FTLM, Specific Action Project Execution

The objectives of our Model Based Fully Threaded Lifecycle Method are as follows:

• Assure the initiative remains focused on Process with Technology as the enabler
• Better enable the Customer Team to participate in the creation of the Detailed Design
• Normalize the Design View across the Process Team, Technical Team, Developers, Testers, Trainers and Stakeholder Community
• Enhance Design deliverable to create a Build Specification that will reduce number of Prototype Iterations and achieve a dramatic reduction in Cost to Build
• Substantially reduce the overall Time to Value
• Substantially reduce the overall Cost to Value
• Enable Process Training not just Technology Training

In many Process / Technology initiatives, the only process work done is to capture the Current State. In a few projects, some high level version of the future state is done to enable maintenance of ISO Certification. Additionally, and far too frequently, most models are created by Process Teams using old ANSI Standard modeling techniques in Swim Lane diagrams that never capture sufficient information to enable substantial use through the balance of the initiative. In fact, most of the process models we have seen require substantial explanation making them nearly useless to the analysis and design staffs or at least add unnecessary complexity in communication, translation, transformation, etc. – lots of non value-adding work! And finally, there are of course those pesky folks who believe the process models should be sufficiently fragmented and drawn at a level of detail to make them fit on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper – this way they are easy to circulate!

It is very rare to see a team create a detailed Future State Model and even more rare to see the process team ureengineer Job Descriptions, Organizational Structures, Management & Measurement Techniques and work to establish a new set of Values & Beliefs across the impacted stakeholder community. It seems that once the detailed system design work begins, the balance of important process work gets left behind. Even more troubling to us is the failure in Six Sigma method to provide structured methods and tools to enable the process team to define new Policies, Job Descriptions, Organizational Structures, Management & Measurement Techniques and work to establish a new set of Values & Beliefs.

It has been proven time and again that the process design work cannot simply stop at a high level procedural definition that leaves the stakeholder community wondering how to use the new technology to execute the old process.

It is useful for us to always remember these words provided by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University regarding Process Design:

If you can’t define it, you can’t repeat it
If you can’t repeat it, you can’t measure it, and
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it!

Every process scientist working today to improve the science will confirm that a comprehensive process design initiative drives an affinitive relationship between all of the following process components:

• Policy & Procedure
• Jobs & Organizational Structures
• Management & Measurement Technique
• Values & Beliefs
• Technology

It is therefore important to assure that all work products in a process / technology initiative are developed to assure a prominent and continual focus on process and on meeting the New Targets for Design established in the planning stage of work.

In order to accomplish this and still enable the design of computer applications, we have created FTLM as a model based analysis and design method uniquely capable of normalizing the process and technology design views to better enable the comprehensive design of all process components referenced above.

During the execution stage we will execute the following work tasks and deliver the following work products:

Work Tasks & Deliverables

Plan the Work – Work the Plan

Technical Plan
Resource Plan
Quality Plan
Risk Assessment & Mitigation Plan

Establish Sandbox Environment

Train the Client Staffs

Develop Detailed Model Based Use Cases

Conduct User Reviews and Adapt Model as Required

Write Data Migration Plan

Write Detailed Build Instruction

Build Prototype Iteration One

Develop Integrated Test

Conduct Data Migration Work

Complete Process Analysis & Design Work

Execute Integration Tests and Conduct User Reviews

Freeze the Design

Adapt Build Instruction as required and submit to next Prototype Iteration

Build Pre-performance Tested Prototype

Conduct Performance Testing

Adapt Data Schema/Design as Required

Performance Tune as Required

Re-execute Integration Tests and Performance Tests

Conduct Final Application De-bug

Freeze the Code

Develop Training Plan

Write Go Live Plan and Rehearse Go Live

Develop Future State Process Model

Develop Training Materials

Establish Help Desk Function

Train User Population

Go Live

Conduct Post Mortem

Execute Next Phase of Initiative

To obtain a full version of the FTLM overview including details describing each Worktask & Deliverable listed above go to the Library to download a copy.

This FTLM method is Copy written and patent is pending. This method is only available for use with the expressed written permission of an authorized DSA representative.