Are your IT teams struggling to keep up with Infor’s 2024 releases for M3?

Managing the extensive lists of fixes, coordinating testing efforts, and leveraging new functionalities can be overwhelming. However, these regular updates are essential for maintaining system stability and efficiency so businesses must embrace continuous improvements to stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. This blog explores how managed services can help you navigate these challenges and master Infor M3 efficient release management to ensure your ERP system stays optimized.

Unlocking innovation: Infor’s multi-tenant release methodology

Infor’s Multitenant Release Strategy, which was announced in April 2023, is in place to ensure they can support clients to promote continuous change within their business by leveraging new system functionality while also having the latest fixes patched.

Release Types

Infor has categorized their releases into three key categories.

• Service Releases: These monthly updates focus on essential maintenance tasks, including bug fixes, security updates, and date-sensitive localized statutory requirements. This regular maintenance schedule helps prevent potential disruptions and keeps the system running smoothly.
• Feature Releases: Planned semi-annually in April and October, feature releases introduce new functionalities and technical innovations. These updates enhance the overall capabilities of your ERP system, ensuring it evolves in line with industry standards and business needs. Feature releases also include bug fixes and security updates.
• Supplementary Updates: These additional updates address critical defect fixes and can occur anytime during the year. Supplementary updates ensure that urgent issues are promptly resolved, maintaining system reliability and preventing disruptions to business operations.

Feature Types

Depending on the type of release, Infor includes various Feature types. Feature types is a concept used to distinguish the impact each fix or enhancement may have on a solution.  There is a total of 6 feature types:

1. Zero Impact: These features require no training or configuration and can be included in any release. An example is adding a new API transaction to an existing API. They integrate seamlessly into the system without disrupting existing operations.
2. Functional Settings: Controlled by settings or parameters, these features are released during feature releases only, and require specific configurations to be activated. They offer flexibility and control, allowing a business to decide if this is a functionality they want to introduce to their solution.
3. Feature Toggles: These features are initially optional and controlled by toggles, becoming mandatory by the next feature release. This approach allows for a smooth transition and testing period, ensuring that new features are thoroughly tested and validated before full implementation. This Feature Type is limited to Feature Releases.
4. Feature Toggles, Mandatory Process Change: Like the previous feature type, it is controlled by a toggle with an expiration date, but it is likely to result in a mandatory process change and so requires some additional attention. These Feature Types are also limited to Feature Releases.
5. Immediate Impact: These mandatory changes are critical and included in either feature or service releases, often addressing regulatory or statutory requirements. They ensure compliance and operational integrity, prioritizing updates to prevent non-compliance and associated risks.

Tailoring Infor M3: Crafting your perfect ERP fit

Customizing your Infor M3 ensures it aligns perfectly with your business needs and facilitates easier release management. By tailoring the system to your unique requirements, you can enhance operational efficiency, streamline processes, and improve the overall turnaround time after a release happens.

• Conditional Styles and Sorting Orders: Leveraging custom views and conditional styles allows you to highlight critical areas, making it easier to manage releases by bringing your focus to areas that are time sensitive. For example, you can set specific colors for different feature types or use sorting orders to organize data by status.
• Feature Statuses: Creating custom statuses can replicate your business flows, making it simpler to track the progress after a release at any point in time. This structured approach helps ensure that each stage of testing is clearly recognized and managed.
• Selection Tables: Selection tables are powerful tools that allow you to set feature status, active status, and responsible fields based on customizable control fields defined by you. This customization streamlines the management of new features and updates, enabling you to remove areas which are not relevant to your solution and assign tasks and responsibilities more effectively.

Fortude Infor Application Managed Services

Fortude’s Managed Services provide comprehensive support for your ERP, ensuring minimal disruption and optimal performance. Our tailored solutions are designed to meet your specific business needs, enhancing system stability, and improving overall operational efficiency.

Core Offerings

• System Stabilization: Fortude ensures minimal operational impact by providing faster response and resolution times. Regular system monitoring and maintenance helps identify and address potential issues before they escalate, ensuring continuous business continuity.
• Incident Management: We offer Level 2 incident resolution, routine ERP health checks, and proactive solutions for recurring technical issues. Our framework quickly identifies, diagnoses, and resolves issues, maintaining optimal system performance.
• Resource Augmentation: Fortude provides access to skilled Infor M3 Certified consultants who can fill experience gaps, manage projects, and conduct solution reviews. Our consultants bring extensive expertise and industry knowledge, optimizing your ERP system.
• Change Enablement: We assess business needs and maintain extensions for unique processes, deploying solution enhancements that adhere to ITIL best practices. Our services help manage and implement changes smoothly, enhancing system functionality.

Why consider managed services for release management?

Managed services play a critical role in efficiently managing ERP releases, allowing businesses to focus on core activities while ensuring seamless updates and enhancements. They:

• Free up key users/SMEs: Managed services allow your subject matter experts (SMEs) to focus on other critical business requirements rather than the intricacies of release management. This ensures that your internal resources are utilized more effectively, enabling SMEs to contribute to strategic initiatives and drive business growth.
• Ensure continuous change promotion: Leveraging new features and updates through managed services keeps your ERP system current and competitive. Managed service providers (MSPs) ensure that your system is always up-to-date with the latest enhancements and technological advancements.
• Minimal business impact: Managed services ensure that critical business processes remain unaffected post-release by providing specialized technical and functional expertise. MSPs handle the complexities of release management, including impact analysis, testing, and deployment, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption.

Fortude’s Infor release management strategy

Fortude’s release management strategy ensures a smooth transition during updates and maximizes the benefits of new features. Our approach provides comprehensive support and guidance, helping businesses navigate the complexities of ERP updates.

Support for Feature Types

• Feature Types 5 & 6: For these critical updates that directly impact production environments, Fortude provides detailed recommendations and workaround solutions. Our approach focuses on mitigating risks and ensuring a smooth transition.
• Enhancement Release Support: For feature types 3 & 4, Fortude conducts a deep dive to recommend strategies for maximizing their potential within your system. Our experts analyze the impact of these enhancements and provide tailored recommendations.
• Future Consulting Services: Fortude offers detailed reviews and recommendations for future functionalities that could benefit client solutions. Our consulting services team focuses on a proactive approach to system enhancements, identifying opportunities for improvement.

General Process Overview

Fortude’s structured process ensures that updates are managed efficiently and integrated seamlessly, minimizing disruptions, and maximizing benefits.

• Month 1 (Pre-Release): During the pre-release phase, we review and identify features that affect critical business processes, sharing the preliminary list with client key users for sign-off. This collaborative approach ensures that the planned updates align with business priorities and requirements.
• Month 2 (Post-Release): In the post-release phase, we log shortlisted features, perform detailed impact analysis, and recommend actions or workarounds. Our team conducts thorough testing and adjustments, confirmed through user acceptance testing (UAT) before implementation.

Why Fortude?

Fortude offers unparalleled benefits with its comprehensive managed services, ensuring your ERP system remains robust, reliable, and up-to-date.

Benefits of Fortude’s Services

• Enhanced System Stability: Regular updates and proactive management by Fortude ensure minimal disruptions and smooth operations. These services include routine maintenance, system health checks, and incident resolution, helping businesses maintain operational continuity and system stability. In addition, with the use of Fortest, Fortude’s powerful automation regression testing tool, businesses can reduce test cycle times by up to 90%, ensuring quicker identification and resolution of issues.
• Expert Support: Access to specialized Infor M3 consultants at Fortude provides tailored solutions and support. These experts possess deep knowledge of the M3 platform and can assist with configurations, customizations, and troubleshooting, ensuring your system is optimized for your specific needs. Fortest also enhances this support by offering predefined workflows and reusable scripts, facilitating faster implementation and improved testing accuracy.
• Optimized Resource Utilization: Fortude’s managed services free up your internal resources, allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives while we handle the complexities of release management. This efficient use of resources ensures your business can concentrate on growth and innovation. Fortest’s automation capabilities further optimize resource utilization by eliminating manual testing efforts, enabling remote testing 24/7, and providing early visibility to test results to ensure system stability and business continuity.

By partnering with Fortude, businesses can leverage comprehensive managed services and the advanced testing capabilities of Fortest to achieve enhanced system stability and expert support.  This combination ensures that all your ERP needs are met on time to help you drive growth and innovation in your industry.