Lab 3.5.2 Creating an Overall Project Goal
Step 1: Gather information about the company goals that this network upgrade will facilitate
Consider what FilmCompany sees as benefits that the upgraded network will provide to their business in
terms of their new stadium contract. These business benefits will not be the direct technical improvements
that networking technicians and engineers may see. A business manager does not necessarily see the
network in terms of bandwidth, latency, efficient protocols, or device operation. They are more likely to
consider issues of profitability, flexibility, customer service, and reliability.
As a network designer, you take into account all the information obtained through interviewing the company managers and key members of the staff.
a. Draft informal notes of what you consider to be the business benefits in this case.
b. Use word processing software to create a Project Goal document based on these notes.
c. Organize or group your informal notes and save these in your Project Goal document.
General headings could include:
- Financial goals
- Job management goals
- Customer communication goals
Step 2: Summarize important goals in a list
a. Examine the general goals recorded and summarize these as three or four key points.
1)
2)
Begin each point with a verb, such as Provide, Increase, Improve, or equivalent word. Try to include a measurable achievement if possible.
For example:
Provide the stadium with a broadcast-quality, 30-minute highlight video package within 3 hours of the conclusion of an event.
b. Save the list of important goals in your Project Goal document.
Step 3: Develop an overall project goal statement
a. Write a single statement that introduces the summarized important goals.
The proposed network upgrade will enable FilmCompany to increase its share of
the sports event video market through:
- Improved response times to customer requests
- Improved processing and delivery of video content across the network
- Improved communications access to customer facilities
- Ability for improved flexibility in meeting customer needs
b. Add this statement to your Project Goal document.
Step 4: Obtain agreement from the company on the project goal statement
FilmCompany has to agree with your assessment of the Project Goal before you proceed further with the
design. If this is agreement is not obtained, the network you design may not meet the FilmCompany overall business requirements. An agreement provides clarification and acknowledgement of why the upgrade is to occur and what it is to achieve.
a. Discuss your Project Goal document with another student and arrive at an agreed-upon Project Goal.
It may be necessary to amend the statement and important goals before agreement is reached.
b. Save your Project Goal document and retain it for the next stages of this network design case study.
Step 5: Reflection
Consider the issue of communication between the network designer and a manager of the company
considering an upgrade of the business network. The network designer is trained in network operation and performance and how to optimize network resources and technologies to best provide network services. To the manager, the network is only one of a number of business tools that the company may use. The business manager probably wants to improve profitability and sees an enhanced network as a tool to help achieve that goal. A business manager is not likely to relate to a goal that is expressed solely in technical terms, such as an upgraded LAN with higher bandwidth, less latency, and maximized server utilization. Although most designers may want to talk about network capabilities, the lifecycle approach is about customer requirements and enabling the business process.
Discuss some strategies that will enable clear communication between a network designer and a business manager so that the resulting Project Goal document represents business needs that ultimately can be met by a network design.
Mahasiswa yang tertarik untuk jaringan, termasuk komputer, sistem TI, dan teknologi, mungkin cenderung terlalu fokus pada aspek teknis desain jaringan. Pada tahap awal siklus desain, penting bagi siswa mengembangkan kesadaran tentang keharusan usaha yang akan meng-upgrade drive jaringan dari alam.
