Requirement analysis is supposed to be done by experts of the Dynamics 365 solution. This expert could be an external advisor/partner or an internal team member and should bring in their much-needed experience alongside solution guidance options.
Customers must push their advisors/partners/consultants to seek solution options, both in the form of workarounds and in the form of customizations or extensions when a requirement can't be met with out of the box capabilities. Even when requirements are envisioned to be met out of the box, their mapping must be documented and should be validated during the learning/prototyping phase in the CRP approach.
When a requirement can't be achieved with out-of-the-box capabilities in a Dynamics 365 solution, then the solution analysis stage starts. Poor analysis will add more time, effort, and cost to the project. Every time you get a requirement that needs customization, try to think about how the other Dynamics 365 customers are using it. Ask why Microsoft (the principal) did not build the feature, and you will find pointers to push back.
When a requirement is a must-have and is legitimate enough to break a process, then the customization route should be taken. Care must be taken not to customize the Dynamics 365 solution beyond 50% of the core functionality as it would be similar to the situation of a magician who has several balls to juggle at the same time. You should certainly try to avoid such a conundrum.
We recommend that you do the following when analyzing the requirements as well as gaps from solution fitment:
- Classify the gap and its impact:
- Here, the extent of the gap from a customization perspective should be captured.
- Some usage examples include simple, medium, and complex.
- The impact of a gap is essentially two-fold: an impact on other business processes and requirements and an impact on the overall solution. Both impacts should be well thought of and documented for the solution planning phase.
- Ensure that you capture both the extent and impact as they are like two sides of the same coin. Both are needed to evaluate the solution options, feasibility, acceptance criteria, and other highly influential elements of a project's success.
- Perform a workaround analysis:
- Before any customization is brainstormed, ensure that the solution owner has exhausted all possible workarounds to solve the gap.
- When possible, look for multiple workarounds, come up with a SWOT analysis, and jointly discuss in a project.
- When an approach is seen as a major decision, it is recommended that you use a key decision log, along with making updates to the requirement.
- After careful evaluation of all workarounds, when no alternative exists, then solution brainstorming in order to customize the solution should be done.
- Often, when thinking of solutions, there are situations when the solution may not be comprehensive enough.
- You should capture all risks, issues, and potential side effects, along with the customization approach.
- It is recommended that you always get the right stakeholder buy-in for all the major gaps with their solution propositions.
- Make ballpark estimates for customization:
- Preparing estimates for customization could be done at the time of customization envisioning or, subsequently, upon finalizing the customization approach.
- Estimation techniques are out of the scope of this book; however, you should always explore the best-recommended estimate techniques that are applicable to your project.
- Look at the available partner solution assessment for gaps by checking Microsoft AppSource. There, you can search for all solution providers and their capabilities. For more details, please refer to https://appsource.microsoft.com.
- When customization is the last resort, look for the estimates, extent, and impact of the gap to ascertain if it makes sense to get a ready-made solution that addresses all or most of the gaps.
- Build or buy a decision for gaps:
- Based on the estimate, complexity, and comfort level of the partner solution versus the in-house capabilities of customizing the solution, you should be able to make the decision of make or buy.
- Similar situations may still have a varied effect on decision-making, so it is advised that you always evaluate every project that's undertaken in the Dynamics 365 world.
Having analyzed the gap and with the solution options discovered, it's time to build the entire solution proposal from the bottom up.