Combine agile and rapid prototyping to deliver a successful Microsoft Dynamics CRM project very quickly

 

The Situation:

If you are in the Software Development space you would have been at some stage, part of a long and winding CRM project. Also the reasons for the lengthy CRM projects range from requirements changing through the course of the project, lack of strong vendor selection process to strong leadership to make critical decisions.

There is no silver bullet that can get you through the project without any of the above simply because projects are established and executed by people. How do we tackle a CRM project without much fuss.?

 

The Solution discussion:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides the basic building blocks and the tools to extend it to meet your custom requirements. It is also easier to deliver a successful Dynamics CRM project faster by Combining Agile and rapid prototyping. This is exactly the approach being demonstrated here. This approach may not work if you don’t have enough experience within delivery team to estimate work effort accurately and execute various tasks within the estimated timeframes, you may want to look at Microsoft sure step project management methodology.http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mvpawardprogram/archive/2012/08/27/microsoft-dynamics-sure-step-methodology-revisited.aspx

 

In Scope and Key deliverables:

As you can see below there is a lot of bits and pieces within the scope for phase-1 deliverables. The way Dynamics CRM has been packaged makes it easier to deliver more with not much custom development.

 

Stage 1: Requirements workshops and documentation. Things get a lot easier if you are replacing an existing CRM system due to the existence of a requirements document to start with.

Stage 2: Rapidly prototype the solution with Weekly demos and continual readjustments.

Stage 3: Prototype demonstration and feedback from a wider audience

Stage 4: Incorporate feedback into the prototype and rebuild prototype

Stage 5: Demonstrate the prototype again and consider any feedback as appropriate

Stage 6: User Acceptance testing and Sign off followed by Production release including data migration in production and two weeks of training to end users.

 

Key points to take away:

- Daily scrum for status updates and planning for the next day

- Business engagement throughout the project

- Everyone in the project team was on the same mission to deliver CRM Version 1 with all the key requirements

- Every Functional prototype demonstration to the business effectively enabled us to reset ourselves back to the basic, which is to deliver functionality that meets user expectations and focus on user experience

- All project members enjoyed the learning experiences and challenges (Technical and non technical)

- Cross skilled team members were able to always back each other up to get the work done on time

 

Risks:

- Scope of integration was too big and may cost more to clean-up the mess down the track

- There will be a number of different risks as with any IT project, proactive monitoring, reporting and a clear mitigation plan will ensure your project is a success.

 

- I would love to hear from others here of their experiences implementing CRM in an agile or other environments.

Thank you for reading