Project - Rebuild Head Office Network

I was hired into the company as a software developer, working to extend the life of a Engineering Configurator that generated the majority of the company's revenue. In the short time I had been working at the company I had recognized a sustained high level of technical support calls (10 to 15 calls a day, taking 15 minutes on average to resolve), and in investigating the reason came to learn that:

• technical support and computer provisioning had been performed by an individual who tried his best but lacked proper training and experience
• the computing network was relatively new but suffered from: improper server and computer configurations, poorly configured software, lack of standards (different software used, different operating systems), improperly configured network folder share, failing backups, and slow network speeds
• all of the manufacturing computers had been provided by contractors who were supplying computers suited for home use, which were failing and causing the manufacturing lines to be down for days
• the user community had lost faith in the computing systems and had grown frustrated with the complexity of, what should have been, the performing of simple tasks like printing and file access
• Executive Management had grown tired of the complaints and the expense, and was moving towards the elimination of all computers from the company except for those required by accounting to use the MRP system

In speaking with Executive Management I disagreed that general data processing velocities would remain as high without the aid of computers, but was denied permission to perform a time study. So I interviewed each member of the user community during my breaks. Using open and frank dialogue, I understood almost every user as agreeing that computer aided processing was superior, and noticed most were happy to demonstrate the problems they faced. With this limited information I swayed Executive Management's decision, and was asked to create an action plan and supporting budget. I presented a requirements document, action plan, and budget, and gained approvals to proceed with the plan across two stages.

Immediate Goals:

• increase user productivity and office moral
• reduce technical support requirements and support time spend by 75%
• improve the stability and availability of the network, servers, and desktop computers
• ensure proper backups
• improve manufacturing up time
• to only need to provide nominal training to the users

My plan was to:

• upgrade the Unix server to the latest operating system patch (reduce downtime and having new ability to store files from Windows based computers)
• alter the Unix server's hardware and software configuration (improve backup reliability, improve security, speed up network transactions)
• standardize on Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Windows 95 (users can easily share files and everyone uses the same interface)
• eliminate the file sharing and printing software that had been prior used (reducing complexities and saving on licensing fees)
• replace all computers used in manufacturing (increase uptime and reduce concerns over unexpected downtime)

By project's end I had met all of the goals:

• user productivity increased significantly
• the 'ripple effect' caused some workloads to be reduced by half
• the customer service team was able to be more proactive with the customer base
• technical support requirements fell by 99.8% (one call a week)
• network, server, desktop computing, and manufacturing computers were more reliable and had a higher uptime
• files were now being properly backed up
• only one person needed training on Windows 95 - no other training was required as users performed the same operations with less steps required
• costs were kept within budget
• the network was more positively viewed by the user community
• every user was happy that their work required less effort, raising office moral

As well the following additional benefits:

• managers were able to performance manage their teams with greater precision
• I identified software vendors that had been billing for software licenses yet only providing illegal copies, and was able to obtain legal copies from Microsoft
• we were able to take advantage of Microsoft MOLP licensing, reducing costs and returning us to compliance
• we were able to identify defective cable drops that had not been detected due to improperly functioning operating systems
• I created Asset Replacement Plans, enabling the company to more accurately forecast recurring costs and time asset replacements

Shortly following the success of this project, it was easy to gain approvals to:

• introduce print servers (using some old desktops) on the network, which:
• simplified printing (users no longer had to constantly choose between using dot matrix or laser printers on their computers)
• MRP documents were no longer being lost due to their having been printed to a computer that was not turned on
• review all telecommunications contracts and billings:
• I cancelled un-used telephone lines and technologies, reducing costs by a third, and obtained vendor rebates
• retired an aging, obsolete telephone answering system
• engage Bell Canada on the replacing of the 250 line pair running into the demarcation point:
• recognized an increasing number of complaints regarding dropped calls and line noise during phone calls
• worked with Bell Line Technicians to determine that the cabling was older, had been damaged, was often submersed in water, and had a high service rate
• contacted Bell Canada, and moving through the Bell Canada hierarchy was able to reduce the deployment time line of new cabling by over a year
• there were no additional costs to the company, call quality was raised, and faxing was more reliable
• replace all cabling and network drops not conforming to standards
• increasing uptime and reducing on support calls