Centralize JDE Instances

[jde1228]

Hi Folks,
One of the biggest Projects our company is currently considering is centralizing
all JD Edwards instances in US. We have about 16 different instances of JD Edwards
at different locations in US. This project is quite complex on its own but what makes
it more complex is - Most of the locations are on World Software(they may or may not
be on the same version) and a couple of them are on One World B7332. The modules
implemented are mainly - Distribution, Manufacturing and Financials. There is
quite a bit of customization at every location for standard JDE stuff and also custom
programs and reports for their business needs.
We would like to centalize everything on to OneWorld XE and probably get JDE web enabled.
Now, All you oneWorld experts -- please take some time and share your experiences if you
have worked on something similar.

Also, I am listing certain key points for us below. Pls try to answer to the best of your
knowledge.

1) Do you know any company which has done something similar in the past?
2) One of the big JDE partners which might drive this project is considering 2 options
a) Develop and Test everything related to this project in US.
b) Develop at a offshore facility in India and Test it in US.
This option is being seriously considered because its going to be cost-efficient.

Now, we would like to know what would be the possible pros/cons of going with each option.
Please consider all possible factors such as response time(especially if it is done
offshore), cost, time frame, complexity and other factors which could influence
the decision.

 

[DanielBolland]

Brief Pros / Cons:

1) Do you know any company which has done something similar in the past?

I am at a client thinking of doing this - for cost saving. It is a huge undertaking, and is only IT supported. The business does not really have an opinion - or rather - one of "if it is not broken - don't try to fix it". Going to OneWorld Xe will be difficult enough, do the instance consolidation after you are on a more Vanilla version of JDE. If you decide to migrate to Xe and consolidate, the popular method is to be hard core on staying vanilla, and use a test or pilot roll out, ensure the pilot is extremely well documented, so that other regions can easily follow and explain why they will need to deviate from the pilot (and they will want to).

2) One of the big JDE partners which might drive this project is considering 2 options
a) Develop and Test everything related to this project in US.
b) Develop at a offshore facility in India and Test it in US.

I had a development team working on JDE solutions, based in India. Your objective is large enough (16 sets of business requirements). To outsource the development adds too much complexity: we found the time difference added a 12 hour lag to any questions you need answered. Even when you are in the same room, gathering customer requirements can be difficult, we found the distance and language barrier very difficult. In North America - we use a great deal of slang. Developers not familiar which cultural slang often miss-interpret the meaning of a requirement. In our case, we managed to get through the culture/language barriers - but it took considerable "micromanaging".

If you are interested, I can send you a PowerPoint on the considerations that Canada and the US have to manage when merging instances.

 

[jdepro]

From 1st hand experience, dealing with outsourcing to India was a major nightmare and so time consuming we finally gave up in disgust after spending/wasting 2 million dollars. The language barrier was profoundly astounding even from those purporting to be fluent in English during their sales pitch. When we complained that the specifications we provided in 3rd grade English were not properly done, we got back a lot of argument in an effort "to save face". We lost several middle managers as a result of this fatal decision to "save a buck". If you really want a wake-up call, look at the delivered documentation with bad spellings, improper tenses of verbs most of which we were unable to decipher; not to mention half of the modifications were not functional per our instructions. Several companies who have attempted this here are on record they will NEVER EVER outsource to India again.
Tread carefully on outsourcing as if you are the decision maker or advsor in this effort, it might impact your career and reputation permanently.
BEST WISHES !!!

 

[Doogie]

JDE1228,
This is really an impossible mail to reply to within this forum as it covers everything both JDE and non JDE. There are many ways you can approach this situation and it depends upon the individuals involved, the timescales and resources available. You could move site by site to OW XE and then integrate all instances in a final phase - having done a similar thing in the past I would avoid multiple teams upgrading at the same time unless you have a very clear and stong communication pathway - I would strongly advise that you spend time on the methodology, implement a very good issue resolution tool and set thought out menu/version/design standards before you begin. I would be interested to know the name of your company - how it is structured, reports etc, is of critical influence. I would personally equip a strong project team from the open market, combined with internal staff to work through all instances - this is usually cheaper, more standard and will retain better knowledge within your organisation.

Doogie
JDE Consltant World / OneWorld

 

[jde1228]

Re: Centralize JDE Instances - contact for jdepro

JDEPRO - Could you pls send me a mail at [email protected]
I do have certain questions which you might be the best person to answer. Thanks for your response and feedback.