OracleAppsBlog

A day in the life of an Oracle Applications Consultant

Applications Implementation Methodology (AIM)

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Update to Oracle’s Project Management Methodology (AIM3.1) released

I just learnt from one of the readers that a new release of AIM, Oracle’s project management methodology, has been released. You can download AIM3.1 from the AIM Foundation page if you are a member of the Oracle Partner Network (OPN) i.e. you will need to be log in to access the page and once you’ve downloaded the zip file you will need to e-mail Oracle (at the address specified on the AIM foundation page) for the password to open the file. There’s nothing much to this new release though, it’s pretty much an updated front end or GUI which has support for the newer versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox. Enjoy

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Oracle AIM - 11i updates and add-ins

A while back I discovered a number of useful updates to Oracle’s Application Implementation Methodology (AIM) thanks to Jo Davis  – I’ve only had a chance to blog about it now. The existing version of AIM is 3.0 and I’ve posted before about where to download it. This post will describe how to download the updates and will also outline what exactly’s in the updates.

Before I discuss the various updates and add-ins that are available I would like to outline how you can get Oracle AIM working in Firefox. Personally, I still haven’t managed to get AIM working in XP using Explorer as the browser so I’ve opted to use a workaround by accessing it via the Firefox brower. Once you have performed the Oracle AIM install simply enter the text file:///C:/Method/OM30/AIM30/omstart.html into your Firefox browser and AIM should begin. I’ve noticed that it does take a while to actually start up but once it does it works fine. If you still can’t get the AIM Graphical User Interface (GUI) to start up you can directly access the AIM templates from the following directory if you have accepted the default location on installation C:\Method\OM30\AIM30\AIM30FND.

The updates for AIM are available here. Please note that in order for this URL to work you must be logged in to your OTN account and in your account details you must specify your OPN (Oracle Partner Network) number. In other words you can only access this URL if you are an Oracle Partner. At the URL just mentioned you will find a list of AIM add-ins and links to where you can download them. There is also a spreadsheet which outlines for each add-in which documents are now provided. Essentially, these add-ins provide you with updated BR100 documents which enable you to document the Application Setup for various modules.

The following add-ins are now provided for AIM:

1. AIM Foundation V3.0 R11i Add-In (Release 1) – BR100 documents for Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Financials, Human Resources, Internet Procurement, Mfg./Supply Chain Management, Professional Services Automation, Projects and Treasury Management. Installs to the following directory  – C:\Method\OM30\AIM30\Aim3r11i
2. AIM Foundation V3.0 R11i Add-In (Release 2) – BR100 documents for Business Intelligence, E-Commerce, Self Service HR, Interaction Center, Marketing, Order Management, Sales and Service. Installs to the following directory – C:\Method\OM30\AIM30\AimR11i2
3. AIM Foundation V3.0 R11i Add-In (Release 3) – BR100 documents for Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Human Resources, Internet Procurement, Professional Services Automation, Sales and Treasury Management. Installs to the following directory – C:\Method\OM30\AIM30\AIMR11i3
4. AIM Foundation V3.0 R11i Add-In (Release 4) – BR100 documents for Business Intelligence, i-Procurement, Mfg./Supply Chain Management and Service. Installs to the following directory  – C:\Method\OM30\AIM30\AIMR11i4.

To install the add-ins you must first have successully installed Oracle AIM. Then, download the add-ins to any location on your drive and unzip the files to reveal the OMA files. Double click the OMA files to install them. They will extract and when successfully extracted you should then be able to enable them by choosing the Add-ins link at the bottom part of the AIM GUI/front-end.

If you have any issues please add your comments.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Oracle AIM Pricing

I received an e-mail the other day asking how much it would cost to purchase Oracle AIM. This post contains information on the pricing of this product.

Oracle’s Application Implementation Methodology (AIM) is their methodology for the implementation of it’s e-Business Suite (eBS). According to Oracle: -

AIM Advantage is a time-tested implementation approach and toolkit for planning, executing and controlling the implementation of your Oracle E-Business Suite. It is the only implementation method specifically built for Oracle Applications, and has been used in thousands of successful implementations by Oracle Consulting, Oracle’s select implementation partners, and customers.

I’ve used this methodology on all of the Oracle Applications implementations I have been involved in and have found it to be a very useful tool. The methodology helps you plan and document an implementation at all stages of the lifecycle. Information on the pricing can be found by performing a search for "AIM" at the Oracle Store. Here you will find two options: -

1. AIM Advantage without Supplement Option - Packaged Method Named User (US$2,200)
2. AIM Advantage with Supplement Option - Packaged Method Named User (US$2,530)

Both of these options provide you with the aim CD-ROM and documentation whilst according to the Store, with the supplement option:

Oracle will provide access to AIM Advantage 3.0 supplements made generally available to commercial customers for a period of twelve months from the effective date of purchase. Supplements may include new deliverable templates and point releases of AIM Advantage (e.g. version 3.0 to version 3.1), but will not include new major releases (e.g. version 3.0 to version 4.0); major releases are licensed separately.

As the pricing is based on a named user, an organisations implementation cost would be directly related to the number of users that would make use of the software. To continue receiving annual updates via the supplementary option the cost would be 15% of the current list price of AIM.

Tags
Oracle, Applications, Blog, AIM, AIM Advantage, Applications Implementation Methodology, Methodology, Implementation, Consulting, Store, Pricing, EBS

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Download Oracle AIM (Applications Implementation Methodology) Software and White Paper

Oracle AIM (Applications Implementation Methodology) is Oracle’s project management methodology. This post contains links to where you can download Oracle AIM software and an Oracle AIM White Paper.

Oracle AIM consists of a project management methodology together with the underlying documentation templates that support the tasks you perform within this methodology. This combination of a methodology together with documentation templates makes AIM a powerful tool for assisting implementation participants in running and managing projects successfully. The methodology can be used for any other software implementations but obviously the true value of AIM will be only be realised when it is used in conjunction with the Oracle specific document templates. The documentation templates are available in the AIM software and the methodology is clearly outlined in the AIM software documentation.

The Oracle AIM Front End Displaying Project Phases and Processes

Download Oracle AIM Software (23.8MB). This software provides you with the methodology as well as documentation templates that are needed to run your Oracle Applications projects. Sadly this product doesn’t seem to have been updated for version 11i. Two tips I should give you about the installation and use of the tool - firstly, it doesn’t seem to work on IE6 so try and install it on IE5.5 or lower. Secondly, make sure that your macro security is set to low in both Word and Excel as AIM will need to run certain startup Macros that install additional menus. The software contains all the documentation you will need to learn how to use the product and you can also download my white paper which will give you a short overview of how AIM works.