We often hear the question, “Why do we need to do a planning engagement?” A related question that also comes up frequently is, “What is a planning engagement?” To help answer both questions, Innovia responds with an analogy that most customers understand.
Imagine you were building a home. There are several preliminary steps you take with your architect to ensure the process goes smoothly. You work through all the following questions to ensure both you and the builder know what to expect.
As you can see, the similarities between these two processes are striking. In both cases, new requests or changes to previous decisions will impact the project timeline and/or budget. By taking a thorough approach to the planning/design process, we can mitigate this risk together.
This largely depends on your business’s level of complexity, your desire for additional functionality from the new system, the degree your company can absorb change, and the number of users involved in the steering/testing process. To help better understand your options, we will describe each type of planning engagement and why a business might choose it.
The right planning engagement for your organization will depend on the complexity of your needs. Please reach out to your Customer Engagement Specialist to discuss which planning engagement is right for your business.
Companies with complex business processes, highly modified systems, or systems that have been in place for over 10 years should opt for the full planning engagement. Innovia Consulting will direct the discovery and assessment of the client's business systems and processes to be incorporated by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. An analysis of the requirements will be conducted to confirm how out-of-the-box functionality will support the client’s objectives. It is conducted over 2-3 days at your location Deliverables from this effort will include one or more of the items below.
These deliverables will be submitted for the client's review and for approval of the recommended Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central system, as well as possible development options to achieve the client's core business requirements.
The price for a full planning engagement is a fixed fee of $59,995, plus direct travel expenses. If additional assistance is required from the Innovia Application Consultants to assist with Thrid-Party (ISV) selection, this effort will be billed on a time and material basis and approved via a change order. The client will receive selection assistance from their Innovia Customer Engagement Specialist at no charge.
Many customers and prospective customers want to describe themselves as “simple businesses,” but there are important requirements that must be met to support future growth or strategic plans. The best way to ensure this is accomplished is through a Standard Planning Engagement.
This type of planning engagement is conducted through a series of Microsoft Teams meetings. Companies should choose this option if they are transitioning from a simple system. Innovia Consulting will direct the discovery and assessment of the client's business systems and processes to be incorporated by Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. An analysis of the requirements will be conducted to confirm how the client’s objectives will be met with out-of-the-box functionality. The deliverable from this effort is:
The price for a limited remote planning engagement is a fixed fee of $20,000.
Sometimes we have clients with multiple sites or a sizeable international presence. In these scenarios, we find that a custom planning engagement that is tailored to the client's specific needs is necessary. Please reach out to your Innovia Customer Engagement Specialist for a quote.
When the subject of planning engagement comes up with our customers and prospects, we often remind that they aren’t going to “not tell us something” on purpose, and likewise, we aren’t going to choose to “not ask,” but things are bound to come up during our project together that we did not talk about. The more time we mutually invest in the planning process, the better chance we have of mitigating surprises. Our mission at Innovia is:
We build lasting relationships by delivering business solutions that exceed clients’ expectations through teamwork, dedication, and innovative thinking…ON TIME / ON BUDGET.
The odds go way up when we mutually work toward creating the best project plan possible. The first step of that partnership is the Planning Engagement.
