Oracle Application Implementation Methodology- Oracle AIM

Oracle Application Implementation Methodologies:

•      Oracle AIM 3.1 (Application Implementation Methodology)

•      Oracle EMM (Easy Migration Methodology)

•      Oracle Unified Method (OUM)

Oracle AIM:

•      Oracle AIM is a methodology showing what tasks are required, what order it should be completed in and what resources are required

•      Oracle AIM provides templates for all the tasks that require them.

•      The methodology is purpose built for Oracle Applications and the detailed deliverables produced are designed with the Oracle Application products in mind.

Oracle AIM Structure:

•      A phase is a chronological grouping of tasks. It enables a flexible way to organize tasks, schedule major deliverables, and deliver projects.

•      A process is a closely related group of dependent tasks which meets a major objective. A process is usually based on a common discipline.

•      A task is a unit of work, which results in a single deliverable. I. e reports, schedules, code, or test results for example.

Oracle AIM Process Flow:

Oracle AIM Project Phases:

•      An AIM project is conducted in phases that provide quality and control checkpoints to co-ordinate project activities that have a common goal.

•      During a project phase, project team will be executing tasks from several processes

•      Oracle AIM Project Phases as follows (6 Phases)

–     Definitions

–     Operation Analysis

–     Solution Design

–     Build

–     Transition

–     Production

  

Oracle AIM Phases:

•      Definition

–     Plan the project

–     Review the organization's business objectives

–     Evaluate the feasibility of meeting those objectives under time, resource, and budget constraints

–     Emphasis is on building an achievable work plan and introducing it with guidelines.

–     Strategies, objectives and approaches are determined for each AIM process

•      Operations Analysis

–     Project team develops Business Requirements

–     Assess the level of fit between the business requirements and standard application functionality.

–     Gaps are identified and corresponding solutions developed.

–     Solutions for gaps evolve into detailed designs during Solution Design.

•      Solution Design

–     Develop the detailed designs to meet the future business requirements.

–     Project team members create detailed narratives of process solutions developed during Operations Analysis

–     Supporting business requirements may require building application extensions to standard features

–     The project team carefully scrutinizes these solutions and chooses the most cost effective alternatives.

•      Build

–     Coding and testing of all customizations and other custom software

–     Coding & testing of enhancements, data conversions, and interfaces

–     Policy and procedure changes relating to business process modifications are developed.

–     Business system testing is performed to validate that the developed solutions meet business requirements.

•      Transition

–     Deploys the finished solution into the organization

–     The project team trains the end users

–     Technical team configures the production environment and converts data

–     Transition ends with the cutover to production, when end users start performing their job duties using the new system.

•      Production

–     It marks the last phase of the implementation, and the beginning of the system support cycle.

–     The Information Systems (IS) personnel work quickly to stabilize the system and begin regular maintenance.

–     Provide the ongoing support to the organization for the remaining life of the system.

–     Compare actual results to project objectives.

Oracle AIM Processes:

•      A process in AIM represents a related set of objectives, resource skill requirements, inputs, and deliverable outputs.

•      A task can belong to only one process.

•      Project team members are usually assigned to a process according to their specialization and background.

•      12 Processes as referred in AIM –

–     Project Management

–     Business Process Architecture

–     Business Requirement Definition

–     Business Requirement Mapping

–     Application & Technical Architecture

–     Module Design & Build

–     Data Conversion

–     Documentation

–     Business System Testing

–     Performance Testing

–     Adoption & Learning

–     Production Migration

•      Project Management (PJM)

–     Task Code/ID : CR: Control & Reporting, WM: Work Management, RM: Resource Management, QM: Quality Management & CM: Configuration Management

–     Project & Phase Planning, Execution, Control, Reporting & Completion

–     Work Management & Resource Management

–     Quality Management & Configuration Management

–     Project Management itself is a comprehensive process and has separate way to handle it, i.e. PMBOK , Oracle PJM etc

•      Business Process Architecture

–     Task Code/ID : BP

–     Provide the framework for combining change in business processes with implementation of software applications

–     It focuses on high-level business processes and operations generally applicable to the organization

–     Make business focused decisions either to change the current processes to suit the application or to customize the application.

•      Business Requirements Definition

–     Task Code/ ID: RD

–     Defines the business needs that must be met by the implementation project.

–     Develop a complete set of business requirements scenarios that can be used to map business requirements to application functionality.

–     Analyze and identify the reporting requirements for the business

–     Carefully document audit and control requirements to satisfy financial and quality policies.

•      Business Requirements Mapping

–     Task Code/ ID: BR

–     Ascertain the fitness for use of application features in satisfying detailed business requirements expressed at a business process step level.

–     Business Requirements Mapping encompasses the following areas:

•      Mapping

•      Business system testing

•      Application setups

–     Mapping is an iterative approach with the following objectives:

•      Prove business process designs through demonstration

•      Identify gaps in the application

•      Propose feasible bridges to gaps

•      Application & Technical Architecture

–     Task Code/ ID: TA

–     Design an information systems architecture to realize the business vision.

–     This process divide into two areas:- 1. Application Architecture, 2. Technical Architecture

–     The process takes the business and information systems requirements and develops a blueprint for deploying and configuring:

•      Oracle, third-party, and custom applications

•      Supporting application server environments

•      Critical interfaces and data distribution mechanisms between applications, servers, and sites

•      Computing hardware, including servers and client desktop platforms

•      Networks and communications infrastructure

•      Module Design & Build

–     Task Code/ ID: MD

–     Focus on the design and development of customizations to satisfy functionality gaps identified during Business Requirements Mapping (BR).

–     Modification — changes to the base Oracle Applications code

–     Extension — new forms, reports, programs, tables, interfaces and triggers that add functionality without changing the base application code

–     Configurable Extension — addition of functionality through  flex fields, alerts, and other configuration options provided by the Applications

•      Data Conversion

–     Task Code/ ID: CV

–     Convert and test all necessary legacy data for the operation of the new system

–     Conversion Approaches

•      Manual Conversions

•      Programmatic Conversion with or w/o tools

•      Automated Data Entry

•      Documentation

–     Task Code/ ID: DO

–     Reference that shows the users how to use application functionality

–     Set of procedures for using the application in response to day-to-day business events

–     Documents that describe the technical details of the application for the maintenance staff

–     Produce a set of procedures for managing the system

•      Business System Testing

–     Task Code/ ID: TE

–     Three main aspects of Business Testing – Planning, Early Introduction of Testing & CRP

–     Business System Testing does not address performance testing or the testing of data conversion programs

•      Performance Testing

–     Task Code/ ID: PT

–     Enables you to define, build, and execute a performance test.

–     To make decisions on whether the performance is acceptable for the business

–     Propose tactical or strategic changes to address the performance quality shortfall.

–     Automated V/s Manual

–     Types of Performance Testing

•      System Performance

•      Module/ Code Performance

•      Hardware and Networks

•      Adoption & Learning

–     Task Code/ ID: AP

–     Training prepares both users and administrators to assume on the tasks of running the new application system

–     Adoption and Learning impacts the following five major audiences:

•      Executives

•      Implementation project teams

•      Functional managers

•      Users

•      Information technology groups

•      Production Migration

–     Task Code/ ID: PM

–     To migrate the organization, systems, & people to the new enterprise system

–     Assessing readiness for transition to production

–     Executing cutover to the new system

–     Conducting post-production support

Oracle AIM Advantages:

•      Oracle's AIM is a proven approach for implementing packaged applications. It comprises a set of well-defined processes that can be managed in several ways to guide you through an application implementation project.

•      AIM provides the tools needed to effectively and efficiently plan, conduct, and control project steps to successfully implement business solutions.

•      AIM defines business needs at the beginning of the project and maintains their visibility throughout the implementation.

•      It defines internal, external, and time sensitive business events and maps each event to the responding business and system processes.

•      Client gains an accurate understanding of the business requirements that need to be focused on during the course of the implementation.