Sure Step

Sure Step with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

  • Reading time:1 min read

Yesterday I delivered a presentation about benefits of Sure Step methodology, as a part of an internal partner academy program. The audience was fantastically interactive, and if anyone of you who participated in the event is reading this—thank you!

One of the attendees asked about collaborative use of Sure Step, and whether it is possible to share the Sure Step documents among the team members. I explained that it isn’t, but that there is a third-party SharePoint-based solution which takes Sure Step to a fully collaborative level. I promised to share a link to the webcast which talks about this.

So, here is the link:

http://www.brightwork.com/webcasts/recorded_webcasts.htm

Go, click it, and search for Selling with Sure Step – A Roadmap for Success. It’s the webcast delivered last Thursday by Aditya Mohan, Director of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step, and Éamonn McGuinness, CEO of BrightWork, company which specializes in collaborative SharePoint project management solutions, which also developed the Sure Step SharePoint solution.

P.S. Thanks to Dejan from Citius for his fabulous tip: share Sure Step documents using Groove. Simplicity rules.

P.P.S. My five cents: share the source folder of the Sure Step project on the network. It’s kind of ugly, but works.

Continue ReadingSure Step with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

Sure Step in action: Architecture Assessment

  • Reading time:6 mins read

Implementing a new Microsoft Dynamics solution doesn’t merely introduce a new piece of software into your environment. Yes, the software is an important part, you need to deploy it successfully, configure it as necessary, probably even customize it and change the business logic under the hood.

One component, however, is easily overlooked, and you wouldn’t believe how often it’s not addressed until late. Or too late. It’s the infrastructure.

Infrastructure is tough. It’s not just servers and desktops with some wires, switches and access points in between. Its a lot more. What kind of hardware do you need for your servers or desktops? What kind of performance do you really need? What kind of network layout is optimal for your transaction volume? Should you run the client on desktop machines, or would a remote desktop access be a preferred method? Do you virtualize your servers? What kind of failover capacities do you need? Can you retain any of your old hardware? How many users will use the system? Tomorrow? In five years? What about interfaces and integration to other systems or applications?

A couple of wrong answers, and down you go.

Continue ReadingSure Step in action: Architecture Assessment

We don’t wear shoes, we use footwear!

  • Reading time:6 mins read

(A short, almost pointless rant about PMBOK vs. Sure Step nonsense)

Once, while preparing an important RFP response, a partner told me they don’t use Sure Step because they use PMI methodology. This made my toenails curl up—when people tell me they are using PMI methodology, they in fact tell me they are using no methodology at all. It’s simple:

  1. There is no such thing as PMI methodology
  2. Anybody familiar with PMI should know that

Another time a partner told me they preferred PMBOK to Sure Step. Now, while this was a better argument, it was still very much wrong. As if they told me they don’t wear shoes, because they wear footwear.

Continue ReadingWe don’t wear shoes, we use footwear!

Sure Step in action: Degree of Fit

  • Reading time:5 mins read

I’d like to have a BMW X6. A fantastic car. Only, I’d like it to be convertible, because I love the feel of wind in my hair while driving into summer sunset. I could use a glass roof as well, it makes the interior feel much more spacious. And of course, it can’t have that automatic transmission—I don’t care if it’s not a hybrid car, it simply must have the continuously variable transmission, no matter the cost.

I’ll never have a car like this.

Continue ReadingSure Step in action: Degree of Fit

What does a Microsoft Dynamics consultant do?

  • Reading time:4 mins read

image I wonder what people do with Google (or any other search engine for that matter) results past page two, or three. Or ten.

The other day a visitor came to this blog by googling this question: What does a Microsoft Dynamics consultant do? Two things I don’t understand: first, how far in the search results did they have to go—my blog most certainly didn’t land on first ten pages; and second, did they find here on my blog what they were looking for?

I decided to improve both.

Continue ReadingWhat does a Microsoft Dynamics consultant do?

Look me in the eye!

  • Reading time:2 mins read

(A short rant about eye-contact-based specifications.)

image In short, there is no such things as an eye-contact-based specification. And for a reason.

While kicking-off of a project, we had a discussion with the customer about the change management approach, and specification detail.

Continue ReadingLook me in the eye!

What do YOU think of Sure Step?

  • Reading time:1 min read

I’ve been blogging about Sure Step, talking about Sure Step, learning about Sure Step, teaching Sure Step, evangelizing Sure Step, here on this blog, in online columns, at conferences, presentations, (pre-)sales calls, with partners, with customers, in one-on-one contacts, e-mails, Linked In, Facebook, Squidoo (haven’t tweeted about it yet, but that’s to come).

I believe in Sure Step.

But what I think might not be important at all. I am just an average joe out there voicing his opinion.

What do you think of Sure Step?

Has it worked for you? Has it not?

What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?

Why?

Go ahead, share your thoughts!

Continue ReadingWhat do YOU think of Sure Step?

What’s New In Sure Step: Functional Requirements Document

  • Reading time:4 mins read

One of many improvements the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology has brought along is the revised purpose of the Functional Requirements Document (FRD). This document has long served as cornerstone of every Analysis process of every implementation project: it was the main deliverable of the Analysis phase and it both documented customer’s requirements and explained how they will be met with Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution.

Continue ReadingWhat’s New In Sure Step: Functional Requirements Document