Transcript RETS Developer Seminar

RETS
Implementation Issues
RETS Implementation Issues
 Business Case
 Project Preliminaries
 Resource Identification
 RETS Service Supplier
 RETS Service Consumer
 Project Execution
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
1
RETS Implementation Issues
Topic Objectives
RETS Implementation Issues
 Identify potential issues around a RETS
service
 Provide recommendations and suggestions
to resolve issues
 Ensure the RETS implementation addresses
the business case
 Reinforce sound project execution practices
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
2
Business Case
RETS Implementation Issues
 Focal point of the RETS implementation
 Match RETS capabilities to the business
problem that you are solving
 Identify tangible & intangible benefits
 Don’t over-sell
Highest benefit area is service
to data customers
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
3
Implementation Project
Preliminaries - 1
RETS Implementation Issues
 Describe business case
 Capture business rules – ensure that you
know yourself
 Capture and validate business requirements
for the metadata – data about the data
 Confirm internal and external contracts,
processes, security
 Identify internal resources
 Identify RETS service supplier and consumers
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
4
Implementation Project
Preliminaries - 2
RETS Implementation Issues
 Identify skill levels in RETS service supplier,
RETS service consumers
 Understand and validate feature set
 Understand impact to existing consumers
 Define roles and responsibilities for MLS,
supplier and consumers
 Recommendation: Create and maintain
visible reference documents
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
5
Business Rules
RETS Implementation Issues
 Who is permitted to see what data?
– Authentication, Access Controls and Audits
 What data can be entered where?
– Data quality rules – does the supplier offer it?
– Data quality enforcement - tools
 Are there sessions controls?
– Multiple sessions
– Session duration limits
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
6
Contracts
RETS Implementation Issues
 RETS Service Supplier:
– Who does what
– You own the data
 RETS Service Consumer:
– Control the access
– Control the uses
 General observation:
– Control your asset with appropriate language
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
7
MLS
RETS Service Processes
RETS Implementation Issues
 Understand who does what:
–
–
–
–
Contract management
Help desk access
Service initiation and termination
Service issues
 Understand problem escalation:
– Responsibilities in the resolution process
– Chain of control to ensure resolution
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
8
Security
RETS Implementation Issues
 Understand your security requirements
before starting
 Statutory security
 Physical security of system
 Software security of system
 Audit trails
 Recommendation: Define the security
requirements at the beginning
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
9
NAR
Information Security Toolkit
RETS Implementation Issues
 Develop processes, tools and technologies to keep
your Internet information secure with these easy-touse guides that were created by NAR:
–
–
–
–
–
For Residential Brokers
For Real Estate Agents
For Commercial Brokers
For Association Executives
For MLS Executives
 Information Security Guidelines
http://www.realtor.org/rocms.nsf/pages/InformSecCtr
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
10
Resource Allocation
RETS Implementation Issues
 Internal versus Outsourced Resources:
–
–
–
–
–
Training
Help desk
RETS support
Statistical and other report generation
MLS service computing infrastructure
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
11
Metadata:
Data about the data - data content, structure
RETS Implementation Issues
 Without metadata, software is very fragile
and will break when structure is changed
 Metadata driven applications can respond to
structure change without technical
intervention
– Columns and property types can appear when they
are added without more work
 Metadata can be a challenge to
unsophisticated developers
– Ensure that the consumers understand issue
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
12
RETS
Feature Set
RETS Implementation Issues
 RETS compliant does not mean all the
optional features exist
 Different suppliers will have different
optional features
– Related to their business decisions
 Ensure that supported feature set matches
between the supplier and consumer
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
13
RETS
Service Supplier
RETS Implementation Issues
 RETS compliant
 Available resources
 Business continuity plan
 Business continuity tests
 Availability
 Recommendation: Must be a match to your
needs
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
14
RETS Service Supplier
Resources and Skills
RETS Implementation Issues
 Does supplier have dedicated resources for
your project?
– Will they get pulled off on some other “hot” project?
 Can supplier provide third party resources
for your project?
 Should you use an external project
champion to manage your project?
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
15
RETS
Service Consumers
RETS Implementation Issues
Existing Services:
–
–
–
–
Homestore
IDX/VOW
Brokerages
Newspapers/book
publishers
– Primary client
software
New Services – value to Realtors®:
– Multiple choices for primary client
– Multiple choices for secondary client
– Multiple choices for laptop or
pda client
– Data aggregation
– Marketing tools
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
16
RETS Service Consumer
Resources and Skills
RETS Implementation Issues
 The RETS service will change business
practices
 Communicate the benefits of RETS:
–
–
–
–
Reusable code
Many sources of knowledge
Industry standard
Improved data structure change management
 Recommendation: Communicate the
benefits
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
17
RETS Impact on Existing
Service Consumers
RETS Implementation Issues
 Will require changes to their applications to use RETS
 May have a sense that you are “off-loading” work to
them
 You are impacting them, communicate the reasons
 Highlight the benefits from easier maintenance of their
applications in response to your changes
Data customers may not share
your pain with the current situation
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
18
Project Execution
RETS Implementation Issues
 Manage scope with a change order process
 Priorities shift during implementation project:
– Beginning → quality, functionality
– Middle → cost
– End → schedule
 Insist that resource commitments be honored
 Ignore distractions
Project management
contributes to project success
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
19
Conclusion
RETS Implementation Issues
 RETS benefits will add value to your MLS
 Many modest hurdles
– All have been successfully overcome
 Project issues:
– a few are RETS specific
– majority of the issues are the common system
implementation issues
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
20
Topic
Summary
RETS Implementation Issues
 RETS offers many benefits, but faces many
of the same issues of any service supplier –
service consumer technology
 High learning curve but there are many
resources available to help
 Business case must be the driver for the
technology
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
21
Implementation Project
Reward
RETS Implementation Issues
File: 06_RETS_Implementation Issues.PPT
22