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Use methodologies for your solution design

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Methodologies are the methods you use to get predictable results. Good methodologies also show you why and how to do things in a certain way. The Success by Design framework is a flexible way to apply different concepts, models, techniques, and methodologies. You can use any methodology that works best for you.

To deliver your solution, you need to plan, organize, and communicate your workflows by using methods such as project management, change management, and governance and control.

Project management

There are many project management methodologies and approaches. The one you choose for your enterprise resource planning (ERP) project can make a big difference. Partners often use their own branded methodology to show their customers their governance. You can group project management approaches into three main categories:

  • Waterfall
  • Agile
  • Hybrid

As the world becomes more low-code, you can deploy faster and customize less. Your approach should match this change and your customers' expectations.

To learn more about project management approaches, see Implementation strategy.

Change management

Project management (the how) and change management (the who) are both tools that support your project's benefits. Without a change management plan, you risk your organization's goals. To drive adoption with your users and get value faster, use a strong change management approach. It works best when you start it at the beginning of a project and integrate it into your project activities.

The benefits of a solid change management approach are that:

  • It focuses on the people side of organizational change.
  • It seeks individual and organizational perspectives.
  • It requires action and involvement by leaders and managers throughout the organization.

To learn more, see Change management overview.

Governance

The term governance often means just project management or stakeholder management. The following table shows the differences between types of management and engagement:

Project management Stakeholder engagement Solution management Risk and issues management Change control Organizational change and communication
Weekly status reports Exectuive steering committee Oversight of functional and nonfuncitonal attributes Objective risk assessment and mitigation planning Identification and prioritization of requirements and solution attributes Intentional and customized communication to stakeholders
Project plan and schedule Communication and promotion Data, integration, infrastructure, and performance Issue identification, ownership, and resolution Tracking and reporting via ADO Periodic effectiveness check
Resource management Escalation of unresolved issues Customizations and process adaptation Prioritization and severity assessment Organization and process changes Solution adoption and operational transformation management
Financial management Solution decision making and collaboration Security and compliance Risk response management
Risk management Business alignment and tradeoffs
Change management
Project status meetings and reports Project change management Architecture board Project status meetings and report Statement of work Communication plan
ADO (projects tools) Solution management Governance framework ADO (project tools) Project artifacts Stakeholder engagement
Governance framework Organizational change management Project status report Organizational change management
Governance framework

Every project component has some uncertainty and is based on assumptions made before you know or understand the details. So why would you expect a project manager to be the only one responsible for project governance? The project manager is accountable for the project outcome, but 360-degree governance needs everyone, especially the architects and leads, to play a role.

A 360-degree governance method affects how well the project team performs and the final result. It works on multiple levels:

  • A governance board or steering committee has the final responsibility for meeting the project goals. It usually has representatives or stakeholders from each of the main participants.

  • A project manager leads the team and manages project elements such as alignment, risk identification and mitigation, escalation, and cross-Microsoft collaboration.

  • All project leaders, including the project manager, solution architect, and technical architect, communicate and align closely toward the common goal of solution deployment.

  • The technical architect leads and coordinates the technical architecture across all application components to ensure optimal performance.

  • The solution architect guides users toward the new vision and transformation.

  • The change manager ensures all internal and external communications are in place.

To learn more, see Project governance for Dynamics 365 implementation projects.

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