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Note  This article describes a Project template. You can download this template by clicking the link in the See Also list in this article.

The objective of this template is to identify and correlate the activities required for the full project life cycle of an infrastructure deployment process. The template is designed to focus on the required steps and processes to successfully initiate, design, and deploy a new infrastructure.

Template design

The infrastructure deployment template defines the steps and dependencies within a project to initiate, design, and deploy a new infrastructure. The template can be scaled from a small simple product local area network solution to an enterprise wide area network. The template is based on a phased methodology, which uses phase completion milestones as a mechanism for reporting. It can be customized with additional milestones (milestone: A reference point marking a major event in a project and used to monitor the project's progress. Any task with zero duration is automatically displayed as a milestone; you can also mark any other task of any duration as a milestone.) and deliverables as appropriate.

Template organization

The template is organized into seven key phases: scope, analysis, design, budget, finalization/validation, deployment, and post-implementation review. Each phase contains the associated activities and their respective dependencies. The activities are generic and may require editing to fit your particular environment or methodology.

Scope

The scope phase of a infrastructure deployment project clearly defines the project's objectives. It also clearly identifies project sponsorship and core ownership. A clearly defined scope is imperative for any infrastructure process and will often actually define whether a project proceeds or is cancelled based upon its business value.

Analysis

After scope is defined and a project sponsor is identified, the project can continue with a more detailed yet still high-level analysis. The objective of this phase is to detail the current infrastructure and areas that require improvement and to identify sources to provide assistance in architectural, material, or functional design and products. It is important to note that the analysis is influenced by the current business goals and direction. This direction, in turn, may prioritize the sequence of infrastructure deployment. The conclusion of this phase ensures that those who have requested the development and the project team clearly understand the scope of the project and have obtained the necessary approvals to proceed to the design phase.

Design

The design phase of the project template is focused on the development of a preliminary design document that is approved before a detailed design document is developed. The final detailed design document ensures that business goals and direction are melded into the infrastructure phased-deployment. This document describes the detailed scope of the project and must be supported by the project sponsor before proceeding.

Budget

During the budget phase, a cost-spending model is created and approved that is in line with the business goals and direction and the overall infrastructure deployment. Whether it is a short-term or long-term infrastructure deployment, the budget must project financial impact over the life of the project. The budgeting phase can effectively show the project sponsor) the financial and business impact. The budget approval is key to continuing the project.

Finalization/validation

The finalization/validation phase ensures that the required resources (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.) are in place to deploy the infrastructure design. This team will finalize and validate the design in a test environment and coordinate efforts to ensure that the full life-cycle of the infrastructure build is successful.

Deployment

The deployment phase ensures that the infrastructure deployed and transferred to production efficiently. Technicians may join the deployment team may during this phase to make sure that the infrastructure remains stable during the creation and transition periods.

Post-implementation review

During the post-implementation review, information gathered from multiple sources during the deployment is used to effectively measure satisfaction of infrastructure users and provide for lessons-learned. The review ensures that future projects benefit from the lessons learned during this project.