Blueprint for Success: Key Insights from the Solution Blueprint Workshop

A reliable solution blueprint is crucial for successful implementation, as it lays the foundation for the solution's architecture and implementation approach. Without this foundation, subsequent activities may not effectively support the solution’s goals. Conducting a Solution blueprint review early in the implementation process minimizes the impact of potential issues and helps identify risks proactively. This review provides context for the solution architect, ensuring their recommendations align with the overall architecture. It is the first major activity in the Success by Design framework following the kickoff, and should occur before other in-depth activities.

During the Solution blueprint review workshop, key questions arise. For example, it’s possible to review a blueprint early in the project based on a conceptual solution and approach, even before detailed requirements gathering. This ensures deficiencies are identified early. While some may want to postpone the review to cover more scope later, the process can be iterative. Subsequent workshops or reviews can address changes as the solution evolves, but the initial review should be conducted as soon as possible.

Blueprint workshop

Workshop can be either in person or virtual which can be planned with various sessions.

Given below the top-level topics of the workshop.

Program strategy

Establishes the processes, structures, and approach for managing requirements, along with the plan and schedule for solution implementation and adoption. Key focus areas include:

• Documenting, understanding, and measuring implementation goals.
• Ensuring the methodology is clear and known to the entire team.
• Establishing team structures with well-defined roles and responsibilities.
• Managing scope, changes, status, risks, and issues effectively.
• Planning and managing the implementation timeline and approach.
• Considering external dependencies within the project plan.
• Addressing rollout timelines and change management strategies.
• Defining processes for gathering, validating, and tracking requirements, including their traceability to testing, training, and other implementation aspects.
• Assessing fits and gaps to ensure alignment with project goals.

These elements ensure a structured and effective approach to implementation.

Test strategy

Plans on validating the implemented solution. Key focus areas are:

• phases of testing
• roles for defining and managing tests
• plans for performance
• security
• cutover testing
• regression testing approach to enable efficient adoption of updates

Business process strategy

Focuses on leveraging underlying business processes within Microsoft Dynamics 365 to shape and drive the overall solution design.

• Scope of Processes: Identify the key business processes included in the implementation.
• Fit with Dynamics 365: Assess how well the processes align with the Dynamics 365 application suite.
• Process Management: Determine how processes are managed and linked to user stories, requirements, test cases, and training.
• Implementation Schedule: Ensure the business process implementation timeline is documented and understood.
• Offline Requirements: Verify if requirements for offline process implementation are established.
• Feature Review: Evaluate process complexity and identify risks or optimization opportunities based on the future product roadmap.

Application strategy

Outlines the apps, services, and platforms comprising the solution, addressing key design and integration considerations

• Dynamics 365 Applications: Determine which Dynamics 365 applications or services will be included in the solution.
• Azure Capabilities: Identify the Microsoft Azure capabilities or services to be deployed.
• External Components: Assess whether new external application components or services will be part of the solution.
• Legacy Components: Evaluate the integration of legacy application components or services.
• Platform Extensions: Outline any planned extensions to the Dynamics 365 platform.
• Overall Solution Design: Ensure all apps, services, and platforms work cohesively within the overall solution.

Data strategy

Focuses on designing the data within the solution and planning the migration of legacy data to the new system.

• Data Design Plans: Define key data design elements, including legal entity structure and data localization.
• Master Data Flow: Outline the scope and planned flow of critical master data entities.
• Transactional Data Flow: Identify the scope and flow of essential transactional data entities.
• Data Migration Scope: Establish the extent of data migration required for the solution.
• Migration Strategy: Develop a comprehensive strategy and approach for data migration.
• Data Volumes: Assess the overall volumes of data to be managed within the solution.
• Performance Optimization: Detail steps to optimize the performance of data migration.

Integration strategy

Designs the communication and connectivity between solution components, covering application interfaces, middleware, and processes for managing integration operations.

• Define the scope of integration design at the interface or interchange level.
• Identify known non-functional requirements, such as transaction volumes and connection modes, for each interface.
• Outline the design patterns selected for implementing interfaces and managing integrations.
• Determine the middleware components planned for use within the solution.

Business intelligence strategy

Focuses on designing the reporting and analytics features of the solution, including both Dynamics 365 components and external tools that integrate with Dynamics 365 data.

• Identify the processes within the solution that rely on reporting and analytics capabilities.
• Define the data sources driving reporting and analytics within the solution.
• Assess the capabilities and constraints of these data sources.
• Establish the requirements for data movement across components to enable analytics and reporting.
• Identify the solution components designed to support reporting and analytics, including strategies for combining data from multiple systems or sources.

Security strategy

Focuses on designing security for Dynamics 365 components, along with other Microsoft Azure and external solution components.

• Define the overall authentication strategy and ensure compliance with Dynamics 365 platform constraints.
• Design tenant and directory structures within Azure, addressing any unique authentication needs.
• Identify and address extraordinary encryption and row-level security requirements with appropriate design patterns.
• Establish data privacy or residency requirements and outline design solutions to meet them.
• Set requirements for security validation and compliance, along with plans to address them effectively.

Application lifecycle management strategy

Addresses the development and maintenance of the solution, accounting for continuous updates within Dynamics 365 apps.

• Define the preproduction environment strategy and how it aligns with the implementation approach.
• Ensure the environment strategy supports the continuous update requirements.
• Outline the Azure DevOps plan to support the implementation process.
• Ensure the implementation team understands Dynamics 365's continuous update approach and its impact on the solution.
• Establish responsibility for managing the continuous update process, including its effect on go-live events, version optimization, supportability, and stability throughout all phases.

Environment and capacity strategy

Focuses on the cloud infrastructure, environments, and the processes essential for running the cloud solution efficiently.

• Determine the number of production environments and the factors influencing that decision.
• Ensure business continuity requirements are met across all solution components.
• Assess master data and transactional processing volume requirements.
• Identify user access locations and the network infrastructure supporting connectivity.
• Understand licensing needs for instances, interfaces, and any specific client technologies, including mobile clients.