Implementation is carrying out, execution, or practice of a plan, a method, or any design, idea, model, specification, standard or policy for doing something. It also is the action that must follow any preliminary thinking in order for something to actually happen.

Software implementation encompasses all the post-sale process involved in something operation properly in its environment, including analyzing requirements, installation, configuration, customization, running, testing, systems integration, user training, delivery and making necessary changes. Sometimes “deployment” is used to mean the same thing as “implementation”.

Usually it starts with negotiating a contract with a vendor. After a contract is agreed to and a project timeline is established, key business units must meet to discuss the organization’s future roadmap.

Each department must agree on clear, quantifiable and well-defined goals for the project and what they each hope to gain out of using

the new technology.

Key players in the implementation process typically meet regularly to discuss the project’s progress, voice concerns and augment procedures as necessary.

After the process for any hardware or software implementation moves through the planning stage, companies should gradually test the new system until it is ready to fully go live.

A subsection of tech-savvy workers within a company is enlisted to try the new system because they would be most keen on picking out glitches or shortcomings of the system to further help the implementation process.

Software implementations should always be designed with the end user in mind and the implementation process usually benefits from the user involvement and support from managers and other top executives in the company.

 

Source:

http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/implementation