If there is one sentence that can strike horror into the hearts of an IT team, it’s ‘we need to upgrade SyteLine’.
We know, because we’ve been there! We also know that the further you need to jump in terms of versions, the harder it feels. However, it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think.
In this blog, we look at our top three tips for navigating an upgrade.
Do your due diligence before you start
What do we mean by this?
Well, if you’re planning to move from an older release of SyteLine, say version 7 on-premise, to V10 in the cloud, then there are likely to be a lot of changes. Some of them may be obvious, such as new functionality added in, or the look and feel of the user interface; but others may not be quite as glaring if you just take a quick look.
This is where we recommend that you take some time to go through any modifications you have, or any workarounds you currently use, to see how they fit with what is available in the new release.
And when we say take some time, we do mean take some time!
Whilst this can feel like overkill, it can mean that you have a smoother upgrade experience. After all, no one wants to spend ages working out how to recreate a modification at a later release, only to find out the functionality was already there, but in a slightly different guise.
Our consultants can help with this, so it doesn’t have to be quite as laborious, you may also get an insight on how to use some of the standard functionality that you’ve never seen before!
Be honest about what your showstoppers are
Upgrades can take time, and generally, it may be that there are some things which are more important to you than others. This could be new functionality that you want to use, or perhaps some mods that you’ve identified that you need to keep moving forward.
However, we’d always recommend that you work out what is important, and what is just nice to have. Sometimes, that can depend on where you sit in the business, and what is your priority; so taking some time to map out what is important for the business is a worthwhile activity as part of your upgrade plans.
But also we encourage you not to forget about new functionality either, after all, there could be something there which would be helpful for you too – it’s all about working out what your priorities are for the upgrade.
So if we go back to our example of V7 on-prem, you’ll not have been using the Infor OS functionality! There is a lot in there that you can play with, which could become a distraction when you’re trying to plan an upgrade. It’s better to look at that as a lower priority once the dust has settled, and then be able to concentrate and get the most out of it.
Make sure you do the User Acceptance Testing
We can feel the collective eye roll here when we mention this, but this is really important for how well your upgrade goes, especially if you’re leaping versions.
There is a huge temptation to scrimp on testing, but believe us when we say, this never usually ends well. We have experienced enough upgrades to know that shortcuts here really don’t help in the long run!
The best advice we can give you is to make sure that you have the right testing plan in place.
This means that you have the right people in the room, to test the right functionality, thoroughly. Whilst we all want this phase to pass with little to report, if something does come out of this that you weren’t prepared for, then it’s better that it does now rather than when you first use that part of the software in anger later.
We hope that these three quick tips have given you some confidence in upgrading. The same three tips work well for new implementations too. Like with DIY, it’s all about the preparation. If you are prepared well, and you’ve done your due diligence, then you should have a much smoother transition.
If you’re looking for some advice on upgrades, then why not get in touch? We can work with you to create an upgrade plan that works for you and your business.
