PSL has developed an approach to system integration efforts. There are three phases in this effort: Strategy defining architecture, Assembly building the system and a Phased Rollout for deploying.

During the development effort, where business re-quirements are unclearly defined, we begin the Strategy phase by developing a business process model to identify business and functional requirements that establishes the requirements baseline for traceability purposes throughout the lifecycle. Other Strategy Phase activities capture testing and training strategies and their respective plans.

The Assembly phase begins with incremental system development. PSL develops a test plan and scripts prior to integration and system testing. We also develop training plans and user material prior to rollout.

With the final phase, Phased Rollout, we begin with a pilot to validate our deployment strategies, making any necessary changes prior to the next rollout phase. After completing the rollout phase and stabilizing the system, we enter into a Monitoring, Operations and Maintenance period. During Monitoring, we continue to provide user support through training. During the Monitoring phase we are able to assess system effectiveness to determine if changes are required in strategy, starting the process over again.

PSL’s experienced staff can to participate in various key phases along the project to manage the process and the project’s success by conducting: requirement validation, design, development, project management, change management, testing and training throughout the project.

• Project Management: PSL will work with the client to provide a methodical, step-by-step, functional approach to project planning, tracking and reporting, tailored as appropriate. The project team will develop a standardized project plan that includes: a work breakdown structure, schedule and critical path, resource allocation, risk management plan, configuration management plan, change control, quality assurance, and performance measures. Our approach ensures that our entire project team provides top quality, on-time delivery, and client satisfaction with measured results that will exceed expectations. This plan allows the Project Manager and our client’s management team to oversee execution of the project, facilitate communications among stakeholders, define when and how management reviews occur, discuss escalation and risk management procedures, and establish a baseline to measure and control the project.
• Change Management: Change management is a key component that commences at project inception and is ongoing through the project lifecycle. Our change management staff will work with SMEs to engage stakeholders in terms they understand and in a variety of mechanisms (newsletters, demonstrations, webinars, etc.). These efforts invest users in a successful implementation.
• Requirements Validation: PSL will conduct a series of requirement walkthroughs, interviews, etc. to validate the requirements to ensure a common vision of the system and identify/clarify any ambiguous requirements.
• Design: System design is a critical activity in any IT implementation. The design must identify all interdependencies and ensure they are addressed prior to development or data integration. Other factors such as security and 508 is addressed during design where it is most cost-effective. We have designed a framework that defines the fundamental components of the application, e.g. communications mechanisms, error processing, a common object set for re-use and consistency, and a security policy.
• Development: System development implements all the particulars of the design: COTS configuration, templates, workflow models, reports, interfaces, toolkit and dashboard. Incremental implementation provides stakeholders visibility into the final product. System documentation is developed throughout the process instead of after the fact, capturing the configuration for later reference supporting Operations and Maintenance, Training and the Help Desk.
• Migration & Testing: Migration and Testing depend on each other: migrated data is required for successful testing, while testing validates the migration. Migration may include scanning back file paper and/or migrating existing electronic documents to the target document repository. A test plan describing overall strategy will be coordinated with the appropriate staff members. PSL employs a testing approach of integration, system and acceptance testing.
• Pilot & Deployment: PSL supports its clients in its effort to deploy a software solution. We also provide an opportunity to reassess deployment activities (e.g., training, migration, system cutover), reducing deployment risk. PSL will develop a Deployment Plan that defines strategy, providing a well-thought approach to logistical deployment challenges.