How to Plan

Don t laugh . Many IT project managers, executives, and professionals don t know how to plan. Oh sure, they think they do, but the reality is they don t. When these folks begin planning, their efforts consist of searching the Web randomly , leafing through vendor brochures , and chatting with other professionals about similar problems they ve encountered and how those problems were resolved. On the surface, this looks like a great effort. The Web, vendor brochures, and interviews are all essential elements to IT research. The trouble, however, is there s little rhyme or reason, little approach, and, most important, few results to show for the effort.

The goal of research is to come to a conclusion, a discovery, and hard- hitting facts, upon which a decision, a plan, or an implementation can be based. Now here is the key: good research stems from an organized, concentrated effort.

In order for projects to be successful, the project manager and the key stakeholders must know what it is the project will create. Often, especially in information technology, the customers of the project don t know what exactly your project will create. They may have a general idea of a scenario they d like for you to create for them. Through interviews, quantitative analysis, and in-depth research, you ll propose solutions to them.

When creating a solution for a customer, the project manager must have the same vision the customer has for the final product. While there will, no doubt, be iterations and revisions as the project progresses, it s better to understand upfront what the project deliverables consist of. Root cause analysis allows the project manager and the customer to work together to find the solution for the problem, opportunity, or other condition the project is to resolve.

When you go about researching anything, from real-time transaction servers to RJ45 connectors, you must possess a plan of attack, maintain laser-like focus, and document your efforts. How do you plan? Here is a sure-fire, six-step method that works:

1. Define the purpose of the research in writing. Writing a concise Concept Definition Statement of the project helps form the research you are undertaking. The Concept Definition Statement will help you develop the laser focus you ll need for success. Keep that statement in plain view as you research. Don t lose track of your purpose, or you ll meander through your research like a lazy walk in the woods.

2. Determine what resources you will use during this research. Make a list of avenues of information you ll utilize. This is not to rule out any possible source of information, but to list your sources and then organize them in priority. Sources can include:

   • Prior experience

   • Experience of others

   • Qualified, quality Internet sites

   • Specific trade magazines

   • IT books directly related to the topic

   • Vendor brochures

3. Delegate. If you have team members in mind for this project, use them to help in the research. You ll need their expertise and experience to develop the best solution for the project purpose. Break down your planning into multiple components and then delegate portions of the research to team members . Many hands may lighten the load, but accurate workers with knowledge develop the plan.

4. Get to work. Begin reading, evaluating, and taking notes on your discoveries. If you use the Internet, bookmark useful pages you ve found. Few things are worse than knowing there s a great page out there somewhere, but you can t remember when or where you saw it. Record the books and magazines you ve used and associated page numbers . This supporting evidence will help you later when you formalize your project plan.

5. Organize and document. Compile all of the information you and your team have gathered. This is the start of a feasibility plan. One key management skill is the ability to organize and recall the needed information at notice. A knowledge management system is ideal for any project manager.

6. Evaluate and do more research. Once your research has come together, determine if the collected data answers the research purpose. If it does, move on. If it does not, continue to research following these same six steps as your guideline.

This method of research is simple and direct, but will produce results. One key element is time; don t get bogged down in the research process. Of course, quality takes time, but set a deadline to reach step 5. As you can see in Figure 2-1, the steps to successful research also follow a projected timeline.

Figure 2-1: Time management is crucial to effective research.

Creating a Feasibility Plan

A feasibility plan is a documented expression of what your research has told you. It helps you determine the validity or scope of a proposed project or a section of a project.

Feasibility plans are often written with upper management in mind, so they re direct, organized, and generally factual rather than opinionated. As you approach your project, keep in mind that the goal of any IT project is not technology for technology s sake, but to add value to the company. The feasibility plan determines if the proposed project can feasibly be accomplished.

As you draft the feasibility plan, think like an executive and write with the business in mind and how the proposed technology will benefit the company. If you approach any project as if it is a business venture and you are the proprietor of the business, you ll be much more successful in your work. As the project proprietor, you assume ownership and responsibility of the project and its success or failure.

Begin Writing

To begin writing the plan, refer to the Concept Definition Statement you used in the research phase. The Concept Definition Statement defines why you initiated the planning process and should reflect the proposed project. As Figure 2-2 demonstrates , the statement is the foundation of the feasibility structure.

Figure 2-2: The Concept Definition Statement is the foundation of the feasibility plan.

For example, suppose an international company is investigating implementing a new, to-be-determined application that will need to manage multiple calendars, resources, and e-mail. The company s Concept Definition Statement at the start of the research reads as follows : To determine the selection of a calendaring system that can provide resource management, e-mail, and workgroup collaboration, the application must be proven, able to integrate with our current network operating system, and address international time zones. This purpose statement would introduce the feasibility plan.

The feasibility plan is broken into five sections:

• Executive summary

• Product

• Audience impacted

• Financial obligations

• Recommended action

Each section is vital to the study and should be direct, full of facts, and provide references to the historical information and supporting evidence you ve used to create the plan.

Executive Summary

At the start of the feasibility plan should be an executive summary, the purpose of which is twofold: to draw the reader into your findings and to define the key points of your plan. As its name implies, it provides a summary of your findings so the entire document doesn t have to be read. It should include a summation of each of the remaining sections in your plan.

Product

The product section describes the benefits of the technology you ve investigated and are recommending . For example, the international company seeking the calendaring system may include in this section ABC Server and the ABC Calendaring client software work together to provide a calendaring system that can be shared among all users. This client-server package allows for public and private calendars, free time lookups, room and resource reservations , e-mail, and international time zone calculations. In addition, the software allows application developers to create workflow applications, collaboration, and Web integration. Our current network operating system can be integrated with this solution. For this company, the ABC Server and client software is a logical solution as it meets every requirement of the Concept Definition Statement.

You should write the product section to pinpoint the audiences impacted by the proposed technology. The product section may also include

• Differences between the recommended product and a competitor

• Support for the recommended product

• How the recommended product may dovetail with the current technology

• Vendor history

• Other companies that have successfully implemented the product

• Any shortcomings or risks involved with the proposed product

Audience Impacted

The feasibility plan should address issues concerning the users who will be affected by the implementation:

• How much downtime will the audience experience because of the implementation?

• What is the learning curve of the new software?

• Will training classes be needed for all users?

• How will the recommended software transfer or work with your company s existing technology?

• How long before this software will be upgraded again?

• How long before it will be retired , obsolete, or no longer supported by the company?

Also in this section of the plan, you need to mention how the technology will be implemented. Consider if a portion of the company switches to the new technology before other parts of the organization. Will the technology have an impact on work and communication between the two parts of the company? How long will the technology implementation take?

Financial Obligations

This section of the feasibility plan provides an overview of the cost of the technology rather than a full-blown budget (Chapter 4 will detail budgets ). Consider these factors:

• The price of the technology product

• The necessary licenses

• Training the implementation team

• Cost of labor to create or implement the solution

• Technical support from the vendor

• Outside talent and contractors to install the technology

• Monthly fees that may be associated with the technology (for example, service-related fees such as those for using a Tl line)

• Also consider the cost of not implementing the solution

The financial obligation section can also include return on investment (ROI) analysis. You should demonstrate how the technology will increase productivity, be easier to use, increase sales, or other relevant information. Of course, back your facts with references from your research.

Recommended Action

Within this section of the feasibility plan, you re ready to make your pitch for, or against, a technology to solve the problem. You should present a general overview of how the technology works, how it will be implemented, and what types of resources are required to make it work in your environment. You can also make a recommendation to investigate other options or newer technologies at this time ” just be certain to explain why.

The solution and actions you recommend must be in alignment with the project purpose. A recommended action must address and satisfactorily answer the purpose of the project. Consider the reasons why the project may be initiated, including

• To solve an existing problem

• To increase productivity

• To become more efficient

• To reduce costs

• To increase revenue

• To become more competitive in the marketplace

Now that you know the different parts of the plan, take a look at the executive summary of a sample feasibility plan in the sidebar, Executive Summary for Murray Enterprises. This company is considering replacing all of the current CAT5 cabling and upgrading its networks to something more current, faster, and reliable.

Executive Summary for Murray Enterprises

Written by Justin Case, IT Manager

Executive Summary     The purpose of this feasibility study is to determine the type of cabling and related network devices required to improve the speed and reliability of our current LAN.

As we ve all experienced , our current network is dated, sluggish , and unstable. A change of technology is required to increase the speed and reliability of our network.

• Proposed Technology: Install  CAT5E  cabling  for  our entire network.

• Install gigabit switches to segment and control network traffic.

• Upgrade wiring closet to gigabit equipment.

• Install 1000Base-T network cards in all compatible devices for faster throughput.

• Replace 850 PCs with new workstations that have gigabit compliant hardware.

Impact:

The change would affect all users. The new network cabling would be created and installed, while the existing network remains as is. The switch of the PCs to CAT5E-compatible NICs will happen by December 15. Users logon processes and usual workflow will remain constant, only the speed will be faster and more reliable.

Financial Obligations:

• The initial projected cost of the project materials: $11,400

• Cabling and connectors: $1800

• Switch: $1800

• Wall-mounted patch panels: $800

• 200 network cards: $5800

• Network installation kits: $1200

• 850 PCs will not be included in this budget but will be coordinated with normal operations.

Recommended Action:

Upon final approval, a project charter will be drafted and the team assembled . A plan of action will be created for the implementation. Upon arrival, the patch panels and switches will be installed and tested .

Cabling will begin at the top of the project. Next our team will complete the testing of the switches and network cards, and then connectivity will begin. No PCs in production will be connected to the new infrastructure until  the new technology has been proven reliable and passed a quality audit. The workstations in production will cut over to the new infrastructure in waves. Upon successful cutover of all workstations to the new infrastructure, the original CAT5 cable will be removed.

The entire feasibility plan should detail each component and why the recommendations are being made. In addition, the financial obligation section should name the specific parts recommended.