Pricefx Customer Self-sufficiency

What is self-sufficiency?

Pricefx defines customer self-sufficiency as the ability to maintain and modify Pricefx's custom solutions with the help of internal customer resources. This approach can help customers be less dependent on the Pricefx team and optimize the cost of the solution maintenance. To achieve self-sufficiency, customers must provide suitably skilled resources to be trained, certified, and mentored by Pricefx.

Which roles are currently covered?

Configuration Engineer – maintains the existing solution, implements new simple/medium-level requirements, and fixes bugs.

Integration Engineering - maintains existing integration connections, updates data sources, and fixes data-related bugs.

Super Users for UI and Support – user management, UI management, and configuration, 1-level of support ("forgot the password; how to find something" type of problems) & 2-level of support (integration and data).

End-User Onboarding & Training – custom user scenario reference guides, documentation, and learning paths. It is relevant for big organizations with multiple BUs, many users, and user turnover.

What are the steps to acquire self-sufficiency?

To become self-sufficient, companies will need to:

• Send the candidates through foundational training.

• As a final step in the foundational training, candidates must pass the certification exam.

• Once the exam has been successfully passed, the knowledge transfer, shadowing, and mentoring plan will need to be developed with the Pricefx project team. This is the crucial step in preparing the candidates to take over the maintenance and changes in the tool.

The standard duration of acquiring self-sufficiency for different roles is at least six months.

Open

What are the steps to acquire self-sufficiency in configuration engineering?

Configuration Engineering - foundational training – 8 weeks; total time investment ~ 90 hours

Objective: This intensive 8-week technical training program will equip aspiring configuration engineers with foundational skills. Participants will undergo a comprehensive curriculum led by experienced instructors, combining Instructor-Led Training (ILT) sessions and self-study components.

After foundational training, shadowing and mentoring should occur for ~ 4-6 months, depending on the candidate’s background. This activity is charged hourly and involves the Pricefx/partner implementation team.

The price for the new learning path is €5.500/$6.000 per person.

What background is expected for this role:

• ·Professional programming experience with at least two years of object-oriented programming (i.e. Java).

• Solution development, problem-solving, testing, and troubleshooting skills are required.

• Understand data structures (Arrays, Maps, etc.), algorithmising and coding skills (variables, loops, conditions), and Groovy language features (syntax, operators, closures).

• Experience with databases and data, ideally SQL, working with tables, and examining data. 

• Working knowledge of IDE (IntelliJ Idea or other) and GIT (feature branches, checkout, pull, push, commit, rebase, amend, merge, stash).

• Good spoken and written English, we require CEFR B2 level. Must have the ability to communicate, be confident to express their thoughts, and understand technical documentation and requirements. 

The expected outcome of the Configuration Engineering Learning Path:

The candidate will be able to maintain implemented solutions, troubleshoot and make changes to the existing logic and data tables, and implement new requirements within existing customer-specific Pricefx functionality.

The Program Flow

Duration: 8 Weeks

Objective: This intensive 8-week technical training program will equip aspiring configuration engineers with foundational skills. Participants will undergo a comprehensive curriculum led by experienced instructors, combining Instructor-Led Training (ILT) sessions and self-study components.

Prerequisites:

• Successful completion of pre-assessment in a 1-1 interview (30 min) with a technical training specialist. The interview preparation tips and interview registration can be found here.

• Installation of necessary tools (Git, IntelliJ, PriceFX Studio Plugin).

• Basic knowledge of GIT and Groovy.

Key Training Components:

1. Instructor-Led Training (ILT) Sessions:

   • Weekly 1-2 ILT sessions led by technical trainers to confirm the understanding of the key concepts and let the participants present their working results.

   • Each session lasts around 90 minutes.

2. Self-Study:

   • Students are expected to dedicate additional time to self-study each week to do the practical exercises and deepen their skills in particular topics.

3. Exit Points:

   • Every two weeks, there are exit points for students failing the assignments and not attending the sessions.

   • Criteria for exit points include attendance in ILT sessions and completion of mandatory exercises.

4. Certification Exam:

   • Eligible students who attend ILT sessions and complete all exercises can take the certification exam on week 8.

   • Successful candidates receive certification.

5. Post-Certification Advancement:

   • Certified individuals progress to the advanced on-demand training series to further improve their knowledge.

Training Schedule:

1. Pre-requisites/Pre-assessment:

   • Duration: 1 week

   • Time Commitment: 5-12 hours

2. Technical Training Path:

   • Duration: 8 weeks

   • Time Commitment: ~90 hours

3. Advanced Training after Certification:

   • Begins one month after the training

   • Duration: 20-40 hours

Training Frequency:

• A new group of attendees can start the training every two weeks.

This program is tailored to individuals with a solid technical background, ensuring they gain the necessary skills to excel as configuration engineers. Successful completion opens doors to advanced training opportunities and real-world application of their knowledge.

Program structure:

Step 1: Interview the trainer to determine a fit for the program. During the interview, the candidate will need to demonstrate his knowledge of Java, Git, and programming basics, as well as B2 and a higher level of English. The task will be provided in advance to prepare. More details about the interview and registration can be found here.

Step 2: Upon a successful interview, the trainer will register the candidate for the next entry point of the CE learning path, which is spread over 8 weeks with 8-12 hours of weekly time investment. The schedule for the complete 8 weeks with dates of live sessions will be shared with the student in advance.

Week 1 topics: Pricefx Application Basics; Architecture and Tool stack

• Live sessions: Learning path introduction & Student Q&A (3 hours)

• Business and Admin self-study; Toolstack study (~7 hours)

Week 2 topics: Master Data Configuration, Calculation Logics

• Topic-related live sessions (2 hours)

• Weeks' topics self-study (~ 6 hours)

• Knowledge test

Week 3 topics: Price Setting, Live Price Grids, Functions & Libraries Sandbox practice

• Live sessions: Inputs/Outputs; Pricelists & PriceGrids (~3 hours)

• Weeks' topics self-study (~6 hours)

• Revision and presentation of exercises in self-study

• Exit point for failed assignments students

Week 4 topics: Quotes, Quote Headers, Price Records

• Live sessions: Quote Header/Troubleshooting (4 hours)

• Weeks' topics: self-study and sandbox practice (~7 hours)

• Knowledge test

Week 5 topics: Workflows, Analytics queries, Calculation flow

• Live sessions: Workflows/Analytics query (3 hours)

• Weeks' topics: self-study and sandbox practice (~9 hours)

• Revision and presentation of exercises in self-study

• Exit point for failed assignments students

Week 6 topics: Dashboards, Master Processes (Calculated Field Sets, Data Loads)

• Live sessions: Dashboards/Master Processes (3 hours)

• Weeks' topics: self-study and sandbox practice (~9,5 hours)

• Knowledge test

Week 7 topics: Final project and recap

• Live sessions: final project introduction/troubleshooting the assignment (3 hours)

• Sandbox work on final project (~12 hours)

Week 8 topics: Certification exam

Certification exam based on the content covered in the previous 7 weeks.

Post-certification:

Additional Advanced CE Learning Path self-study materials will be available for all certified participants.

After foundation training, once the certification has been accomplished along with the shadowing, the candidate will also be provided with a deep dive into the existing solution to acquire the custom solution expertise.

The Pricefx implementation team (and/or implementation partner) provides shadowing and mentoring activities. The shadowing and mentoring require at least 20 % of the time allocations of Pricefx team/partner members weekly. All activities should be planned and synchronized with the implementation plan.

What are the steps to acquire self-sufficiency in integration engineering?

Integration Engineering - foundational training – 4 weeks (max. three months); Total time investment ~ 40 hours.

After foundational training, shadowing and mentoring should occur for ~ 2 months. This activity is charged hourly and involves the Pricefx implementation team.

The price for the complete path is €3.000/$3.500 per person.

Ideally, the candidate starts at the beginning of the month to get into the instructor-led class on time.

What background is expected for this role:

• Basic requirements outlined for Day 1 students

• Professional programming experience of at least two years of object-oriented programming, ideally Java, Groovy, or C++.

• Understand data structures (Arrays, Maps, etc.), algorithmising and coding skills (variables, loops, conditions), and Groovy language features (syntax, operators, closures).

• Solid working knowledge of a modern IDE (IntelliJ Idea or other) and GIT (feature branches, checkout, pull, push, commit, rebase, amend, merge, stash).

• Good understanding of the Apache Camel integration framework. Specifically, the XML DSL variant.

The expected outcome of the Integration Engineering program:

• The candidate shall be able to work with the Platform Manager tool to create Integration Manager instances and associated Integration Routes. Routes are the basic framework for integrating outside systems with Pricefx. More specifically, routes refer to an Apache Camel-based construct that Apache Camel based construct which enables disparate systems to communicate with a minimum of configuration.

• The candidate will understand the steps to customize the Pricefx Template-based Routes.

• The candidate will understand the location and the proper way to access the various code components created after implementing a Template in a partition and how to assign permissions to access the various code components created after implementing a Template in a partition. 

• The candidate will understand the need for Data Cleansing before implementing a Template-based route.

Day 1 training

• What is covered

  • Pricefx Platform Manager tool and the associated Integration Manager tool.

  • Concepts of Pricefx Integration Templates to integrate non-Pricefx systems into the Pricefx environment.

  • Configuring and testing basic integrations

• Recommended student background

Day 2 training

• What is covered

  • Pricefx Integration Templates affect data integration between Pricefx and other systems—discussing available templates and usage recommendations.

  • Configuration / Selection of the default Pricefx Integration Templates for integration-specific needs ( SAP, SalesForce, CSV-based integrations, File based integrations, etc. ). Pricefx recommendations for integration.

  • Modification of the Pricefx Integration Templates to accommodate business-specific requirements

  • Usage of GitHub to access the Pricefx Integration Templates

  • Use IntelliJ Idea to manipulate, adjust, and test modifications to the Pricefx Integration Templates.

  • Running Pricefx integrations from a local development environment

Program flow:

• Prequalification test – 1 hour to confirm the candidate is fit for the role and register for the technical class.

• Business user self-study – 3-4 hours with the knowledge assessment test.

• Admin user self-study – 3-4 hours with the knowledge assessment test.

• Class Prerequisites – 2 hours, revision of the critical data structures and components, class setup.

• Integration Engineering technical training – 8 hours

• Additional optional self-study study for custom solutions & QA with Pricefx trainer - ~ 10 hours

• Final project – 6-8 hours, verification of the knowledge acquired during the class and help to prepare for the certification exam.

• Exam preparation and partition review – 1 hour, verification of the exam readiness.

• Certification exam – 3 hours, recorded and later reviewed by the examiner.

• Certification confirmation – 2-3 days after the exam, depending on the examiner's availability.

• Post-certification

  • Deep dive into the custom solution (if existing project)

  • Shadowing of the Pricefx team/partner (if ongoing project)

The Pricefx implementation team/partner provides the shadowing and mentoring activities. The shadowing and mentoring require at least 20 %-time allocations of Pricefx team/partner members weekly. All activities should be planned and synchronized with the implementation plan.

What are the steps to acquire internal 1st and 2nd levels of support?

Super Users for UI and Support – foundational training – 2 weeks; Total time investment ~ 30 hours with self-study and deep dive. Private classes can be organized for 4+ people.

After foundational training, a solution/customer-specific deep dive may be required. This activity is charged hourly and involves the Pricefx implementation team or training team researching the solution.

Ideally, the candidate starts at the beginning of the month to get into the instructor-led class on time.

What background is expected for this role:

• The internal super user who was involved in the tool implementation or had the necessary skill set for supporting super user tasks.

• Knowledge of how the Pricefx tool is implemented and used in the organization.

• Tech savvy; knowledge of internal tech infrastructure and data structures used in Pricefx.

Prerequisites:

o   Super Admin skillset review.

o   Business User Training instructor-led series (paid) or self-study (free)

Admin training

o   ILT Series (3 sessions * 3 hours)

o   Additional self-study materials

o   Q&A sessions with a trainer

Deep dive into a custom solution

o   Q&A sessions with internal customer resources and the Pricefx team to understand the custom solution and typical challenges.

What are the steps to build self-study end-user training?

End-user onboarding and Training (customer-specific)

• Pricefx can support a customer in creating a customer-specific solution onboarding material.

• These materials can be used for onboarding new users and building a reference guide for existing users through the Pricefx solution.

• Fully custom (and can be integrated into customer internal training materials) content.

• The main output of this training is a step-by-step digital learning path with custom content, videos, and exercises in a customer QA environment.

How to initiate self-sufficiency training?

·       Reach out to Customer Success representatives.

·       Specify your needs and expectations.

·       Schedule a session with the Pricefx training team to outline the possible plan and estimate the cost.

·       Identify the candidates and get the skillset revision from Pricefx.

·       Start the self-sufficiency training for fitting internal candidates.

·       Track the progress with your CSM.

Please reach out to your Pricefx Success Manager for any questions about end-user training.

Conditions and limitations of the self-sufficiency training

• The self-sufficiency path targets the skillset of maintaining and modifying existing Pricefx solutions and not creating the Pricefx solution from scratch.

• The customer is fully responsible for accomplishing all requirements and training to acquire the status of self-sufficiency.

• Once a customer assumes the tasks through internally trained resources, Pricefx is not liable or responsible for any damages that arise from actions from those resources.

• Shadowing, deep-dives, and mentoring of the customer resources must be planned and integrated into the project timeline (if the training happens during the active implementations) or discussed in advance to book time on the Pricefx side (if the implementation is finished).