NSTF - Implementation Roadmap

NSTF Implementation Roadmap

Delivery Options Overview

Option	Duration	Key Milestones	Go-Live Target
Pilot (MVP)	8 weeks	4 sprints	Q1 2025
Comprehensive Awards	12 weeks	6 sprints	Q2 2025 (ready for Nov 2025 cycle)
Full Ecosystem	26 weeks	3 phases	Q3 2025

Option A: Awards Management Pilot (8 Weeks)

Week 1-2: Discovery & Design Sprint

Objectives:

Finalize requirements
Design user workflows
Plan technical architecture

Activities:

Kickoff meeting (stakeholders, project team)
Requirements workshop (2-3 hours)
User story mapping (nominators, adjudicators, admins)
Technical design document
UI/UX wireframes

Deliverables:

✅ Requirements document signed off
✅ Technical architecture diagram
✅ UI wireframes approved
✅ Sprint backlog created

NSTF Involvement: 4-6 hours (workshops and approvals)

Week 3-4: Sprint 1 - Core Platform Build

Objectives:

Build nomination submission portal
Basic admin dashboard

Features Delivered:

Nomination form (category selection, nominee info, motivation text)
File upload system
Confirmation emails
Admin view (list all nominations)

Deliverables:

✅ Working nomination portal (demo-ready)
✅ Basic admin dashboard

NSTF Involvement: 1-2 hours (weekly demo and feedback)

Week 5-6: Sprint 2 - Adjudication & Workflows

Objectives:

Adjudicator review interface
Scoring and evaluation tools

Features Delivered:

Panel member login
Nomination assignment to adjudicators
Scoring rubric interface
Review submission and tracking

Deliverables:

✅ Adjudicator portal functional
✅ End-to-end workflow (nominate → review → score)

NSTF Involvement: 2-3 hours (test adjudicator interface, provide feedback)

Week 7: Sprint 3 - Integration & Testing

Objectives:

Integrate with NSTF database
Connect to Everlytic
User acceptance testing

Features Delivered:

Database integration (nominee data sync)
Email automation (via Everlytic)
Bug fixes and refinements

Deliverables:

✅ Integrated platform ready for UAT
✅ Test plan and test cases

NSTF Involvement: 4-6 hours (user acceptance testing)

Week 8: Training & Go-Live

Objectives:

Train NSTF team
Deploy to production
Launch support

Activities:

Administrator training (2-hour session)
User documentation delivery
Production deployment
Launch announcement
30-day support period begins

Deliverables:

✅ Platform live and operational
✅ NSTF team trained
✅ Documentation provided
✅ Support hotline active

NSTF Involvement: 3-4 hours (training session and launch coordination)

PAYMENT MILESTONE: Final 20% payment due

Option B: Comprehensive Awards System (12 Weeks)

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Same as Pilot Sprint 1-2, but with additional advanced features

Additional Features:

Multi-stage workflow configuration
Advanced admin controls
Historical data import preparation

PAYMENT MILESTONE: 30% payment (after Week 4)

Phase 2: Advanced Features (Weeks 5-8)

Objectives:

Analytics and reporting
Advanced automation
Full Everlytic integration

Features Delivered:

Dashboard analytics (diversity metrics, submission trends, geography maps)
Automated email workflows (reminders, status updates, winner announcements)
Adjudicator collaboration tools (comments, discussions)
Winner showcase page (public-facing)
Historical nominee/winner archive

Deliverables:

✅ Analytics dashboard operational
✅ Email automation configured
✅ Collaboration features active

NSTF Involvement: 3-4 hours/week (review demos, test features)

PAYMENT MILESTONE: 35% payment (after Week 8)

Phase 3: Testing, Training & Launch (Weeks 9-12)

Week 9-10: Comprehensive Testing

Functional testing (all features)
Performance testing (load testing with 500+ concurrent users)
Security testing (penetration test, POPIA compliance audit)
User acceptance testing (NSTF team + pilot users)

Week 11: Training

Nominator orientation webinar (1 hour, recorded)
Adjudicator training session (1.5 hours, recorded)
Administrator deep-dive training (3 hours, hands-on)
Help desk training for NSTF support staff

Week 12: Production Launch

Data migration (historical nominees and winners)
Production deployment
Launch communications (eNews announcement, website update)
90-day support period begins

Deliverables:

✅ Platform fully operational
✅ All stakeholders trained
✅ Documentation complete
✅ Support channels active

NSTF Involvement: 8-12 hours (testing, training, launch coordination)

PAYMENT MILESTONE: Final 35% payment (after Week 12)

Option C: Full Ecosystem Platform (26 Weeks / 6 Months)

Phase 1: Awards System (Weeks 1-12)

Same as Option B - Comprehensive Awards

Payment: 40% of total ecosystem investment

Phase 2: Event Management System (Weeks 13-20)

Weeks 13-14: Discovery & Design

Map NSTF event types (discussion forums, AGM, awards ceremony)
Design registration workflows
Plan Zoom/Teams integration

Weeks 15-18: Development

Event creation and management interface
Registration portal (public-facing)
Attendance tracking
Certificate generation
Post-event surveys
Integration with discussion forum calendar

Weeks 19-20: Testing & Training

Pilot with next discussion forum
Train events team
Refine based on feedback

Deliverables:

✅ Event management platform operational
✅ Integrated with awards system (shared member database)
✅ First event successfully managed on platform

NSTF Involvement: 6-8 hours (workshops, testing, training)

PAYMENT MILESTONE: 30% payment (after Week 20)

Phase 3: Membership Portal (Weeks 21-26)

Weeks 21-22: Membership Design

Map 6 membership sectors
Design tiered membership structure
Benefits tracking requirements

Weeks 23-25: Development

Member self-service portal (registration, renewal, profile management)
Payment processing integration
Member directory (searchable, filterable)
Benefits tracking dashboard
Newsletter submission portal (for member news/events)
Integration with awards and events (single sign-on)

Week 26: Launch & Training

Soft launch to existing members (invite to create accounts)
Administrator training
Member onboarding communications

Deliverables:

✅ Membership portal live
✅ Integrated ecosystem (awards + events + membership)
✅ Unified analytics dashboard
✅ 100+ members can access single platform

NSTF Involvement: 8-10 hours (testing, training, member communications)

PAYMENT MILESTONE: Final 30% payment (after Week 26)

Critical Success Factors

1. NSTF Availability & Engagement

Required:

Executive sponsor assigned (weekly check-ins)
Awards Manager available for workshops and testing (4-6 hours/week during active phases)
Subject matter experts accessible (adjudicators, past nominators for user testing)

If NSTF Can’t Commit:

Timeline extends (delays while waiting for approvals/feedback)
Quality suffers (assumptions made without NSTF input)

2. Decision-Making Speed

Critical Decision Points:

Week 2: Approve requirements and design
Week 4 (Pilot) / Week 8 (Comprehensive): Approve UAT and proceed to launch
Phase transitions (Option C): Approve completion before starting next phase

SLA: NSTF provides feedback/approvals within 3 business days (or timeline extends)

3. Data Readiness

Required from NSTF:

Historical nominee/winner data (if importing)
Awards category definitions
Adjudicator panel details
Everlytic account access (for integration)
NSTF database schema (for integration)

Timeline Impact: Delays in data provision = delays in integration testing

4. Change Management

NSTF Responsibilities:

Communicate platform launch to stakeholders (nominators, adjudicators, members)
Manage expectations (new process, training required)
Provide first-line support (iSu handles escalations)

iSu Support:

Communications templates provided
Video tutorials for self-service support
Help desk during critical periods

Risk Management & Contingency

Risk 1: Scope Creep

Mitigation:

Fixed scope in contract (changes = change request process)
Weekly demos (catch scope drift early)
Change approval process (NSTF signs off on additions, timeline/cost impact disclosed)

Risk 2: Technical Delays

Mitigation:

Buffer time in estimates (12-week plan has 2-week buffer)
Agile delivery (working software every 2 weeks, not all-or-nothing at end)
Escalation process (if blocker, executive sponsors engage immediately)

Risk 3: User Adoption Failure

Mitigation:

User testing during development (catch usability issues early)
Training and documentation (reduce friction)
Support during first cycle (hand-holding for early adopters)
Feedback loop (continuous improvement post-launch)

Risk 4: Integration Challenges

Mitigation:

API testing in Week 1 (validate Everlytic, database access early)
Fallback options (if integration fails, manual workarounds available)
Dedicated integration sprint (Week 7 in Pilot, Weeks 9-10 in Comprehensive)

Post-Launch: Continuous Improvement

30-Day Post-Launch Review

User satisfaction survey (nominators, adjudicators, admins)
Platform analytics review (usage patterns, drop-off points, errors)
Feedback collection (what’s working, what needs improvement)
Prioritize enhancements for next release

90-Day Optimization

Implement top-requested features
Performance tuning based on real usage data
Documentation updates
Training refreshers if needed

Annual Major Update

New features based on year’s learnings
Security and compliance updates
Platform modernization (UI refresh, technology upgrades)

Success Metrics

Platform Performance

✅ 99.5%+ uptime during awards cycle
✅ <2 second page load times
✅ Zero data loss incidents

User Satisfaction

✅ 85%+ nominator satisfaction (post-awards survey)
✅ 90%+ adjudicator satisfaction
✅ 95%+ admin satisfaction (NSTF team)

Efficiency Gains

✅ 60-70% reduction in admin time (measured pre/post)
✅ 50%+ reduction in support inquiries (“where’s my nomination?”)
✅ 100% elimination of manual data entry errors

Adoption

✅ 95%+ nomination completion rate (started but not submitted <5%)
✅ 100% adjudicator panel participation (all assigned reviews completed)
✅ 80%+ positive feedback from nominators

Next Steps

To Initiate Project:

Select implementation option (Pilot, Comprehensive, or Full Ecosystem)
Sign contract and SOW
Assign NSTF project team (sponsor, manager, SMEs)
Schedule kickoff meeting (Week 1, Day 1)
Provide data and system access to iSu team
Begin sprint planning

Target Start Date: [To be determined based on NSTF decision timeline] Target Go-Live:

Pilot: 8 weeks from start
Comprehensive: 12 weeks from start (Q2 2025 for Nov 2025 cycle)
Full Ecosystem: 26 weeks from start

Roadmap Owner: iSu Technologies Delivery Team + NSTF Project Sponsor Last Updated: December 2, 2025 Next Review: Weekly during active project, monthly post-launch