Identifying the Business Goals and Objectives to Implement Windows Server 2003

It is important to establish a thorough understanding of the goals and objectives of a company that guide and direct the efforts of the different components of the organization, to help ensure the success of the Windows Server 2003 project. It may seem counterintuitive to start at this very high level and keep away from the bits- and bytes-level details, but time spent in this area will clarify the purposes of the project and start to generate productive discussions.

As an example of the value of setting high-level business goals and objectives, an organization can identify the desire for zero downtime on file access; this downtime could be facilitated through the implementation of the Distributed File System (DFS) technology or the Windows Server 2003 Volume Shadow Copy technology. So starting with the broad goals and objectives will create an outline for a technical solution that will meet all the criteria the organization wants, at a lower cost, and with an easier managed solution.

In every organization a variety of different goals and objectives need to be identified and met for a project to be considered successful. These goals and objectives represent a snapshot of the end state that the company or organization is seeking to create. For a smaller company, this process might be completed in a few brainstorming sessions, whereas larger companies may require more extensive discussions and assistance from external resources or firms.

High-Level Business Goals

To start the organizational process, it is helpful to break up business goals and objectives into different levels, or vantage points. Most organizations have high-level business goals, often referred to as the "vision of the company," which are typically shaped by the key decision makers in the organization (such as the CEO, CFO, CIO, and so on); these goals are commonly called the "50,000-foot view." Business unit or departmental goals, or the "10,000-foot view," are typically shaped by the key executives and managers in the organization (such as the VP of Sales, HR Director, Site Facilities Manager, and so on). Most organizations also have well-defined "1,000-foot view" goals that are typically very tactical in nature, implemented by IT staff and technical specialists.

It is well worth the time to perform some research and ask the right questions to help ensure that the networking system implementation will be successful. To get specific information and clarification of the objectives of the different business units, make sure the goals of a technology implementation or upgrade are in line with these business goals.

Although most organizations have stated company visions and goals, and a quick visit to the company's Web site or intranet can provide this information, it is worth taking the time to gather more information on what the key stakeholders feel to be their primary objectives. Often this task starts with asking the right questions of the right people and then opening discussion groups on the topic. Of course, it also matters who asks the questions, because the answers may vary accordingly, and employees may be more forthcoming when speaking with external consultants as opposed to co-workers. Often the publicly stated vision and goals are "the tip of the iceberg" and may even be in contrast to internal company goals, ambitions, or initiatives.

High-level business goals and visions can vary greatly between different organizations, but generally they bracket and guide the goals of the units that make up the company. For example, a corporation might be interested in offering the "best" product in its class, and this requires corresponding goals for the sales, engineering, marketing, finance, and manufacturing departments. Additional concepts to look for are whether the highest-level goals embrace change and new ideas and processes, or want to refine the existing practices and methods.

High-level business goals of a company can also change rapidly, whether in response to changing economic conditions or as affected by a new key stakeholder or leader in the company. So, it is also important to get a sense of the timeline involved for meeting these high-level goals.

Note

An example of some high-level business goals include a desire to have no downtime, access to the network from any of the organization's offices around the world, and secured communications when users access the network from home or a remote location.

Business Unit or Departmental Goals

When the "vision" or "50,000-foot view" is defined, additional discussions should reveal the goals of the different departments and the executives who run them. Theoretically, they should "add up" to the highest-level goals, but the findings may be surprising. Whatever the case turns out to be, the results will start to reveal the complexity of the organization and the primary concerns of the different stakeholders.

The high-level goals of the organization also start to paint the picture of which departments carry the most weight in the organization, and will most likely get budgets approved, and which will assist in the design process. Logically, the goals of the IT department will play a very important role in a network operating system (NOS) migration project, but the other key departments shouldn't be forgotten.

As an example of the business unit or departmental goals for an organization, an HR department may typically influence the decision for right-to-privacy access to core personnel records. Or a legal department may typically influence security access on information storage rights and storage retention.

If the department's goals are not aligned with the overall vision of the company, or don't take into account the needs of the key stakeholders, the result of the project may not be appreciated. "Technology for technology's sake" does not always fulfill the needs of the organization and in the long run is viewed as a wasteful expenditure of organizational funds.

In the process of clarifying these goals, the features of the network operating system and network applications that are most important to the different departments and executives should become apparent. It is safe to assume that access to company data in the form of documents or database information, and to communications tools such as email, faxing, and Internet access, and to the vertical market software applications that the company relies upon will affect the company's ability to meet its various business goals.

The Sales department will most likely have goals that require a specific client relationship management (CRM) application as well as access to key company data and communications tools. Likewise, the Finance department will have applications that track specific AR and AP information and that most likely tie into applications used by other departments. The IT department will have its key technologies that support the applications in use, store and maintain the company's data, and manage key servers and network devices.

It is also worth looking for the "holes" in the goals and objectives presented. Some of the less glamorous objectives, such as a stable network, data recovery abilities, or protection from the hostile outside world, are often neglected.

A by-product of these discussions will ideally be a sense of excitement over the possibilities presented by the new technologies that will be introduced, and will convey to the executives and key stakeholders that they are involved in helping to define and craft a solution that takes into account the varied needs of the company. Many executives look for this high-level strategy, thinking, and discussions to reveal the maturity of the planning and implementation process in action.

Note

An example of some departmental goals include a desire to have secured storage of human resource and personnel information, 30-minute response time to help desk questions during business hours, 24-hour support for sales executives when they are traveling, and easy lookup to files stored on servers throughout the organization.