What is the third way, and why does it exist?
We created the third way in an attempt to bridge what we see to be a very big gap in the Power-Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem.
In days gone by a software solution was highly encapsulated, so any vendor or partner would support a whole solution and the only part of the solution for the business to consider was the infrastructure (servers, workstations etc.).
With the advent of Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform things are very different. What we now have is an evergreen SaaS platform provided by Microsoft, this platform leverages many component parts of the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem, a lot of these component parts will be managed by your IT team, this means that for any solution the line is blurred between what should be partner supported and what is the responsibility of the IT team. This integration is great, it allows solutions to be built quickly and easily and the resulting outcome for your end-users is seamless.
The platform is highly customisable and there are many, many ways of achieving a given outcome, but once they are delivered what about ongoing maintenance of them and strategic direction driving business change? This is something which should be the responsibility of the organisation.
Throughout both the public and private sector, the key issue is that organisations lack the experienced knowledge on how to get the most from the platform how to manage it with as little risk as possible and make key strategic decisions on direction. There is a good reason for this - cost. The cost of a good solution architect is in excess of £100,000 in an annual salary. Not only does this break a lot of salary structures in organisations but does your organisation really need a highly experienced solution architect full-time? probably not.
Our aim is to bridge this gap, give you access to time-served solution architects as and when you need them not only to help build skills and knowledge in your technical teams but to help inform your leadership team and help build strategy for platform adoption and how it helps support the organisation in its strategic direction. We act independently from any project delivery and as such can offer some useful insights on what you are trying to achieve and how best to achieve it.
Can't I just use a Partner for everything?
You can, but should you?
Microsoft partner organisations which deliver Dynamics 365 / Power Platform solutions are often great, and can deliver outstanding solutions, we know this because we have worked for many of them. Typically this is how many large projects are delivered. but once the project is delivered, what then?
A large project often requires a team to deliver it, that team will compose specialists to do things like data migration, plugin development and systems integration. Once that is done though, the project is delivered and operational and moves into BAU (business as usual).
In BAU you need support, but you also can gain significant business benefits from incremental improvements. Both Dynamics and the Power Platform are designed for easy customisation, and simpler customisations and continual improvements could be achieved by the technical staff of the organisation rather then each change becoming a project with the overhead of project managers, consultants and architects. This could be a significant cost saving.
What is a typical large project scenario?
A typical large scale project goes something like this.
- A tender is produced with outlined requirements
- Partners quota against the tender and a partner is selected
- Requirements workshops are held, functionality developed, UAT testing and go live
- A period of go live assistance and the system is in BAU
It is at this point, the systems requires support and the platform needs managing, it is at this point where the technical team at the customer organisation should step in, manage the platform and perform continuous improvement.
If not the partner organisation becomes the support organisation and any change incurs cost, at this point either the costs are born or the continuous improvement cycle is never undertaken often leading to user frustration and the business not really maximising their investment in the platform.
If another large scale piece of work needs to be undertaken, this is the point to take it back to a trusted partner to go through the cycle all over again.
How can we help?
Attempting to build solutions in-house without expert guidance can lead to suboptimal outcomes due to the lack of experience in Power Platform best practices. This is where we come in. We'll help you build an operating model that works for your organisation. All organisations are not the same, often their uniqueness makes them successful. We'll work with you to figure out what works for you.
We can undertake all sorts of mentoring tasks for the entire organisation involved in the system, you can use us as much or as little as you need. You'll be assured of the best our experience has to offer.
Embrace the 3rd Way!
Our innovative approach involves engaging an experienced solution architect to mentor your team. This collaboration bridges the gap between external expertise and internal empowerment, resulting in sustainable growth, cost-effectiveness, and tailored solutions.