Project Management Methodology

Transcription

1 IP OFFICE TECHS Project Management Methodology 1

2 Project Management: Our Methodology The majority of our medium to larger projects follow our proven Customer Focused Methodology. There are 12 phases of the process: 1. Definition 2. Survey 3. Design 4. Procurement 5. Staging 6. Pretest 7. Documentation 8. Installation 9. Training 10. Cutover 11. First Day of Business 12. Internal In this document, project phases will be defined. The order of implementation is important as each step is built upon the success of the previous steps. Phases 1 3 are done as part of our quoting process. We make sure by using all the resources at our disposal that the system we present to you is what you will end up with. Also during the quoting process an on site demonstration may be performed, while discussing the available features of the proposed system(s). 1. Definition This is the phase where the project requirements are received from the customer. Your IPOT Project Manager will further meet with the Project Sponsor and Stakeholders to further define the project, and present these in a formal written document called the Project Plan, for approval. If pertinent to the definition of the project, meetings with managers, customer's technical people, resources on the project, or an on site survey will be done at this time. Any documentation or user lists available from the customer will be collected and used in subsequent phases. A list of team members will be created showing contact information as well as roles within the project. 2

3 2. Survey A member of our technical staff will visit the site to check existing cabling infrastructure, rack space, Ethernet switches, environmental components, security and other pertinent elements of the installation environment. This report will be transmitted to the Project Manager who will then review with the customer if needed. 3. Design This is where we get to work. The sales staff will meet with the technical staff to translate the features, quantities and other business drivers to our technical staff who will develop a list of actual components and feature sets to match, while keeping in mind the phsical requirements of the installation. 4. Procurement Upon receiving the downpayment and signed quote (or PO) for the project, equipment is ordered based on results of the design stage. Once equipment arrives in our office, it will be inventoried and validated, backorders will be handled promptly and noted to stakeholders if any delay is likely. We source from multiple vendors and have some stock on hand so delays in procurement is unlikely. 5. Staging Core components are assembled and tested, any software updates and licensing are applied and initial programming is completed based on the customer questionnaire. 6. Pretest We will put the system through the paces simulating the customers actual system needs, making any programming adjustments as needed. Initial recording for auto attendants and key voic boxes will be recorded and tested by simulating incoming calls and checking the call flow to insure the system will handle calls as intended. 7. Documentation Specialized end user documentation will be created that will describe how to use the phone system as it is programmed for your company. Additionally actual phone device instructions will be collected and prepared for printing for your training class. 8. Installation Installation will be done in stages designed for your phone system size. We will begin installing racks if needed and preparing the site for the new gear. We will then mount the core components in the server room or other area, power them up and do testing. We will connect some phones locally and see that programming is ready to go, then a few hours before the 3

4 actual cutover (step 10 below) we will begin swapping out old phones for new at desks that are lightly used, general purpose phones, or where people are out or on vacation. VoiP phones will be put in line with existing computers. Users should be aware that they will need to allow the installer access for up to 10 minutes at each desk, usually only a few minutes. We cannot typically schedule exactly when the installer will be at each desk or cubicle. 9. Training After Installation but before the customer calls are routed into the new system, we will conduct training using one or more of the below methods based on the size of your company or the availability of your users: a. Train the trainer we will train a core group of managers or designated persons in various departments on live phones on the new system. b. Classroom training we will setup a conference room or similar space with between 4 to 8 phones installed. Two people will share a phone and participate in practice phone calls to eachother. c. Additionally there may be separate training for the receptionist and system administrator. The system administrator will be shown the basics such as name changes, button functions and password resets. For all training, handouts will be provided specific to the phone being used by the customer, and also a specialized document describing the usage of common features programmed that are unique to your company or system wide. 10. Cutover This is when the new system actually becomes live with customer calls and the old system is disconnected from the outside phone lines. During the cutover, both systems will be active for a brief time so that no calls are missed. This is why we can do cuts during the day. We then begin connecting new phones to the system in the order you specify, from busiest or most critical users to least critical. Typically the receptionist will have an old and new phone on their desk with both live, then we switch other extensions over next, such as executives, managers, and other mission critical personnel. If the new phones are VoIP based, and the old sets are digital, it is possible to have both phones live at each desk. In this scenario, only the phone line(s) need to be moved over for the cutover and the total move to the new system (at all desks) will be faster. 11. First Day of Business After implementation, we'll be there on the first day of operation, to see how the new system interfaces with real world calls and also to help your users get used to the new system. We may elect to have a separate help desk or phone line setup for end users to report questions or issues to. We'll fine tune the system under load and consider making changes after review with 4

5 the responsible party at your company. Users who could not attend training will be briefed either by our staff or someone previously trained in their area. First day of business usually is for the first 4 hours in the morning. 12. IPOT Internal Review A few days after the cutover, the Project Manager and other stakeholders will meet to review the performance of everyone involved in implementing the project. Any ideas for improvement will be reviewed, then considered for implementation, whether in our processes or in the programming of your system. Let our experience work for you! Other processes and documents that may be included in the project Other project documents may be included as determined by need: The Project Update If warranted, at key intervals as decided by the team, a Project Update will be created by the Project Manager and provided to people listed in the Roles and Responsibility Document outlined below. It is a high level overview, of what was completed during the current week, what is on tap for next week, any new issues, and resolutions to previous issues. For tasks listed, percentages are shown that approximate how much of the task has been completed. Color coding is used. The update is kept to about a page or two so that it can be quickly read and understood. Typically used for discussion points in regular meetings with team members and company manager sponsors. Also used by managers when unable to come to a meeting. The Project Plan This is the main living document in any larger formal project. The primary form in the Project Plan is called the Gantt Chart or Timeline. It shows tasks on the left and dates across the top. Each task is assigned a start and end date, resource, and dependency to another task. The Project Plan is reviewed and updated regularly. It is a powerful visual aid in understanding and discussing the inter relationship of tasks and people within a project. For smaller projects, a spreadsheet may be used for this purpose. Roles and Responsibilities A list of team members, both of the customer, our company and any related subcontractors related to the project will be created with name, company, phone number, cell, address, and role. The Project Manager will keep this list updated and distribute it to all team members and stakeholders. end 5