Data Center Project Management: Key Components of a Success

1. Data Center Project Management Key Components of a Successful System

2. Data Center Project Management Without proper data center project management, a design/build project can experience delays, increased costs and frustrated team members. Regardless of project size, activities need to be structured and standardized so everyone is on the same page and the project outcome is predictable. Strong project management makes sure nothing slips through the cracks or any effort is duplicated.

3. Data Center Project Management When building or upgrading a data center’s physical infrastructure, project management provides the foundation for a successful result. Its purpose is to structure the project into phases, coordinate the work of the entire team and monitor progress. A typical team might consist of the end users, consultants, hardware and software providers, general contractor and more.

4. Data Center Project Management To streamline efforts, data center project management must focus on the following principles: Clear communication through a common language. To avoid miscommunication, everyone on the team must be speaking the same language. Using consistent and transparent terminology is an important aspect of keeping all team members at the same level of understanding. For example, special terms should be defined so the entire team knows a single meaning. And, management roles should be assigned names that reflect what they actually do on the team.

5. Data Center Project Management Proper planning typically involves the following tasks: • Determining appropriate systems availability levels. • Estimating cost exposures and risk levels. • Providing detailed site evaluations and selection processes. • Identifying potential weaknesses in backup programs. • Evaluating future expansion opportunities.

6. Data Center Project Management Identification and coordination of responsibilities. All team members must fully understand everyone’s roles and responsibilities. When it’s clear who does what, duplication of effort is eliminated. Also, potential conflict among team members can be avoided. Good data center project management accounts for every role and tracks progress on all assigned responsibilities. All activities are accounted for and monitored to avoid any balls being dropped. In addition, suppliers must be coordinated and dependencies noted. The delivery and installation of all equipment and services must be timed appropriately to avoid unnecessary delays.

7. Data Center Project Management Change accommodation. All data center project management needs to incorporate flexibility and procedures for change. With well-defined processes in place, changes can be handled without negatively affecting the overall project schedule, budget or quality. Basically, project management involves communication, planning, coordination and issue resolution. Data center project management is no different from managing any other project. It incorporates the crucial activities such as: • Project Budget • Project Scheduling • Available Resources • Scope of Responsibilities • Continuity Management • Change Management • Project Reporting

8. Data Center Project Management All activities associated with data center project management must be planned for well before the project begins. Responsibilities cannot be assumed. Instead they must be completely communicated, delegated and monitored. Because the project team in a data center build or upgrade typically is assembled from various organizations, it’s important the team starts from a position of complete and consistent understanding. In other words, the end-user customer, consultant, suppliers and other team members need to define project terminology and role assignments in the same way. The goals for every data center project management are the same: well-defined roles, specific responsibilities and consistent terminology.

9. Data Center Project Management Whether data center project management is done by the end-user organization or a consultant, the process and goals should be the same. The guidelines discussed above should be standard procedure and incorporated into any design, build or upgrade plan. With standardization and clear methodology, the project management efforts will establish lines of communication, reduce costs, improve quality, eliminate waste and speed the time to a successful project completion.

10. About the Author Arnie W. Evdokimo is Chief Executive Officer of DP Air Corporation, a leading provider of data center design, build and maintenance services based in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information about Data Center Project Management, visit http://www.DPAir.com today.