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PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ILTA | SPRING 2017
by Sean Luman
THE ART OF
IMPLEMENTATIONS
The Purpose and Process
of Projects
Above All, Keep the Purpose in Mind
For technologists, many times the questions of "how" and "when" overshadow the "who" and, most important,
the "why." One of the best ways to keep the purpose of an implementation in mind is to use a sound project
management (PM) methodology. The PM Bracewell uses comes directly from the Project Management
Institute (www.pmi.org). We're not all certified Project Management Professionals, but we follow some of their
methodologies. Having a standard approach to an implementation helps all of IT stay on the same page.
Starting a successful implementation should involve puing the terms of the project in writing. A good
project charter answers the questions:
» What problem(s) are we trying to solve and for whom?
» What is the overall objective?
The art of implementing new software and hardware can be hard to master, yet
most of us are tasked with this every day. Here are some basic but important
considerations to a successful implementation.
