• The establishment of the infrastructure required for deployment.
• The deployment of the new Windows 7 SOE onto the computers of the Closed Pilot’s participants. 
• The Closed Pilot participants using the Windows 7 SOE to carry out their day-to-day work with feedback being provided to the project team (User Acceptance Testing).
• The review of the feedback provided by the Closed Pilot participants.
• Modifications to the build and the deployment process as required from the review of the feedback.

 This controlled approach to deploying the new Windows 7 SOE significantly reduces risks associated with moving into the next phases of the project (Open Pilot and Deploy).   We expect to be able to start the Open Pilot next week.

• Shaun Duncan reviewing the outputs of the discovery phase in order to produce the Win 7 SOE and Configuration Manager detail design which is underpinned by best practices.
• Indentifying closed pilot participants. Often the closed pilot participants identified are generally ‘IT savvy users’ as the focus of the closed pilot is to establish the proof of concept. However we are also including ‘Non-IT savvy users’ as closed pilot participants, some of which also participated in the discovery phase.
• Shaun Duncan and myself establishing the approach for conducting the closed pilot.
• Discussions with S&P (Data#3’s IT Department) on their staff training requirements which will assist further on when the solution is handed over to the business.
• Discussions with Clinton Garbutt (Data#3’s Desktop Productivity Specialist) on the requirements for end user training.

We expect to start the closed pilot phase next week.  So I look forward to you checking in again to get an update on the progress of the closed pilot.

The purpose of this Phase was to qualify the project information and assumptions that may impact design and deployment. 

Some of the activities covered under this phase included:

• Shaun Duncan as the technical lead for this project collected and qualified information from Data#3’s System & Processes Unit (Data#3 Internal IT Department). Shaun Duncan also conducted reviews of the current desktop environment infrastructure in place.
• Assessment of Data#3’s maturity level in relation to the Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimization (Desktop Environment Specific).
• Identification of a sample group of end users to participate in information gathering under this phase. (These staff represented a cross section of Data#3).
• A Data#3 Business Analyst conducted interviews with the end user sample group to discover the end user requirements.
• The Data#3 Business Analyst reviewed the requirements of the end users against the User Categorisations for Desktop Standardisation based on Microsoft Standards.

The output of the Discovery Phase established the foundation for the Design Phase.

This blog will touch on a few of the Requirements, Objectives and Benefits.

Some of these Requirements, Objectives and Benefits are common under any standardised desktop environment deployment, regardless of what OS you use.  However others are specific to the new Windows 7 OS.

Reduce costs of maintaining the desktop environment.

• Increasing automation by removing manual tasks.  This will reduce the labour component and refocus support staff time on more important functions.
• Simplifying the build process and reduce the time required to rebuild a client computer.
• Simplifying the process for introducing new hardware models into the organisation.
• Reducing the level of expertise that is required to rebuild a client computer.
• Modular build process such that applications and configuration changes can be easily snapped in and out of the build.

• Ability to maintain applications on all SOE devices in the environment using a common tool.

• Providing the ability to trace the changes that have been applied to the build.

Standardised desktop that uses the latest technologies.

• Windows 7 is the most current Microsoft desktop operating system.  Windows 7 provides greater functionality to users and greater administrative control than previous versions of the Windows operating system.

Provided centralised administration for the desktop deployment process.

• All the components of the desktop deployment solution should be managed from a centralised location. This process includes the creation, upkeep, and distribution of the SOE images and applications.

User data protection during rebuilds.

• The ability to capture user settings and data will be provided. This process will be performed during the migration to the new desktop environment and for ongoing rebuilds of the new environment.

Provide users with a standard look and feel.

• The look and feel of the user interface should be standardized to simplify training and support requirements.

Improved life cycle of desktop hardware.

• Ability for Windows 7 to run on older (existing) hardware models.

Provide a robust and secure desktop environment.

• Incorporating user classifications.
• Direct Access feature which securely connects mobile workers to corporate networks without a virtual provate network connection.

 Improve the user experience with Windows 7.  A couple of the new benefits include:

• Speed is faster than Vista (for example, improvements in time to boot and shut down).
• Laptop Power Management – Longer battery life. 

 PredICTor uses a phased approach in which a number of quality checkpoints and milestones are achieved throughout the project lifecycle.

 The PredICTor phases are listed below.  My subsequent blogs will refer to these phases.

 PredICTor Phases:

Plan Phase

The Plan phase is divided into two distinct project phases:

•  Plan – Initiate
•  Plan – Discovery

Design Phase

The Design phase is divided into two distinct phases:

• Design – Design
• Design – Closed Pilot

Deploy Phase

The Deploy Phase is divided into two distinct phases:

•  Deploy – Open Pilot 
•  Deploy – Deploy

 Operate Phase

In my future blogs I will elaborate on what is involved under each phase.

I’m Trish Balsillie and have been with Data#3 for over four years now.  I am currently working in the Data#3 Project Management Office as a Project Manager.  My job involves managing IT projects for our customers, along with Data#3 internal IT projects  - which brings me to why I am here…

Data#3 has decided to create a new SOE for their desktop environment and I have been asked to manage this project. 

In the past I have been involved in the project management of SOEs and MOEs for our customers but what makes this project extra exciting is that we will be using the new Windows 7 as the operating system.

The project is called the Win 7 Deploy Project and I, along with my colleagues, will be blogging here about our experiences of the project.

My blog will take you through some of the project objectives, project benefits, progress updates and details on any challenges we may face. 

So please check in every now and then so I can share with you my Windows 7 experience.

Talk soon.

Trish