How Empaxis Builds Successful Software Implementation Teams

At Empaxis, we have nearly two decades of experience delivering operational excellence through digital transformation and systems integration expertise.

Software implementation is a foundational part of that transformation, and investment firms must turn to specialists for a successful outcome.

And foundational to a successful outcome is putting together the right team of implementation experts.

When we assess a software implementation project, we do our due diligence to find the best resources for that project. Below are the people we assign, the processes for selecting them, and what we expect from them.

How Empaxis Puts Together Software Implementation Teams

Project Manager

The Project Manager (PM) is the first person we assign. We expect this person to be the ultimate subject-matter expert, your go-contact, and the one who is responsible for managing the team, timelines, and delivery.

Being the expert, the PM must know the ins and outs of the platform they’re working with, anticipating potential pitfalls with implementation, as well as overseeing the building out of staging/testing environments that deal with bugs and other obstacles.

Success or failure rides on their shoulders, and for our part, we ensure the greatest success by identifying certain traits of a winning PM:

  • Success with previous related projects
  • A great teacher and trainer
  • A master motivator, a leader who knows how to get the most out of the software implementation team
  • Someone who has experience doing the work itself, not merely instructing others to do what they themselves can’t do

Accountability is everything. Not only are they expected to maintain open lines of communication with you, the stakeholder, they are to report regularly to Empaxis executive management. We incentivize Project Managers to deliver results, further aligning our interests with the client.

Business Analysts (BAs)

Before any development can take place, the Business Analysts work with the Project Manager to assess the software and implementation process.

At Empaxis, our BAs will:

  • gather the project requirements
  • consult with project stakeholders
  • analyze pain points and obstacles
  • perform risk assessments
  • develop contingencies
  • analyze and develop solution roadmaps
  • creation of documentation and training guides
  • validating and verifying successful outcomes

The BAs' involvement often spans the entire project lifecycle, from the initial planning and requirements gathering to the post-implementation support phase.

And with the work gained From there, the PMs will know who else they need for their team and how to guide their strategy.

Developers + Implementation Specialists

Assembling this team of developers and specialists, the Project Manager is responsible for laying out team roles, expectations, and timelines.

These implementation experts themselves will be responsible for:

  • figuring out how to integrate the software with other applications and data feeds
  • identifying security risks and system vulnerabilities
  • writing (custom) code to carry out desired functionality
  • testing (building test/staging environments) and fixing bugs
  • bringing the newly implemented solutions to live environments  

Passive Implementers

Passive implementers are team members who are not immediately assigned to the project when it starts.

Instead, they are brought in to perform specialized tasks to help advance the project when their presence is needed.

For example, unexpected challenges may arise that require workarounds in the software. After all, not all software will meet an investment firms' needs without some degree of customization.

The passive implementers will come in and develop a custom solution, be it deploy an automated bot or write code to execute a function.

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UI/UX Developers

It’s one thing for the software implementation team to build out a solution, but it’s another to build out a user-friendly and beautiful solution.

The UI/UX developers are trained to think about the client experience. They need to create a design that is functional, easy-to-use, and as foolproof as possible.

Milestones and Client Meetings

As mentioned before, Empaxis places great emphasis on accountability and transparency.

Our team, with the Project Manager being the primary point of contact, will be responsible for providing regular updates and showing progress to the client.

Empaxis will be responsible for testing out the solutions and allowing the client to test it out for themselves, providing feedback.

Go-Live

After rounds of testing and reiterations, as well as proving the successful completion of milestones, our team will ultimately be ready to take the implemented software from a testing or staging environment into the live environment.

The "go-live" process is a critical phase in the software implementation lifecycle. It marks the point in which the new system is officially launched and becomes operational for end-users. The process involves several key steps to ensure a smooth transition from the old system to the new one, including:

  • setting a deployment date
  • performing final quality control checks, including proper migration of data
  • contingency planning (what to do if the go-live fails?)
  • carrying out the deployment (ensuring a smooth transition to the production, or live, environment)

And once it's all done, then it's time to celebrate!

At Empaxis, we always recognize our software implementation teams for the great work they do. These projects require a great deal of skill and precision in the work performed, as there is little room for error.

But once the celebration is over, then it's time for post-implementation procedures:

  • regular systems maintenance and quality controls
  • team training and knowledge transfer
  • documentation finalization
  • routine communication with the client/stakeholder (address workflow changes, custom-built and modified functionality requests)

Successful Implementations Start with Empaxis

At Empaxis, we understand the challenges investment firms face with software implementation, as well as the challenges for software companies themselves in implementing their own solutions for their clients.

Success begins with assembling the right group of people who truly understand your setup and appreciate the details that go into a successful implementation.

As you can see in our approach, we follow best practices when it comes to building out a team, creating the strategy, ensuring accountability, and delivering on our promise of success.

With so much at risk in doing it yourself, it’s better to trust in the expertise of a software implementation team that has proven itself capable. Empaxis is here and ready for your next implementation project.

Learn more about what makes Empaxis best suited as your partner for implementation.

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