasized the companys reason for the new process and the importance of following the process. Managers left the workshops understanding the benefits of forecasting. They also knew that they would be expected to use the system themselves and to mentor their direct reports on using the system. Six months after the implementation of Siebel Sales, the majority of the sales force was using Siebel Sales effectively for forecasting. This allowed the company to gather data on sales opportunities, closed deal time frames, the validity of sales leads, and the success of marketing campaigns that generated leads. The company recognized the importance of bringing the managers along with the message, tools, and training.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Identify your executive sponsors and confirm that these sponsors can succinctly articulate the Siebel implementation vision Identify business stakeholders and confirm that they can articulate the key benefits of the Siebel implementation to the user community and will become advocates for the Siebel application Create a balanced change management plan that includes a two-way communication Educate your frontline managers about the vision, objectives, and tools for success in managing users
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This chapter discusses the importance of developing an implementation strategic plan. Planning is an integral part of any Siebel implementation because it allows you to map your business objectives to your plan and to ensure sponsorship throughout the implementation. The implementation strategic plan will be your guide throughout your implementation.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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Translate your business objectives into a detailed plan, defining business processes and requirements and project goals. Best Practices for an Implementation Strategic Plan:
Create a Blueprint That Details Your Plan on page 43 Define Your Data Management Strategy on page 44 Map Your Business Processes on page 46 Identify and Understand Your User Groups on page 49 Incorporate Best Practices into the Plan on page 51 Develop a Phased Implementation Approach
Train Users
Review the Checklist on page 52 before starting the next step. Measure Progress
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Internal strategy may address areas of concern that directly impact your organization. You may want to consider your company's strengths and weaknesses, its culture, its management leadership, and historical events. External strategy development may consider your competitors strengths and weaknesses, economic conditions, and government and industry regulations.
Your implementation strategic plan should address both internal and external factors. When developing your implementation strategic plan, ask the following questions:
What are the objectives by each organization and channel? What business processes support these objectives? What processes are specific to a particular channel or industry? Where does the Siebel application functionality support the business processes? Over what time frame do we need to carry out the plan?
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Example
A large technology company was implementing a Siebel application as a bugtracking tool in their engineering department. Their implementation strategic plan was a comprehensive one for all the components of their implementation. It included a project plan that mapped out the phases of the implementation and the tasks and resources associated with phase. The implementation strategic plan also included a detailed analysis of requirements, proposed solutions, level of effort associated with the solution, complexity of the solution, and level of customization required. The implementation strategic plan focused on the measurable business objectives and how the requirements mapped to those. This allowed the company to keep focused on the business reasons for implementing the Siebel application, while developing a well-defined implementation strategic plan to accomplish the implementation. To obtain and agree upon all the business processes and requirements, the company held several workshops that involved business and IT stakeholders, users, project team members, and executive sponsors. They brainstormed how each of the identified processes fit into the out-of-the-box Siebel application, assessed configuration options and discussed where in the phased implementation each process would produce the best business results. The early commitment to developing a implementation strategic plan helped to keep the companys Siebel implementation focused and on track.
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Create a blueprint that outlines your plan in detail Define your data management strategy. For example, will you use a centralized strategy or a decentralized (multiple) strategy? Map your business processes to your application Define best practices and map them to your application Identify and understand your user groups Incorporate best practices into the plan Develop a phased implementation approach (see Chapter 6, Phase the Implementation)
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System architecture that is driven by IT and business requirements Data management strategies (See Define Your Data Management Strategy on page 44.) Deployment guideline and options Change control process Production support process Global deployment components and architecture options Multiple server layers System architecture deployment strategies: database, application servers, remote servers, Web servers and so on Performance tuning Database System hardware Infrastructure Training plan Project plan or project timeline Management activities, including workshops, training, and messaging
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All configuration development contained within a single repository and managed by a central development team Separate views and responsibilities are used to selectively expose objects that are unique to specific audiences or areas of functionality On run time, users have separate responsibilities to selectively expose objects that are unique to specific organizations In multilingual environments, Siebels locale and MLOV features are used to support localization
Independent regional repositories Each repository supporting unique requirements and independent projects Each environment responsible for designs and documentation which provide a basis for sharing objects
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Minimizes the costs and risks associated with maintaining consistency between shared objectsto configuring only one instance of an object at a time Reduces the potential for miscommunication among overlapping project teams and unforeseen conflicts Does not require one repository to be merged with another, and avoids merging and conflict resolution tasks required by the other strategies Lessens the need to enforce strict naming conventions and configuration guidelines otherwise required to maintain separate versions of scripts, and so on Can create bottlenecks and slow down the process as multiple individual developers need to access to the same objects Presents challenges for staged releases. One set of changes to an object need to be tested and finalized at the same time a new set of changes to the same object needs to be initiated for a later release Can be difficult to accommodate geographically or organizationally diverse configuration teams
Decentralized distributed approach maximizes development concurrency and flexibility Useful strategy for the implementation with huge diversity among business processes Can be hosted in different system environments with different SLSA
Limitations
Objects can be shared on a limited basis using Siebel Tools (Export and Import) Objects are shared between a minimal number of repositories A maximum of two or three repositories is recommended. It is very difficult to keep objects in sync Limited or no need to share data directly between localized implementations
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Example
Figure 5 shows an example of a forecasting process currently being used in a pharmaceutical company. This current state process identifies 17 steps which are needed to develop a sales forecast. In examining the process, the company found that it took 714 days to complete a sales forecast, there were several non-integrated systems involved, there was no real-time information sharing, and manual selection and adjustments resulted in inefficiencies.
After examining the current state, the company mapped their process to the future state (shown in Figure 6 on page 48); this was how the process would be carried out in their new Siebel application. They developed their future state process by tying it to their business objectives of revenue growth, cost savings, and quality:
Revenue Growth. By increasing sales face time with customers (less time to
forecast) and operatively addressing negative sales variance (sharing information real-time).
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Cost Savings. By reducing sales administration time (less complicated, more efficient process) and minimizing inventory holding costs (more accurate forecast). Quality. By improving employee satisfaction (more efficient system allowed the
sales representatives to spend more time selling and helped them in their jobs).
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Example
Table 3 is a list of user groups and sample processes for each group.
Table 3. Typical User Groups and Sample Processes
User Groups Service Sample Processes
Respond to call Resolve call Create service request Escalate service request Create marketing plan and budget Develop marketing program Create segments Develop offer Launch and execute campaign Capture campaign response
Marketing
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Create opportunity Generate proposal Generate quote Create account Create forecast Search products Request information Send email Purchase product
External Users
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Use out-of-the-box functionality. Best practices dictate that you use out-of-the-box
Siebel functionality. When you evaluate your processes look first to out-of-thebox functionality. Using Siebel functionality reduces your customization of the Siebel application, which, in turn, lowers your configuration and upgrade costs. If your process is not supported by out-of-the-box functionality, ask yourself if you need to have it, and if you do, can it be evaluated for a future release.
Use industry best-practice processes. When you develop your implementation strategic plan to implement your Siebel application, look toward your industrys best practices and use them to accomplish your objectives. By applying your industrys best practices, you do not reinvent-the-wheel; you save time and money and reduce the risk to your Siebel implementation. Make sure to have some crowd-pleasing quick wins in each phase. There are many
processes that your Siebel application will touch, best practices recommend that you prioritize defined processes by the impact they have on your business as well as the ease of implementing the process. You should aim to implement some quick wins in each of your phases to gain user support and promote enthusiasm for the application.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next phase, check that you have completed the following tasks: Communicate the overall Siebel strategy to your users to help your organization be customer-centric Understand the potential cultural barriers within your organization to implementing Siebel software, and have a plan to address them Identify a data management strategy Examine the current state of your business processes, and map your future state to your Siebel application Identify your industrys best practices, and plan to leverage them in your Siebel implementation Prioritize business processes by the impact they will have on your business and how easy they are to implement
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This chapter discusses the importance of establishing program management. After you have aligned the organization and established a clear executive sponsor for the implementation, you must create the program management structure.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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Set up the rules, roles, and responsibilities that will keep you on track. Best Practices for Program Management:
Establish a Steering Committee on page 57 Identify the Principles of Program Management on page 59 Establish a Project Methodology on page 60 Establish a Cross-Functional Project Team on page 63 Establish a Risk Management Strategy on page 65
Train Users
Measure Progress
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Example
Figure 7 illustrates what the program management structure might look like for a large enterprise-wide implementation.
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Establish a steering committee Identify the principles of program management and the key decision makers Establish a project methodology Establish a cross-functional project team of certified members who have industry experience Establish a risk management strategy
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Example
A large telecommunications company began a global implementation of their Siebel application by educating their steering committee. The VP of Sales was the executive sponsor of this CRM implementation. She started by conducting workshops for the disperse steering committee members based in different regions of the country. She explained the business vision and made sure that all members understood and bought into it. Next, the steering committee members attended a two-day training session where they learned the basics of the Siebel application and the language of the Siebel implementation. The workshops assured the steering committee members of the executive sponsors commitment to the Siebel implementation, and the training session provided them with the tools they needed to be an effective committee.
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Who are the key decision makers? What decisions they can make? To whom are the key decision makers accountable? What is the schedule of meetings? Who attends what meetings? What is the escalation path? Who has decision-making authority when the critical path is threatened? What is the time frame for resolving issues?
Make sure that your project team and steering committee are in agreement with the program management principles. In particular, people need to buy into the structure of authority if they are to adhere to it. Without a clear path of authority, you run the risk of poor decision making and of losing the vision of your Siebel implementation.
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1 Plan. In the Plan stage, comprehensive strategies are developed that serve as the
baseline for single or multiple implementation stages. Confirm that measurable business objectives are established, alignment of the organization has occurred, and a vision has been articulated.
2 Define. In the Define stage, project stakeholders are identified and the roles and
responsibilities of the project managers (your own and Siebel managers) are communicated to all the stakeholders. Program management is established and the project methodology needed to manage the project is defined. Projectplanning documents are created. The business objectives and the metrics that will be used to measure project success are validated.
4 Design. In the Design stage, the primary objective is to design a solution that best
meets your identified business requirements. Using application screen flows and design layouts design prototypes of the proposed solution are developed and mapped to the requirements from the Discover stage. During this stage testing and training plans are develop.
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6 Validate. In the Validate stage, a full function test of the new system is completed.
This stage has two parts. In the first part, a full function test of the application occurs with production data. In the second part, user acceptance test occurs.
7 Deploy. The first activity within the Deploy stage is execution of a production
pilot. The purpose of the pilot is to test readiness for the full production deployment. The pilot is conducted in a subset of your business environment and provides all the system's features to users that subset. Feedback from the production pilot guides the second activity of the Deploy stage, which is the full deployment of the new system.
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8 Sustain. In the Sustain stage, measuring results is the key element. Assessment
of user adoption and customer satisfaction are also components of this stage. During this stage, you strive for continuous improvement by preparing to incorporate lessons learned in this phase into the Plan stage of the next phase of your implementation.
Best practice information about carrying out your project methodology appears in Chapter 6, Phase the Implementation.
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Business Analyst
Application Architect
Technical Architect
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Identifying the nature, probability, and likely impact of potential risks before they occur Identifying and implementing preventive measures where possible Implementing contingency actions to deal with the risks when they occur
The risk management cycle is the reiterative process of identifying, analyzing, planning for, and monitoring risks and is an integral part of project management activities. Risk management activities require team effort and, as such, should be shared with and understood by the project team, supporting teams, customers, partners, suppliers, and management. Establishing a risk management strategy early on helps you to mitigate risks to your project. A well-defined risk management strategy should focus on:
management of project risk. It is done at the start of the risk assessment activity in the risk management cycle.
Risk Identification. This determines what risks might affect the project and its outcome. These risks need to be documented for subsequent analysis. Unlike risk management planning (which is generally performed once only), risk identification and subsequent risk management cycle activities are carried out throughout the project.
Risks may (and should) be raised by any team member during the course of a project. However, these risks must be qualified as a risk and must not be confused with issues or action items. The team member should document the risk and present it to the project manager for review and inclusion into the next risk review.
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Risk Analysis. During the risk analysis step, each identified risk is assigned a probability of occurrence and the consequences of risk impact are identified. Risk Response Planning. This is conducted after risk analysis to determine how
the project team is going to address each potential risk. Responses are developed and recorded for future action.
there is any overall change in the risk picture; for example, Are risk events occurring? Have new risks been identified? This step usually leads the team back to risk assessment for both existing and new risks, and the cycle is repeated.
Implementing Risk Response Plans. If the risk occurs, the project manager
authorizes the implementation of mitigation and contingency actionsthis may involve seeking agreement from senior management to implement the agreed plans. However, the exact actions carried out will most likely vary from project to project and should be managed as documented in the risk management plan.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Establish your steering committee Establish principles of program management and communicate them throughout the project team Educate your steering committee and project team on the Siebel application and confirm that they understand your business objectives Identify the key decision makers Establish a risk management strategy Confirm that the key decision makers understand when and how decisions are made, who needs to be consulted, and how quickly decisions are needed
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This chapter discusses the importance of developing your user-adoption strategy. Organizations achieve the most benefit from implementing Siebel applications when they take a business-focused and user-focused approach to their implementation. A comprehensive user-adoption strategy helps to ensure that your users are able to use your Siebel application to achieve the desired business results.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Best Practices for User Adoption: Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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User adoption is key to a successful implementation. Plan carefully how you will introduce your users to the new application.
Identify and Communicate Performance Expectations on page 73 Assess and Reward User Adoption on page 74 Identify Support Structures and Develop Expert Users on page 76 Plan for Training on page 77
Train Users
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Business alignment (See Chapter 2, Align the Organization.) Communication Measurement Training and support Reinforcement
Your users understand the reason for change and how it will impact them, their departments, their divisions, and the organization. Change management is an important component of your user adoption strategy and is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 2, Align the Organization. Your users understand what metrics will be monitored to ensure that change takes place according to the strategy. The system and process are well aligned to ensure that users are competent and effective in doing their jobs in the new environment. Your users provide input and test the processes and functionality that support their job responsibilities (Chapter 6, Phase the Implementation). Your users understand the training required to improve their skill sets, both behaviorally and technologically, to be successful and how the training will be delivered. Your users feel supported after the implementation through coaching, help desk, and online help.
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Identify and communicate performance expectations Assess and reward user adoption Identify support structures and develop expert users Plan for training
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If users are accessing the system If users understand how to execute the processes to achieve results
You want to assess how your users are using the new system. There are a number of ways to make this assessment:
Metrics. Follow metrics such as the number of leads and activities being created. Survey. Send out a survey to your users and ask the specific questions about their system use. You can formulate the survey so that the respondents can rank their responses on a scale of 15. Ask for response on specific statements, such as, The new system helps me in doing my job. Ask enough questions to give you a good understanding of how your users are using the system and if they are happy with it. Simulations.Use media-based simulations to reinforce training, but also to assess
whether your users are using the system correctly by deploying knowledge checks with the simulations. You can capture the results of the knowledge checks to assess how well your users are using your system. Throughout the entire process, it is important for managers and users to continually measure and manage performance to stay on track to achieve the business objectives. Best practice is to determine the rates of user adoption using several types of measurement. Questions typically asked are:
Did the users learn the new behaviors and technological skills? Can they apply these skills in a relevant business situation? And, in doing so, are they achieving the desired results?
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Rewarding user adoption is often not done due to budget constraints or the belief that it is unnecessaryafter all, if usage is mandated, then people will use the system. However, rewards do not have to come with a big budget, and your users will respond more positively to rewards than to mandates. Think in terms of rewarding your users who adopt the system by recognizing their achievement in the company newsletter or by posting a flyer in the offices. Rewarding user adoption pays out in a higher user adoption rate for your Siebel application.
Example
A large pharmaceutical company rolled out Siebel ePharma to more than 6,000 users. They held an initial training event and provided the users with incentives to use the new system. Each sales representative was told that all new accounts were to be entered into the Siebel application, and that the number of new accounts entered would be measured at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. At the end of each period, the sales representative who entered the most accounts received a gift. At the end of 30 days, a monetary prize was given; at the end of 60 days a gift certificate was given; and at the end of 90 days, when the competition was most keen, the prize was a weekend getaway. Across the nation, new accounts were entered in a timely and accurate manner, and the number increased as the competition progressed.
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Example
A software company implemented Siebel Sales for their global sales force. To prepare the sales representatives for the training, the company sent out monthly animated announcements to inform the sales representatives about the training. Each announcement highlighted some of the benefits of the Siebel solution and informed the user group about training dates, times, and locations. Each sales representative received an email invitation to the training event that they were scheduled to attend. Before they even stepped into the classroom, the sale representatives viewed the training as positive and helpful.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Allocate resources to the communication, training, and support efforts Establish a plan for assessing user performance Identify and ready support structures for all levels of the organization Identify expert users Develop a training plan that addresses all levels of the organization, and identifies behavioral and technological competencies needed for each group to achieve results
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This chapter discusses the importance of using a phased approach when implementing your Siebel application. A phased approach to implementation allows you to target the business objectives for each phase and execute a strategy for quick wins. A phased approach encourages user adoption of new processes and minimizes risks to your organization.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Use a phased approach where you design, configure, test, and roll out a limited product to a subset of users; then repeat, adding more functionality and enlarging the user base. Best Practices for a Phased Implementation:
Use Out-of-the-Box Functionality to Minimize Configuration on page 84 Involve Users in the Implementation Design on page 86 Develop a Test Strategy and Pilot on page 87
Train Users
Apply Lessons Learned From One Phase to the Next on page 89 Review the Checklist on page 90 before starting the next step.
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Consider the following fundamental principles when planning a phased approach to your implementation:
Support each business objective with a business requirement Focus on quick wins, rather than complex solutions Examine existing Siebel functionality, and reuse when feasible Align implementation goals to business objectives Map business processes to out-of-the-box Siebel functionality
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Phased implementations allow your organization to learn and apply proven methods along the way. Each phase is evaluated, and feedback from users and customers may determine the adjustments that should be made to the next phase. New ideas can be tested in a low-risk environment, generating meaningful results for your organization. Involving users in the implementation design generates a sense of ownership and commitment to the success of the implementation.
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Use out-of-the-box Siebel functionality, minimizing configuration Involve users in the implementation design Develop a test strategy and pilot Apply lessons learned from each phase to the next phase
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Increasing budget overruns and missing important deadlines. Increasing upgrade costs. For information about how configuration affects upgrades see Planning a Siebel Upgrade.
Another common pitfall related to configuration is trying to replicate your legacy systems functionality. Make sure that before customizing your Siebel application, you map the out-of-the box functionality to your business requirements as described in Map Your Business Processes on page 46. If the existing functionality supports the requirements, you can save costly and time-consuming customization.
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Example
A large Fortune 500 company deployed its Siebel application to more than 100,000 users: sales people, call center representatives, marketing personnel and business partners. They minimized customization by presenting out-of-the-box business scenarios to their anticipated users to determine if the proposed solution enhanced business processes. The company identified the gaps where the solution was not helpful, and passed this information to the decision-making board, which determined if the application needed to be configured immediately, or if gaps could be resolved in a later release. The overall goal was to keep customizations to an absolute minimum. By keeping customization to a minimum, the company deployed a successful implementation while keeping to schedule and budget.
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Example
A large telecommunications company planned to roll out a Siebel application to more than 3,000 sales representatives and partners. The company organized demonstrations of the Siebel application, and actively sought users input on the applications out-of-the-box functionality. Users were given the opportunity to play in a virtual sand box and they were invited to send implementation suggestions to the project team leader. Each suggestion was reviewed, and selected solutions were communicated to the users. At Go-Live, the users were already familiar with the system or had heard details from other coworkers. The involvement of end users, from the evaluation stage through the application rollout, promoted corporate communications, product enthusiasm, and sense of pride in the success of the implementation.
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Define your testing strategy and develop a detailed test plan. At the beginning of
your implementation, define expectations, testing time frames and the expected business value of your test program. Build a detailed test plan from the cumulative requirements, and the process flows, to ensure that the test cases you use meet your business requirements.
Test the system using representative data and scenarios. When performing system
testing, examine all links and data flows between your Siebel application and other systems and applications and test business transactions. Testing functionality occurs in parallel with the configuration effort so that problems can be identified as early as possible. Load and stress test your application using a range of different activities to determine what conditions affect response times or interrupt system transactions. Test your system with a full volume load of sample data that is representative of your companys production data.
Perform adequate load and performance testing. Load and performance testing allows you to address critical concerns of performance and scalability. Specifically, test and analyze the impact of varied numbers of end users, volume of system transaction activity, network and hardware capacity, and configuration of Siebel applications.
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Perform user acceptance testing. User acceptance testing should focus on the functionality and usability of the application and system, and verify that all business requirements are met. Recruit users from your customer community as well as business representatives to participate in acceptance testing. The data used for testing should be similar to the data that the users will encounter in the production environment. Develop a pilot rollout for final verification. Implementation verification using a pilot
rollout is a step that is often omitted because of schedules and budget issues. During the pilot rollout, users provide the final validation of your Siebel implementation, testing the application and system in a highly structured production environment, over a period of time. The pilot rollout allows you to make final adjustments prior to your global deployment. Omitting a pilot, or poor participation in a pilot, may jeopardize the success of your implementation.
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Example
A large manufacturing company rolled out their Siebel application to more than 2,000 users. The companys game plan for implementing the Siebel application was to Think big, start small, scale fast. This philosophy allowed the company to identify quick wins in each phase that generated user enthusiasm for the Siebel application. The company solicited customer and user feedback, and then tested new ideas in a low-risk environment.
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Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Establish a phased implementation plan that ensures quick wins in each phase Identify and communicate the forum for gathering feedback Identify the target audience for your phased implementation Develop a plan to market the wins of your phases to the user community Develop a test strategy and plan
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Train Users
This chapter discusses the importance of training your users and of reinforcing that training. User adoption is critical to the success of your Siebel implementation. Chapter 5 discussed the importance of developing a training plan for your implementation; this chapter discusses best practices for training your users.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Best Practices for Training Users: Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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Training is a process, not a single event. Training can range from initial instructor-led sessions to Webbased training on advanced topics.
Develop Day-in-the-Life Training on page 95 Deploy Training Using a Mix of Training Methods on page 97 Prepare Your Managers on page 98 Address Need for Ongoing and Advanced-Topic Training on page 100
Train Users
Plan Training for System Upgrades and New Hires on page 101 Review the Checklist on page 102 before starting the next step.
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Train Users
What Is Training?
Training is a process, not just one event. Training helps your users gain proficiency with the new application, use the application the way that your business intends for it to be used, and understand how it supports their tasks. In the training process you move your users along the proficiency curve from beginner towards the ultimate goal of expert user. Training should focus on the processes and functionality of the new system. It should be role-based using a day-in-the life format so that each type of user in your organization learns how they are expected to use the system to perform their particular job. Because you dont implement all desired functionality in one phase (see Chapter 6, Phase the Implementation), you cannot train users on the whole application in one training phase. Depending on the types of changes, your users, and the number of changes you implement in each phase, train your users in multiple sessions over the phased release cycle. After initial classroom training, consider methods such as Distance Learning and quick reference cards to reinforce training and to teach functionality added in later phases.
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Train Users
Figure 11 illustrates the importance of users gaining proficiency. This particular data was taken from a telecommunications company where users were measured in their proficiency levels with the Siebel Call Center application. The users who were more proficient with the system were significantly more effective and saved hours each week over those who didnt use the system. The highly proficient users were most satisfied with the system.
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Best Practices for Training Users
For the initial release of your application, develop a role-based, day-in-the-life training program Deploy training through both instructor-led and media-based technologies Prepare managers to use the system and to manage and support their employees who use the system. Address the need for ongoing training and advanced-topic training Plan training for system upgrades and enhancements and training to support new hires
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Develop Day-in-the-Life Training
Example
A large technology company planned a Siebel implementation for more than 15,000 users, globally. The company identified their user groups by department, and then by how each would use the Siebel application. The groups they identified were sales, marketing, call center, sales support, sales managers, and cross-functional (a group made up of accounting, fulfillment, and distribution). Each group had a customized training curriculum that addressed the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks they needed to complete in the Siebel application.
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Train Users
Develop Day-in-the-Life Training
Special attention was given to integrating the new sales methodology with the use of the application. The sales organization was implementing the Target Account Selling (TAS) methodology to manage their sales opportunities. Users in sales were first trained in the basics of the Siebel application (applets, navigating screens, personalization, and so on). Shortly afterwards they received specific training in the TAS methodology, where they created sales plans on their live sales opportunities, using the TAS module in the software to create, store, and share plans. Each group felt the training was successful. They believed that their professional needs were addressed, and they learned what was expected of them when using the new application.
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Train Users
Deploy Training Using a Mix of Training Methods
Example
A midsize telecommunications company rolled out Siebel Sales to 1,250 users using instructor-led and media training to great success. The initial training occurred in the classroom where the most significant changes to business processes were taught, discussed, and practiced. Follow-up training was done using self-paced media training where users were able to access the specific modules they needed for their job roles. At the end of each media training, users completed a selfknowledge check which identified their strengths and weaknesses. This training was very well received by the user community. They felt that the training addressed their individual needs so that they could use Siebel effectively.
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Train Users
Prepare Your Managers
Assess individual and team performance Adjust tactical priorities in real-time Provide targeted coaching and reinforcement
A good plan is to have the managers in some of the same training classes as their employees. This shows support for the employees and the new system. Provide additional training classes for managers where they can learn how to use the system to mentor and coach their employees and to gather the data they need to do their jobs. For example, managers may need to learn how to gather forecasting data so that they can examine who closes what deals and how often. This information can be used to coach and mentor their employees.
Example
A large software company implemented Siebel Sales to 6,000 users globally. In Phase I of the implementation, the training was held throughout the regions and managers attended with their employees. The managers had a one hour add-on session at the end of the training to instruct them on the basics of Siebel reporting functionality. As the company readied for Phase II of their global rollout, they assessed the usage of the Siebel application in the first group.
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Train Users
Prepare Your Managers
The company found that when managers did not use the application, their employees did not use the application either. The company informally polled the managers to identify the reasons for resistance and learned that the managers did not feel able to use the application to the extent that they needed to. The company then planned a full day of training for all managers using Siebel and instructed them on how to use the application, and also on why they needed to use the application. The managers were given tips on coaching and mentoring of their employees as well. Following this training the managers felt better equipped to use Siebel Sales and the user adoption rate rose within the Phase I Group. The Phase II Group benefited from the same training efforts and saw a quicker user adoption rate than the Phase I Group. Preparing your managers to use your Siebel application will help you achieve higher user adoption rates.
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Address Need for Ongoing and Advanced-Topic Training
Example
A large insurance company implemented Siebel software to 7,000 sales representatives. The company developed a comprehensive training plan to ensure that the sales representatives would have just-in-time training. The plan included:
Instructor-led training for the initial release Telephone support for the first few days of go-live Weekly tips-and-tricks messages sent out via email Web-based training for refresher training of the initial training Web-based training for advanced topics
All of these elements gave the sales representatives support in learning the initial application and also provided them additional, on-going training when they were ready.
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Plan Training for System Upgrades and New Hires
Example
A technology company with more than 7,000 employees developed a Web-based curriculum of 20 introductory courses designed for new hires. New hires took these courses to become familiar with the companys core applications. Each self-paced class provided recorded demonstrations of basic application functionality, plus additional aids to enhance the employees understanding of the functionality. Employees who wanted to take advantage of the companys career track option completed the knowledge check and, if they passed, received credit for the class.
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Checklist
Checklist
Before going on to the next stage, check that you have completed the following tasks: Develop role-based training for all levels of users, executives, and managers Identify the best method of training delivery for each user group based on learning objectives and corporate culture Develop training materials with input from users Provide specific training to management on how to use the new system to drive results and manage performance Create a support structure for the training and education of the users Establish a plan to reinforce and build proficiency with the new behaviors and tools Put in place ongoing training and new hire training
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Measure Progress
This chapter discusses the importance of measuring your progress towards achieving your business objectives. Once you have implemented your Siebel application, you must monitor, measure, and track your system's effectiveness.
Establish Vision and Business Objectives Align the Organization Develop the Implementation Strategic Plan Establish Program Management
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After rollout, measure progress towards your established business objectives. Best Practices for Measuring Progress:
Define Metrics for Measuring Performance on page 107 Monitor Progress Against Your Business Objectives on page 108
Build an Action Plan to Address Gaps on page 109 Review the Checklist on page 112 before starting the next step.
Train Users
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Measure Progress
When you have successfully met your business objectives What changes still need to be made How to make the right decisions for moving forward Assess user adoption (Chapter 5, Develop a User-Adoption Strategy)
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Measure Progress
The measurement process begins early in your implementation plan when you are setting the business objectives for your implementation (Chapter 1, Establish Vision and Business Objectives). As part of your implementation plan, you should have identified specific, measurable, and achievable objectives and support these by agreeing on metrics that give you the needed information to assess progress and to take corrective action in real-time (Define Metrics for Measuring Performance on page 107). Knowing the past and focusing on the future provides needed insight to make staffing, resource, and investment decisions as these relate to training, process reengineering, legacy application integration, and so on. The measurement of progress is not an isolated activity that only focuses on technology; instead, it also heavily relies on strategy, people, process, and all components of change management.
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Best Practices for Measuring Progress
Define metrics for measuring performance Monitor progress against the business objectives Build an action plan to address gaps
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Define Metrics for Measuring Performance
example, revenue per representative, cost per representative, close rate, customer satisfaction, and so on. Measuring progress in this fashion is like driving your car by looking in the rear-view mirrorit is too late by the time you see the results.
Leading metrics. These metrics monitor the effort, inputs, factors, and activities that drive the ultimate outcomes. For example, data quality (in the customer data base), product defects in terms of error rate, and percentage of call-center agents adept at using the new system are leading indicators for a company looking to reduce its first-call resolution rate, a lagging indicator.
Metrics should also be specific because this makes it easier to assign ownership to individuals who already have functional reporting relationships and understand the processes/activities relevant for their functions. For example, customer satisfaction, albeit lagging, is a worthy metric and should be measured at the business-unit level. However, leading metrics related to marketing, sales, and service, such as the number of leads, the size and quality of pipeline, and the number of warranty purchases, respectively, should be assigned to functional owners. While the actual number of metrics a company decides to track differs by industry, competition, and current level of automation, it is recommended that three to five metrics per functional area be tracked. A key step in defining and assigning metrics is showing the owners exactly how the metric is calculated and clearly distinguishing acceptable and unacceptable performance ranges. The metrics, and their supporting calculations, should be based on what needs to be measured, rather than what fits the current measurement system.
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Monitor Progress Against Your Business Objectives
Example
A telecommunications company established as a business objective reacquiring 35% of the customers that left their services for another company. The company set up a measurement schedule at three months, six months, and nine months to evaluate how many customers were re-acquired during each period. At the threemonth period, the company evaluated the data in their Siebel application to learn that 5% of the customers were re-acquired and then measured again at six months to learn that 15% of their customers had returned. At this point the company felt that the target of 35% was not achievable and surveyed the users to learn if the system usage was a problem. The company learned that calls were not being made to the required number of customers because the users were not checking the new system for the identification of these customers. The company revised the communication plan to the users, instituted follow-up training, and trained managers on supporting the targeted goal. While the company did not achieve the targeted goal of 35%, they were close at 27% and well on their way to achieving the stated business objective. By monitoring the progress against their objective, the company was able to achieve its goal through the revision of training, support, and communication.
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Build an Action Plan to Address Gaps
Are your users not happy with the system? Have they told you that the interface is cumbersome? Is your system performing well? Does it move fast enough for your users? Do your users understand how they are to use the system?
Knowing the problem is the first step, but you need to build a plan to address the gaps in your objective achievement. As results start to come in, your metric owners should be able to explain not just what happened but also be able to answer why it happened, only then can action plans with appropriate timelines be developed to address performance gaps. Are your users unhappy with the system? You may want to establish a user forum to gather information from the user community. The benefits of such a forum are both getting the information you need and also demonstrating to the user community that you have heard them and want their input. The establishment of the user forum alone may make your users happier about the new system. Is the interface cumbersome? You should seek input from your users and communicate that to the design team. Assess the input and determine if there are changes that you can make to the interface to help address your userss concern. Is your system performing well? Is it fast enough? You need to revisit the technical requirements for your application and determine if this is the case. Or maybe your users are not using the system well. Do they know how to use it? You may need to provide additional training materials or sessions, improved help desk support, or engage your expert users for support.
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Build an Action Plan to Address Gaps
Successful companies have steering committees and review boards that are responsible for diligently examining ongoing progress. Members of these groups use executive involvement, reward and compensation systems, process changes, skills development and training, and culture in determining the remedial steps necessary to address performance issues. The leadership team should realize that even when there is genuine interest and commitment to achieve results, implementations may fail if these other components of change are not considered when creating action plans to fix gaps. It is important to assess the influence of obstacles inhibiting success. Lack of resources, organizational misalignment, inadequate documentation of policies or processes, and insufficient training are some examples of obstacles that need to be continuously tackled and removed. Whatever you assess as the problem, carefully consider technical and human factors in building your plan to increase the impact of your Siebel implementation on your business and improve user adoption.
Example
Table 5 shows an example of an actual action plan taken from an electronics firm.
Table 5. Example of an Action Plan to Address Gaps
Component of Plan Identified Gaps Description 1 Lack of communication to the sales department about parts, components, and systems that are in immediate supply for build and shipment to customers Lack of communication to the field department about optimal configurations that deliver higher margin by product class To increase communication about parts, components, and systems that are in immediate supply for build and shipment To increase communication about optimal configurations that deliver higher margins
Weekly
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Concerns
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Owner
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Checklist
Checklist
To continue along the path to success, check that you have done the following: Identify three to five metrics per functional area Determine how you will measure against your baseline Develop a plan to address gaps in performance and business results Develop a plan for ongoing and continuous measurement of the use of your Siebel application
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Next Steps
This guide has provided you with an overview of best practices to help you achieve success with your Siebel implementation. You have established measurable business objectives, aligned your organization, established performance metrics, developed an implementation strategic plan and a user-adoption strategy, developed a role-based training, and put in place a good program management structure. All of these things have given you a good start to a successful implementation and to receiving your return on investment. Now, what are the next steps? A successful implementation creates a feedback loop. You must measure, monitor, and track the performance of your system to continuously improve and refine its performance and your users adoption of it. Figure 12 illustrates this continuous process of planning, implementing (designing and building), and sustaining (running the application), followed by the next round of planning, implementing and sustaining.
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Next Steps
Your investment in your Siebel application needs to continue: keep your communications bidirectional, keep your sponsorship visible, keep your users involved, adhere to your implementation strategic plan, and your success will be ongoing. A successful Siebel implementation requires a lot of effort from many levels of your organization, from the executive to management to frontline staff. Siebel Systems wants to help you achieve success and offers a variety of services to that end. For further information email Siebel Professional Services at [email protected].
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Checklists
This appendix contains a consolidated list of the checklists that appear at the end of each chapter. You can use these tables as a worksheet to chart the progress of your Siebel implementation.
Table 6. Establish Vision and Business Objectives
Date Completed Task Identify at least four measurable business objectives Rank the business objectives in order of importance to your business Make sure that objectives are time-bound Develop metrics for measuring achievement of objectives Task Owner
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Index
A
acceptance testing, importance of 88 action plan, building to address gaps 109 adoption See also training users aligning the organization. See organization, aligning audience for guide 7
business processes, mapping See user groups, identifying and understanding example scenario 47 process of 46 business stakeholders, about 29 business unit. See stakeholders
C
change management plan, establishing about 31 communication plan, importance of 32 communication, methods of (list) 32 example scenario 33 issues to address 31 task checklist 38 checklists. See task worksheets communication change management plan, importance of communication 32 performance expectations, identifying and communicating 73 performance metrics, about 107 configuration out-of-the-box functionality, example scenario 85 out-of-the-box functionality, using to minimize configuration 84 over-configuration, about and common pitfalls 84
B
best practices business objectives, for establishing 16 implementation strategic plan, for 42 implementation strategic plan, incorporating into plan 51 measuring progress, for 106 organization, for aligning 28 phased implementation, for 83 program management, list of best practices 56 test plan, developing for 87 training users, for 94 user-adoption strategy, for 72 business objectives, establishing about 14 best-practices guidelines 16 communicating example scenario 22 communicating throughout company and importance of 21 importance of 14 measurable and achievable objectives, establishing and example 18 metrics, defining and examples 19 tasks checklist 23
D
data management strategy, defining about defining 44
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data management, features, strengths, and limitations (table) 44 Distance Learning training, deploying and example scenario 97
E
executives aligning the organization, importance of 26 aligning the organization, preparedness at each level (diagram) 27 visions and objectives, importance of communicating with 21 expert users, about developing 76 external stakeholder, about and example 29
F
feedback loop, about and process diagram 113
G
gaps, building action plan to address guide audience for 7 resources, additional 8 109
H
help desk, about using to support users 76 hires, planning training for and example scenario 101
I
implementation See also individual implementation entries best practices, list of 9 implementation components (diagram) 11 your implementation, establishing vision for and example 17 implementation strategic plan, developing
See also individual implementation entries and progress, measuring about and issues to address 40 best practices, developing and mapping to plan 51 best practices. list of 42 blue print of plan, creating 43 business processes, mapping 46 data management strategy, defining 44 feedback loop, about and process diagram 113 internal and external factors, considering 40 strategic plan example 41 strategic plan, importance of 41 task checklist 52 user groups, identifying and understanding 49 implementation, phased See also individual implementation entries about and phased approach diagram 80 best practices, list of 83 implementation experience, about applying and example scenario 89 out-of-the-box functionality, using to minimize configuration 84 phased approach principles, list of 81 phased implementation, importance of 81 task checklist 90 test strategy and pilot, developing 87 users, involving in implementation design 86 instructor-led training, deploying and example scenario 97 IT professionals aligning the organization, importance of 26 aligning the organization, preparedness at each level (diagram) 27 visions and objectives, importance of communicating with 21
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L
legacy system functionality. See configuration load and performance testing, importance of 87
M
managers aligning the organization, importance of 26 aligning the organization, preparedness at each level (diagram) 27 change, importance of understanding 36 change, importance of understanding example scenario 36 training example scenario 98 training, importance to adoption for users 98 visions and objectives, importance of communicating with 21 measurement process. See progress, measuring metrics business objective, defining to measure objectives and examples 19 performance metrics, defining and communicating 107
managers, importance of understanding change example scenario 36 preparedness of each level, diagram 27 stakeholders, defined 29 task checklist 38 out-of-the-box functionality configuration, using to minimize 84 example scenario 85
P
performance expectations, identifying and communicating 73 performance metrics, about defining and communicating 107 phased implementation. See implementation, phased pilot rollout, importance of 88 See also test strategy and pilot, developing program management, establishing best practices, for establishing 56 cross-functional project team, establishing and example (table) 63 example scenario 55 importance of 54 principles of program management, identifying 59 program management, about 54 project methodology, establishing and stages 60 risk management strategy, establishing 65 steering committee, establishing 57 task checklist 68 progress, measuring See also implementation strategic plan, developing best practices 106 gaps, building action plan to address 109 measurement process, about 104
O
on-going training, addressing need for and example scenario 100 organization, aligning alignment, about 26 best practices 28 business stakeholders, about 29 change management plan, establishing 31 importance of alignment 26 managers, importance of understanding change 36
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performance metrics, about defining and communicating 107 tasks checklist 112 project methodology, establishing about 60 stages described 60 project team, establishing a cross-functional team and example (table) 63
R
regulators, impact on implementation 29 resistance, areas of. See change management plan, establishing resources, additional 8 risk management strategy, establishing defined and process 65 process (diagram) 67 strategy, focus of (list of) 65
S
segmenting. See implementation, phased sponsorship. See change management plan, establishing stakeholders business stakeholders, about 29 defined 29 steering committee, establishing about and composition of 57 example scenario 58 strategic plan. See implementation strategic plan, developing system stakeholder, about and example 29 system upgrades, planning training for and example scenario 101
training users 118 user-adoption strategy, developing 117 vision and business objectives, establishing 115 test strategy and pilot, developing about and importance of 87 best practices, developing a test plan 87 topic training, addressing need for and example scenario 100 training users about and focus of 92 best practices for training users 94 day-in-the-life training, about developing and example scenario 95 example scenario 77 importance of 92 managers, importance of training for adoption 98 managers, training example scenario 98 new hires, planning for and example scenario 101 on-going and advanced topic training, addressing need for 100 plan for 77 proficiency, importance to users (diagram) 93 system upgrades, planning for and example scenario 101 tasks checklist 102 training methods, about using mix and example scenario 97 user-adoption, importance of training for 71
U
upgrades, planning training for and example scenario 101 user acceptance testing, importance of 88 User Forum, about using to address gaps 109 user groups, identifying and understanding about 49
T
task worksheets implementation strategic plan, developing 116 implementation, phasing 117 organization, aligning 115 program management, establishing progress, measuring 118
116
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example, typical user groups and processes (table) 49 user-adoption strategy, developing best practices, list of 72 importance of and key elements 71 measuring and rewarding example scenario 75 performance expectations, identifying and communicating 73 support structures, identifying 76 tasks checklist 78 training, plan for 77 user-adoption, about 70 user-adoption, achieving better results 70 users See also individual user entries and training users
V
vision, establishing communicating example scenario 22 communicating throughout company and importance of 21 importance of 14 tasks checklist 23 vision, defined and examples 14 your implementation, establishing for and example 17
W
Web-based training, deploying and example scenario 97 worksheets. See task worksheets
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