Implementation Methodology

Overview

Our Standard Professional Implementation Methodology (SPIM) protects the investment our customers make in BRSANALYTICS. It is a proven technique for adopting a repeatable, tried and tested method to implement BRSANALYTICS, hence minimising  risk and maximising the  possibility  of  a  successful project implementation.

Developed over a number of years and continually drawing on expertise from various  implementations, SPIM ensures consistent high levels of service. The SPIM document is deployed  by highly  trained consultants and made available to all BRSANALYTICS Partners. A guideline for project managers and consultants, the document facilitates adherence to the SPIM approach. The document also acts as a central artefact for the collation of project information and  includes  all  additional document deliverables like Data Definition Document and Solution Design Document which are added as appendices.

Our Partners work closely with customers to ensure the effective implementation of BRSANALYTICS. This way customers derive the full business benefits from BRSANALYTICS for their organisation and their service requirements throughout the lifetime  use of the  product are addressed.

Step 1 – Handover from Sales Team

The handover is the cut-off point. During this time, ownership of the project  shifts from the Sales Team to that  of the  Project Management Team. The signed  Terms of Reference (ToR) are reviewed thoroughly and the Project Manager assumes a lead role to determine the final project plan to be proposed to the client during the  project kick-off meeting.

Step 2 – Project Initialisation

Following the handover of the Sales Team, the Project Team meet with the customer’s key project stakeholders to discuss the following aspects:

1.  Clearance regarding confidentiality and use of information
2.  Review  of  the BRSANALYTICS Standard Data Sources
3.  Data Volumes and Hardware/Deployment Specifications
4. All items included in scope and out of scope as specified in the ToR
5. Proposed project  plan  and  any  required fine tuning

Step 3 – Data Source Review

The objective  of this iterative  process is to evaluate and align adherence in terms of format, quality and the integrity of the data prepared against the standard BRSANALYTICS Data Source Definition. Furthermore, this data validation exercise identifies  the  validation  rules that  need to be parameterised into the BRSANALYTICS engine in order  to ensure  data  consistency. The end objective is to attain a repeatable data validation cycle that is flawless. Since BRSANALYTICS is at its core a data-centric solution, this step is considered a critical stage gate of the project.

Step 4 – Solution Design

Once  the  data  upload  process  is complete, the consultant carries out a thorough examination of the specific raw data manipulation and  calculation  requirements that  need  to be computed by the BRSANALYTICS engine  to meet  the  regulatory reporting  requirements. This entails the identification of business rules and formulas that  need  to be configured in BRSANALYTICS so that they are automatically triggered on each data upload process. During this phase of the solution build, additional  validation rules and checks that need  to be configured in the system are identified to ensure consistency  in the  consolidated data  and  calculations  prior to the issuing of regulatory  reports. All these findings are captured in a standard BRSANALYTICS System Design Document.

Step 5 – Solution Installation

Based  on  the technical requirements captured in previous steps, the solution is physically installed on the client environment. The required resources are mainly  dependent on the number of users and data volumes. Configuration and installation options are provided in a detailed step-by-step installation. The solution can be deployed in a multi-tiered environment and also supports a virtualised environment.

Step 6 – Solution Configuration

BRSANALYTICS is configured to the customer requirements based on the information gathered and  documented in the previous steps. The software is designed with  flexibility in  mind;  hence   any  configurations  and customisations either at the data or reporting layer are carried out through parameterisation of BRSANALYTICS without the need  for bespoke programming. This ensures the client benefits from a standard and tested underlying platform and provides transparency on the underlying rules and calculations  being  applied. It also increases flexibility to address on-going changing requirements and reduces technical pains when upgrading to  more  recent versions  of the platform. Towards the end of this step, a consultant carries out an important solution validation. A set of official regulatory reports issued in previous periods  is tested against a full reporting cycle carried out by BRSANALYTICS.

Step 7 – User Training

SPIM training manuals are divided into two streams – one addressing the internal IT team and the other the business users. Topics included in the first stream cover  technical and administration aspects  while the second stream focuses on data management and reporting features training.

Step 8 – Solution QA

After training, the key business  users are in a position  to test  the  solution. This is done by running simulations on past data covering the full reporting cycle, from data validation up to the regulatory reports preparation. The duration of each step in the process is logged. This is considered an important aspect of the process in that it ensures the regular full reporting cycle is repeatable within the stringent deadlines typically imposed by regulators.

Step 9 – Parallel Run

The methodology suggests a gradual phasing out of the systems or processes previously employed to generate the regulatory reports.  Besides from validating the new system, this parallel run gives the end user the confidence that BRSANALYTICS is giving the desired outputs, thus meeting all the regulatory obligations and avoiding any legal complications,

Step 10 – Post-Implementation Review

Following a three month period, which typically captures a minimum of three reporting cycles, post-implementation reviews are carried out to ensure the solution meets the set expectations of the customer.  If necessary, we also identify areas for fine tuning that need to be done prior to official closure of the project.

SPIM – Peace of Mind

SPIM delivers consistent and lasting value to organisations from its earliest stages and continues beyond the initial implementation. It includes ongoing monitoring of performance, periodic tuning and a readily available Project Management Team that is always present to coordinate actions, communicate results and manage the  expectations of clients at every phase of the project.