Why are we confident that Focus Technologies’ suite of services are ideal for the insurance industry? We’ve worked with users throughout the product creation and implementation phases to refine the product to category-leading status.
It begins with the Focus Technologies’ Implementation Methodology. This process serves as the foundation for a successful project implementation. This approach is based on our collaborative client / user experience with the INScope suite – further refined by insights gained from successful implementations across the insurance industry.
This methodology is derived from industry-standard practices, specifically CMMI and PMI. An overview of our Methodology follows:
Focus Technologies Implementation Methodology
Project Management
Project Management is not a single event. At Focus Technologies, project management is ongoing throughout the implementation life cycle. The goal is to ensure that the Focus Technologies implementation meets mutually agreed upon schedules, scope of deliverables, and Implementation budget. Our team collaborates closely with clients to outline and define project parameters.
Tasks associated with this phase are:
- Requirements gathering, assessment (effort and feasibility)/prioritization of requirements, and definition of project scope (relative to predetermined completion date).
- Definition of processes and procedures for development, escalation of issues, QA, documentation, and production rollout.
- Determination of the project tasks to be performed, and when and how they should be accomplished to successfully complete the project.
- Scheduling and resource assignment of the project tasks.
- Management of project issues for priorities, escalation, and resolution.
- Coordination, scheduling and management of project staff members.
Mobilization
The Mobilization phase begins with a Project Kickoff Meeting onsite at the client location. This meeting’s purpose is to introduce Focus Technologies and Client project staff and begin defining the implementation scope. Key activities associated with this meeting are:
- Presentation of high-level implementation Project Charter.
- Presentation of baseline implementation Project Plan.
- Identification of key business unit stakeholders.
- Presentation of project goals and objectives by Client Executive Project Sponsor.
Once the Kickoff Meeting has been held, The Mobilization phase continues with the Focus Technologies and Client Project Manager focused on the following activities:
- Refinement of baseline Project Plan and Charter, with the goal of producing and gaining approval of the final, detailed documents, which will be used to manage the implementation.
- Definition of detailed project scope (including out-of-scope or subsequent phase activities).
- Project team resource assignments and establishment of project team infrastructure.
- Identify project risks and begin risk management procedure.
- Define Change Management processes.
- Begin project analysis and communication activities.
Requirements Confirmation
This phase involves the gathering of business requirements to be implemented and prioritization of the requirements according to identified critical business issues.
If customization is required, the first step in this process is the creation of high-level Business Requirements Documents (BRDs). These, capture the essential business functionality from an end-user perspective. These documents are created by Focus Technologies and Client Business Analysts and are submitted to the Client for approval.
Once approval has been received for the BRDs, the Focus Technologies Business Analysts and Development team create the appropriate Test Plans and Technical Requirements Documents (TRDs). These, capture the low-level design detail that enables the Focus Technologies developers to create the corresponding software code and resulting functionality.
Configuration
A properly configured INScope environment is vital to the operation of your Policy Administration business process. It ensures the highest level of performance and system availability so your business can run without interruption. It also provides flexibility to adapt to changing business conditions.
The INScope Configuration phase translates unique business requirements into actual settings within INScope. This provides the technical environment to support your mission-critical needs.
The Configuration Phase is comprised of the following tasks:
- Perform INScope base system configuration: tailoring of base INScope functionality to support client business requirements.
- Develop Any Required Customizations: development and unit testing of client customizations based on approved BRDs.
- Data Conversion (if necessary): create the data conversion plans, begin data cleansing, and develop/test data conversion routines and validations.
- Create Security Matrix: create user authorities and configure Agency Validation schemes.
- Training Development: develop Train-the-Trainer curriculum and materials based on client’s customized INScope system.
Implementation
Many factors are required for successful implementation: a system configured and tested to specification; the technical infrastructure in place and supported; cleansed and validated data; trained and ready users; and an integrated planning and execution process to manage risk, issues, and cutover and contingency plans. Our Implementation phase centers around activities necessary for a successful system implementation, that is, cutover and deployment.
The Implementation Phase is comprised of the following tasks:
- System Testing: Integrate the INScope base system components with the client-specific customizations that were developed and execution of the system test cases to ensure interoperability and desired results.
- User Acceptance Testing: turnover of the fully-configured, system-tested INScope system to the client for execution of their User Acceptance test plan to ensure compliance with business requirements and achievement of desired results.
- Interface Testing: testing of all third-party interfaces to ensure interoperability and the correct results are being returned.
- Security Testing: testing of user authorizations and Agency Validation Schemes to ensure users have access to the functionality required and cannot access prohibited functionality or data.
- Train-the-Trainer Training Delivery: Focus Technologies training staff delivers the INScope Train-the-Trainer courses to the client training staff in preparation for training of end-users.
Agency Rollout
Agency Rollout is the “moment of truth.” Readiness in terms of people, process, and technology is paramount. Support must be in place for the system, the end users, the technology architecture, and the process for measuring and contributing to ongoing success.
Our Agency Rollout support strategy is designed to help clients accomplish these goals. The Agency Rollout phase is comprised of the following tasks:
- Test Network & System Performance: ensure that the INScope system is available and performance is satisfactory from key agency constituencies.
- Perform Final Data Conversion (if necessary): perform final data conversion and cutover from legacy policy administration system(s).
- Complete End-user Training: deploy client trainers in the field to train agency staff on INScope functionality and client business processes.
- Onsite Support: deploy Focus Technologies implementation management staff to the client site(s) to support key client business units after Go-Live.
Post-Implementation Support
The Post-Implementation Support phase focuses on project wrap-up activities. This phase is comprised of the following activities:
- Capture Lessons Learned: Focus Technologies Project Manager, in conjunction with Client Project Managers, capture lessons learned during implementation.
- Transition to Focus Technologies Support: provide client with an orientation on Focus Technologies’ support processes and organization. A Support Transition meeting is conducted and the handoff to support is finalized.
- Post-Implementation Summary: Focus Technologies Project Manager produces and delivers an Implementation Summary report detailing deliverable status, outstanding issues, and lessons learned.
