The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Approach to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementations

Introduction: 

The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach is an efficient strategy for implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 that focuses on delivering value quickly while minimizing customizations. By releasing a minimal functional iteration, businesses can gather user feedback early on, avoiding unnecessary development that doesn't align with user expectations. In comparison to traditional implementation methods, the MVP approach streamlines the process, saves time, and promotes incremental change.

Traditional Implementation Challenges: 

Implementing Dynamics 365 traditionally poses several challenges, requiring extensive time, effort, and resources from both internal teams and implementation partners. Key challenges include:

1. Reviewing current business processes: Conducting a thorough analysis of existing processes, including unique ones specific to your company.
2. Stakeholder alignment: Engaging in additional sessions to reconcile old and new processes and gain agreement on potential process changes.
3. Redesigning standard functions: Adapting standard functions to match legacy processes, including creating proof-of-concept models for unique business processes in Dynamics 365.
4. Custom development: Recreating legacy customizations from previous systems, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
5. Additional deliverables and testing: Ensuring that all new customizations function properly through added testing.
6. Delays in testing: Waiting for configuration and development can cause delays, especially with complex configurations.
7. Effort for Microsoft updates: Conducting development testing to ensure customizations remain unaffected by updates.

The MVP Approach: 

Description and Purpose of an MVP: 

The concept of MVP originated from the lean start-up idea and refers to equipping a product with the most essential features quickly to save time, money, and effort. Releasing an MVP allows for collecting feedback from potential customers, with early adopters playing a crucial role in understanding the product's intent. Feedback is used to enhance and expand the MVP in an iterative process. The purpose of an MVP includes:

1. Early provision to users: Releasing an MVP allows early engagement with users, particularly early adopters.
2. Testing market gaps: Identifying market gaps with minimal effort.
3. Focus on core product components: Emphasizing essential features to establish a strong foundation.

The MVP approach for implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 emphasizes leveraging the platform's standard features while minimizing customizations, resulting in faster value delivery through incremental change. At a high level, the MVP approach allows businesses to adopt a phased approach, gradually implementing the system and make use of core features provided by Dynamics 365.

Benefits of the MVP Approach for business: 

 Implementing Dynamics 365 using the MVP approach offers several benefits, including:

1. Immediate configuration initiation: Promptly commencing implementation by leveraging standard configurations.
2. Significant reduction or elimination of custom development: Minimizing or eliminating customization reduces project time and effort.
3. Early user testing and training: Users can start using the system as designed by Microsoft, simplifying training.
4. Accelerated value creation through standard feature process optimization: Solutions can be implemented in a phased approach, prioritizing pain points and delivering them to production sooner than a lengthy big bang approach.
5. Fostered user adoption and buy-in with phased incremental releases: Incremental change allows users to adapt more easily to system improvements.

Awara IT has developed a Fast Track implementation offer, enabling the delivery of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and СPM-based solutions within four weeks and at minimal costs. This service is especially beneficial for companies that are looking to quickly launch MVP functionality of an ERP system.

Key characteristics and advantages of this service are:

• Consolidated System for Streamlined Sales and Inventory Operations: Awara IT's implementation merges sales and inventory management into a consolidated system, facilitating smooth coordination and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Real-time Information and Tools for Informed Decision-Making: By accessing up-to-date data and advanced analytics tools, businesses acquire valuable insights to make well-informed decisions, boost productivity, and achieve superior outcomes.
• Decreased Waste, Optimized Stock Levels, and Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Through the implementation of this solution, companies can minimize waste, optimize stock levels, and improve customer satisfaction by enhancing order fulfillment and ensuring timely deliveries.
• Automated Workflows, Covering Vendor Selection to Invoice Management: Awara IT's service streamlines various workflows, spanning from vendor selection to invoice management, ensuring smoother processes and reducing manual errors.
• Invoice Generation, Payment Tracking, and Enhanced Cash Flow: Through automated invoice generation and payment tracking, organizations can improve their cash flow management, reducing delays and enhancing financial stability.
• Optimal Total Cost of Ownership: Awara IT's solution offers a cost-effective approach, prioritizing the minimization of the total cost of ownership in the long run, delivering value, and maximizing return on investment.

Contact us today to discuss your business needs and explore the possibilities.

Awara IT is a global IT consulting company. Among our clients there are both international and local companies in the CIS countries, Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia, Africa. Our offices are located in Kazakhstan, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, USA. Awara IT continuously supports its customers in implementing cost-effective digital transformation to achieve sustainable growth in a continuously changing economy.