Infor LN Implementation
Infor LN Migration
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What is the Inception Phase?
The Inception Phase is the initial phase of an Infor migration. During this phase, the project’s framework is established: objectives, scope, roles, governance, timeline, and working methods.
In short:
During this phase, decisions are made regarding how the project will be structured—not only from a technical standpoint, but also from an organizational one.
Only once this foundation is in place can the next phase clearly define the processes, requirements, and solution design.
What the final result should be
- a well-defined project scope
- a clear project organization
- defined roles and responsibilities
- a robust project plan
- a well-defined governance structure
Why is the inception phase so important?
Many migration projects come under pressure not because implementation is too complex. The problems often begin earlier: When goals are defined too broadly, responsibilities remain unclear, or the scope is defined too optimistically, these issues carry over into subsequent phases.
That is why we treat the Inception Phase as a phase in which we actively define the project scope.
Typical Consequences of a Poor Project Start
- The scope is not clearly defined
- Departments are working under different assumptions
- Decisions are taking too long
- Additional requirements don't surface until later
- The budget and schedule are coming under pressure
What issues are addressed during the inception phase?
During the Inception Phase, we lay the groundwork for the next project phases. This includes a robust scope, a clear project organization, well-defined responsibilities, and an approach that incorporates cross-cutting issues such as data migration and change management early on.
Define Project Goals and Scope
To begin with, we'll clarify what goals the Infor migration is actually intended to achieve and how the scope of the project can be clearly defined.
In this context, we will consider, for example:
- What are the company's goals for the migration?
- Which departments, locations, or subsidiaries are affected?
- Which processes are part of the project?
- Which topics have been deliberately excluded from the initial scope?
This last point, in particular, is important. A scope is only robust if not only the topics it includes but also those it excludes are clearly specified.
Set Up the Project Organization
An Infor migration project needs a structure in place early on that facilitates decision-making and clearly defines responsibilities.
These include, among other things:
- Project management on the client and partner sides
- Person in charge for each functional area or LN package
- Key users
- Points of contact for cross-functional issues
- Clear approval and escalation procedures
Without this structure, the project will quickly become bogged down in endless rounds of coordination.
Coordinate Scheduling and Resources
At this stage, a project plan is not yet finalized down to the last detail. However, it must be realistic enough to highlight availability, bottlenecks, and dependencies.
Key questions to consider:
- Who is involved, and in what capacity?
- What resources are actually available internally?
- Which phases and milestones are critical?
- Where is there overlap with day-to-day operations?
This is particularly relevant in discrete manufacturing, because project managers often do not work exclusively on the project but must also ensure that day-to-day operations run smoothly.
Define Governance and Operating Procedures
We define early on how work will be carried out on the project. This includes decision-making processes, meeting structures, documentation, approvals, and the tools used for collaboration and communication.
This ensures clarity, especially in larger projects where multiple subprojects are running in parallel and different teams need to access the same set of information.
Typical specifications include:
- Scheduled Meetings and Committees
- Decision-Making and Approval Processes
- Filing and Version Control
- Communication Channels
- Tools Used
How is the project organized?
In our Infor projects, we distinguish early on between functional work packages and cross-functional topics. This structure helps keep responsibilities clear and better manage interfaces.
Vertical Project Organization
The vertical organizational structure is based on functional areas or LN packages.
Typical examples:
- Purchasing
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Service
Every area needs clearly defined points of responsibility, well-defined tasks, and a clear link to overall project management.
Horizontal Project Organization
In addition, we organize topics that are relevant across all departments. In many projects, these include:
- Data Migration
- Document Management
- Change Management
- Communication Structure
- Cross-Organizational Governance
Our project experience shows:
Many risks do not arise within a single department, but rather at these interfaces. If data migration or change management are not addressed early on as separate management issues, it will come back to haunt us later.
What risks arise from an analysis that is too superficial?
For us, a key part of the Inception Phase is the early identification of risks and unresolved assumptions. This involves determining which factors could specifically influence the project’s future course.
| Risk | Project Context | Impact and Classification |
|---|---|---|
Different Perspectives on the Same Processes | A common pattern in projects: Multiple points of contact describe the same process in different ways. Reasons for this include, for example:
| If these differences are not identified at the start of the project, the project will be based on a process model that will need to be corrected later. |
Forgotten Requirements | Another common issue: Requirements or dependencies aren't mentioned at the outset—not intentionally, but because they seem self-evident in day-to-day work or are known only to a few individuals. | This leads to questions later on, such as:
That is exactly why the inception phase is so important: It does not ensure completeness down to the last detail, but it does reveal critical gaps early on. |
Scope Extensions and Change Requests | In that case, topics must be evaluated retroactively:
| When requirements arise late in the process, it almost always puts pressure on the schedule and budget. This cannot be completely avoided. However, a smooth project launch significantly reduces the number of such cases. |
What happens after the Inception Phase?
Inception
Once the framework, scope, and organizational structure are in place, the in-depth exploration of subject matter and technical details begins.
- Frame
- Scope
- Organization
Elaboration
During the Elaboration Phase, we work with the client to define the following:
- Target Processes
- Fit-Gap Analysis
- Integrations
- Data Strategy
- Solution Design
The quality of this next phase depends heavily on how well the project was set up during the Inception Phase.
FAQs About the Inception Phase
The goal of the Inception Phase is to ensure a solid start to the project. This includes clear objectives, a defined scope, a robust project organization, and a governance structure that supports decision-making within the project.
In addition to project management and IT, the relevant departments, key users, and those responsible for cross-functional topics such as data migration or change management should also be involved.
Often this is not due to poor implementation, but because requirements, dependencies, or scope boundaries were not defined clearly enough at the outset.
The Inception Phase establishes the organizational and content framework. Building on this, the Elaboration Phase defines the specific processes, requirements, data, and integrations.
Not down to the configuration level. But deep enough to reliably define objectives, scope, roles, risks, and project logic.
We will be happy to present solutions for your industry and your processes. Talk to the specialists for SMEs.
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