Good planning (and actually sticking to it) is something you always need. As we have seen, some implementations may require a lot of actions to be done, some of them before the new functionality is implemented, some during the implementation process, and some others right after the implementation process is completed. Some implementations can even be done progressively, so they could last weeks or even some months.
Everything has to be planned and scheduled so that all needed work for the implementation of the functionality is ready on the chosen date to go live.
Take the to-do list written in the previous section and determine the following for each action:
- Determine when the action has to be performed:
- Before the implementation date
- During the implementation process
- After the implementation process is completed
- Estimate the time that will be needed to complete the action
- Establish relations between actions (some actions have to be completed so that other actions can start; some actions have no relations with other actions, so two or more actions can be performed simultaneously)
- Determine the date on which the actions should be completed
- Determine the person or persons responsible to perform the action
Let's take the actions required for this implementation and determine relations between them, estimation of time, and when they should be performed. In the example, we will not be determining the due date and the people responsible for the action.
The estimation of time will depend upon the number of items the company implementing this functionality may have.
- Study the different reordering policies which Microsoft Dynamics NAV offers:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: None
- Determine which replenishment parameters apply to each reordering policy:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 1
- Establish which reordering policies will be used in every group of items:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: Action 2
- Calculate the appropriate replenishment parameters for every item using statistical information of sales or any other information:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 3 days
- Previous action: Action 3
- Set Vendor No. for every item:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: None
- Set Lead Time Calculation for every item:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: None
- If the company manages different locations, and replenishment parameters are different for every location, create stockkeeping units and inform the replenishment parameters in the stockkeeping unit card rather than on the item card:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
- If the company uses item variants and replenishment parameters are different for every variant, create stockkeeping units and inform the replenishment parameters in the stockkeeping unit card rather than on the item card:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
- If the company uses both different locations and item variants, create stockkeeping units per variant and per location:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
Let's take the actions required for this implementation and determine relations between them, estimation of time, and when they should be performed. In the example, we will not be determining the due date and the people responsible for the action.
The estimation of time will depend upon the number of fixed assets the company implementing this functionality may have.
- Get a list of fixed assets:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 2 days
- Previous action: None
- Check the existing FA Posting Groups.
Modify the existing FA Posting Groups if they do not meet your accounting requirements or create new ones if you need to:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
- Study the different depreciation methods which Microsoft Dynamics NAV offers:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
- Choose the appropriate FA Posting Group for each fixed asset in your list:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Actions 1 and 2
- Choose the appropriate Depreciation Method for each fixed asset in your list:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Actions 1 and 3
- Determine Depreciation Starting Date and Depreciation Ending Date for each fixed asset in your list:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: Action 1
- Determine the acquisition cost for each fixed asset in your list:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: Action 1
- Create all the fixed assets in Microsoft Dynamics NAV:
- When: Before or during the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Actions 1 to 7
- Uncheck all G/L integrations of all depreciation books your company will be using:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half an hour
- Previous action: None
- Use the FA Journals to post an acquisition cost movement for each fixed asset:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Actions 8 and 9
- Use the FA Journal to post depreciation movements for each fixed asset:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 11
- Make sure both acquisition costs and depreciation movements match with transactions previously posted to the General Ledger:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 11
- Check G/L integrations again of all the depreciation books your company will be using:
Let's take the actions required for this implementation and determine the relations between them, the estimation of time, and when they should be performed. In the example, we will not be determining the due date and the people responsible for the action.
The estimation of time will depend upon the number of items the company implementing this functionality may have.
- Reduce the quantity in hand to zero by making negative adjustments to all items for which Item Tracking will be turned on:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: None
- Rename all those items:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1-2 days
- Previous action: Action 1
- Create new items and give them the names of the original items:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 2
- Create and configure related data for the new items:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 3
- Set up the Item Tracking Code for the new items:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 3
- Do a physical inventory of those items, specifying quantities and their tracking (serial number, lot number, and expiration date):
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: None
- Add the quantity on hand of the new items by making positive adjustments in which quantities and tracking will have to be specified:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 6
- Review open documents and change the Item No.: field to point to the new item instead of to the renamed one, so that the item that will be shipped, received, or manufactured is actually the new one and not the renamed one:
- When: After the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 2
Let's take the actions required for this implementation and determine relations between them, the estimation of time, and when they should be performed. In the example, we will not be determining the due date and the people responsible for the action.
The estimation of time will depend upon the number of Volume Discount Ledger Entries the company implementing this functionality has.
- Do the required development of the extended functionality:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 4 days
- Previous action: None
- Develop a process that will create Detailed Volume Discount Ledger Entries of the Initial Entry type for all existing Volume Discount Ledger Entries:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 1
- Develop a process that will set the recently created Open field to Yes in the table Volume Discount Ledger Entry:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half a day
- Previous action: Action 1
- Determine which existing Volume Discount Ledger Entries are actually open and which Remaining Amount they should have:
- When: Before the implementation
- Estimation of time: 1 day
- Previous action: None
- Implement the development change:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half an hour
- Previous action: Action 1
- Execute the process that will create Detailed Volume Discount Ledger Entries of type Initial Entry for all existing Volume Discount Ledger Entries:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half an hour
- Previous action: Action 5
- Execute the process that will set the recently created Open field to Yes in the table Volume Discount Ledger Entry:
- When: During the implementation
- Estimation of time: Half an hour
- Previous action: Action 5
- Use the new Volume Discount Application functionality to do a big initial application posting so that at the end of this process, only real open Volume Discount Ledger Entries are marked as open and they have the correct Remaining Amount: