Transition Experience Outline

This detailed outline breaks down each step of the transition from Chrome River Reporting to Emburse Analytics, including considerations and best practices.

Discovery Phase

Learn Best Practices to Maximize the Potential of Emburse Analytics

Consider the extent of the possibilities as you take the next step to document your existing reports and processes. There are tactical recommendations to consider for specific data use cases. More importantly, we have identified several strategic best practices to promote consistency in your KPIs and spend metrics, provide your administrators and approvers the insights they need, and more.

These best practices challenge you to consider the desired outcome during the planning process rather than rebuilding the existing processes to collect the data that eventually provides the desired outcome. We recommend reviewing all of these resources before getting started; this knowledge will trigger curiosity that will allow you to innovate with the tool and impress the organization!

Preparation Phase

Review and Document Your Organization’s Current Reporting Processes and Outcomes with Stakeholders

This step in the process is extremely important and should not be overlooked or rushed. Understanding the data needs of the stakeholders is key to a successful outcome. We recommend staying away from what is on the report and instead uncover why each report is run and what outcomes it ultimately supports.

First, collect your stakeholders and identify all reports run today. Then, ask these questions about each existing standard, ad hoc, or customer report in use to uncover the true desired outcomes.

• Who is the audience?
• How often does this audience receive this information?
• How often does this audience NEED this information?
• How does the audience receive the information? (Is it manual or scheduled?)
• What is the main business purpose for which this report was built originally?
• What questions is the audience hoping to answer with this report?
• Are there any other uses or audiences for this report beyond the original scope that need to be accounted for?
• Does the raw output of the report fully satisfy the original business question it was built to answer in its current state? Or are there subsequent steps necessary to transform, merge, sort, filter clean, email, etc. the data?
• Tip: Request a copy of the final outcome of these reports. 

Considerations

Learn About the Desired Outcome of the Report, Not the Data

As you are taking inventory, consider that many reports in use today are the first step in a larger process to merge, manipulate, clean, build visualizations, and finally deliver data to the stakeholder. Others are used to sort, filter, and isolate specific data that requires action. Those reports and processes are where some of the largest innovation opportunities are hiding.

During the review process, it may be necessary to ask these questions several times before the true desired outcome is revealed. Emburse Analytics has the potential to produce and deliver the true desired outcome to each stakeholder and eliminate many of those individual reports that were previously created to support the desired outcome.

Identify and Remove Unnecessary Reports and Processes

With multiple stakeholders from different areas of the business requesting data, we frequently see that over time there can be a buildup of very similar reports. These all require separate maintenance and support, which leads to redundant efforts that can be eliminated easily. Understanding the desired outcomes for each request for data will reveal those redundancies.

Design and Document a Rollout Strategy

Depending on the size and complexity of the transition, you may find it appropriate to roll out to the entire organization simultaneously or by use case, team, or another relevant business unit. Either way, we recommend including a pilot group rollout for learning opportunities along the way.

Build a Transition Project Plan

Now that the existing reports, processes, and outcomes are documented clearly, it is time to outline the thoughtful redesign of how the business uses and visualizes data. This step is where you will likely uncover redundancies that can be eliminated and opportunities to consolidate reports into more meaningful visualizations of the data. Review the deliverables with key stakeholders to ensure the design captures the necessary outcomes, and discuss timelines before moving forward. 

Build a Change Management Strategy

Regardless of the size and complexity of the transition, we recommend a clear change management strategy to outline protocols for the rollout. It should include:

• Who is responsible and the protocol for training and support
• How and when the deliverable rollouts will happen
• Strategies to mitigate challenges during the rollout

After go-live of any deliverable, we recommend designating a process and responsible party to streamline ongoing requests for data and ensure best practices are followed with any new development.

Identify a Rollout Team

As with any project, proper planning and expectations will promote success. Needs will vary depending on the size and scope of the transition, but at a minimum we recommend defining ownership for these responsibilities:

• Transition Project Management Lead
• Report and Dashboard Builder
• Emburse Analytics Admin
• Project Champions
• Project Trainers
• Project User Support

This outline considers the roles and responsibilities necessary during the transition, but don’t forget about after the transition. You will need champions and some level of ongoing support for your organization to maintain the new strategy.

Rollout Phase

• Prepare the rollout team
• Begin the Emburse Analytics implementation
• Roll out each deliverable using the defined change management process to allow for quick rollback and iterations

Considerations

Become Familiar with Any Feature or Functionality Differences

Emburse Analytics is a completely different analytics tool; you’ll have access to the same data and outcomes, but through a reimagined and much more user-friendly interface. This means some of the features you are accustomed to could be approached slightly differently. Use the available resources in the Help Center to research any feature or functionality differences.

Improve Your Processes Instead of Rebuilding Outdated Ones

Emburse Analytics is a tool you can use to visualize your data in meaningful ways, consistently and in real time. Consider taking the opportunity during the transition to improve your processes rather than rebuilding the same outdated processes. Emburse Analytics has the potential to significantly reduce the number of reports that are typically used for requests for information and day-to-day admin activities. Use the available resources for examples of how to use Emburse Analytics to its full potential.