Project Implementation and its approaches

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Project Implementation and explain its different approaches.

Project Implementation:-

• When testing is complete and the project team and project manager then become responsible for ensuring that the information system is transferred successfully from the development and test environment to the operational environment of the sponsor or customer's organization. 
• Choosing an inappropriate implementation approach can negatively impact the project's remaining schedule and budget.

There are three approaches:- (DPP)
1. Direct Cut-over
2. Parallel
3. Phased

1. Direct Cut-over:-

• Old system is shut down, new system is turned on.
• New system simply replaces the old.

Advantage:-

• Effective when quick delivery of the new system is critical or when the existing system is so poor that it must be replaced as soon as possible.
• Appropriate when system is not mission critical.
• It is important, however, that new system be thoroughly tested so everyone is confident that few, if any, major problems will arise. 

Disadvantages:- 

• Least favored approach
• Though its quick, its painful at times.
• There may be no going back one the old system is turned off and the new system is turned on.
• The organization could experience major delays, frustrated users and customer, lost revenues and missed deadlines.
• Pressure of ensuring that everything is right or having to deal with problems and irate users or project stakeholders can create a great deal of stress for the project team.

2. Parallel:-

Implementation allows the old and the new systems to run concurrently for a time. At some point, the organization switches entirely from the old system to the new. 
Advantage:-

• Appropriate when problems or the failure of the system can have major impact. 
• Before switching, outputs of both systems are compared.
• Provides confidence that the new system is functioning and performing properly before relying on it entirely.

Disadvantage:-

• Users will probably have to enter data into both systems and even be responsible for comparing the outputs.
• The extra workload and overtime hours may begin to take their toll and pressure for the project team to "get on with it" may create a stressful environment for everyone involved.

3. Phased:-
The system is introduced in modules or in different parts of organization incrementally. 
Advantage:-

• Appropriate when introducing a software system to different areas of organization.
• Upgrade on a department-by-department basis.
• A target date for each department would be set to allow each department to plan for the upgrade accordingly.
• Allow the project team to learn from its experiences during the initial implementation so that later implementations run more smoothly.
• May be less risky and much more manageable. 

Disadvantage:-

• Overly optimistic target dates or problems experienced during the early phases of implementation may create a chain reaction that pushes back the scheduled dates of the remaining planned implementations.

Comparisons:-