IFS implementation in four steps, from design to go-live
An IFS implementation turns the approved design into a working system. We configure, build and test IFS Cloud together with your own experts, migrate your data and guide the go-live. We work from a signed-off Solution Design and a project plan with milestones, and every decision is recorded in CRIM documentation.
What does an IFS implementation involve?
Implementation is the phase after analysis and design. The approved design is configured, built and tested in IFS Cloud. Eqeep does this with your own experts, not instead of them. After go-live, maintenance and support take over.
Eqeep is an IFS Specialized Partner in the Benelux and implements IFS Cloud for enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise asset management (EAM) and field service management (FSM).
How does an IFS implementation run, from design to go-live?
Four steps: every process gets a verdict, the plan is set, the system is built and documented, and your key users test it before go-live.
Every process gets a verdict before anything is built. The functional design from the analysis phase becomes a technical design. With your key users we go through the fit-gaps one by one. Green: we confirm the standard configuration. Orange: we decide together whether a process change or a configuration change is the better option. Red: we help you make a deliberate decision. Nothing is built until the design is signed off. The closer you stay to the standard, the easier every IFS Cloud update becomes later on. People decide: per fit-gap, you and your key users choose to adapt the process, adjust the configuration, find an alternative or accept the deviation.
Plan every step to go-live. The analysis phase delivers a complete Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): every step needed to get your application live. It is the basis for your schedule and your budget, and you receive the project plan with milestones.
Build as designed, and document every decision. We configure IFS Cloud exactly as the approved design specifies, together with your own experts. Integrations are set up, master data is structured for your industry, and data from your previous system is migrated. How well the system supports your processes depends on the setup, the data available and the IFS solution you use. Every decision is recorded in CRIM: four documents covering Configuration, Reports, Integrations and Master Data.
Test with your key users, then go live. We test the complete solution with your key users. Does it work as expected? Does it support their actual daily work? Their feedback is the last, and most important, sign-off. Go-live is a planned step, not a leap. People decide: your key users give the last sign-off before go-live.
What do you receive from an IFS implementation?
Key user workshops
In-depth workshops with your key users, per department.
Solution Design
A detailed Solution Design for your IFS environment, signed off before anything is built.
Project plan
A project plan with all milestones.
CRIM documentation
Complete documentation of Configuration, Reports, Integrations and Master Data.
Master data
A correctly structured master data setup, specific to your industry.
How do key users get involved in an IFS implementation?
Key users take part in three places: the workshops per department, the fit-gap decisions and the tests before go-live.
If we have already done the analysis phase with you, we come to the workshops differently, because we know your organisation. We don't just ask questions. We bring answers.
Your key users notice that we understand their work. That builds trust, and it can turn resistance into real involvement. After go-live, training and education per role keeps that going.
Questions about IFS implementation
How long does an IFS Cloud implementation take?
It depends on scope, the number of sites, the amount of custom code and the quality of your data. One example: at Optronica, implementing IFS Field Service Management (FSM), migrating the previous system and integrating it with their ERP took about four months, all within the standard solution. Analysis and design gives you a realistic plan for your own situation. Read the Optronica story.
Is data migration part of the implementation?
Yes. Data from your previous system is migrated during the build, and your key users check it during testing. At Optronica, the migration of the old system was part of the four-month implementation.
We're leaving IFS Applications 10, SAP ECC or JD Edwards. Is that a new implementation?
From SAP ECC or JD Edwards, yes. Moving to IFS Cloud is a new implementation, and it runs as described on this page. See SAP ECC6 and JD Edwards migration. From IFS Applications 10 you can choose between a technical upgrade and a reimplementation. See technical upgrades.
Can we start directly with implementation?
Yes. If you already have a blueprint or an active project, we run a compact design process based on conversations with your team. Without prior data analysis you are working from assumptions and interviews, which carries more risk, so we recommend at least a basic analysis of your transaction data first.
What does an IFS implementation deliver?
A signed-off Solution Design, a detailed project plan with milestones, complete CRIM documentation (Configuration, Reports, Integrations, Master Data) and a correctly structured master data setup for your industry. We configure, build and test with your own experts, and your key users give the final sign-off before go-live.
How does Eqeep handle the IFS go-live?
As a planned step, not a leap. Before go-live we test the complete solution with your key users: does it work as expected, and does it support their daily tasks? Their feedback is the last sign-off. After go-live, support and optimisation take over.
What is CRIM documentation?
CRIM stands for Configuration, Reports, Integrations and Master Data. We record every decision of an IFS implementation in these four documents, so you can always see what was set up for your organisation, and why.
Discuss your IFS implementation question with Eqeep
Tell us where your implementation needs structure: scope, decisions, data, testing or adoption. We'll look together at which step fits.