The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology is a comprehensive customer engagement methodology describing the processes and disciplines necessary to implement Microsoft Dynamics products. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is a full customer lifecycle methodology for all Microsoft Dynamics solutions, providing the Microsoft ecosystem with comprehensive sales through delivery guidance, project management discipline alignment and field-driven best practices. Sure Step is designed to enable the solution provider to better serve customers by helping reduce their Microsoft Dynamics total cost of ownership. Sure Step content covers the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM suite of solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics SL, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

1. Microsoft Dynamics
Sure Step 2012 and
Sure Step Online
Ashish Mahajan

2. Dynamics Sure Step Methodology

3. History and Future Directions
The original version of Sure Step was launched in March 2007.
Since then, the Microsoft vision for the Sure Step program has
been:
• To deliver an ever-evolving, world-class methodology to
partners for Microsoft Dynamics customer engagements.
• To help partners take advantage of the latest best practices,
new tools developed by Microsoft Dynamics product teams,
and changes in Microsoft Dynamics software.
• To help partners achieve high customer satisfaction, increase
channel productivity, and improve profits.

4. What Is Sure Step?
The Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step Methodology is a
comprehensive customer engagement methodology describing
the processes and disciplines necessary to implement Microsoft
Dynamics products.
The methodology covers the following products:
• Microsoft Dynamics AX
• Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV
• Microsoft Dynamics SL
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

5. • Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step is a full customer lifecycle
methodology for all Microsoft Dynamics solutions, providing
the Microsoft ecosystem with comprehensive sales through
delivery guidance, project management discipline alignment
and field-driven best practices. Sure Step is designed to enable
the solution provider to better serve customers by helping
reduce their Microsoft Dynamics total cost of ownership. Sure
Step content covers the Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM
suite of solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft
Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics
SL, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• The guidance, tools, templates and best practices provided in
the methodology can help increase the
consistency, timeframes, quality and success of Microsoft
Dynamics engagements.

6. • Because implementations have many similarities across these
products, Sure Step has been structured as a general
methodology with a product-specific layer for each product.
The general content consists primarily of prescriptive phase-
by-phase and activity-by-activity descriptions for completing
an implementation, and also includes information on the
Project Management discipline. The product-specific content
is represented by tools and templates as well as hyperlinks to
materials that can be found outside of the tool.

7. Overall benefits of Microsoft
Dynamics Sure Step
• A consistent methodology, project management tools and advice,
and field-tested best practices - all within user-friendly tools - that
enable partners to more efficiently deploy, migrate to, configure,
and upgrade Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
• Drives partner productivity by providing a consistent approach and a
standard set of tools and templates that help ensure customers¡¦
projects are completed efficiently, adding immediate business value,
which promotes high customer satisfaction.
• Helps partners to work more easily with other partners - as well as
with Microsoft Consultants, when appropriate - on large, multi-site,
or multi-region implementations. It also helps partners work more
efficiently with independent software vendors (ISVs) who provide
third-party solutions or expertise.
• Assurance that you are using the same approach as others involved
in the project to drive toward a successful customer
implementation.

8. The Sure Step Methodology
Resources
The Sure Step methodology includes the following resources:
• Methodology content. A flow of implementation activities that
lead from the initial business diagnosis through
implementation and handoff to operations.
• Tools and templates. Sample documents and document
structures to help guide the project activity and system
configuration.
• The Sure Step application. A presentation interface for the
Sure Step methodology that helps you to navigate and apply
the methodology and adapt it to your unique requirements.
• Community resources. Links to other resources available in
the Microsoft Dynamics community.

9. Sure Step 2012 and Sure Step
Online
• Sure Step 2012 and Sure Step Online provide options for agile
project types, industry, organizational change management,
extended CRM development projects and ISV templates. Sure
Step projects can be created in both SharePoint 2010 and
SharePoint 2007.
• Partners can get Sure Step content by downloading the
application to their personal computer, or access it in its
online format via Sure Step Online.
• Sure Step Online Overview: View the latest guidance and
content available online without downloading and installing
the client. This is a great way to access and share content
quickly from anywhere in multiple languages.

10. NEW! Sure Step 2012
Sure Step 2012 is now available with updated content and
services, primarily focusing on the AX 2012 release. Updated
content includes:
• Accelerated Proof of Concept with CRM Online service –
Provides scripts, demos, Delivery Guide, and related content
for building a quick proof of concept or demo for a customer
using the CRM Online 30-day trial. This supports rapid
requirements definition and solution decision-making. Find
this in the Decision Accelerator offering.
• Upgrade to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 – tools and
templates to support the Upgrade project type, reflecting an
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
upgrade scenario.

11. • Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Implementation tools and
templates are updated to reflect an Microsoft Dynamics AX
2012 implementation scenario, including Fit/Gap analysis
worksheet, estimator tool, requirements
questionnaire, security configuration requirements
template, and other valuable templates.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Updates – new CRM artifacts
including Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Upgrade
Assessment, Database Sizing Tool, and Design Best Practices.
• Sure Step Optimization Offering – These services have been
repackaged across all products to represent either discrete
stand-alone services such as Developer Workshop or bundled
services available to customers, such as Architecture
Review, Project Governance and Delivery Review, and Upgrade
Review.

12. Differences between Sure Step
2012 and Sure Step Online?
The content is the same: The online format of Sure Step
contains all of the same great content that is found in the
downloadable version of Sure Step 2012.
Project Location: While personalized projects can be created
using either format, you can only save Sure Step Online projects
to your own SharePoint site. The downloadable Sure Step 2012
still allows you to create projects to a hard drive that can be
read inside a local Sure Step installation as well as to a
SharePoint site.
Content Updates: With Sure Step Online, Microsoft is able to
keep content up to date without a regular release cycle. The
Online version of Sure Step will ensure that partners and
customers have the most up to date content available.