Adapting Sure Step for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition: An ERP veteran’s advice

Although implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Edition is pretty fast, it is still a project, says Dynamics NAV veteran Aleksandar Totovic. And although there are no standard customizations, the basics of a project, such as selecting apps, still require care and management that can slow down implementation as well as add additional costs to a project.

Totovic has years of experience delivering Microsoft Dynamics solutions. He has used and adapted the Microsoft Sure Step methodology for 10+ years. He was a four-year Microsoft Dynamics NAV MVP before joining Microsoft in October 2016 as a partner technology strategist, based in Belgrade, Serbia.

In his Directions North America 2017 session, Project Methodology in Dynamics 365 Business, on Monday, September 18^th, Totovic will show partners how to adjust Microsoft's Sure Step methodology using some waterfall and some agile principles. The goal of his session is to help project managers, consultants, and other decision makers sell and implement Dynamics 365 Business Edition as efficiently and as inexpensively as possible.

The classic waterfall project management method works for most projects, says Totovic. "For example, we need to use a project management plan - that's very important. And we also need to prepare a data migration plan," both of which are generally included in the waterfall methodology.

But waterfall has its weaknesses, he says. Its linear phases (analyze, design, develop, test, deploy) do not allow returning to an earlier phase. And its built-in formalities and sign-offs slow the project down.

Agile methodologies, however, are iterative and incremental, focusing on delivering a functional whole through smaller chunks over ...