Boosting Success of Global MES Rollouts
Boosting Success of Global MES Rollouts
Boosting Success of Global MES Rollouts
Faulty selection of the MES products, implementation partners and overall approach. training for MES.
Incorrect stakeholder expectations and Misalignment of the MES strategy with the
current and future IT landscape. Given this scenario, manufacturers can increase their chances for MES success by using a scientic and proven deployment methodology that ensures a uniform and accelerated deployment. A deployment methodology institutionalizes processes, tools, templates and deployment best practices, and it guides teams through all stages from initial planning and preparation, to product/ partner selection and solution development, deployment and support. This white paper lays out broad guidelines for following a methodology that maximizes the success of a global MES rollout.
Strike the right balance ion between local customizati and global standardization n.
Mobilize deployment resources globally while capturing knowledge and minimizing costs.
Figure 1
Mapping a Methodology
At a high level, a global MES implementation methodology includes three phases: plan, assess and collaborate/execute (see Figure 2). The following sections delve more deeply into each of these stages. Phase 1: Planning A meticulous approach to strategic planning is one of the most important ingredients for the success of any program. This is the time when companies identify the current state, scope and business objectives for the MES rollout and map the strategy for achieving these goals. Strategic planning should be conducted under the guidance of the manufacturing leadership team. While planning, manufacturers should dene the following, taking into account internal organizational factors (e.g., vision, mission, culture, challenges, IT roadmap and budget constraints), as well as external environmental factors (e.g., technology/market trends, competition, regulatory requirements):
MES
assessment projects: Identify the representative manufacturing sites that are good candidates for conducting MES assessment studies in the next phase. budget for the next phase, as well as high-level nancial planning to support the implementation roadmap,
Three-Phase Methodology
Plan
Assess
The
manufacturing information technology plan: Identify strengths and weaknesses and determine prioritized improvement opportunities, along with their implementation roadmap. phase. For example, the organization needs to decide on whether to focus on a particular business, geography or category of IT systems or a combination of these.
Solution deployment
Figure 2
Manufacturers should use assessment tools, such as surveys, workshops, competitive analysis and opportunity analysis frameworks, to execute this phase effectively. This planning exercise will result in an MES strategy that considers both internal and external factors, thus ensuring alignment with the organizations goals, vision and mission. For instance, an organization with the strategic goal of increasing throughput and regulatory compliance may discover that real-time dashboards of plant production performance would provide a competitive edge. Alternatively, the assessment may reveal that the companys cost of regulatory compliance is high when compared with industry benchmarks. The data points revealed in this phase will play a crucial role in shaping the MES strategy. Phase 2: Assess, Analyze and Dene Once strategic planning is complete and the need for the MES system implementation/upgrade is identied, the manufacturer should conduct an assessment of the MES landscape at all in-scope plants. Such a global assessment can be accomplished by collecting information on the business, manufacturing operations and technology through surveys, questionnaires, meetings and a review of current documentation. Following this assessment, a more detailed analysis needs to be conducted at chosen plants through on-site visits, interviews, workshops, operations data collection, reports and documentation. Data collection should include key performance area (KPA) and key performance indicator (KPI) trends/targets, as-is architecture, functional mapping (L1 to L4 shop oor layers), business and manufacturing process maps, current pain points and new requirements. By analyzing such data and comparing the ndings with industry best practices, manufacturers can dene scope, to-be process maps, enterprise system architecture (L1 to L4 layers), a global MES template and an implementation roadmap. Manufacturers should use site requirement questionnaires, a requirements consolidation framework, and requirements mapping for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software to perform these activities. This analysis will give manufacturers a fair idea of the kind of solution they need. This can range from a pure COTS solution, to a customized COTS (hybrid) solution or pure custom solution. Experi-
ence shows that a hybrid approach is the most sought-after, as it gives manufacturers a robust data model and proven system architecture, while allowing system customization to suit evolving processes and enable competitive differentiators. Armed with this to-be solution information, manufacturers can then assess the available MES solutions through product evaluation procedures, such as a request for information, request for proposal and MES product evaluation framework. Another decision is the selection of local or global implementation partners, which should involve a costbenet analysis, ROI calculation and the development of a quantitative/qualitative business case for MES implementation. The business case will help in cost-justication, drafting a feasible approach and benchmarking at a later point in time to take corrective measures. The key outputs of this phase can be summarized as:
A hybrid solution is the most soughtafter, as it gives manufacturers a robust data model and proven system architecture, while allowing system customization to suit evolving processes and enable competitive differentiators.
MES requirements and to-be process maps. MES implementation roadmap. MES product and implementation partners. Business case for MES deployment. Program management plan.
Phase 3: Collaborate and Execute This tactical phase is aptly named because collaboration and execution are the overarching themes from the very beginning of an MES program. The rst step here is to build global teams to execute project plans and activities. These are truly wideranging activities, involving disparate stakeholders who must collaborate to ensure success. At a fundamental level, this phase leverages Agile methodology concepts, and works in an iterative or incremental fashion on two important fronts: Solution development and site deployment. Each iteration results in the development of new features in the MES solution, version release and subsequent implementation at the relevant manufacturing sites. The foremost step in this phase is to build dedicated teams with dened roles and responsibilities (see Figure 3, next page).
Other teams that play an important role (and may already exist) are the enterprise resource planning (ERP), automation and application support teams. For a multi-year global program involving many plants, manufacturers can also establish an MES center of excellence, comprising key SMEs who brainstorm on critical technical challenges, provide thought leadership and transform experience and sticky knowledge into program assets. Some of the important teams and their roles in a global MES rollout include the following:
model. Lastly, no matter how well the program management team is orchestrating, there will always be room for improvement. Thus, it is very important that the team takes time to review current processes, invite feedback and consistently work for continuous improvement.
Process
and drive this phase from start to nish by coordinating and synchronizing the efforts of the other teams to achieve the overall program objectives of cost, quality and schedule. Program management should help build the project teams; ensure training; establish processes for governance, reporting and communication, knowledge management, collaboration, risk and issue management; and dene KPA/KPIs and other enablers to ensure that successive MES development and deployment cycles are smooth, quick and effective. The program management team also needs to leverage a global delivery model for various project teams, with a mix of onsite, near-shore and offshore team members. This would contain costs and reduce lead time, as work can happen around the clock in a follow-the-sun
standardization: This team takes ownership of in-depth process analysis at each plant, identication of common processes and best practices, and drafting of to-be solution functionalities, such as process maps, use cases and transaction rules in a reusable form. Following these activities, the team should discuss the outcomes with the solution development team to incorporate the ndings into the next solution release. Process harmonization and standardization across globally dispersed plants is a major challenge; manufacturers need a dedicated team of experienced business process consultants to guide them. building the global MES template, leveraging the identied COTS products. The team works closely with the product vendor, as well as the process standardization team, site deployment teams, and quality and release management teams. Development follows the Agile methodology by initiating each iteration with a new set of requirements and best practices to incrementally enhance the COTS product into the desired MES solution for in-scope sites
SITE
TEAM
MES CoE
Solution Development Process Product Vendor Release and Configuration Management
CORE TEAMS
G ov erna nce
Resource Management
Knowledge Management
Figure 3
(see Figure 4). Such a centrally driven, collaborative approach also helps reduce the testing and validation effort and increase buy-in of the in-scope sites. It is also important to adhere to industry standards such as S-88/95 to ensure maintainability and compatibility with other interfacing systems, such as ERP, controls and automation systems, product lifecycle management (PLM) and laboratory information management systems (LIMS).
and collaborate with these teams on planning, communication, content creation, translation and delivery (see Figure 5, next page).
Site
Training
and change management (TCM): In many cases, too little attention is paid to training and change management. Experience shows that the TCM team plays a very signicant role in system deployment and is critical for MES deployments. This is because the end users are shop oor personnel who often struggle to comprehend the big picture and can be reluctant to change. This teams role is critical to ensuring nal acceptance through tools such as stakeholder analysis, process alignment, communication and training. When handled well, training and change management can reduce implementation time, increase nal acceptance and boost productivity. The TCM team should be part of the core and site teams
deployment: This team is based at the plants and works as a champion of the MES project. Responsible for all site-related activities, this team should include members with technical, functional, project management and TCM skills, and it should collaborate with the site procurement, infrastructure, ERP, automation, quality and compliance teams to drive MES deployment activities. The site deployment team should work in parallel on various fronts, such as infrastructure, system, documentation and site training, and change management. Infrastructure preparation should include both front-end (peripheral devices) and back-end (server) readiness. System preparation involves t-gap analysis, validation, localization, conguration, data migration, recipe design and testing. Documentation includes review, update or creation of various documents, such as site requirements, operating procedures, installation verications and transition approach.
COTS MES
NEW BUILDS
Ne
Client Requirements
Ne
Ne
uirement s Req
t Practic Bes es
uirement s Req
t Practic Bes es
uirement s Req
t Practic Bes es
Solution Development
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Iteration N
Client MES
Install
MES v1.0 ME
MES v2.0 M
MES v3.0 M
MES vN.0 0
Install
Install
Install
Upgrade
gr Up
ade
In
st
al
Site Deployment Site ERP/ Automation Site Representation Onsite Offshore P Pilot Phase eI Phase II
Phase N
Figure 4
System Preparation
System Integration
Documentation
Front-end infrastructure analysis, procurement, testing and formal verication (scales, scanners, etc.). Back-end infrastructure analysis, procurement, physical and logical build and hand-over.
Fit-gap analysis, system localization, configuration, validation, verification. Master data migration, recipe authoring and approval.
ERP and automation interface development and connectivity testing. Data exchange and updates.
Site requirements documentation, installation and testing protocols, configuration and verification documentation. Review, update and approve.
Stakeholder analysis,
role mapping, change communication and feedback surveys. creation, overview training, role-based training, simulation training and end-user training, etc.
Training collaterals
Transition Activities
Go-live Stabilization Period Performance monitoring; knowledge transition to support team Steady State
Figure 5
As explained earlier, site training and change management should work in sync with the core TCM team. Figure 5 details MES deployment activities, the transition to production and post-go-live support, and handover to the application support team.
ous improvement, the program management team should collaborate with other relevant teams to build deployment enablers, such
as data replication tools, recipe migration/ authoring or update tools, translation tools, templates, estimation frameworks and work packages so that deployment teams operate at peak productivity levels, and deployment cycles are reduced. Following the achievement of a steady state, the manufacturer should also conduct a feedback survey and analysis to ensure expected benets are realized and corrective actions are taken.
3 4
Deployment institutionalization. Core/site model for consistency and collaboration. KPA/KPI-driven deployment management.
2
Strike the right balance between customization and standardization.
Knowledge Assets
1 2
Top-down Approach
3
Ensure collaboration and minimize redundant efforts of individual project teams.
Holistic approach, ensuring optimal standardization tio on of processes, systems and infrastructure.
3 4
leadership and industry perspective pect tive Transformation of knowledge into assets.
4
Mobilize resources globally while containing knowledge and costs.
Optimal blend of on-site, near-shore and offshore. ore e Retain, re-deploy and manage resources during and between projects.
Figure 6
Quick Take
Fast Path to Global MES
We worked with a Fortune 10 research-based pharmaceutical manufacturer to launch a global strategic program with the following goals: tation. Our Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions Practice partnered with the client in this strategic initiative, which involved a global MES rollout for over 70 manufacturing plants around the world. We are providing a broad range of services for solution development, deployment, training and change management, and global program management. Using the three-phase methodology outlined in this paper, we have reduced deployment cycles where possible by roughly 20%. So far, 15 sites have gone live on the new MES system in 24 months (12 of which are integrated with the companys ERP system), with a few plants going live in as little as 4.5 months. Our approach has also ensured a seamless transition and high system acceptance, while increasing productivity and sustainability.
standardize the diverse application portfolio onto common next-generation technologies. different plants and institutionalize them through the new MES system.
The company was looking for a global IT partner that could provide the required expertise, knowledge and processes to assess site readiness and design, as well as develop an MES solution, execute a parallel implementation and support sites across the globe following the implemen-
Shorter
Reduced total cost of ownership (approximate Seamless transition, with high acceptance rate
and increased productivity.
Plan: Inside-out and outside-in approach, survey questionnaires, competitive and opportunity analysis
framework.
Collaborate and execute: Repository of templates for the project plan, stakeholder analysis, change
impact analysis, communication master, system conguration and data collection template, boot camp, risk-driven testing, KPA/KPI-driven deployment, training plan, go-live tracking template, etc.
About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the worlds leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 171,400 employees as of December 31, 2013, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.
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