How to avoid implementation issues
A Dynamics 365 implementation is a significant investment for any organization. It requires a lot of planning and resources to get off the ground, and with investments of this scale, you want to be positive that you’re getting what you’re paying for—a new implementation that brings value to your organization. It should simplify your tasks and save you time with improved and streamlined processes. Though every business is unique, there are some typical pitfalls that organizations can avoid to prevent implementation issues and ensure a smooth and successful rollout. It’s best to avoid implementation issues instead of dealing with them when they arise!
So, if you’re thinking about investing in a new Dynamics system, we have a few tips to help you steer clear of expensive issues before, during, and after the implementation process.
Choose a partner that meets your organization's needs
A strong partner that has your back makes all the difference in the success of a Dynamics implementation. It is common for implementations to fail if your vendor lacks experience in your industry or doesn’t quite understand your processes. Before you commit to a partner, be sure to investigate their track record and assess their expertise, as well as their willingness to provide ongoing support through the life of your implementation.
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Set a realistic budget and timeline
Underestimating the resources and time required for a Dynamics implementation can lead to struggles and unrealistic expectations. Cutting corners or trying to rush the process to meet a tight deadline often leads to costly rework or needs that are left unmet. Although it’s understandable to want your system up and running as soon as possible, make sure your implementation timeline allows for possible delays and adjustments. Look at your yearly calendar—account for busy periods at your company, holidays, and other things that will interfere with implementation work.
Make sure you have team members available for testing and validation
It’s important to assign team members to be champions of the implementation and to test/validate components of the system when needed. Sometimes your team is just too busy to get testing and validation completed, but this can grind the implementation to a halt because development cannot continue until validation is done. So, when creating a timeline for the project, it’s important to build capacity into those big testing periods and work around times of the year that are especially busy for your industry or organization.
Keep initial customizations to a minimum
Though Dynamics systems are customizable to fit specific business needs, we suggest that you keep customizations limited to just your must-haves for the initial implementation. This is why it’s so important for your partner to understand your processes and goals on a deep level and build a plan around these things. We will help you determine what must be done now and what can wait until after the initial implementation, and we’ll take those future things into account during the system design and configurations. But for the initial implementation and rollout, less is more.
The tips discussed in this blog should help give you a realistic understanding of preparing for Dynamics implementations From vetting partners until you find one that is willing to stick with you through the life of your system, to setting reasonable expectations at the beginning of the process, and everything that comes after, you can save yourself the headache of ending up in a position where you might need an implementation rescue.
Whether you’re looking to invest in a brand-new implementation or happen to be struggling with one you’ve already invested in, click the button below to schedule a call with one of our experts. We’d love to discuss how we can help.