Pilot deployment is often a fast-tracked way of getting new technology introduced into an organisation, usually within a particular department or business unit.
The intent is to leverage the success of the pilot to deploy into a full-scale implementation.
Successfully delivering the pilot can provide a strong argument for “just enough” architecture to ensure that the technology works within the business environment and adheres to enterprise standards and reference architecture.
The question, however, is whether this is enough to take it to full implementation?
Start out as you mean to continue
Quay’s experience has shown that when more consideration is given to better architecture from the outset, the results are also better. It’s important to identify potential red flags from the outset and some of the considerations may include:
- Risk and Reward trade-offs between rapid deployment using a systems led approach (vanilla COTS) versus “a business change approach” which considers specific business requirements, business change capacity and involves defining the business led logical transition steps.
- Guiding Principles to assist in project and architecture decision making. For example, having principles which will influence whether functional gaps will be addressed via customisation or business workarounds
- Data and Information Architecture including data migration, data quality and data ownership including Master Data Management
- Consideration and management of all aspects of the Architecture – Integration, Technology, and Applications both pre and post production including often-forgotten items such as Error Handling Frameworks, Change & Release Management, Technical and Functional support, Capacity Planning,“end to end” business process performance and SLAs.
- Operational impacts not just for implementation but also for ongoing support – skills, capacity etc
Plan early to get better outcomes
As with projects in general, the more time spent planning architecture from the outset, the better outcomes will be. Don’t fall into the trap that because it is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) deployment that the proper application of architecture principles and practices is less important.
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