Software Implementation

Implementation is the stage of a project during which theory is tuned into practice, (i.e. a
system design is transferred into a working system). The impact of this implementation stage
on a company or department can be enormous and, without careful planning and control by
the analyst, it is potentially disastrous. Implementation is a crucial stage in achieving a new
system which will fulfill its terms of reference without unsatisfying the user. Plans for the
implementation needed to be made early in the design phase, long before the system is
tested and ready for implementation. If this is not done the implementation may be severely
delayed by, for example, waiting for communication lines to be supplied, or for buildings to be
erected or modified.

In broad terms the preparation necessary for implementation may be divided into five major
areas. Only after these preparations are completed should changeover begin.

Things to be done prior to implementation

• Planning and control
• Site preparation
• Education and Training
• New Equipment
• System Testing

Planning and control

The implementation of a system removes that system from the single influence of the
information technology(IT) department and involves people from user departments. The
users will also have been involved in the system analysis and design, as interviewees and
experts in the current system and its problems, but implementation brings with it a major
management problem. It is the stage at which user department staff are required to carry out
tasks under the direction of people who have no line authority. The potential difficulties are
often increased since these same user personnel may be involved in implementing the new
system while the old system is still operational, and they will be under the additional pressure
of a much increased workload.

Strategic Topic

Although a negative answer is unlikely at the implementation stage the committee should
satisfy itself, through user management, that the project is still viable and desirable. Volumes
of data and user requirements should be checked against the original terms of reference and
cost benefit analysis carried out. lt is not unknown for a system designed for computerized
order scheduling to be ready for implementation at a time when the level of orders is so low
that no scheduling problem exists. A decision must be taken as to the benefits of
implementation at the present time, in anticipation of an upturn in the order book, for the
suspension or cancellation of implementation.

Operational Topic

Organizational changes planned for the new system, EE. Change of job specification or
responsibilities, should be discussed and planned by the committee. The scope of the new
system in terms of its impact on the organization should form a part of these discussions.
Particular attention should be given to:-

• The impact on those outside the company, particularly customers. If the new system is going to provide more extensive information or require a particular new input (eg:-CUSNO) from the customer, proper warning is necessary.
• The impact of this system on other parts of the company, Eg- new building work or office reorganization required.
• The need for extra staff or possibility of redundancy and its timing
• Requirement for hardware and its timing- this must include delivery and telecommunications considerations as well as planning terminal sitting and so on..

Site preparation

Two aspects of the implementation task which are often overlooked by the analyst are the

need for site preparation and new equipment installation

Site preparation covers number of topics

• Power supply: most small computers and terminal work off the ordinary electricity mains. However, even with these some preparation is necessary. Question should be asked. Are there enough outlets to the number of machines being installed? ls the capacity of the circuit sufficient for the number of machines? Is it better to use more than one circuit so as to be able to provide an service if one circuit fails.

• Heat dissipation:  small machines do not need air conditioning. This does not mean that the machines will run satisfactorily at all temperatures. Careful sitting of the machines may be necessary to overcome these problems. Where large machines are involved then a full air conditioning system will be necessary.

• Office alteration: the need for alteration to offices or even the building of a new office can arise from a number of causes:

1. New large computer
2. Company reorganization
3. Air conditioning requirements
4. Security requirements

• Office layout: with the introduction of a computer based system, the manual routines of an office are bound to change. Consequently, it will be necessary to change the office layout to facilitate the new procedures. This change must be planned so that it can take place smoothly at the appropriate time

• Office furniture:  with new computer equipment it may also n to provide new office furniture. If a visual display unit (VDU) is being installed on a desk, the analyst must check that there is sufficient room for any papers that will be used by that person at the VDU. If keyboard entry becomes a major part of the new system, are the chairs on which the entry clerks sit suitable for such an activity.

New Equipment

The installation of new equipment covers more than just computer hardware. It includes:

Hardware: the lead time on hardware will vary on each piece of required care must be taken to place orders at the right time. The system may not function if a crucial piece of equipment is late in arriving.

Software: the required software for the computer platform / new platform; has to be decide and the necessary contract, license arrangements should be signed earlier as possible.

Telecommunication: the supply of telephone circuits is normally subject to long lead times. lt is therefore essential, early, as possible in the implementation planning activity to establish the circuit requirements and order them

Supplies: new supplies are often required with a new system. These may include tapes and discs.

Education and Training

The most well designed and written system may be completely ruined by the people who use

it. Users must be convinced of the benefits of a new system to themselves and to the

company and have confidence in its reliability. Otherwise resistance can make

implementation both difficult and protracted. It is essential that the users understand the

need for the new system in the context of company needs, their own role in that new system

and their specific tasks. This is particularly important where a new system may cause re-

deployment or even redundancy, and management policy in these areas should be clearly

stated.

Education is complementary to training and a pre-requisite to successful training. System

may have been developed largely outside the user departments and the developing stages

involving investigation and analysis may well have caused uneasiness among the users. The

purpose of the education is to eliminate the fear and misunderstandings which often beset

users, and to create a feeling of involvement with the system

Training aims to gives user staff the specific skills required in their new jobs and should

ideally contain as much practical (hands-on) work as possible; few people learn well from

manuals and lectures alone.

System Testing

System testing is carried out to ensure that the system works accurately and efficiently

before it is put into live operation. The scope of system testing includes all clerical and

computer aspects.

Implementation -The Change Over

The implementation of a new system may involve change from a manual to a computer

system or from one computer system to a different one. In either case, both data and

procedures will require to be changed. Change over may be defined as the time from the

start of live running of the new system until the withdrawal of support from the information

Technology(IT) department, except for maintenance.

Procedure Conversion

Having completed system testing and set-up of master files, the actual conversion from old

procedures to new computer procedures must be considered. Timing maybe dictated by

business or government constraints, e.g.: the end of the financial year for the company

accounts, or the tax year for payroll. Planning for the method of changeover is dependent on

the type of application and the potential impact on the company of any problems which may

arise

There are various methods of procedure conversion in use and they fall within the following

main headings:

Direct Changeover:

Direct change over is the complete replacement of the old system by the new in one

move, although data transfer may be spread over a period. While this method is the

cheapest in set up effort, it is also the most risky. It should only be used when systems

testing have been exhaustive and the users have complete confidence in the new

system. When the actual change is made, the work of the user department should be

slack; choosing a busy period is. asking for unnecessary trouble. Direct changeover may

be used when the system is a completely new one, rather than a replacement of an

existing one: If the changeover is a relatively small one, if the user departments has

experience in the discipline of IT. and if the analyst has total confidence in 'his system,

then direct conversion may be the right method.

Parallel Running:

Parallel running is the method of processing current data by both the old and the new

systems and then cross-checking the results. It is effectively, an extension of the testing

phase, and enables better training and fuller testing. However, it does require resources

to run both the old system and new system, to compare results, and investigate errors.

Pilot Running:

Pilot running as a method of changeover maybe used in three different ways. They are;

• Retrospective running: here data from one or more previous periods is run on the new system after results have been obtained from the old system. This method is useful in cases where the new system is complete in itself and results can be compared as a set.

• Staged change over: this form of pilot run is in some ways an extended system trial and in error, a variant of direct changeover. A complete logical section of the records is chosen and committed to the new system without parallel operation in the old system. Only a proportion of the whole file is chosen and ideally, operated as a unit. When the selected data on the new system is operating satisfactorily, the remaining items are transferred.

• Phased changeover: is another variation on the staged change over. Where a number of different departments are due to use the new system it may be possible to bring them on separately thus reducing the risk inherent in a direct change over. Similarly, where an organization runs the same system at a number of different sites, then the individual sites can be brought on in turn.