Dynamics 365 projects fail for many reasons.
In ‘Series Intro - Top 10 Governance Structures to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’, we outlined how we define a failure in Dynamics 365 (D365) & Power Platform (PP) projects.
Without the correct governance structures in place, common symptoms start to appear and imminent death, project death, is just around the corner.
This death is avoidable through good governance structures, our best practices for which we’ll be sharing throughout these posts.
Each governance structure identified in our series has its own requirements and impact.
In this monthly series, one of our lead consultants, Richard White, shares his real-world experiences of how these structures affect the organisations that use, or fail to use, them correctly.
Following our last post on The Design Authority, the next strategy to avoid project death is The Change Advisory Board (CAB).
Once again, we will look at what it is, the symptoms you will notice from its absence, how you can go about setting the structure up, and the benefits that come from its existence.
What is a change advisory board?
This board is responsible for reviewing and either approving or rejecting all new functionality implementations and all Grade 1 requests for change (RFCs) within D365 & PP prior to ‘go live’.
Grade 1 RFCs are those with significant strategic impact and typically affect all or most users and involve changes to business processes.
Clearly, these changes are important, and as such, the change advisory board exists to challenge all aspects of the implementation to ensure everything is given proper consideration.
The benefits of a change advisory board
Despite their reputation and my existing views on them, I quickly realised these boards are a lot more useful than they are a load of red tape.
Initially, I was skeptical of change advisory boards, feeling that my team’s work was being judged and seeing them as very political entities. It didn’t take long at all for me to be converted on their utility! Now, I don’t like to implement anything without one.
Change advisory boards are a defence mechanism—not some instinctive and unhelpful response, but a way to offer clear protection to my team. Having an impact assessment from a range of people technically connected with D365 & PP significantly reduces the risk of knock-on effects.
By ensuring changes are scrutinised from multiple strategic viewpoints, you’re able to pre-empt and address issues that might otherwise affect critical areas of the business.
Going through the CAB process—call them hoops to jump through if you want, but they work—requires various implementational areas to be pre-planned as part of CAB documentation.
Across testing, communication with the business, user training, roll up and roll back steps, downtime, impact on other systems, testing, risk analysis, and more, planning out these areas ensures a smoother implementation process as well as allowing you to catch issues earlier.
If anything does slip through the net, the attitude towards rectifying problems is much better. It becomes a team effort instead of holding individuals to account, as everyone collectively tried to assess the plan for inherent risks.
What are the risks of not implementing a change advisory board?
Releasing anything into a live environment becomes more anxious than exciting. What if we and the testers have missed something that causes major problems?
Without a change advisory board, changes simply don’t go through the same level of scrutiny. It’s very difficult to step back and take a big picture view of the context of a given change when you’ve been in the fine details of the work.
The big risk is that implementing new solutions could be not just unsuccessful, but actively detrimental to existing production functions.
You’re setting yourself up for ‘go live’ issues that could actively do more harm than good, and that’s never a good move, especially if it comes as a result of not following proper governance processes!
How to create a change advisory board
You won’t always need to create a change advisory board from scratch. They are among the more commonly-implemented governance structures, so chances are, large organisations will already have one in place to oversee all IT decisions.
Even if that’s the case, it’s best to appoint someone independent of the system within the organisation to take ownership of how the implementation will be challenged. You’ll also want to add in the right people from a D365 & PP point of view. However, smaller organisations will likely need to create their own board. Suggested members are:
D365 & PP Lead Consultant & Project Manager
Representation from all core areas that will be affected by any system change, such as the help desk, central IT, and testing
Specific departmental representation that could be impacted by the changes being made
The D365 & PP Consultant and/or D365 & PP Project Manager are well placed to prepare notes, whether in a standalone board or supporting an existing one.
What’s a typical time commitment for these boards? An hour a fortnight is often about right, though the frequency and duration will depend on the volume of projects and changes at any given time.
With that in mind, adopting an agile approach and convening as and when necessary may be helpful. Release strategy is also a factor here, and one we will discuss further in the context of agile project strategy in a later post.
What are the challenges of running a change advisory board?
Yet again, attendance is key here, despite people’s preference to focus on their day-to-day activities.
And beyond the meetings themselves, writing up CAB reports can be time-consuming. 365 InHouse's Consultant Power-Up Course includes a template for the Change Advisory Board Implementation Report.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the delays CABs can introduce into the implementation cycle. It can feel cumbersome having to put seemingly small and insignificant changes through the CAB process.
Often users can get frustrated with this approach, but flexibility can really alleviate this issue. Urgent fixes should still be run through the CAB process, but do so with an emergency CAB meeting.
All these processes are underpinned by the same logic: the minor inconveniences that a CAB introduces pale in comparison to the potential disruption of errant changes going live in business-critical systems.
All in all, a change advisory board is something you have to experience to believe. I encourage you to give it a try with the perspectives shared here, because the team mentality these boards foster, and the risks they avoid, make it all worthwhile!
In the next post within the ‘Top 10 Governance Structure to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’ series, we will discuss strategy #5, ‘User Surgeries’.
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Richard S White
A seasoned Digital Transformation Executive renowned for leading high-performance teams towards innovative and strategic technology solutions. Specialises in steering organisations through complex digital transformations, fostering productive and accountable partnerships. Known for effectively guiding projects to success, aligning them with business objectives, and enhancing organisational self-sufficiency. Skilled in blending technology with business strategy, adept at facilitating candid discussions, aligning stakeholders, and crafting strategic roadmaps, positioned as an invaluable asset for organisations navigating the complexities of digital transformation.
Want help with your specific situation? Connect with Richard on LinkedIn to setup a free no obligation virtual coffee: http://linkedin.com/in/richardswhite/
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