Field service organisation setting up new global operation for recent product

Background to organisation

The company developed the innovative product from design through manufacture and into field service. As the installed base of the product grew, they needed better IT support for the service organisation.

Situation

The client had recently selected new software to support the design and manufacture of their product. This project had been urgent: pragmatism dictated that service management should be kept out of scope, avoiding a project that was indigestible and unacceptably long. As a calculated risk, they bought a new solution and then appraised it for the service operation.

Project approach

The selection of the new service management software built on the earlier project. The client staff were already familiar with the standard evaluation approach. For instance, the original requirements document seeded the requirements capture process. We then captured the delta - the differences and extra requirements.

The subsequent evaluation was run against the extended and agreed requirements, but with a shortlist of one - the newly-selected solution - on the agreed basis that we would look further if its fit was low. Of course, the candidate supplier was also familiar with the project process, so could contribute to the assessment with low cost of sale.

Results

The incumbent software proved eminently suitable and had strong facilities to support service management. These were integrated with the support for manufacturing, meaning operational effort and risk were substantially reduced. For instance, the combined solution now automatically recognises (from the design) which items need to be serial number controlled in the field and imposes extra safeguards. 

Because the software was licensed for full function and we had already negotiated spare seats at significant discount, extending the software into the new area of service management was free of license cost.

Client comment - Project Sponsor - Engineering Director

"The method is powerful because it made us focus on our requirements - enabling us to develop a clear understanding across the user group of what we really needed from our system. In the course of this, we gained insights into the strengths and weaknesses of our own business and we were able to deal confidently and decisively with our prospective supplier.

The methodical approach quickly gained acceptance within our business because it was coherent, structured and transparent. It had clear milestones and deliverables so that the team, management and sponsors could see progress. It brought specialists, functional managers and operational managers together and enabled them to contribute in a structured and equitable way. It enabled the team to make solid decisions based on visible evidence."