Overview
Since 2009, the Ento Solution Consulting team has managed hundreds of successful implementations. Our implementation process has been fine-tuned through extensive experience, and is designed to:
- Optimise your Ento account to best meet your specific business requirements
- Minimise and manage any disruption to regular operations
- Use your time and resources efficiently
- Leave everyone involved in the project confident and excited about using Ento
Structure
Ento’s implementation process can be broken down into a few key stages, each with separate subtasks and milestones.
| Stage | Description | Completion criteria |
| Kick-off | Introductions, review high level objectives and business requirements, confirm resourcing and agree on a project timeline. | Project plan agreed by both parties |
| Technical delivery | Configuration of the Ento account and structure, configuration of each Ento module, loading all required data into the account, and setup of any integrations in scope. | Configuration completed and signed off. |
| Testing | Client-led acceptance testing and sign off to confirm that the Ento platform is configured and functioning in line with expectations and requirements. e.g.permissions testing, integration testing, and award interpretation testing. | Testing completed and any issues closed/resolved. |
| User training | Identification of training user groups, training plan development and delivery of training and resources. | Training delivered |
| Go-live | Preparation for and management of the date when day to day users begin interacting with Ento for the first time. | First rosters published, staff clock in for the first time |
| Project closure and handover | Confirmation that all project deliverables have been met, and a formal handover from your Ento Solution Consultant to your Ento Account Manager and Support team. | Project completion confirmed in writing. |
Communication channels
The majority of communications with your Ento Solution Consultant will be via email, with telephone and videoconference/screenshare used where appropriate and efficient.
Ento will always aim to respond to emails received within business hours in 24 hours or less. Phone calls should be scheduled in advance with at least 24 hours notice.
On site/in-person consulting time is limited to that specifically scoped as part of your proposal.
Completion and handover
At the end of the project, your Ento Solution Consultant will ask you to confirm in writing that all deliverables in scope have been either completed, or agreed to be completed at a later date. We’ll then provide you with the details of your primary Ento contact points going forward.
Timeline
“How long does it take to get Ento up and running?”
An Ento implementation can require anywhere from 4 to 18 weeks. Each project is different, and the timeline will depend on a number of variables including:
- The size and agility of your organisation
- Which Ento modules are in scope
- The number and type of third-party system integrations that are in scope
- The number and complexity of Awards/EBA’s in scope
- Any paid customisations or development work in scope
We provide a timeline estimate as part of every proposal, and will proactively work with you to achieve it. That includes being flexible about which parts of a project we tackle first. We won’t cut corners at the expense of quality and long-term success, but we like to move quickly and will be pushing for you to see value from the system as soon as practically possible.
Project management
We consider a timely delivery one of the key measures of success in any implementation, so project management is an important part of our process.
Your Ento Solution Consultant will:
- Develop a detailed project plan during the kick-off stage of the project. You’ll need to sign off on this plan in writing before the delivery phase of the project can begin
- Provide a private URL to Ento’s live cloud-based project management tool, where project progress can be tracked in real-time
- Distribute email status updates outlining project progress to date and next steps, overdue items and any identified timeline risks on a fortnightly basis
- Schedule a fortnightly project status meeting to address and resolve any timeline issues
You may also wish to track progress internally using your own project management and reporting systems if required.
Contingencies
Timeline estimates are firmly contingent on the following assumptions, which are out of Ento’s control, and can significantly impact your implementation timeline and subsequent go-live date:
- The project is resourced appropriately (see ‘resourcing’ below)
- Requirements and scope do not change part-way through the project
- All requested information and data is provided to Ento promptly
- Any internal decisions relating to Ento configuration or business processes are made quickly
Responsibilities and resourcing
An implementation project is a shared responsibility between Ento and your organisation.
Ento roles and responsibilities
Ento will provide technical, project management, training and general consulting expertise and resources.
| Role | Responsibility |
| Technical Solution Consultant |
|
| Training Specialist |
|
| Implementation Delivery Manager |
|
| Account Manager |
|
Your roles and responsibilities
When planning for your implementation, you’ll need to consider who will be performing each of the following roles. Note that depending on the size of your organisation, one individual might perform multiple roles.
| Role | Responsibility |
| Project Sponsor |
|
| Project Lead |
|
| Super User/System Administrator |
|
| Technical Lead |
|
| Training Lead |
|
| Payroll Subject-Matter Expert (Payroll module only) |
|
| Human Resource Subject-Matter Expert (HR workflows module only) |
|
Client-side resourcing is the single biggest factor in the success and timely delivery of any implementation. For this reason, we’ll always ask you to confirm who will be performing each of these roles during at the kick-off stage before commencing the project.
Summary
The way we see it, a great implementation experience is the key to happy users and long-term success, so our approach is to do it fast, but do it right.
Talk to us directly if you have any other questions on what an Ento implementation might look like for your organisation.