For decades, businesses have tried to organise and consolidate internal innovations, by moving away from the old school way of making exchanges through barter systems and scaling out of manual marketplace communications by supporting the evolution of technology.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been at the forefront of change, transforming HCM systems and providing a platform to aid scalability for your business. After all, every company is striving for growth, and having the right tools to drive process is vital in today’s fast paced and ever-changing marketplace.
The key ingredient to supporting these complexed transformations are the Solution Integrators, who conduct initial requirement sessions before implementing the Oracle Cloud/Premise systems to drive repeatable and scalable processes.
Adding Programmers to the project to initiate consultancy over the key deliverables, for example, Oracle Design, Development, Integration, Data Migration, Solution Architecture, Reporting & Testing and so on. With all the new technologies being introduced consistently, the demand for consultants and their assurance and advice is at an all-time high,
We have seen up to 30 Oracle Cloud Consultants supporting programmes, proving the much-needed advisory and assurance to the projects and keeping the SI honest. Although having many consultants does provide the much-needed assurance layer, providing the right leadership is needed to hold these consultants accountable by adding measurables on performance.
Please see below a quick summary of process –
Role of a Solution Integrator in an Oracle Cloud Programme
- Understand the Business Requirements
- Provide System Experts who are fully capable of implementing Oracle Cloud HCM, Procurement, Finance, Oracle PPM Systems
- Recruit Business and Domain experts
- Provide a scalable solution
- Fully Functional- (Test the System before it goes into UAT)
Role of the Assurance/Advisory Team
Initiation
- To assess Organisational readiness to embark on an Oracle cloud programme
- Check of Oracle cloud programme that asses any roadblocks or delays in delivery
- Understand mobilisation and subsequent delivery of an Oracle cloud programme
In-Flight
- Consulting – to provide knowledge and expertise in all functional and technical areas of your business and the associated application modules, such as Oracle Cloud HCM, Procurement, Finance/ERP and PPM (Oracle Cloud Project Portfolio Management) along with Reporting skills such as OTBI, BIP (BI Publisher), EPM/PBCS, Oracle Cloud Security etc.
- Data Migration – DM Build and Test is an iterative process and is highly dependent on configuration quality and change management. Data Migration in an Oracle Cloud programme can be conducted by the SI teams or even house by hiring an expert advisory organisation. If you ask us, it’s best to be kept in the house as 50% of activity in the Data Migration activity is anyways done by the Business (and the Advisory), so why pay for full when you are only getting half?
- Integration – Now, just as Data Migration, Integration is a best-kept house to retain the knowledge and reduce dependency on the supplier.
- Testing/UAT – Shadow business teams and help them write the test scripts to ensure the Business Processes and System Processes are in sync.
- Training – Provide Much-Needed EUT (End User Training). The responsibility of KUT (Key User Training) and PUT (Professional User Training) should be of the Solution Integrator.
- Transformation – Mobilisation, Delivery and Governance
- Change –TOM (Target Operating Model), Process Optimisation and Stakeholder Management
It’s seldom that awarding the implementation to a Solution Integrator would mean lesser responsibility for the programmer. This is one of the biggest mistake’s programmers commit to in an Oracle Cloud Implementation. The programmes responsibility is equal and more in some cases. For example, the SI’s responsibility is to implement; it is the Business’s responsibility to ensure the solution is scalable and vetted; at the end of the day, they will be the system’s end-users for many years to come.
Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of the roles required to fully support integration.
We have discussed the importance of the advisory layer between the business and the SI team and how the (non-managed and non-organised) advisory layer’s management could easily turn into turbulence.
Understanding the role of a business-like Sera Neon is crucial when deciding on how to integrate fully into the world of Oracle Cloud. Most recruitment agencies don’t provide a support model that allows your business to focus on daily management of the programme and timescales as opposed to the daily detail of the project and implementation. Where Sera Neon really drives value is in the daily leadership of its consultants and the key KPI’s to help drive the deliverables.
