• Cognizant 20-20 Insights

Best Practices for Global MES Rollouts

Multisite, global manufacturing execution system implementations can
be optimized by applying Agile methods to development and program
governance.

Executive Summary Global visibility, in addition to site-specific vis-

ibility, becomes important to consistently devise
There is now agreement that effective rollout of
continuous improvement strategies to achieve
a global manufacturing execution system (MES)
maximum ROI. The magnitude of complexity as
is critical to achieving manufacturing excellence
organizations move from single site to multiple
across the enterprise and rapidly scaling up produc-
production sites is typically enormous. Establish-
tion to meet customer demands for new products.
ing a suitable integration strategy for all sites
Nevertheless, manufacturers still struggle to rep-
is therefore key for manufacturers seeking to
licate MES benefits across all of their production
enhance visibility and take steps necessary for
facilities. As a result, standardization of processes
improving operational efficiency and reducing
and activities across sites has become one of the
production cycle times.
top priorities for global manufacturers.

In addition to standardization, many manufactur- An Operations Perspective

ers lack a solution development methodology that
can bring additional agility for meeting dynamic
market requirements and the realization of
increased value in shorter time spans. Abstracted
from our experience deploying global systems,
this white paper presents the best practices in a
practical, global program management framework
for MES deployments, with special focus on Agile
solution development adoption in MES implemen-
tation. This white paper also offers examples of
typical global implementation challenges and ways
manufacturers can effectively mitigate them.
Global MES System:
A Business Perspective
Global players generally tend to have multiple
sites manufacturing multiple products. The
objective is always to churn out maximum ROI
from installed assets across sites.
To retain market leadership and to ensure better-
quality responses to customer demands, leading
manufacturing organizations are normally laser
focused on achieving global excellence. According
to our observations, most companies report that
they already have a global strategy in place to unify
processes and systems across locations. However,
they typically fall short of achieving this vision.
Although they acknowledge an absolute need for
a global MES system, numerous challenges must
be overcome for smooth deployment of the right
solution. Moreover, they face obstacles meeting
diverse needs across functions and locations
that span multiple stakeholders. Business process
improvement through standardization is a major
driver for transitioning from a local to a global
MES strategy.

cognizant 20-20 insights | may 2013

First, it is essential to manage the common require-
ments and identify the best practices. Second is
the challenge of conceptualizing a global solution
within architectural boundaries and complexities,
with a perfect balance between cost, functionality
and schedule, and making it work. Finally, there is
a need to look closely at these inputs to manage
the change and acceptance of the deployed global
system in order to achieve operational excellence.
Other challenges include:
• Lack of an effective program/project
governance model.
• Barriers in cascading best practices across
sites.
• Cultural and mindset challenges around
training and change management.
• Conflicting and changing requirements across
sites.
• Legacy systems working in isolation.
• High operational interdependencies among
sites.
• Availability of the right subject matter experts
at the right time during solution development.
Overcoming these challenges can yield the
following benefits:
• Integrated sites with a smooth flow of informa-
tion.
• Continuous improvement through replication
of best practices across sites.
• Standard reusable templates.
• Multisite visibility for important parameters.
• Better control of load balancing across sites
based on demand.
• Seamless information exchange with legacy
systems.
• Statistics from multiple sites enabling
corrective action and preventive action (CAPA).
• Lower system maintenance costs.
• Improved KPIs focused on operational
excellence.
• Reduced production cycle time and reduced
waste.
An Agile Governance Model
The first step in any successful MES imple-
mentation is determining clear governance
for the project. Deliberate thought should be
given to how manufacturing processes will be
cognizant 20-20 insights
governed throughout the entire MES implemen-
tation in tandem with the site ecosystem, from
a program management and execution perspec-
tive. Governance topics should address who has
authority to change a process, and how will that
process change be tested, implemented and
measured across the entire application infra-
structure. The answers to these questions will
ultimately determine operational agility.
Having a clear governance plan in hand requires
the input and involvement of all stakeholders,
even if some of them will not be directly involved
in the implementation process (see Figure 1). To
establish a proper governance process, organiza-
tions need to look beyond IT and production and
into quality, validation, operations, maintenance
and executive management. Governance is where
the project should start, and it’s where it will
break down if not properly instituted.
An Agile Methodology
As with any conventional implementation project,
opinions on which specific steps to follow vary
widely. In general, most organizations when
deploying MES tend to follow a classic project
planning methodology involving design, configu-
ration, testing, deployment and the post-go-live
maintenance lifecycle. To smoothen the imple-
mentation process, some companies have begun
to apply Agile development methodologies to
the process of architecting the implementa-
tion plan. By using an iterative and incremental
approach with smaller “chunks” of functionality
delivered and managed by the governance team,
miscommunications and the inability to identify
necessary scope criteria can be quickly and
effectively minimized (see Figure 2). Operational
readiness, therefore, becomes very important for
the adoption of Agile methodology and should be
part of the initial project review.
As listed below, a dramatic shift is under way in
manufacturers’ expectations in MES capabilities.
• Deliver accelerated results, with reduced total
cost of ownership.
• Holistic, quality implementation focused on
quick time-to-value.
• Early and frequent confirmation of the delivery
of benefits.
• Demonstrate capability to solve customer pain
points early in the deployment.
Many manufacturers have adopted a combina-
tion of Agile methodologies and lean practices
2
Governance Model for an All-Inclusive Team Approach
to MES Implementation

Portfolio & Product

Management

Who Business Portfolio Product Project Project Change Change Release Operation
Program Management

Business Portfolio Solution Product Scrum Solution Quality Release Technical

Role Process Manager Owner Owner Master Developer Manager Manager Operator
Owner

Planning and Make Define Define Remove Perform Coordinate Plan schedules Execute
execution of investment product release impediments, solution activities to and controls deployment.
the operational decision and backlog backlog manage development meet quality deployment.
Responsibilities
process allocate including including Agile and standards.
achievement. funds. priorities. priorities. development. customization.

Define Sprint Backlog,

Deliver potentially shippable solution

Figure 1

in recent times. This provides them with the respects, system test and validation is performed
agility required to respond to changes that result in non-Agile fashion before MES goes live at a
from lean methodology best practices. Typically, particular site.
solution building is achieved by using Agile
techniques across the design/build/test phases, If manufacturers plan to use a COTS product
where small chunks of the solution are developed, rather than building the solution from scratch,
tested and demonstrated to relevant stake- then the Agile methodology depicted in Figure 4
holders before moving to the next Sprint. Once (on page 4) should be adopted.
the solution is developed and is complete in all
To effectively leverage Agile in a global MES

MES Global Implementation: Agile Methodology

Site ..n
Site …n
Site 1 Site 2
Site 3
Site Solution Site 2
Site 1
Global Solution

Define Business Integrate and Integrate and Integration

Requirement Test Test
Develop
Demo

Develop Test
Build to Qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ)

Demo Release
(Business Process Functionality 2 Functionality
N Client’s
Owner) Feedback
Requirements to Scope

Accelerators Integrate and

Test
Make
Changes OQTest
Scope to Build

Iterative Baseline Agile System

Test to Deploy

Develop
Training
Build Release
Functionality 1
Define Portfolio
Build Development All functionalities
Complete?
(Release Manager)
Scope Project Yes System Test
(Portfolio Manager)
Priority [d] No
16 4 Next Iteration
Must Should Could Would

15 5 Execute
Performance
Release Backlog

14 1 Deployment
8
13
12 2 Sprint 1 Test (Technical
11 7 Operator)
Define Product Backlog 10 3
(Solution Owner) 09 4
08 2 Sprint 2 Sign Off & Cut
2
07
06 4 Over
05 3
04 3 Sprint 3
03 6
02 4
01 5
Sprint..n Training and Change Management

Transition Go Live & Support

Requirement Scoping Design, Build, Test
(Multisite) (Multisite)

Program Management

Figure 2

cognizant 20-20 insights 3

Sample Agile Implementation Project Plan
High Level Implementation Plan (Project ID: PJ00XXXX)
2013
S.No Phase M ilestones
M onth # 1 M onth # 2 M onth # 3 M onth # 4 M onth # 5 M onth # 6
1 Requirem ent Requirem entAnalysis and Assessm entofURS
2 Requirem ent Analysis and Understanding ofexisting System
3 Requirem ent Requirem entSign-Offand Approval
4 Planning ProjectPlan
5 Design Build Test Generation ofUse Case and Iterative Planning
6 Design Build Test Design Specification Creation
7 Design Build Test Deploym entPlan Creation
8 Design Build Test Verification Strategy Docum entGeneration

E
9 Design Build Test Sprint # 1
10 Design Build Test Sprint # 2

P L
SAM
11 Design Build Test Sprint # 3
12 Design Build Test Sprint # 4
13 Design Build Test Sprint # 5
14 Design Build Test Sprint # ..n
15 Docum entation Documentation - User Guide
16 System Testing Integration Testing
17 System Testing Performance Testing
18 System Testing Deploym entatSite
19 System Testing Site Testing and Go Live

Figure 3

rollout, the following best practices should be mental MES capabilities.

considered:
• Simplicity and elimination of “waste.”
• Iterativedelivery of business value through • Improved visibility and better control of project
capability demonstrations. progress.

• Early and incremental visualization of the • Development iterations conducted in short

solution. time frames that are time-boxed.

• Time-boxed and inspected delivery of incre- • Working solution as a measure of progress.

MES Global Implementation: Agile Methodology (COTS)

Site # 1 Site # 2 Site # ..n Site …n

Site 3
Site Solution
Sprint Planning and Story Point Estimation

Site 2
Site 1
Dev and QA Environment Setup

Global Solution

Integration
Transport to Quality

Test
Sprint Sprint

IQ\OQ
Retrospective Planning
Sprint
Review

Validation
Prepare Go Live

Part of Product Backlog Sprint Sprint

Sprint Becomes Sprint Backlog Retrospective

Quality
Planning
3-5 weeks Sprint
Review

Daily
Release Scrum Part of Product Backlog
Every Sprint Every 24 Hours
Sprint Becomes Sprint Backlog
Sprint
3-5 weeks Retrospective
Sprint
Planning
Sprint
UAT Quality
Go Live
Review
Daily
Release Scrum
Sprint 1 Every Sprint Every 24 Hours
Sprint
Part of Product Backlog
Becomes Sprint Backlog
3-5 weeks
Execute
Sprint 2 Release
Every Sprint
Daily
Scrum Performance Deployment
Every 24 Hours
Test (Technical
Operator)
Sprint N
Sign Off &
Cut Over
Training and Change Management

Installation Requirement, Scope, Transition Go Live & Support

& Setup Configuration and Validation (Multisite) (Multisite)

Program Management

Figure 4

cognizant 20-20 insights 4

• Value prototyping.
• Flexibility, as in the ability to respond to change
built into the methodology where change is not
a surprise but rather is anticipated.
• Close engagement of business users in the
entire process of defining, designing, building
and validating the solution.
• Standards in developing a baseline solution
must be enforced. Organizations therefore
must leverage core product functionality.
• A program management framework should be
implemented with projects coordinated by the
central core team, with adequate participation
from sites.

• Organizations need to provide “hooks” or

Best Practices: An In-Depth Look plug-ins to address site-specific requirements.
A global approach to MES necessitates the
formation of a “core solution group” at the start of
• The core team must create a robust release
management and version control process for
the program with inputs from various production baseline enhancement and deployment.
sites. This group is endowed with the respon-
sibility and accountability for designing and MES deployment should be treated as an
building the solution that can be used at multiple individual project for each site deployment.
sites. This core group drives the standardiza- This needs to be imple-
tion across sites by using consistent templates. mented through a robust
The core group is responsible for capturing the program management The core group
majority of the functionalities, key performance framework. Every global is responsible for
matrices, reports, etc. that are required at each MES deployment project
plant in a single standard reusable form. This will starts with a baseline
capturing the majority
ensure standardization of processes/practices solution that becomes a of the functionalities,
across business units and amalgamation of the stepping stone for global key performance
operation strategy. deployment. It is very
important to develop
matrices, reports, etc.
a standard yet flexible that are required at
In a validated environment, such as pharmaceu-
ticals or food and beverage manufacturing, this baseline solution in order each plant in a single
approach helps in terms of effort reduction by to ensure success of the
using validated core solutions. The core group global MES deployment.
standard reusable form.
also helps to cascade the best practices captured
from various sites, which in turn helps in achieving Organizations should invest time during the initial
global manufacturing excellence. phase of the program to ensure the core solution
meets the business requirements of the first plant
The most important aspect of this approach is the before rolling it out to the
advantage that it provides in terms of decreasing rest. Ideally, the choice of
implementation expenses, reducing the total cost this first plant should be
Every global MES
representative of all the deployment project
of ownership and minimizing deployment risks.
Development and deployment cost is minimized complexities that can be starts with a baseline
by reusing the global core solution after the first envisioned in the entire
site is implemented. The implementation risk is set of plants across the
solution that becomes
global business. This core a stepping stone for
minimized by maintaining high usage of global
templates and standard operating procedures solution is then applied global deployment. It
as well as the involvement of the core team for to the next plant in
local implementation and support for the rolled- succession.
is very important to
out sites. The following are strategies to consider develop a standard
adopting to ensure successful global MES In the requirement
deployment: analysis phase, only the
yet flexible baseline
gaps between the core solution in order to
• The scope must be informed by two or three solution and the plant ensure success of the
key business drivers. All requirements and
processes should be
functionalities should trace back to these
captured for given plant-
global MES deployment.
business drivers.
specific development
• One common global template should be used to and deployment. Each plant should count on
foster consistency, and to make future changes reusing the functionalities from the core solution
easier. wherever possible and customizing capabilities
for any site-specific requirements. Best practices

cognizant 20-20 insights 5

 Core Site Model for Managing MES Rollouts

Solution Track
Version Control Release Management

Core Team
Release # 1

Program/Project Management
Portfolio Management
Release # 2

Deployment Track
Site # 1

Deployment Team Site # 5

Level 1 and Level 2 Support

Support
Track Support Team Level 3 Support

Figure 5

and customizations at each plant that are that people working at the facility understand the
identified during solution deployment are then manufacturing process, as well as the issues that
incorporated and fed back to the core solution currently impede efficiency or compliance.
to be used by future plants. However, provisions
of time and money associated with this exercise Once problems have been identified, teams
need to be thoroughly considered. can match them with available MES functional-
ities. Most MES systems are modular, with each
Project deployment is coordinated by the central module focused on a given function such as
core team, along with the local deployment finite scheduling, dispensing, electronic batch
specialists. The core team is responsible for records (EBR), equipment management, per-
harnessing the knowledge formance monitoring or recipe management.
base, maintaining a Modules include interfaces to ERP, document
It is especially global solution approach management, laboratory information and plant-
important to look and change control. floor automation systems.
carefully at underlying Figure 5 depicts a typical Moving from Paper to Digital
team organization and
work processes to execution track for global When moving from a paper-based manufactur-
determine where deployment. ing system to an electronic one, it is critical not to
inefficiencies reside, MES installations are chal-
blindly map from one medium to the other. There
may be inherent inefficiencies in the process that
or the organization lenging, and a flawed imple- will result, whether your organization uses a paper
will merely transfer mentation strategy will or an electronic system. Thus, an MES implemen-
prevent the system from
these inefficiencies achieving its full potential
tation offers an opportunity for process improve-
ment and optimization by converting all paper-
from a paper to an return on investment. It based records to electronic records, reducing
electronic medium. is especially important human error, increasing data accuracy and
to look carefully at reducing the cycle time for batch manufacturing.
underlying work processes
to determine where inefficiencies reside, or the If the MES implementation is part of a global
organization will merely transfer these inefficien- corporate rollout, many of the functional require-
cies from a paper to an electronic medium. Thus, ments will be identical for numerous plants. In
MES implementation is actually an opportunity to such cases, adopting one core solution will result
examine fundamental ways of working and process in benefits of scale. This is particularly true for
improvements. Since the system will affect various validation documentation. The core functional-
functions and departments across a manufactur- ity can be documented and validated for all sites
ing plant, a multifunctional approach is essential by a corporate team, so individual sites are only
for any MES implementation. Success also requires responsible for their own local configurations.

cognizant 20-20 insights 6

Taking this approach can drastically reduce the
time, cost and resources required for validation.
Not only will the benefits be related to the MES
functionality of the particular package used, but
it is also highly likely that the interfaces to other
systems (e.g., ERP) will be the same across sites.
Furthermore, if any customizations are required,
they can be bundled into a core package, enabling
greater control to be maintained and allowing
more leverage for the user organization to
obtain vendor support for these through system
upgrades.
Phased vs. Big Bang Approach
If multiple MES modules are being implemented,
the question arises as to whether to adopt a
gradual, phased approach versus a “big bang”
implementation. A phased approach allows the
organization to use fewer project resources over
a longer period of time. This can be an important
consideration if experienced, cross-functional
resources are hard to come by.
Furthermore, a phased approach may reduce the
time-to-benefit for key modules. Other aspects
of phased approaches may be to deploy the MES
solution on one line, or train, and then, once it is
running successfully, to roll it out to the remainder
of the plant. This approach has the benefit of
reducing risk to the entire manufacturing facility,
should any unforeseen problems arise.
On the other hand, a big bang approach can
provide all the benefits in a single “go live.” While
this approach will take more time and resources
before any MES benefits are realized, it may be
suitable for a new green-field site, where impacts
to the current manufacturing processes would
not exist.
Additional Considerations
Training and Change Management
User training and change management are
critical aspects of a successful MES implemen-
tation that are often overlooked. Not only must
users be trained in the technical aspects of the
system, they must also be made fully aware of the
implications of their actions.
Although training may seem a trivial task,
scheduling it so that all operators are fully trained
before the MES system goes live in a working plant
requires careful planning. And it is every bit as
vital to a successful MES rollout as the technical
aspects of the particular system being installed.
cognizant 20-20 insights
The Mandate: Keep ERP and
MES Integration Simple
Due diligence is necessary when it comes to
choosing application integration interfaces. An
interface that provides value on either side should
be part of the integration strategy. There could be
numerous data that can be exchanged but could be
of little value and relevance, thus overloading the
network. MES software typically manages produc-
tion orders on the shop floor, collecting informa-
tion on what materials are used, process param-
eters and errors. It compiles a detailed record of
how something was built — and how well. An ERP
system models a product and the materials that
go into it from an accounting point of view.
When setting up a data flow between these two
systems, companies need to determine a division
of labor to ensure that each does what it does
best, and that no conflict results from both
attempting to perform
the same functions.
Companies should limit A phased approach
information exchange allows the organization
to what’s needed for col- to use fewer project
laboration when linking
ERP and MES systems. resources over a longer
The message is clear: period of time.
“Keep it simple!”
To reduce both short- and long-term risk,
interfaces should be kept as simple as possible,
and the amount of data transferred between
them should be kept to a minimum. When using
interfaces, even standard ones, follow the meth-
odology laid down by industry standards. The
ISA-95 Standard Enterprise — Control System
Integration provides a framework within which a
system in an integrated solution should perform
certain functionalities, together with the key data
exchange that should occur between interfaces.
Accelerators: Replication Tools Development
In large multisite implementations, it is usually
important to maintain the sanctity and integrity of
existing large volumes of data. This requires rep-
licating the data from the old system to the new
one. This could be a major task if done manually.
In situations like this, organizations should always
look for an opportunity to develop a replication
tool to automate migration of data to the new
system. This will help to dramatically reduce
deployment time, which in turn will result in a
huge amount of cost savings. These tools can also
7
be maintained and kept up to date with future
releases of core solutions.
Learning Logs and Knowledge-Based Articles
Knowledge-based articles (KBAs) are very handy
tools to increase the collaboration among various
site teams. All the issues, technical or functional,
that are resolved at the site by the team can be
submitted as a knowledge article and stored in a
central repository. Other site teams can leverage
them at their sites to deal with issues of a similar
nature.

About the Author

Alok Shrivastava is an Associate Director within Cognizant’s Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions
(EMS) Practice. He has 18-plus years of professional experience, with a focus on MES, EMI and industrial
automation solutions. Alok has designed and deployed global control systems and MES solutions
for large manufacturing companies across geographies, primarily in pharma, power, chemicals,
food and beverage, petrochemical and refineries. He has also led MES and EMI product develop-
ment groups and was responsible for the development of batch, track, MES, OEE and manufacturing
intelligence products for one of the major industrial automation companies. He can be reached at
Alok.Shrivastava2@cognizant.com.

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out-
sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50
delivery centers worldwide and approximately 162,700 employees as of March 31, 2013, Cognizant is a member of the
NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing
and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.

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