Lifting the veil of the unpredictable.
When you’re looking at you Gantt charts hanging up on the wall, how accurate are they? For most project managers the answer is simple, they’re as current as the last progress meeting.
IT projects can be a bit of a challenge. You start with a plan, but once the action starts, the unforeseen often moves things out of your control. When the unexpected occurs, deadlines get moved, costs escalate, and new project starts are delayed.
Laying the foundation for accurate project planning.
No project will ever be completely free from the unexpected. However, the number of disruptions can be reduced when you start with an accurate project plan. To fully scope your project, you need access to accurate data.
What information do you need to get started, to allocate the right resources and to generate a realistic timeline?
Staying in control.
Once the project starts, how can you stay on top of the progress you’ve made? Stand-ups are nice, but you don’t want to have to wait till Friday to find out where you stand.
Getting started.
The information described below is useful for almost every IT project, but imagine you want to upgrade to Notes 10.0.1.
First things first. You’ll need to know the size of the project. Who needs upgrading? What software version are they currently using?
In MarvelClient Essentials (MC Essentials) you easily access this information in near real-time with a couple of mouse clicks.
Start the software and look at the top of the left-hand column. Be sure you can see àConfig. Just below Welcome!, you’ll see <<<Charts>>>. Clicking here will give you easy access to powerful graphical information.
How many different versions of Notes are currently installed?
To ensure a smooth upgrade to 10.0.1, it would be a good idea to make sure everyone is starting from the same base installation.
How about operating systems?
Are all your operating systems supported by Notes 10.0.1? If you’re not running Windows 7 or 10, you’re out of spec.
Anyone running Macs out there? You’ll need an appropriate software version for them.
What hardware are your users running?
Do your end users have the capacity to upgrade?
Do they have all the computing power they need to run the latest versions, or do you first need to do some upgrades?
Got clients at more than one location?
If you’re an organization spread across multiple locations, you’re going to want to know where the installations need to take place.
Realtime information at your fingertips for all your IT projects.
You’ve seen how easy it is to get accurate project information using MC Essentials. From here on out, you’ll be able to plan more effectively and stay up to date.
Got any questions?
Read the other posts of the series as they are published:
Getting Started with MarvelClient Essentials
