Is it appropriate to run a complex enterprise-system configuration and migration project in a similar way to a Scrum development project?
- by AndyM
I'm just starting out on the implementation of a large enterprise-wide system, which has complex requirements and many stakeholders.
The company has been through high-level evaluation and tender process and determined to purchase a highly configurable "off-the-shelf" product rather than building an entirely bespoke system. The system will replace several existing systems and will require a significant amount of data migration.
I'm thinking that the implementation of this system (which is expected to take over 2 years) could be run in a similar way to a Scrum software development project.
With the first sprints targeted at building the minimal possible functionality needed (across all functional areas), and then iteratively deepening the level of functionality according the stakeholder feedback. I think this will de-risk the project and help ensure a balance of stakeholder needs within the available time.
The user stories are still the same, it's just that to implement them we have work within the constraints of the pre-purchased system. When it comes to 'building stuff', instead of writing custom code the team will be configuring the off-the-shelf package, writing data conversion scripts and the like (and it should be a lot quicker!).
Does this sound like a sensible approach? Does the Agile approach makes sense here?
