Completion Report
Project Summary:
This was a challenging and extensive development project to replace a well-established and widely -used peice of 3rd party software. The delivered application successfully provides key like-for-like functionality but also new features to reduce manual paperwork and improve the user experience. Initial feedback from the piot launch suggests that the new application is being well received by both claimants and approvers.
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Achieved? |
| EASE-protected web-based application suitable for the entry, approval and administration of expenses | Yes |
| Interface to eFinancials so that expense claims can be processed through to the claimant's bank account | Yes |
| Integration with eAuthorisations for user authorisations | Yes |
| Modified eAuthorisations suitable for user admin of the new application's users | Yes |
| Facility for the management of electronic receipts | Yes |
| Querying & electronic printing (pdf) of expense claims | Yes |
| Business Objects universe to facilitate financial reporting | Yes |
| Adjustments to WebFirst so that eExpenses-related reports still report accurately (10 reports) | Currently 9 reports in Test. To be completed & linked to WebFirst menu by FIN102 |
| MyEd channel to access the new application | De-scoped in agreement with the Project Sponsor |
| Migration of current users profiles into eAuthorisations | Not delivered due to delays in receiving requirement details |
| Strategy for the cut-over to the new system | Finance have opted for a phased rollout post-pilot. Further roll out plans will be consolidated as part of FIN102 |
| Strategy for the archiving of data from the old system | To be reviewed under FIN102 |
Success Criteria
| Success Criteria | Achieved? |
| Suitably authorised staff, students and visitors are able to make expense claims and receive payment within 5 working days of approval | Yes |
| Electronic receipts can be linked to an expense claim and retrieved on request | Yes |
| Users are able to query and print their expenses on request | Yes |
| Reduced set-up time for new users (FIS to benchmark this) | The link between eAuthorisations and eExpenses has been delivered but suppliers still need to be set up in eFinancials by FIS |
| Reduced time to enter a claim (FIS to benchmark this) | This cannot be accurately compared as there are additional fields to be entered and electronic receipts to be loaded. Early user feedback suggests an improved experience overall. |
| Transition to the new application takes place with minimal discruption and without the need to resort to paper-based expense claims | Yes |
| A pilot of 200 expense claims has been successfully completed and interfaced into eFInancials, including a cross-section of expense types and users from Schools and Support Groups | A smaller pilot has been launched with IS Apps at Dalhousie Land by agreement with the Business Rep |
| The interface to eFinancials handles errors and the financial control of data being interfaced is not compromised | Yes |
| Current eExpenses user profiles are migrated to the new system without the need for manual rekeying | Thiscould not be delivered as requirements were not received in time when a development resource was available. |
| The current WebFIrst reports still work correctly | Partially completed and to be passed to FIN102 |
| Suitably authorised users can access the system either directly or via a MyEd launcher channel | Partially delivered. MyEd access was de-scoped in agreement with the Project Sponsor |
A Business Objects universe is available for ad-hoc reporting | Yes |
The new application can be accessed from a variety of devices | Yes |
Analysis of Resource Usage:
Staff Usage Estimate: 450 days
Staff Usage Actual: 460 days
Staff Usage Variance: 2%
Other Resource Estimate: 0 days
Other Resource Actual: 0 days
Other Resource Variance: 0%
Explanation for variance:
- 25 days was taken from the original budget to offset a shortfall in the Finance programme budget for 15/16
- additional days were then needed to address issues with the eFin interface(CLIR01) resulting from changes made for eInvoicing
Key Learning Points:
Ensure that a minimum viable product is clearly defined prior to development starting to avoid disagreements about whether the product is ready for a live release. This is particularly relevant with a large Product Backlog.
Ensure that iterations are closed on time and any incomplete stories carried forward to the next iteration rather than allowing the iteration to extend. This would prevent a build-up of untested stories (and their associated re-work) impacting on the next iteration.
Ensure end-user involvement in prioritisation to get a more rounded view of which features are most important to them
When replacing an existing system, the team must be sure to challenge the existing functionality - is it really needed and/or used?
- Future projects should explore options to automate the deployment of synonyms and grants to prevent discrepencies between the Dev/Test/Live environments
Start planning the launch/go-live early in the project to keep the focus on the end goal
Ensure that all stakeholders are clear on their roles & responsibilities so that key tasks and communications don't get overlooked
What went well?
Developer story review (show & tell) helped to improve quality and to share knowledge of the developing system
The NAS storage solution delivered for real-time attachment of electronic receipts. This solution both provides a better user experience and is resilient & affordable. Thanks to Riky Harris and Iain Fiddes in Development Technology for the design and delivery of this solution.
The team developed innovative solutions to address some extremely complex requirements whilst keeping the user interface simple e.g. flexible custom data, handling of real-time receipt attachments
Improved user experience. The team has received good feedback from provisional end user testing
A good workrate was achieved throughout the project, with a total of 180 story points being completed (an average of 15 points per iteration)
What didn't go so well?
A lot of development time was spent on 'look & feel' re-work at the request of the Product Owner, whilst there were still key features to be developed which would have brought greater benefits
There was an assumption of knowledge of the old system's functionality which meant that conditions of satisfaction were not explicitly defined and often referred to 'like the old system'. This resulted in additional stories being required as the complexity of requirements emerged (e.g. custom expense fields, multi-approval groups, proxy users)
The Serengeti upgrade that ran in parallel with this project meant that attachment-related stories had to be deferred to much later in the project and then became rushed
Unplanned licencing costs for the Serengeti web interface that we had planned to use, forced the project to look at alternative solutions for handling real-time attachments, which incurred a significant amount of additional work
The four technical environments were not consistently set up, which resulted in time being wasted on error investigation
There were several instances of incomplete and/or inaccurate information being supplied by both ABS/Finance, which resulted in additional stories being required and re-work (e.g. eFin sub-ledger requirements, additional journal data)
Due to the large Product Backlog, insufficient backlog grooming was undertaken which meant that User Stories had insufficient information when they were selected for development. This resulted in priority stories either having to be deferred to a later iteration, or delays to development whilst the information was urgently obtained.
Insufficient time was spent planning the pilot launch. The Project Manager and Product Owner should have started planning for this much earlier in the project.
Communications lines with the Project Sponsor did not work effectively, which ultimately resulted in some of their priorities being overlooked.
Business Objects licences needed to be re-applied weekly, wasting valuable development time
During the course of the project the Finance department underwent a restructure which resulted in the key stakeholders working for different areas with different priorities
During the course of the project one of the developers moved to a different department which made the completion of the final bits of development more challenging
Remaining User Stories
pdf of remaining User Stories for future consideration
Outstanding issues:
Completion of WebFirst reports development (custom fields related report) and linking to WebFIrst menu - to be passed to FIN102
Finalising of roll-out & archiving plans - to be passed to FIN102
Minor updates to TAD fed back from Tech Management - to be passed to FIN102