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PPM Insights: Surviving-to-Thriving, Realizing Desired Outcomes Continuously After Implementation

By Anon Anon posted Oct 13, 2016 11:58 PM

  

If you’re reading this blog, you’ve most likely executed or inherited CA PPM, or perhaps evaluating the solution. As a PPM Services Architect, I get to work with organizations around the world with diverse requirements and maturity levels. My job is often challenging and exciting, and nothing makes me feel better than completing a successful deployment with happy customers. But what happens after I leave? Below is the CA PPM Services Implementation Lifecycle as to Enable Business Value Delivery and Continued Growth:

 


 

This last step of the lifecycle should be where customers realize desired outcomes, then uphold and advance them. As practitioners in the sometimes vast PPM ecosystem, we are constantly called upon to do more with less—and that can impede our progress with this next step. Even when we focus on process and continuously try to become more efficient with higher effectiveness, a multitude of constraints (teams re-orging, changes in focus, constantly evolving technology, etc.) conspire to make this difficult, even for the most skilled and seasoned professionals.

 

If you’ve read my blog series, you know I focus on process and system usability enabling business value. In this post, I will discuss Application Management Services (AMS). Don’t let the name fool you; yes, this includes technical capabilities, but the thought leadership and best practices that truly maximize a solution are also a key focus. AMS helps users:

  • Reduce costs and increase financial predictability
  • Improve solution adoption for faster and more complete ROI
  • Increase productivity and resource effectiveness, with ability to adapt swiftly and strongly to changing business conditions

 

Check out the AMS solution lifecycle approach:

 


 

I’ve seen AMS at work in the field, and it’s a clear and present opportunity for many organizations. In a way, it can be described as best practices on demand. Because there are people who know a lot more about it than I do, I enlisted the help of my esteemed colleague Ruchika Israni. She is a Technical Services Manager (in the center of the image above) based in Texas, and she offered to explain the benefits to us. I happened to be in Australia at the writing of the post, so we decided to communicate via email:

 

How does the CA AMS team provide value and help customers achieve the desired business outcomes?

 

There are several components to AMS. We have a 24/7, follow-the-sun support model to address the needs of our customers’ dynamic environments. Also, our team is based in secure facilities to ensure the safety of critical data and assets.

 

Our customers receive access to highly skilled CA professionals with unmatched knowledge of CA solutions and their operation. We coordinate with CA product experts from Services, Education, Support, Product Management, Engineering, etc. to ensure that customers receive the best service.

 

To align resources and the level of service to our customers’ specific needs, we provide a flexible engagement model. Some customers require only administrative and operational assistance, while others require enhanced service.

 

Can you share a couple instances in which AMS has provided value?

One large customer was able to reallocate its own resources to core activities because the AMS team operationalized CA PPM maintenance. Because the customer was challenged by solution adoption, the CA AMS Architect led roadmap discussions; the core customer team identified business process gaps, which the Architect quickly addressed with enhancements and service requests. Weekly and monthly reports helped the AMS team identify the most common issues and requests; monthly knowledge transfer sessions addressed those issues and requirements.

 

Another AMS customer wanted to upgrade CA PPM, but found it challenging due to extremely complex customizations and related performance issues. The CA AMS team provided oversight and worked with CA partners and internal teams to address issues.

 

Many thanks to Ruchika for her insights. For readers interested in more detail, CA World is the perfect time and place to see presentations and demos. I also encourage you to participate in the best-in-class CA Communities site, where you have access to communications, events and support. In addition, you can reach out to CA for individualized business outcomes references and analysis. Feel free to post in the comments section of this blog or contact me directly via email and Twitter @PPMWarrior.

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