Successfully implementing a new or upgraded Manhattan Associates software can be a career-defining project for many supply chain professionals. Completing these initiatives on time and on budget requires expertise, experience, and sufficient bandwidth.
4SiGHT experts can help develop a well-scoped Manhattan Associates implementation project spanning defined phases from beginning to end. A well-structured plan is essential to long-term distribution excellence, from performing the initial assessments to developing the implementation roadmap and executing countless tasks. These markers are necessary for your effort to be efficient and could go on indefinitely.
Understanding the many interconnected parts of your Manhattan Associates software project helps your team stay on task, realize where interdependencies are critical, and identify where scope creep is likely to derail the effort. The project lifecycle also provides a logical workflow that gives everyone a clear picture of the sequential steps needed to achieve a successful outcome.
4SiGHT has successfully integrated Manhattan Results-driven Performance Methodology (RPM<sup>tm</sup>) with 4SiGHT’s internal implementation methodology. Manhattan RPM is the process Manhattan Associates uses to deliver MA Product(s) or other Manhattan Associates software and related services to their customers. It is part of their ISO 9001-certified quality management system and capitalizes on their collective experience developed and refined with each installation they have completed. Manhattan RPM considers the appropriate staffing to meet the client’s deadlines and the proper procedures and documentation. Each stage clearly defines goals, roles, and responsibilities for the user and Manhattan Associates’ project teams.
Several key factors contribute to a successful software implementation:
Clearly defined goals: Before beginning the implementation process, it is essential to determine the project’s objectives. This includes defining what problem the software will solve, its benefits to the organization, and what specific outcomes are expected from the implementation.
Strong project management: Effective project management is essential to keep the implementation on track and within budget. This includes developing a detailed project plan, assigning roles and responsibilities, setting timelines, and ensuring all team members are aligned and working towards the same goals.
Clear communication: Communication is crucial throughout the implementation process to ensure that everyone is informed of progress, any issues or risks, and changes to the plan. Communication should be open, honest, and transparent and should involve all stakeholders, including the software vendor, internal project team, and end-users.
Comprehensive training: Comprehensive training is essential to ensure that end-users are fully equipped to use the software effectively. This includes training on system features, workflows, and best practices and should be tailored to the specific needs of each user.
User engagement: User involvement is critical to the success of the implementation. End-users should be involved in the planning and design stages, and their feedback should be incorporated into the final solution. This helps ensure that the software meets the organization’s needs and that end-users are invested in its success.
Thorough testing: Comprehensive testing is essential to ensure the software functions correctly and meets the project’s goals. This includes testing all workflows, integrations, and interfaces and ensuring the software performs as expected.
Ongoing support: Ongoing support is critical to ensure the long-term success of the software implementation. This includes providing access to technical support, ongoing training, and regular updates and upgrades to the software.
Each phase of Manhattan RPM includes a standard set of deliverables, which is provided to the client, and requires project team approval before moving to the next phase. RPM consists of a standard pre-implementation preparedness assessment performed by senior Manhattan Associates personnel designed to identify implementation risks and provide recommendations for the client’s preparedness. RPM requires significant client involvement during implementation to reduce the dependency on Manhattan Associates’ resources. The team trains personnel on the base system as early as possible and includes the client resources in all implementation aspects. This ensures a successful start-up both during and after implementation. Through these processes, we can select the appropriate team for each project, lock in schedules for its duration, and identify any additional needs during the project.
4SiGHT’s Manhattan Associates experts work closely with your team to fill any resource gaps, or we can lead the project from day one to ensure a world-class implementation. We can service any of the following roles/resources in support of your Manhattan Associates project:
Manhattan ProActive is a powerful application within the Manhattan Active® Platform. It empowers companies to enhance the base application with their custom business logic and processes. Using the tools available in ProActive, many of your identified gaps and custom requirements can be resolved.
Taking full advantage of ProActive can be challenging at first, particularly when trying to learn the rest of the Active product simultaneously. It requires an understanding of the new component-based architecture, their available access points for injection, and experience using JasperSoft Studio to develop reports or FreeMarker/Velocity to write custom logic and manage the deployments of these modifications across locations and environments. Depending on your specific need, 4SiGHT's ProActive experts can guide you through different elements of ProActive and find a beneficial solution for your situation.
Enterprising businesses can improve long-term performance and profitability with 4SiGHT’s live production support and managed services. Your ability to establish a solid foundation for the operational support of your solutions is often a critical success factor. 4SiGHT’s Solution Support Organization (SSO) is well-equipped and dedicated to partnering with your internal support team to deliver highly informed assistance that allows you to maximize the value of your investment.
Whether upgrading your current Manhattan Associates system or implementing the innovative agility of Manhattan Active®, the key to success will be to have a fluent team that uses your system's unique configuration.
4SiGHT's experienced professionals can help build a customized training plan leveraging the continuous innovation of Manhattan's Active solution suite. From scheduling to documentation and training data, your team will learn best practices and how to implement them into your operations seamlessly. All training courses are not created equally. You must ensure the right people are in the right place with the tools to meet your business needs. Our Manhattan Associates certified trainers provide valuable feedback and help determine when your team is ready to take over managing the new system or identify opportunities for additional training.
When deciding whether or not to upgrade your current on-premise Manhattan Associates Warehouse Management System (WMS) to Manhattan’s latest WMS known as Active® WM, there are critical components to consider: business needs, compatibility, security, cost, support, and user feedback.
4SiGHT can help you conduct a detailed assessment of the latest Manhattan Associates new Active WM application in a TEST environment. We can help identify functional gaps from your recent Manhattan WMS installment compared to the latest Manhattan Active WM release.
Let’s connect to discuss how to move your operations forward one step at a time.