Initiation, Planning, Testing, and Implementation: The Four Phases to the Upgrade

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This chapter presents a structured process for upgrading to Exchange Server 2003 and highlights some best practice recommendations to enhance the success of the project. The standard project management phases of initiation, planning, testing, and implementation can be used for organizations of any size . Between each phase is a "go/no go" step, in which the results of the phase are reviewed, and the decision- makers determine whether the project should move forward. Any problems that were encountered are assessed to determine whether they require attention before moving forward. This ensures that issues identified are addressed, rather than being overlooked, to inevitably crop up at the worst possible moment.

Documentation Required During the Phases

A number of documents are produced during each phase to ensure that it is well defined and ultimately successful. In the initiation phase the goals of the project can be identified and documented in a Statement of Work document. In the planning phase, more time and energy can be applied to detailing the end-state of the migration in a Design document. Although this document paints the picture of what the end-state looks like, the roadmap of how to get there is detailed in the Project Schedule and Migration documents. These documents are only drafts during this phase, because they need to be validated in the testing phase before they can be labeled "final."

The testing phase validates that the new technologies will effectively meet the organization's needs, and determines whether modifications to the project are needed. Any additional documents that would help with the implementation process, such as Server Build documents, Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery documents, and checklists for workstation configurations are also created during the testing phase. Finally, the appropriate Maintenance documents are created during the implementation phase. These phases and the documents to be created are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

The following list summarizes the standard phases of an Exchange Server 2003 upgrade and the standard documents created in each phase:

  • Initiation Phase Statement of Work document

  • Planning Phase Design Document Draft, Migration Document Draft, and Migration Schedule Draft (Gantt Chart)

  • Testing Phase Design Document Final, Migration Document Final, Migration Schedule Final (Gantt Chart), Server Build Documents, Migration Checklists, and Training Documents for End-Users

  • Implementation Phase Maintenance Documents

For smaller projects, not all of these items are required, but it's important to have each document created before it is needed, to avoid show-stoppers during the migration process. For example, having a Statement of Work document that is well constructed and agreed upon in the initiation phase will smooth the way for the creation of the Design document and Migration document. A detailed Migration Schedule Gantt chart facilitates scheduling of resources for the actual work and clarifies the roles and responsibilities.

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Unleashed
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Unleashed (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0672328070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 393
Authors: Rand Morimoto

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