3rd in the Series "A Guide to Selecting the Right Technology Rollout Company for Your Project"
Nationwide Rollout and Global Technology Deployment Internal Resources Requirements
A Concert Technologies White Paper
Executive Summary
Nationwide rollouts and global technology
deployments are complex projects that require expert management of people and technology. A
project's success is as dependent on the internal resources that deploy it as the technology
installed. An inexperienced Project Facilitator
or overburdened Project Manager can easily
become overwhelmed -- which can cause
massive repercussions that inevitably translate
to increased costs or delayed implementation
for your project.
As the third in our series, this paper continues
the effort of providing information that enables
you to evaluate a deployment company and its Technology Rollout System intelligently so that
you can realize the most cost-effective and time-efficient
project deployment.
What are Internal Resources?
Internal Resources consist of both the human
and the technological elements that work in harmony to accelerate deployment times and
enhance the efficiency of any nationwide or global rollout. This paper explains:
- The Role of Internal Resources. Examine the importance of Internal Resources and the part they play in the evaluation of a Technology Rollout System.
- Rollout Delivery Team Job Functions. Discover which job functions are critical to deployment efficiency.
- The Ideal Rollout Delivery Team
Configuration. Learn which Rollout Delivery
Team Configuration expedites deployment
processes and guarantees measurable quality.
What Are the Benefits of Experienced Internal Resources?
When experienced people and well-established technologies are part of a proven Technology Rollout System, the benefits include:
- Lower project costs
- Accelerated implementation time
- Enhanced communication flow
- Reduced customer management effort
- Improved scalability and flexibility
- Guaranteed quality
About This White Paper Series
In our first two white papers in this series, we explained the Technology Rollout System and its first two parts, the Process Structure and Rollout Services Model. This third white paper examines the critical role of a technology rollout company's Internal Resources for your nationwide rollout and global deployment projects. For the purposes of this paper, the following definitions are used:
Technology Rollout
Consists of (a) multiple sites (b) requiring technology services (c) implemented by onsite field technicians.
Customer
The organization or individual that engages the technology rollout company.
Additional terminology definitions (such as Rollout Categories) are defined in the first white paper in this series.
Note: While the information presented in this paper is applicable to all Rollout Categories, it primarily focuses on Category 1 Rollouts (work at each site consists of one day or less).
Additionally, this paper assumes that the previously established ideal parts of the Technology Rollout System are utilized:
- Centralized Single-Tier Process Structure
- Rollout Services Model employing the Local Multi-Service Deployment Method
To download any of our White Papers, visit us online at: www.concerttech.com
"Greatness has a much to do with organizational processes and structures as with staff talent. Effective organizations amplify the talents and capabilities of individuals and teams, while ineffective organizations mute them."
- Jordan, Tom, Building a Process-savvy Organization
Quality Internal Resources are invaluable to
multi-site nationwide or global rollouts. These
resources are defined as the technology rollout
company's human and technological elements.
They must work synergistically in order to provide
effective rollout services. Internal Resources are
the third component of the Technology Rollout
System and are described in detail in the
following pages.
How This Information Benefits You
- Minimize project costs and time by understanding how a deployment company's Internal Resources affect the speed and efficiency of your technology rollout.
- Establish criteria for the Rollout Delivery Team by examining the critical jobs involved in managing deployment services.
- Determine the right Rollout Delivery Team Configuration for you by understanding the key advantages and disadvantages of various configurations
Internal Resources Overview
The technology rollout company's Internal
Resources consist of people, internal operations,
network infrastructure, software, training and
company culture. Quality resources can yield
customer benefits such as real-time project status reports, minimized administrative time
and costs, and convenient asset management
and recovery.
While there are numerous possible variations
within the Internal Resources function that impact
important areas (such as scalability, employee training, network and software backup and
redundancy, and disaster recovery contingency
plans), this paper will focus on summarizing the
Internal Resources' basic workflow as performed
by the Rollout Delivery Team.
"A deficient or ineffective management team can
be more harmful to the integrity of your business
than a computer virus."
- Allbusiness.com, create a Winning Management
Team
A well-qualified Rollout Delivery Team working
within a system of methodologies is critical to
the success of a nationwide or global multi-site
technology rollout. Originally described in our first
white paper as part of the Project Management
component of the Rollout Services Model, the
experienced people on this team manage the
rollout processes that can make or break your
project. Because the Internal Resources can
vary from company to company, the following
information provides an overview of the Rollout
Delivery Team and the essential roles relating
to the execution of the project. For example,
billing management is a considerable aspect of
any nationwide or global technology rollout, but
is not included as part of the Rollout Delivery
Team.
The Critical Job Roles of the Rollout Delivery Team
The following roles are necessary to provide
the most efficient and cost-effective deployment
services available. Though the actual titles
of these key roles may differ depending on a
company's internal naming conventions, the
critical role they serve should be the same.
- Program Manager
The Program Manager has direct project knowledge and provides overall support and quality assurance to each assigned project. The Program Manager oversees projects to ensure they are completed to the customer's specifications. This position also guarantees a consistent level of expertise and speed for all projects.
- Project Manager
The Project Manager serves as the customer's single point of contact and manages all aspects of the rollout -- from interaction with
the customer to management of the Project Facilitators. There should be multiple Project Managers within a given rollout company's
configuration. This position should report to the Program Manager.
- Project Facilitator
Project Facilitators manage all aspects of the local site resources including scheduling, onsite job performance assurance, communication with each site's point of contact and interfacing with material management. There should be multiple Project Facilitators within a given rollout company's configuration. This position should report to the Project Manager(s).
- Warehouse Manager
The Warehouse Manager, supported by the warehouse team, is responsible for managing all equipment, materials and services required for each rollout including shipping, SLA warehousing requirements and configuration. A technology rollout company may elect to provide a separate operations unit for configuration services. The Warehouse Manager should report to the Program Manager.
- Technology Manager
The Technology Manager, with the support of their technology team, provides management functions for the Web-based Software
Application and electronic transfer of customer data. This position should report to the Program Manager.
- Partnership Manager
The Partnership Manager with support of the partnership team is responsible for the recruitment and quality of the partners utilized by the technology rollout company. This person should report to the Program Manager or Project Manager.
The Project Manager's goal is to free the
customer from having to deal with project field
operations and allow the customer to stay
focused on core project duties.
With this well-defined set of team roles, the customer can "do it all" by communicating solely
with the Project Manager. All other deployment
specifics, activities and communications are
carried out by the technology rollout company
(unless the customer wishes otherwise).
Internal Utilization of the Web-based Software Application
The Web-Based Software Application was
originally described in the first white paper in
this series. Though it alone is not sufficient to
manage a technology rollout, it does play a
critical role in supporting implementation.
A technology rollout company's core business is deploying multi-site rollouts on a daily basis. The Web-Based Software Application is a valuable tool to maintain a well-organized workflow and rapidly generate project reports.
For the purposes of this paper, we assume that this Application is well-established, proven and able to meet customer requirements.
Scenario: Internal Resources in Action
Consider how Internal Resources operate in the following scenario.
The following analysis explains how each role of the Project Delivery Team Rollout serves a critical function in the implementation of the technology rollout detailed above. It also examines the importance of the Web-based Software Application.
Rollout Delivery Team Configuration Comparison
"Critical Success Factors.....enthusiasm and
capabilities of deployment coordinators."
- Mark Honecker, OPNAV Innovative Processes & Tools
There are various ways a technology rollout
company can deliver your project out into the
field, but all Rollout Delivery Team Configurations
must be able to transfer each of the components
from the Rollout Services Model to the designated
areas of responsibility within the deployment
company.
Note: If a rollout company does not have a
Program Manager, Project Manager, Project
Facilitators, Warehouse Manager, Technology
Manager and Partnership Manager on the
project, the company's capabilities are limited.
These positions are critical to rollout success.
Additionally, note that the actual number of
Project Managers, Project Facilitators, and other
positions may vary from those indicated in the
Rollout Delivery Team Configuration Diagrams.
What are the Rollout Delivery Team Configurations?
|
"Good plans shape good decisions. That's why
good planning helps to make elusive dreams come
true."
- Lester R. Bittel, The Nine Master Keys of
Management
The following overview of the four Rollout
Phases is based on the "Internal Resources in
Action" scenario already discussed and explains
how Internal Resources are utilized within each
phase:
- Planning Phase
- Scheduling Phase
- Deployment Phase
- Project Close-out Phase
Phase: Planning
Any deployment starts with a Master Rollout
Analysis which includes determining project
requirements through discussions with the
customer. The initial project plan and schedule
is determined and often includes:
- Clarifying all required Rollout Services Model components
- Completing all required Component Templates
- Examining and defining all rollout reports and measurables
- Determining the requirements for a post project performance matrix
Additionally, the following should be completed during the Planning Phase:
- Project Input: All project information is gathered from the Master Rollout Analysis and entered into the Web-Based Software Application for tracking and workflow. This enables the Rollout Delivery Team to be flexible and quickly support any changes that occur throughout the project life cycle.
Phase: Scheduling
Once all jobs are reviewed and dispersed to Project Facilitators, scheduling of times and technicians can occur. This includes phone surveys and requirements-gathering for warehouse personnel if applicable to the project. During this period and throughout the rest of the project, customers should be able to review project details (dates, outstanding issues, etc.) of each site via the Web-Based Software Application.
Phase: Deployment
In this phase, all management and deployment requirements are met, including:
- Configuration and shipping of any required equipment by the Warehouse Staff to local resources
- Confirmation of technicians prior to site arrival
- Management, monitoring and support of technicians by Project Facilitators
- Circuit testing (if applicable) from the equipment through the newly installed demarc extension and to the carrier's network
- Equipment installation and testing
- Quality assurance
- Audits, including documentation
Site Close-outs
During multi-site technology rollouts, work at
each site location is started and completed
throughout the entire Deployment Phase. Each
site close-out requires these steps:
- All site requirements are met and confirmed by the onsite technician(s) and reported to the Project Facilitator before technician departure from the location
- The Project Facilitator evaluates the work and technician performance
- The site is marked completed and all appropriate information is recorded in the Web-based Software Application
Phase: Project Close-out
- When all work for the rollout has been
completed at every site location, the Program
Manager reviews the performance matrix
with the Project Manager to ensure all criteria
were met by the Rollout Delivery Team and
discusses results and lessons learned with
the customer.
- Billing
The Billing Department provides quality assurance for each completed order based on the requirements set in the billing component template and consolidates all invoices before submitting them to the customer. Although for the purposes of this paper the focus is primarily on the field aspect, billing is a considerable part of the rollout process and should be properly assessed as part of the evaluation criteria.
- Maintenance
In addition to future maintenance needs, the technology rollout company may be employed to provide redundancy for SLA requirements at specific sites.
By employing a Unified Resource Rollout Delivery Team Configuration, the technology rollout company can confidently provide flexibility, scalability and quality assurance for each rollout project. The Unified Resource Rollout Delivery Team Configuration is made up of proven professionals:
- The Program Manager, who is familiar with
the details of every rollout project, oversees
quality assurance and handles any concerns
beyond the scope of the Project Manager.
- The Project Manager has the necessary
support of Project Facilitators, warehouse
personnel and technology staff to effectively
provide rollout services.
- The Pool of Project Facilitators allows for
deployment volume increases versus other
configurations that do not provide growth
support.
- The Warehouse Manager ensures that all
rollout materials and equipment for each
site are delivered on schedule and meet all
necessary specifications.
- The Technology Manager accommodates
the customer's data transfer requirements
and supports the Web-Based Software
Application utilized for the workflow process.
- The Partnership Manager guarantees the quality and redundancy of all partnerships utilized by the technology rollout company.
Internal Resources are vital to technology
deployments on a nationwide and global scale.
An integrated and unified approach ensures
that each rollout is completed as efficiently as
possible.
Understanding how Internal Resources work
within the entire Technology Rollout System
enables you to make better decisions about
employing the right deployment company for
your project.
About Concert Technologies
This paper was authored by Dennis Mazaris, President and Founder of Concert Technologies. Since 1995, Concert Technologies has offered rapid delivery of multi-site, multi-service, multi-technology rollouts on both a national and global scale. Our Maestro Technology Rollout System®, the world's first unified system, is based on the proven methodologies that span our extensive experience of providing professional rollout services.
For more information:
Visit our website: www.concerttech.com
Contact Dennis Mazaris, President:dmazaris@concerttech.com
References
AllBusiness.com, Create a Winning Management Team.
Bittel, Lester R. (1972), The Nine Master Keys of Management, McGraw-Hill
Honecker, Mark, OPNAV Innovative Processes & Tools, Web Deployment Plan, PowerPoint Presentation.
Jordan, Tom, Building a Process-Savvy
Organization: Measuring and Improving your
Organization's Capacity to Design, Implement,
and Manage Effective IT Processes Amplifies
Your Staff's Talents, EDUCAUSE, EQ THE IT
PRACTITIONER'S JOURNAL 30(1) (2007).
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