PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Astute project management is key to a successful access platform conversion. Here are the major steps in project managing an enterprise Citrix Access Suite implementation:

  1. Identify a project manager.

  2. Put together a project management team.

  3. Create a project implementation plan.

  4. Prepare for implementation.

  5. Start the project.

  6. Provide user support.

  7. Measure success.

Identify a Project Manager

A dedicated and competent project manager is essential to a successful implementation. There should be only one manager for the overall project, and that person should have both the responsibility and the authority to keep it on track. Communication is key. The project manager needs to make sure that both good and bad news travel fast.

Caution 

Migrating to an access platform is a major IT project. Give this project the full attention of your IT staff, and do not run it in parallel with other IT projects.

Put Together a Project Management Team

Although one project manager should have overall authority, it is often a good idea to appoint a team to assist with the project implementation plan. An IT manager and a business manager are two key roles to help resolve problems and keep the project on track. Someone from procurement should be on the team along with experts in the various technologies that will be utilized. The executive sponsor should at least be associated with the team in order to lend his or her authority. It is important to include employees who are involved in the areas of the company that will be affected by the project. This provides two benefits: First, the team benefits from their expertise in the area in question. Second, the employees get to be involved in the change, and the hope is that they will be less resistant to it.

Control Project Change

Scope creep is highly likely in a large Citrix deployment. Users will often insist on accessing applications that were never included in the plan. They may insist that the project's viability in terms of meeting established performance and uptime SLAs as well as projected ROI targets hinges on these additions. The ability to rapidly deploy an application in an on-demand access environment is one of its strongest selling features, yet the application implementation is a detailed process requiring extensive preliminary testing. A change control process is essential for keeping the access platform project on track.

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Change Control Process

Change requests range from minor, such as a user's request to continue accessing his local C drive, to major, such as a demand to host a DOS application that is known to have problems running under Windows 2003 Server. Because you are implementing a central processing environment, all changes to the design plan should be approved by the project manager and recorded. Changes that will affect the project budget or schedule may require additional approval.

Consider, for example, a request to add an application to the Citrix Presentation Server environment during the server farm rollout phase. This requires that the rollout be postponed while the new application is thoroughly tested in conjunction with the other hosted applications. All affected parties and stakeholders require notification of the rollout postponement. Once the new configuration proves stable, a new server image disk needs to be created, and the server rollout begins again. Since this seemingly innocuous change can have broad implications, not only for the project time and budget but also for many users, it is probably appropriate to have the business manager and the IT manager sign off on the change along with the project manager.

Change Control Guidelines

Changes should only be made when required by stakeholders or when circumstances cause a significant deviation from the project design plan. The reasons for all changes should be documented along with any changes to the schedule or budget that result. We provide suggestions for testing procedures and change control in Chapter 13.

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts are inevitable in a large project. A Citrix access platform will demand IT resources that are already likely to be in short supply. Some users will be frustrated at a perceived loss of personal flexibility. Many users consider themselves IT experts and will disagree with the technology or the way it is deployed. Conflicts should be quickly referred to the project manager for resolution. Approaches to solving the problem include

  • Ignoring the conflict Sometimes it is better for the project manager to simply ignore the conflict if it is not likely to have a big impact on the project or is likely to resolve itself.

  • Breaking up the fight This approach is useful if both parties are stuck in an argument. The project manager can interfere in order to take the energy out of the argument.

  • Compromising Compromise may be required at times, such as allowing a user who was scheduled to be entirely "thin" to run in hybrid mode. Keep in mind, though, that any nonstandard implementations detract from overall project efficiency and organizational computing effectiveness.

  • Confronting This approach involves getting all parties together to work out their problem in an environment promoting conflict resolution.

  • Forcing a resolution Sometimes the project manager must use his or her authority or the authority of the IT manager or the business manager to mandate a resolution. This method should be used as a last resort.

Create a Project Implementation Plan

An enterprise access platform project starts with a project definition document that states the goals, scope, roles, risks, success criteria, and project milestones. The project design plan then lays out the specifics of the major access platform components . A project implementation plan is the third step in this process. While the project planning document provides a roadmap for implementation, the project implementation document covers the project management aspects of migrating to an access platform.

Project Constraints

The project implementation plan must be created with regard to time, money, and people resources. Identifying these constraints will help determine how to apply corporate resources to the project. The following table indicates that management has decreed the Citrix implementation be done quickly:

 

Most Constrained

Moderately Constrained

Least Constrained

Time

X

   

Budget

 

X

 

People

   

X

Time is the most important element, while human resources are less constrained. Since time has the least flexibility, internal resources need to be diverted to the access platform project, while funds also should be used to bring in outside consultants and perhaps implementers.

Another constraint is user satisfaction. Users can make or break a Citrix implementation, and they are likely to resist the change if no preparatory work is done. It is therefore essential for the project manager to keep the users in mind when designing the project plan. The objective should be both to minimize disruption in user operations and to generate enthusiasm among users for the new on-demand access paradigm.

Define Your Plan

Your plan will take shape as you define the major elements of implementation. Consider timing, key milestones, and budget, and communicate the plan to everyone involved.

Project Timing Time is invariably the most constrained resource, and it is often not the most visible to participants . Clearly communicating the timing of the project's phases will help to convey the appropriate level of urgency.

Key Milestones Identifying key milestones enables participants to easily measure progress. Stakeholders should be involved in defining milestones. The milestones can provide a chance for the team to pause and ask, "Where are we and how far do we have to go?" They can also provide an opportunity for positive communication to the stakeholders and the company at large when they are reached on time and on budget.

Estimated Project Costs and Cash Flows Defining the broad budget for the project conveys the significance of the resources being expended. It also enables appropriate stakeholders to measure expenditures against it.

Implementation Strategy There are certainly many different ways to implement Citrix Access Suite. Providing a summary of your strategic approach will help eliminate confusion and uncertainty.

Upside and Downside Potentials Any new IT project has risks as well as potential rewards. Upside potential in this environment can include many unexpected results such as increased sharing of best practices among previously isolated corporate divisions.

Likely Points of Resistance with Strategies for Overcoming Them

Potential technical, financial, and political roadblocks should be listed along with approaches for resolving them. For instance, if employees in a particular remote office are determined to keep their own file server and LAN, a strategy for a phased implementation in their case might be appropriate.

Technical Challenges Terminal Services is an evolving technology. Technical challenges will be present in every large enterprise rollout. Identify any problem areas that could jeopardize customer satisfaction with the project. Set action plans for resolving technical challenges.

Identify Unresolved Design Issues Some design parameters will remain vague prior to the project implementation. These questionable areas should be referred to experts to help eliminate any confusion or uncertainty.

Define Project Roles

Define the roles and responsibilities of staff members during the project implementation. Some of the roles you might need to define include project management assistance, teams for implementing enterprise Citrix Access suite migration, procurement, wide area network implementation, bandwidth management facilitation, and storage consolidation. If using an integrator or consultants, define their roles, responsibilities, and tasks as well. These may be limited to consulting, or they may include project management or hands-on implementation.

Manage the Tasks

Projects are broken down by tasks that can be defined as a unit of work that is important to the project completion. Tasks can also include related subtasks . Assign managers to each task and set performance SLAs. For instance, one task may be to order an ATM link to the data center by a certain date. The SLA may be to order all data lines and equipment on or before the due date.

Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Tasks need to be organized into logical milestones, sequenced , assigned, associated with necessary resources for their completion, and communicated to team members. The WBS is a standard method of organizing project tasks in one of two formats: either an organizational chart with each box listing tasks, as shown in Figure 10-1, or an outline WBS, as shown in Figure 10-2. The outline form tends to work better for projects with many layers of tasks. Both techniques show the different levels that are required and include subprojects or milestones, major tasks, subtasks, and minor tasks.

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Figure 10-1: Organizational chart method of work breakdown structure (WBS)
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Figure 10-2: Outline method of work breakdown structure (WBS)

Develop a Project Schedule The key is to find ways to schedule parallel activities in order to complete the project within the allotted time frame. Building an on-demand architecture is somewhat akin to a construction project. The most common scheduling technique in this case is the critical path method (CPM), which uses historical data to estimate task durations.

Coordinate Tasks In a large enterprise project, different elements of the organization will require coordination between them. Assign specific managers, as necessary, to ensure this coordination takes place. For each task it should be clear who has ultimate responsibility for its completion. Though several people may contribute, only one person can be responsible. This is the person whom the project manager will rely on for communication on the status of that task.

Define Project Documentation Detail how the project will be documented for IT staff, managers, and end users. This documentation should conform to the communication plan described later in this chapter. It should include documentation about the data center configuration as well as about equipment and data lines at each remote office.

Establish an Internal Marketing Plan Formulate an internal marketing plan, as described in Chapter 1. Identify points of resistance in the organization and establish action plans for overcoming them.

Preparing for Implementation

Organizational preparation for the project implementation should start with a word from the executive sponsor. Surveys can then be distributed in order to more precisely define the project tasks. Ordering lines and equipment is the next step in preparing for deployment of implementation teams.

Announce the Project to the Organization

Announcement of the project should incorporate sponsorship statements from key corporate executives and give all employees a clear vision of what is coming, what it will look like, what to expect, how it will benefit them and the organization, and how it will affect their daily work. At ABM Industries, the vice president of MIS created a "Back to Business" video that emphasized Citrix's ability to eliminate much of the futzing that PCs tend to foster. By mixing humor with a description of benefits, ABM created an extremely effective marketing tool.

Executive Mandate

Although we put a lot of emphasis on selling the project to users, an executive mandate is still required. A formal letter should go out from a high-ranking executive, preferably the CEO, telling all managers and users that the organization will undergo a migration to an access platform. It should emphasize that this is an organizational initiative and that everyone is expected to make it work.

Surveys

The distributed nature of a client-centric environment means that many organizations, particularly larger ones, do not have a good grasp of the exact equipment and applications run by users. This is especially the case with remote offices or where managers have had the authority to purchase their own hardware and software. Creating surveys for both users and remote offices will enable the project manager to assess the true environmental condition and make appropriate ordering decisions. Even organizations with an existing network management system (NMS) in place often find that the inventory capabilities are not accurate enough to rely upon. In such cases, the inventory report from the NMS can be used as a basis for the survey, and then the user representative for the site can be asked to correct the report.

WAN Survey If the existing WAN infrastructure does not provide adequate connectivity to all remote offices under Terminal Services, a site survey should be completed at least 60 days before the installation in order to allow for bandwidth upgrades. This timing is crucial due to the inevitable delays caused by the local and national exchange carriers . A user count and printer count (including types of printers) will help determine the type and size of bandwidth connection to each site. Including the address and ZIP code helps the WAN team decide whether certain technologies, such as a DSL connection, are viable options.

LAN Survey Make sure the LANs in the selected remote offices are ready for a transition to on-demand access. For example, daisy-chained hubs that might have worked in a PC-based computing environment can kill Presentation Server sessions. This is because users often have at least one more Ethernet hop to the data center server backbone that may be enough to exceed the IEEE Ethernet standard. Another example is a poorly performing server that may have problems when the implementation team tries to copy data from it. Such problems can also give the field deployment teams a "heads up" for what equipment they might need in order to migrate local desktops and servers. For example, if the LAN backbone has problems, the field technician might plan on bringing his own hub to connect the server to the deployment PC with a CD-RW drive to pull the data from the server.

Application Survey Despite the best efforts of the planning committee and despite any company policies that are created regarding the Citrix implementation, some users in remote offices will nearly always have local applications that they insist are required for them to do their job. It is far better to learn about these applications ahead of time in order to make appropriate accommodations for them as part of the implementation design process.

Note 

In the infrastructure assessment phase described in Chapter 4, we discussed the importance of learning everything about an application before hosting it via Citrix Presentation Server. This rule must still be followed even in the sometimes-unwieldy arena of remote office migration. We learned this the hard way. In one implementation, we came across many custom-written applications utilized in remote offices. Most were written in Microsoft Access and easily migrated to on-demand access. At one site, however, we migrated an application to the corporate data center and were told it no longer worked. After extensive debugging, we asked the user for more information. The user replied, "The application never really worked, but I thought that it might work once you moved it."

Printer Survey An accurate count of the number and type of printers and print servers will help determine the type and size of connection required to each remote site. It is also important to determine any printers required apart from users' default printers. Printers that are not going to be supported as part of the access platform should be eliminated. The implementation team can bring new printers with them to replace the unsupported units.

IP Address Survey It is important that the IP addresses are managed across the enterprise. Whether this is done manually or by using management software, the point is that the lack of a workable scheme can cause a lot of system administration overhead and confusion. If such a system is not in place before the Citrix project, consider using the project as an excuse to put one in place. If the new Virtual IP Address features of Presentation Server 4 will be used, the Virtual Address space must also be considered in the overall plan.

PC Survey Determining the condition of each user's PC may aid a decision about whether to replace it with a Windows terminal. Create criteria for determining whether a PC is compatible with the on-demand environment. This might include having an existing network interface card (NIC), having an existing desired local operating system, or being within a certain number of years old.

User Survey Complete a user survey at least two weeks before installation to allow enough time to order and ship required equipment as well as to set up the user accounts. This survey should cover all relevant information about each user, including whether the user requires access to only approved applications and whether the user's existing machine meets the on-demand environment standards. The survey should also measure users' satisfaction with the existing computing environment in order to establish a baseline for judging the success of the on-demand environment once implemented.

Order Equipment Equipment must be ordered for the Citrix implementation as well as for any upgrades to the existing infrastructure.

Equipment Purchase Lead Time The surveys will show the existing type and condition of the equipment at headquarters and at remote offices. Order new equipment required for the installation a minimum of two weeks beforehand. This is necessary in order to stage the equipment prior to a large rollout. If you are rolling out 2,500 Windows terminals to remote offices, for example, the logistics become daunting in terms of delivery confirmation, asset tracking, and shipping.

Asset Tracking System It is important to have some type of asset tracking system in place in order to record the equipment ordered and where it is deployed. If your organization does not yet utilize one, the Citrix project is a good time to start. Ideally , the system would be accessible by the field deployment technicians so that as they deploy each user, they can enter that user's equipment information directly into the system.

Remote Office LANs Remote offices may have inadequate hubs or even lack a network altogether. Order any hubs, switches, network interface cards, print servers, and cabling to be put in place ahead of the migration team. If you are ordering for many remote offices, order four weeks ahead of time to allow for staging and shipping.

Personnel Resources

Necessary personnel must be identified for both the upgrades and the actual project implementation. For instance, later in this chapter we describe the composition of the implementation teams. Decisions need to be made about the number of technicians required to migrate users at headquarters and at all remote offices. While the actual migration time for a user in a remote office can often be kept down to about an hour, travel and logistics make a four- hour average estimate more realistic. The time, money, and resource constraints will determine how many technicians are assigned to the project.

Infrastructure Upgrades

In Chapter 4, we discussed the importance of doing an in-depth infrastructure assessment. The project management team needs to review that assessment again, factoring in the results from the surveys. Deficiencies in the network infrastructure that were tolerated in a client-centric environment are likely to be disastrous once users depend upon the corporate data center for all of their processing. Any infrastructure deficiencies must be resolved prior to the access platform migration. Both equipment and human resources must be secured for the upgrades and for the project implementation.

Data Center Upgrade The data center often requires upgrades such as implementing a gigabit switching solution or a new firewall to enable secure Internet access. These projects require planning and implementation before the enterprise rollout.

Network Backbone Upgrade One way to think of the Citrix Presentation Server farm is as if it were actually hundreds or thousands of PCs. The backbone infrastructure, therefore, needs to be both very fast and reliable. Examine the existing backbone carefully using a network analysis tool, if necessary, in order to spot any deficiencies. Any problems must be fixed before the beta implementation.

Network Operating System Upgrades Some organizations take the opportunity during an enterprise Citrix Access suite implementation to either upgrade or migrate their network operating systems. This should be treated as a separate subproject , and the migration or upgrade should be completed before the enterprise Citrix Access Suite rolloutideally, before the beta. Attempting to do this project concurrently with an enterprise Citrix implementation leaves far too many variables to troubleshoot in the event of problems. It can have another undesirable side effect: users who experience problems related to the change in operating system or infrastructure may think that the Terminal Server or Citrix Presentation Server software is responsible.

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We found that Citrix can easily become a lightning rod for blame. If, during a thin-client migration, users suffer from infrastructure or other problems completely unrelated to Citrix, they still are likely to think it is the cause. Perhaps this is just a case of transference, but the remedy is clearly to minimize potential problems by not trying to do other IT projects concurrent with a Citrix implementation.

Sean Finley, Assistant Vice President and Deputy Director of Electronic Services, ABM Industries

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Data Center Storage The project design planning document will include the selected storage medium at the data center, whether NAS, SAN, or general-purpose file servers. The surveys will show the amount of hard drive storage currently required by users and by remote office servers, enabling ordering of the appropriate storage for the data center. Of course, user and remote office storage requirements for Presentation Serverhosted applications can be ignored. Significant economies of scale are obtained by centralizing all data storage instead of requiring a surplus for each user. As a result, the requirement for central storage will be less than the cumulative totals of existing distributed hard drives .

Wide Area Network Upgrades The surveys will show the number of users per remote office, enabling decisions about how much bandwidth to supply. Some organizations will install their first WAN as part of the on-demand architecture. Others will upgrade their existing system, while still other organizations will add redundancy. In an ideal world, this implementation should be completed well before the Citrix Access suite rollout, but in practice it is often not possible. Allow 60 days for ordering and installing data connectivity lines or upgrades whether using a frame relay connection, a leased line, DSL, cable, or ISDN. Do not rely on your telecommunications company; follow up to make sure they are staying on schedule. Test the lines once they are in place before sending an implementation team to a remote office. Also test redundancy, even if this is just a dial-up to the data center.

Starting the Project

Establish a regular meeting schedule to review milestones and budgets . Work on the exception principle. Focus on what is not going according to plan. Fix it fast. Be prepared to add resources in order to meet the schedule. Issue a weekly list of targets and key troubleshooting assignments.

Maintain Quality and Accountability

Make careful and informed decisions about key equipment purchases or leases. System reliability should be a prime consideration in any enterprise project. Unreliable system elements can jeopardize overall system performance. Monitor all subcontractors and vendors to ensure that they are staying on target with their assigned tasks. Move quickly to correct targets that aren't being met.

Project Budget

It will be difficult to accurately estimate the budget required for a large Citrix deployment because of the tremendous number of variables involved. Fortunately, as described in Chapter 1, Citrix tends to save organizations so much money that even significant budget overruns would compare favorably with the client-centric alternative. Appendix B shows how to prepare a comprehensive financial analysis of on-demand access versus client-centric computing.

Budget Contingencies Management will want to see a budget and expect the project manager to hold to it. This is why it is important to build in contingencies for travel, cost overruns, and unexpected problems. It will sometimes be necessary to spend more than planned in order to achieve the desired results. It is also wiser to deviate from the budget in order to circumvent a problem before it becomes a crisis. Again, the vast savings enabled by the overall project should make this the wise alternative.

Budget Monitoring Tying the budget to the project milestones is a good method for monitoring progress and keeping expenditures on track. It also can provide stakeholders with a clearer example of benefits. For instance, a project milestone might be replacing 500 old PCs with new Windows terminals. The Windows terminals cost $400 each, while purchasing 500 new PCs would cost $1,000 each (including the extra installation PCs require). Offset the project budget at this point against the cost of purchasing new PCs and the cost of upgrading those new PCs in two or three years.

Communication Plan

It is essential to communicate about the project with users. We recommend over-communicating about the project migration parameters and expectations. Regular e- mails are certainly valuable . Prepare a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help inform users about their new environment.

Issue Regular Project Updates Relay the key achievements since the last update. Talk about the project status and where the project is going in the next period. Discuss what is required to ensure success. Part of the established communication plan should be to report on the project's progress to key stakeholders.

Handling Complaints Enhance the help desk department as explained later in the chapter. Enlist the aid of regional managers, if necessary, to help set user expectations during the implementation. Managing user expectations is something that should be done continuously during the process. This will decrease the number of calls to the help desk.

Publish Deployment News Use e-mail or an intranet to publish ongoing news about the migration. Let users know of potential bottlenecks or other problems before they take place. Share the wins as well. Publish user testimonials about the migration.

Deployment Guide Creating a deployment guide for implementation teams is discussed later in this chapter. In some organizations, users will be doing their own client setup. In these cases, the deployment guide can be of great assistance to them as well.

Customer Care

Providing adequate user support is essential to a successful enterprise deployment of Citrix Access Suite. Even though users may experience initial problems, they will have much better attitudes if they can receive prompt and competent help.

Enhance the Current Support Structure

Part of the infrastructure assessment described in Chapter 4 is an analysis of the organization's help desk methodology and escalation procedures. Once the enterprise Citrix environment is in place and stabilized, help desk requirements will fall. Not only does Citrix Presentation Server enable superior troubleshooting through shadowing capabilities, but also the number of problems will fall because the processing takes place centrally . During the implementation phase, however, the frequency of support requests will increase. In addition to the confusion and problems of implementing a new computing infrastructure, the help desk will, in effect, be supporting two environments during the transition. Be prepared to supplement the help desk with additional personnel during this period.

Establish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Establish and manage SLAs for the help desk during project implementation. Ensure that users receive the help they need to get them through the transition without frustration.

Support Processes Cover every shift and every time zone. A process should be in place, and the appropriate personnel identified, for escalating problems that are not resolved by the first-line support people in an acceptable time frame.

Virtual Call Center Create a virtual call center whereby any member of the implementation team can assist if required. Use help desk software to enable this collaboration among different individuals from different areas working on the same user problem. ABM Industries, for instance, wrote custom software in Lotus Notes that tracks every help desk request from initiation of the call to ticket closing. Any implementation team member can sort by user or by problem in order to more quickly troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

Triage Process Have a swat team available to go on-site to handle particularly tricky problems that surface during the implementation. Consider using outside experts for the swat team that have a high level of experience with Citrix software, Windows, and networking.

Status Reporting

The help desk should work in conjunction with the purchasing department and the project management team to give continuous status updates. These updates can take place through phone calls, e-mail, and an intranet. They should reflect user attitudes about the migration process in order for adjustments to be made.

Measure Success

Establish success metrics ahead of time and measure results against them. For instance, an SLA might be to enable users in remote offices to access their data within 24 hours of migrating to on-demand access. Measure and report the actual results of how long it takes users to gain access.

Use Measurement Tools at Milestones

Survey users at project milestones to measure their perceptions versus expectations. For instance, a project milestone might be to have all small remote offices online as Citrix users. Surveying users can reveal any problems with performance or reliability, which will enable adjustments to the design plan before proceeding to the next milestone.

Project Success on a Macro Level

On a macro level, metrics should include project performance against budgeted costs, estimated time lines and user satisfaction. Measuring success is discussed further in this chapter, under the section "Postproduction Management of the Citrix Access Platform Environment."



Citrix Access Suite 4 for Windows Server 2003. The Official Guide
Citrix Access Suite 4 for Windows Server 2003: The Official Guide, Third Edition
ISBN: 0072262893
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 137

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