I am running for a new PM position and the projects to develope are within the IT Infrastructure area, although this was a usual work stream in the projects I managed, I wasn't managing a entire project just in Infrastructure therefore I would like to hear from you guys what would you say are common and specific risks and constraints to this kind of project, any advice and if anyone have a project schedule/WBS that can share to give me and idea of the tasks included in the project.
Jeffrey HarmaTechnical Project Manager| Plante MoranRochester Hills, Mi, United States
Maribel - additional information on the type of Infrastructure project would be helpful (network, mid-range, monitoring, install, decom, migration, etc.) for us to be able to provide specific advice. One general risk that I would point out based on my experience, is that your resources may be leveraged between operational support and project support, and operations will always take priority, meaning your scheduled project work will likely face delays and resource bottlenecks.
...
1 reply by Maribel Domínguez
Jan 28, 2020 11:52 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for your response. Unfortunately I do not know yet what type of projects will be, probably a range of different ones as you described since the role is based within the IT Department. Sorry I have no more details.
Regards,
Maribel
Maribel - additional information on the type of Infrastructure project would be helpful (network, mid-range, monitoring, install, decom, migration, etc.) for us to be able to provide specific advice. One general risk that I would point out based on my experience, is that your resources may be leveraged between operational support and project support, and operations will always take priority, meaning your scheduled project work will likely face delays and resource bottlenecks.
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for your response. Unfortunately I do not know yet what type of projects will be, probably a range of different ones as you described since the role is based within the IT Department. Sorry I have no more details.
Regards,
Maribel Saving Changes...
Infrastructure projects will often be more subject to challenges such as scalability or performance risks, integration or interoperability challenges and delays in procurement.
Kiron
...
1 reply by Maribel Domínguez
Jan 29, 2020 4:26 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Many thanks Kiron!
Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Risk of new infrastructure [Compute] not being able to support legacy software/applications!
Risk of key Subject Matter Experts not being available to execute the project.
Unable to port a legacy application over to virtual hardware from physical hardware
Storage and capacity risks
Vendor manpower availability risks
...
1 reply by Maribel Domínguez
Jan 29, 2020 4:28 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Thanks Deepesh, very helpful.
Saving Changes...
Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Two key areas I would raise are:
Vendor management - Usually in an infrastructure project you spend a lot of your time managing the vendor relationship. This is a very important aspect because infrastructure is at the bottom of the stack and is normally a major blocker i.e. if the infrastructure is delayed so is the rest of the project. And there is a fair chance that your deliverables will be subjected to additional legislation pertaining to trade agreements, import regulations, etc.
Non Functional Requirements - The bulk of requirements for an infrastructure project are non-functional or technical and this will make you very reliant on architects to ensure that things such as proper capacity planning are done.
...
1 reply by Maribel Domínguez
Jan 29, 2020 4:32 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Thanks a lot Anton, these helps a lot.
The vendor one and the impact on the overall project I have already considered, good to see I was going into the right direction!
Infrastructure projects will often be more subject to challenges such as scalability or performance risks, integration or interoperability challenges and delays in procurement.
Risk of new infrastructure [Compute] not being able to support legacy software/applications!
Risk of key Subject Matter Experts not being available to execute the project.
Unable to port a legacy application over to virtual hardware from physical hardware
Storage and capacity risks
Vendor manpower availability risks
Vendor management - Usually in an infrastructure project you spend a lot of your time managing the vendor relationship. This is a very important aspect because infrastructure is at the bottom of the stack and is normally a major blocker i.e. if the infrastructure is delayed so is the rest of the project. And there is a fair chance that your deliverables will be subjected to additional legislation pertaining to trade agreements, import regulations, etc.
Non Functional Requirements - The bulk of requirements for an infrastructure project are non-functional or technical and this will make you very reliant on architects to ensure that things such as proper capacity planning are done.
Thanks a lot Anton, these helps a lot.
The vendor one and the impact on the overall project I have already considered, good to see I was going into the right direction! Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Maribel. Personalmente manejo proyectos y programas de infraestructura desde hace mucho tiempo. Por ejemplo fuí el lider para Latino America del proyecto que movió un data center completo desde Mexico a USA en la compañía en la que trabajo. No puedo entregarte un schedule o WBS pero si te digo que son los mas "simples" de planificar. Por que´? Porque tenes entregables tangibles: servidores, redes, etc, etc. La parte complicada es la coordinacion de todos los componentes relacionados (como si construyeras una casa: primero deben estar los cimientos y luego podes comenzar con las paredes) sobre todo si, como me pasa a mi, tenes proveedores en el medio.
...
1 reply by Maribel Domínguez
Jan 30, 2020 8:35 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Muchas gracias Sergio por tú respuesta, esto me ayuda a hacerme una idea.
When you say IT infrastructure you could mean a lot of different aspects to IT infrastructure and accordingly the many different roles, responsibilities, type of suppliers and expect due date if you are talking about building and managing data centres. A lot of recent IT infrastrcture spending has been around managed/colocation date centres where before it was about putting fibre in the ground. Can you be more specific about where your budget allocation for IT infrastruncture is being focused on and your medium to long term IT strategy, This will have a huge bearing on task, deliverables and resources that are required.
Daire
...
3 replies by Daire Guiney and Maribel Domínguez
Jan 30, 2020 8:33 AM
Maribel Domínguez
...
Hi Daire,
Many thanks for your response, unfortunately I do not know exactly the types of projects I could be assigned to work on (I imagine different types) since this is a position for which recruiting process I am participating, so I wanted to get some insides before my next interview, I do understand my question needs to be a bit more specific although at this stage is not possible.
Regards,
Maribel.
Jan 30, 2020 1:51 PM
Daire Guiney
...
Dear Maribel,
Depending on the organisations structure you should be able to get some access to information about the current spend of your organisations IT budget for the financial year to date. It will look good in any interview you go to if you can give a breakdown of the spend and how you would see your role and approach going forward.
Daire
Jan 30, 2020 4:30 PM
Maribel Domínguez
...
That's great advice, really appreciate it. Thanks Daire!
By the way, I lived lived in Ireland for 5 years, I was living in Malahide, such a nice place and I meet really lovely people over the years, I do not miss the rain though, you know what I mean ??
