What are we talking about???

SUPPORT

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Support Challenges in OTM

Implemented Projects

S N Murthy Vabilisetty
Ashok Revuri
Mahindra Satyam 2011

Agenda

Support Project Management- Challenges

Expectation management
Demarcation
SLA Management
Support Resources
Documentation & Train the Trainers

Educate Empower the user

Support Tools

OTM Support Challenges Matrix

Best Practices

Q&A

Handling Config. Queries

Handling UI Queries
Handling Integration Queries
Handling Performance Queries
Handling General Queries

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Few References
#

Case Study

Salient Features

OTM Implementation
across geographies on
Single Instance for a USD
20 Bn LSP

One instance that covers overland services across different lines of Business (First and Last Mile of
Air / Ocean, Contract Logistics, Trans-border and Domestic) in US, Mexico and Canada
Implementation for Lead Logistics customers in Europe
Extreme Automation in operations and financials

Inbound Transportation
Implementation, Migration
and Support for Euro 43
Bn Retailer in UK

Experience of OTM services at a large retail business in inbound transportation domestic,

International
End-to-End OTM services with engagement duration of 4+ years
Migration from v4.5 to v5.5, including a data center movement
24 x 7 OTM Level 2 support

Transportation Blueprint,
OTM Implementation and
Roll Out for a USD 17 Bn
Manufacturing
Organization in US

Consulting, Creating Transportation Process Blueprint

Conducted Due Diligence, Defining To Be process and system architecture, across all modes, across
facilities around the globe
OTM based solution architecture to build a global logistics management platform with a separate
parcel solution and compliance solution
Fusion Middleware as integration platform between Oracle to Oracle apps & web Methods as integration
platform between OTM and non-Oracle apps

Transportation
Transformation Initiative at
USD 4 Bn US Carrier

Satyam is partnering in this large OTM driven transformation initiative

Implementation of Fleet Management and OTM for Brokerage business
Satyam contributions in building extensions for unique processes around OTM
Fusion Middleware based integrations with OTM

OTM Migration and

integration Worlds
largest non-alcoholic
Beverage company

Migration from 4.0 to 5.0 to take advantage of new modules / features including Database porting
Integration with SAP Financials & Order Management
Production Support

Global OTM Blue Print and

Roll Out
Manufacturing company
with approx $1 Billion
logistics spend

Due Diligence, Build the Logistics Management Platform covering Transportation , Develop
Enterprise Integrated platform
Deploy Onsite Offshore teams for Global Blue Print creation, implementation & integration
Implementations across US, EUR and China/India.
Satyam approach enabled clarity on To Be processes, architecture and overall program and project
phases with detailed plans enabled faster decision making and on-boarding from business
Business Value add encouraged multiple P&Ls to pro-actively engage with LCoE shared service

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Support Project Management - Expectation management

How to avoid them?

Challenges

This bulk plan is failing all the time. Can you run this
plan for me?
HeyI am a super user, can you bounce the server?
Can you change the carrier contact details for me ?
Is this still Bug?

Have clear definition roles, activities

clearly defined
Proper hand over among multiple OTM
support teams (DB, integrations, ERP etc.)
proper communication systems is laid
out

At a High level .
Support role definition

Clarity in communication to user community &

multiple teams
Single window of grievances, but not a single
window of resolutions

synergy in multiple OTM support teams

Geography/Business

Define

Geography/
Business

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Geography/
Business

1st Level
support

2nd

Level
support

Communicate

3rd Level
support

Support Project Management - Demarcation

Challenges

How to address them effectively?

I am a planner, I want to award the spot bid to a

carrier ?
Can I have my own algorithm for loading sequence in
Trucks?
There is a flag at Order release pickup
appointment? Can I use it?

At a High level .

Have team, that controls the changes

specifically in OTM
Educate the super users on current
configurations
Proper templates for Development
requests & Enhancements- should justify
the business needs
Incident Management
Problem Management
Capacity Management
Configuration Management
Service Level Management
Availability Management

Support request Vs Development request

Customer

RFC

Support request Vs Product enhancement

Recording

Demarcation of different OTM support teamsIntegration, DB team, Functional teams,

regional teams etc

Acceptance

Classification

Planning

Co ordination

Evaluation

Problem Closure

Change Management Process

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Support Project Management - SLA Management

How to avoid them?

Challenges

Utilization of Tools like HP Service Desk, JIRA

Proper report mechanism : Daily, weekly, monthly
OTM issues
Clear categorization issues & timelines
Severity definitions, acknowledgement
notifications, follow up , resolution objectives &
Escalation

What is the status of my ticket?

Shipment is critical now, can I upgrade the
severity?
When can we get new configuration in LIVE
environment?
Sev
Sev 1
Sev 2
Sev 3
Sev 4
Sev 5

At a High level .
categorization of issues and timelines

lead time from raising of issue to

resolution is justifiable with severity?
steps & stages of Issue resolution and
transparency to requestor

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Definition
Critical Loss:Data,Security,CauseOutage/Impact Availability
Severe:Key functionality not working .;No Workaround
Major:Key functionality not working;Workaround in place
Minor:Small/Negligible impact; Easy to recover from
No effect: Cosmetic, misspelling

Issue Resolution Flow..

Notification
&
Communication

Requestor/Caller

Monitoring
System

Notification
&
Communication

Notification
&
Communication

Incident
Reported

Customer
Help Desk
(L1)

Support
Team
(L2)

Incident
Reported

Acknowledge
And/or Log
Incident
In CRM

No
Change
Request?

Internal
Investigation

Yes

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Incident
Resolved?

Yes

No

Incident
Escalation
Sub-process
(1)

Support
Escalation

Change
Management
Team

Update
Incident

Change
Request
Process

Update
Incident

Incident
Closed

Support Project Management - SLA Management

(cond..)

Snapshotof Defects

Status of SR, New development requests

Keep track of product bugs and fixes regularly, propose a workaround to business (mutually agreeable)
Keep track of product enhancements and update the business accordingly

Mahindra Satyam 2010

Support Project Management - Support Resources

How to address them?

Challenges

Have a good combination of Functional &

Technical based on the scope of work.
Maintain knowledge matrix of support
resources
New support resources- onboarding
exercise

Technical support resource understanding of

end user issues
Resource utilization across
geographies/multiple time zones
Resources understanding on current config

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Support Project Management - Documentation & Training the Users

How to address them?

Challenges

Too much of documentation (Design,

Configuration, scenario mapping)
Basic support issues due to users not much
knowledgeable on OTM
Non availability of FAQs and answers

A good Documentation reduces the ticket

count if any recurring issues get
documented and in turn reduces the
effort of the support resources
Application behavior documented in
How to.. would be a great help to the
business organization and would also
help the resource expertise of the support
function personnel,
Train the trainers : Well trained end
users(planners, order, rate loader) can
bring down the basic OTM tickets

Flash boards- across

the Floor

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Support Project Management - Documentation & Training the Super Users

What are good support documents?

Recurrent data updates : contact, rate records expiry, deactivating a record. Like How
to update a contact?

Recurrent business process documents: Bulk plan failures FAQ document? How to
work on shipment Tenders?

Identify recurrent issues & Record solutions : Record the solutions/Troubleshooting

exercises (Video) and play it to specific group of users

On-Floor Flashers New changes/Configuration : Posters across the floor to display

what is changed recently and How does it impact the users?

External Parties (Suppliers/Carriers/Dispatchers) : structured on- boarding materials,

which should include URLs, User access, How to work on OTM etc

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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EDUCATE EMPOWER OTM USERS

Empowering End Users

Educating the End users

Conduct boot-camps on regular business

scenarios
Gather more field inputs from end users and
include them in FAQ documents
Arrange the IL training sessions on need basis
Demonstrate Do/Dont to New OTM Users
Train the users are Data templates (Rate loads,
Locations, Contacts, regions, Lanes) and basic
sanity tests etc

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Empower the users. Dont allow user restriction

to impact the business needs. For Example:
adding a carrier in Order release constraints to
planner role
Empower the users in a way that they can work
on data templates and load them directly
Empower the user read the OTM diagnostics
options and proceed with basic
troubleshooting
Empower the users to make the FAQ
documents of their process (Planning,
Dispatching, Order processing etc)

Support Tools

Rate Templates : use mode based rate templates, where formulas are already
written
1

RATE TEMPLATES Prebuilt formulas

XML Builder

How do you want to see transmission data?

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Support Tools
3
Utilizing the xml templates (item, Order
release line, Order release ship units etc.)
simulating the scenarios in Non-prod
instances
Helps in performance testing & integration
testing

CSV Util
Use CSVUtil to import/export multiple
CSVs at a time
Use to quickly migrate data between
instances
Helps in taking periodic backups of critical
tables
How does it work : (4 steps)
Create control file, Place control file into a
compressed folder (zip), Upload via
Integration Manager, Save output file
Control file tells OTM what to export or import
Example :
command xcsv -tableName RATE_OFFERING dataFileName F_RATE_OFFERING.csv whereClause "domain_name = XYZ

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Support Tools
Available OTM support platforms
1. OTMFAQ
2. OTN discussion Forums
3. OTM support Communities
OTM Monitoring tools
1. EMAN
2. Robotics
3. WireShark
Automated testing tools (with Open
Source code)
1. SOAP UI
2. Selenium
3. TestNG

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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OTM support issues Matrix

Bulk Plans are failing

My Orders are not interfaced to OTM yet
Null point exception- when you click on particular
button
Orders are seen after long time (after EBS concurrent
Program)
System is not displaying the correct time zone
I want to change the VAT tax rate in OTM
OTM UI Displaying Strange Fonts
Application is brought back after hardware failure,
transmission are not reprocessed
Remote exception when processing the functionsecured resources by planner
OTM is not calculating the distances?
Fuel charges are not applied on shipment cost for this
week
can I collect the Actual SQL performed during ad hoc
query in FTI?
is there any OTM start-up script to search multiple RAC
servers?
can I auto refresh the ROD database in FTI?
There is a mistake, I want to delete the voucher
Increase the Count of Records in Finder Results Screen

Mahindra Satyam 2010

CONFIGURATION QUERIES

OTM UI QUERIES

INTEGRATION QUERIES

TECHNICAL/GENERAL
QUERIES

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Handling Config. Queries

How do I notify the user before the rate is getting expired?

Bulk failure reasons? best tool available is Bulk plan diagnostics

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling Config. Queries

How can one make the Rates and Shipment Costs Display in the Currency
that is used on the Rate Offering/Rate Record
Change the Manager layout
with current Rate offering /
Rate record

How can the Oracle logo be completely removed from the email Tender in
Outlook?

Add the following property to the BOTTOM of the custom section of the glog.properties
file on both the app and web server. (It must be at the bottom of the properties file or it
will get added back in when loading the default properties)
!remove glog.mail.logo.filename
Restart OTM
Retest the Issue

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling OTM UI Queries

How do I control the user - NOT creating or editing any master data (from any
screen)?

Above identified servlet

will be assigned to user
role with Granted Unchecked

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling Integration Queries

Can I set OTM to send an email when inbound integration fails
1. Set the properties in glog.properties on each server to include the following:
glog.integration.servlet.TransmissionStageError.senderrorEmail = true
glog.integration.servlet.TransmissionStageError.erroremailFrom = glogAdvisor@glog.com
glog.integration.servlet.TransmissionStageError.erroremailSubject =Transmission XML
Stage Error
glog.integration.servlet.TransmissionStageError.errorEmailTo = customer_email_id
glog.integration.servlet.TransmissionStageError.includeTransmissionText = true

2. Restart server and try to upload an xml that fails to load through Integration web
service

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling Integration Queries

OTM masters are interfaced from upstream systems. How do I address the sequential
interface errors? Or Auto processing of multiple transmissions with ERROR status

Reprocess all
transmissions with
scheduled Job

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Technical challenges in OTM

I have one OTM/kewill instance presently, I want to add multiple kewill
instances

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling Performance Queries

Do I have to wait long for my bulk plan to finish? Is there any way, I
can speed up the bulk plan?

My orders/shipments are taking too long to get saved

My transmissions are not processing for long

Shipments are created , but bulk plans are still RUNNING

It is time for ERP to push the Orders into OTM, how come all the processes
are slow in OTM?

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling Performance Queries

Performance Issues
Environment related
Very Reactive
Will typically appear

Performance Issue approaches :

Some Indicators :
Web Tier: slow painting of screens,
slow response of transactions, Large
number users logged into OTM, Internet
access in general slow
App Tier : Bulk plans are running, Large
volume of integrations are arriving in
OTM, web logic memory is slow, App
server CPU usage is high, OTM threads
related to workflows and integrations
are stuck
DB Tier: DB locks, updates to OTM are
slow, Retrieval of data to results screen
is slow
Large Bulk plans, Bad workflow
designs, Bad SQl saved queries used in
reports/agents
Unnecessary logs are on (Eg: Rate
engine logs)

During development phase

when OTM environment will
share resources and sometimes
configured with minimum
settings
After Go-Live as number of
transaction increases and the
OTM usage volumes begin to
increase
Mostly focused on areas like
Integration and Bulk planning

Performance Issue approaches :

Report Include Who?- is reporting the issue
What? is happening (obtain Logs,
Screen prints, replicate if possible)
What else? Is happening (on the OTM
servers both OTM and Non-OTM
processes?
When is it happening. Is it consistent?
Time of day, day of week, day month,
pattern
Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Handling General Queries

How does one add the day of the week when creating Calendar data in CSV?
How does one enable a Service Provider to add Equipment Number, Equipment Initial Number on a
Shipment that has already been Accepted (Tender Accepted) by them?
Why is a Shipment Tender not being sent when there is more than One Logistics Involved party Contact
on a Shipment?
How does one set up a recurring process to send Shipments created in the system via integration to an
external system with facility to prevent the same shipment being sent more than once?
How can Bulk Plans Number can be Increased?
When clicking on the "OTM" icon after opening an object in a new window, this presents the object XML.
Can this XML access be disabled?
How to change the service provider for multiple shipments in one attempt?
How Can the Data be Reloaded Into the FTI Database After it Was Already Sent?

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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It is a clich statementbut still worth repeating

Prevention is better than Cure
Best Practices of OTM Support:
Application (Level)
Itineraries : Keep itineraries as simple as possible
Rates : Keep rates configurations too simple (not many rate cost lines, no too many conditional
parameters, no conditional accessorial charges etc.) use rate offering constraints effectively, use
rate loading templates
Data Loading : User data loading templates for lanes, regions, transit times etc.
Bulk plans Schedule the bulk plans depending peak loads/dock door appointments/Order
interfaces to OTM, use bulk plan diagnostics and make super users familiar with BP diagnostics
options
Agents:
> Let there one single agent- performing different actions in one object
> Be careful when raising the event from other agents, better to raise an event as the last
action in the agent
> Always use proper naming conventions for agents (you dont have to open the agent
to see what is it doing? (Event driven agent, Process driven agents
> Email alerts should used for critical events that require immediate attention or user
indicators or statuses
> Avoid Listening same event in multiple agents
> use saved conditions as much as possible
Use access controls & menu managers judiciously to have role based restrictions
Engage tools like (EMAN, Robotics)- to continuously judge application performance and instance
availability
Periodic server bounces & including bolt on applications like PCMiler, SMC3, Kewill etc
Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Best Practices of OTM Support:

Operational Level
Develop a Customer SPOC for each of the Module or critical activity
Develop good documentation with regards to criticality of the issues, resolution and faced
scenarios to reduce the turnaround time

Understand the customer peak periods of activities (weekly, monthly, daily) and be pro-active with
issues. This also provides good visibility of the issues. Document the same
Involve Support teams effectively in project release UAT phase, test scenarios and GoLive cutover
activities

Taking critical inputs from support teams on OTM upgrade strategy

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Q&A

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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Thank you
Please contact us:
ashok_revuri@mahindrasatyam.com
satyanarayana_vabilisetty@mahindrasatyam.com

Mahindra Satyam 2010

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