The Mindset, Tools, and Skills Needed for Enterprise Solution Delivery Success

The Enterprise Solution Delivery (ESD) is a set of end-to-end processes and services that helps enterprises create, deploy, and manage their IT solutions. It includes requirements gathering, solution design, development, testing, deployment, and post-deployment support.

 

ESD helps enterprises speed up solution delivery, improve quality, and reduce costs. It also enables enterprises to adopt new technologies faster and respond to market changes with more agility. This article will discuss the mindset, tools, and skills needed for ESD success.

The two most important mindsets for successful Enterprise Solution Delivery are customer focus and business value orientation.

 

 

An enterprise solution is only successful if it meets the needs of the customer. Therefore, it is essential to have a customer-centric mindset. This means understanding the customer’s requirements, pains, and gains. It also means keeping the customer involved and updated throughout the project. Tips for maintaining a customer-centric focus include:

 

 

 

The goal of enterprise solution delivery is to deliver business value, not just IT solutions. This means that the team needs to have a clear understanding of the business objectives and how the proposed solution will help achieve them. It also means considering factors such as return on investment (ROI), total cost of ownership (TCO), and business risk when making decisions. Tips for maintaining a business value orientation include:

 

 

Together, these two mindsets – customer focus and business value orientation – are essential for success in enterprise solution delivery. Next, we’ll discuss the tools and skills needed to support these mindsets.

 

The second step to success in ESD is having the right tools. Enterprises need to have a robust requirements management tool, a strong development and testing platform, and a flexible deployment model.

 

 

A requirements management tool is essential for gathering, documenting, and tracking customer requirements. It should be able to handle both functional and non-functional requirements. Additionally, it should be easy to use and allow for collaboration between the customer and delivery team. Some popular requirements management tools include IBM Rational DOORS, Jama Connect, and ReqView.

 

 

The development and testing platform should be able to support the continuous delivery of high-quality software. It should also be scalable, so that it can grow with the enterprise. Additionally, it should be able to integrate with the requirements management tool and other tools in the delivery pipeline. Some popular development and testing platforms include Jenkins, Microsoft Azure DevOps, and CircleCI.

 

 

 

The deployment model should be flexible and able to support multiple types of deployments (e.g., on-premises, cloud-based, hybrid). It should also be easy to use and allow for automated deployments. Additionally, it should be able to integrate with the development and testing platform. Some popular deployment models include Azure DevOps Release Management, AWS CodeDeploy, and Puppet.

 

In addition to the right tools, enterprises need to have the right skills on their delivery team. These skills include requirements gathering, business analysis, project management, and software development.

 

 

The ability to effectively gather requirements is critical for success in ESD. Requirements gathering involves working with the customer to understand their needs and pain points. It also involves conducting user research and creating user personas. Additionally, it requires excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

 

 

The ability to analyze business needs and requirements is essential for success in ESD. Business analysts need to be able to understand the big picture and see how the proposed solution will fit into the overall business strategy. They also need to be able to identify risks and issues that could impact the project. Lastly, they need to be able to effectively communicate their findings to the delivery team.

 

 

The ability to manage projects effectively is essential for success in ESD. Project managers need to be able to plan, schedule, and track the project. They also need to be able to communicate with the customer and delivery team. Unlike traditional project management, ESD project managers also need to be able to handle agile delivery methodologies.

 

 

The ability to deliver high-quality software is essential for success in ESD. Software developers need to be able to code the solution and ensure that it meets the customer’s requirements. They also need to be able to unit test their code and integrate it into the delivery pipeline. Additionally, they need to be able to work in an agile environment.

The CIO of a large reinsurer was challenged to improve organizational quality and software delivery efficiency across its primary product area. In response, the company decided to assess its existing Software Development Methodology (SDM). Challenges facing the company included recent advances in software engineering, rising demands on the application development staff, and current disconnects between IT and both internal and external application development partners.

 

 

 

After interviewing people and analyzing documents and examples of project deliverables, the team was able to present a roadmap for efficiency and improvement. The exercise would help the organization cut delivery time for its solutions to internal and external clients, as well as increase quality across both IT departments and businesses.

 

Enterprises of all sizes need to have the right tools and skills in order to be successful in Enterprise Solution Delivery (ESD). At Agileseventeen, we provide the tools, training, and expertise to help organizations succeed in ESD. Contact us today to learn more: talkagile@agileseventeen.com