Best Practices in NAVIS TOS Migration: Exolgan Case Study

Transcription

1 Best Practices in NAVIS TOS Migration: Exolgan Case Study Pablo Boulin, Exolgan Container Terminal CONNECT. COLLABORATE. INNOVATE.

2 AGENDA Navis Migration Best Practices Overview Exolgan briefing SPARCS N4 migration project Main N4 benefits Best practices Lessons learned Q & A

3 Navis Migration Best Practices

4 Build a Dedicated Project Team Match team size to project need Include senior leadership Identify Key Stakeholders Early Create separate, dedicated team Avoid conflicts between operational responsibility and project Focus on systems integration Highly integrated projects may require separate group Consider adding external resources (beyond Navis) 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 4

5 Use a Phased Approach to Technology Changes Avoid the big bang if possible Consider staging multiple system components and technologies Consider staging multiple sites Avoid running TOS systems in parallel Plan roll out for periods of lower activity Have a formal pre-go-live readiness check point 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 5

6 Minimize Customization Customizations don t have the advantage of being road tested by other customers in the past. Large-scale customization = risk Make implementation from point of view of new software advantages Train key stakeholders early in new TOS capabilities Weigh risk of customization against operational benefits Review process vs. software changes 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 6

7 Focus on IT Infrastructure Even when system(s) are working as designed individually, integration problems can occur. Create a comprehensive Architectural Design Model Focus on Integration Points Avoid sub-systems working as designed only in their silos Institute Change Control on all IT components (software and hardware) 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 7

8 Develop a Comprehensive Testing Plan Too often, testing is either de-emphasized or targeted too narrowly. Beyond kicking the tires and happy day scenarios Create a formal, comprehensive test plan early in the project GCT and VIT examples Test plan = suite of specific test cases with acceptance criteria Consider investing in tools and automation Plan should include: Operational Performance Testing Systems Performance Testing Integration Testing 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 8

9 Plan Your Data Migration Process Early Migrated data should be thoroughly exercised during the testing phase Start the data migration process early and integrate with testing Migrate frequently and repeatedly to test the migration process Create and test a post-go-live data clean-up process Avoid migrating unneeded historical data 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 9

10 Develop a Systems Monitoring Plan Having a limited or no monitoring solution in place for an IT infrastructure represents risk. For N4 components, use existing monitoring tools (JMX, etc.) Use Hyperic HQ for enterprise system monitoring Use N4 DB Performance Pack to monitor N4 database performance 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 10

11 Develop an Operational Recovery Plan Be ready to handle operational recovery from planned and unplanned systems down time. Create ownership/escalation plan around systems monitoring Establish clear recovery procedure Have a communication plan for internal and external stakeholders Test disaster recovery strategy prior to go-live 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 11

12 Have a Communications Plan for Key Stakeholders Investing in advance in a communications plan increases the likelihood of go-live success. Create comprehensive communication plan for key stakeholders Plan post-go-live external communication Consider adopting change management techniques, for example ADKAR: Aware: are constituents within the container terminal community aware that the project is planned? Desire: do the constituents have a desire to support the project? Knowledge: Do the constituents have the knowledge of how to support the project? Ability: does the constituency have the ability to change? Reinforcement: Are the learning and financial incentives in place to reinforce the change once it is live? 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 12

13 Have a Systems Training Plan Insufficient stakeholder and end user education has been a persistent problem. Review labor and operational constraints early Include exception handling and troubleshooting Present training in context Include all major stakeholders in enduser training Look for key advocates within enduser base 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 13

14 Recap of Recommendations 10 best practice recommendations from 25 years of experience. Build a Dedicated Team Use a Phased Go-Live Approach Minimize Customization Focus on IT Infrastructure Formalize and Plan Testing Test and Repeat Data Migration Early Setup System Monitoring Create an Operational Recovery Plan Create a Communications Plan Review and Expand Training Plan 2013 Navis, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 14

15 Exolgan Container Terminal

16 Exolgan Container Terminal 450 EMPLOYEES TEUS 1100 EMPLOYEES 320,000 sqm 20 EMPLOYEES sqm

17 Exolgan Container Terminal Rosario 299 Km URUGUAY Zárate 100Km Buenos Aires 90Km La Plata La Plata River Pilot Station Montevideo Recalada Pilot Station Buenos Aires Access Channel is 238Km long, it takes up to 12 hours from Recalada Pilot Station to Port.

18 Exolgan Container Terminal 444 mts Empty Container Depot 8,300 Teus capacity (static) Container Yard 36Ha 27,500 TEUs capacity (static) Pre Gate Parking area 2.2 Ha Main characteristics Berths: 3 berths (2 Post Panamax; 1 Panamax to be reinforced) 1,144 meters Reefer plugs: 1,178 Draft: 1 berth with 40 feet & 2 berths with 33 feet Quay cranes: 10 Gantry Cranes (1 SPP 21; 2 SPP 20; 2 SPP 19; 2PP 17 & 3 P13) Port equipment: 29 RTGs

19 Navis N4 Migration Project

20 Project Objectives Update technological infrastructure DB & OS support discontinued in 2015 Express support discontinued in 2016 Re-engineering of operating processes Adapt processes to industry best practices Integration with legacy apps and ERP (SAP) All apps plugged in through an interface Consolidate terminal know-how Keep knowledge within and Navis support on demand

21 O & A Gaps Customs documentation & Holds/Release management M&R web applications In house penalty based empty delivery logic In & out gate security check apps

22 Project Execution Plan February March April May June July August September October November December January February Prep Stage O & A Process Mapping KU Training Project Planning Environments Purchase & Set up Test Cases Design Data Structure Analysis SPARCS N4 & XPS Configuration Testing Gaps Reporting Interfaces EDI Data Migration Mapping Testing Config Stage Development Stage Implementation Stage Data Migration Environments Pruebas Unitarias e Integrales Capacitación Usuarios Finales Go Live

23 N4 Benefits

24 Benefits and Characteristics Adaptability Groovy code extensions Scalability Volume growth Flexibility EDI Highly configurable Multifacility Customer service information (CAP) Information via web in real time (appointments, bookings, containers, etc) Out of the box Self implemented N4 includes industry best practices Great research by NAVIS

25 Best Practices

26 Best Practices Analysis and process mapping O&A with Navis team As is and to be processes very detailed Project planning Most of the tasks were unknown. Uncertainty on how long tasks would take Dedicated enough time to analyze and determine tasks, its lengths and resources Training of KU Basic and advanced N4 training with Navis specialists Groovy and EDI course with Navis specialists Start configuration much easier Sponsor & committee support Fundamental to get things done

27 Best Practices Test cases scenarios Designed test cases for all processes. Around 500 Test Lodge tool provided by Navis to manage testing process Data migration analysis and testing Data Model is very different from Express and was difficult at first Addressed it from start and did 100s of migration cycles Final migration went perfect in go live Environments for testing and development Set up 4 environments: Development, Testing, QA & Production Cut over planning and execution Detailed cutover planning Went over it many times to make sure nothing was missing Organized and communicated to the team so everybody knew the procedures

28 Best Practices Dedicated team Project Manager IT background Process Leader Ops background Super Users exclusive for the project 4 people from planning area KU partially dedicated 15 people from impacted departments Parallel testing Data Migration Periodically migrate all data for the test during night Bookings, vessels, appointments and yard status updated in N4 Gates Randomly selected trucks for the test in pre-gate roughly 1 every 10 Orange BAT numbers for identification of N4 trucks Every lane operating in both systems simultaneously when receiving trucks Simulated unit delivery/reception from a computer Very helpful for gate clerks training Vessel Not enough resources to duplicate complete vessel One QC operating in both systems Plan exactly the same containers in both systems and execute Simulated yard load/discharge from a computer No quality yard testing

29 Lessons Learned

30 Lessons Learned Avoid scope modifications Exolgan had appointments for imports only and had defined not to include appointments for Exports Decided to implement for the go live It became a bottleneck of development All developments were behind schedule Solution: work extra shifts to compensate lost time and avoid Go Live postponed Translate user error messages Most of our staff are not English speakers Translated some messages that we believed were going to appear more frequently This became a problem with gate clerks and crane operators. It took some time for them to get used to and recognize different messages Solution: constant support and prepare users guide while completing translation

31 Lessons Learned EDI mapping and testing As we had EDI running in Express, we trusted that we would not have any problems in N4 Left EDI for last and had not enough time for testing Went live with several EDI errors Shipping lines complain about this because it generates delays and extra manual work Solution: solve EDI errors manually while reviewing all mapping with shipping lines to correct

32 Lessons Learned Handhelds connectivity issues 2.5 GH Wi-Fi network worked perfectly with Express No connectivity issues were ever observed We did no Wi-Fi coverage analysis to detect blind spots and signal fluctuations that affect handheld performance During parallel testing our main concern was process rather than connectivity so no problems detected Had no reason to expect any issues

33 Lessons Learned Handhelds connectivity issues During Go Live issues were permanent Loss of connection System running very slow Operators confused longer learning curve Extremely difficult to diagnose the cause of problems Connectivity issues mixed up with operators not using equipment properly and sessions logging off automatically Solution: Modified some server and handheld parameters Changed the browser on the handhelds for a more stable one Taught operators how to reset equipment Now conducting Wi Fi coverage analysis to stabilize signal and eliminate blind spots

34 Thank you!