[934] in I/T Delivery
Windows 2000 Domains & Servers: October 2002 Delivery Report
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kerem B Limon)
Fri Nov 8 14:38:50 2002
Message-Id: <5.1.1.6.2.20021108143812.05b89080@po11.mit.edu>
Date: Fri, 08 Nov 2002 14:38:43 -0500
To: Delivery Process <delivery@mit.edu>
From: Kerem B Limon <kerem.limon@MIT.EDU>
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(correction to URL only)
Project Name: Windows 2000 Domains & Servers Delivery Project
Project Leader: Kerem B. Limon
Report Date: November 8, 2002 (for late September 2002 - October 2002)
Project Web site URL: http://web.mit.edu/windows-delivery/
Accomplishments in October:
- Met several times with project sponsors, stakeholders, supporters to
chart out project goals and objectives. Began work on the detailed project
work breakdown structure and phases.
- Sent out several communications out to the community, particularly:
- Delivery Project Announcement to ITPartners, ITAG, InfoSys, September
24, 2002
- Delivery Project Pre-planning Update to Infosys, October 23, 2002
- Delivery Project On-line Information Update, to ITPartners, WinPartners,
Infosys, October 28, 2002
(cf. project Web site)
- (Project Leader) responded personally to various community inquiries
following announcements.
- Presented a project overview at the ITPartners Fall 2002 Conference, to a
full crowd (very well received, according to community feedback). (cf.
project Web site)
- Acquired various Athena mailing lists, AFS groups, an Athena locker and
Discuss archives, tasked appropriately for tracking internal and external
communications, project progress, and for providing access to shared
information.
- Prepared and made live a preliminary iteration of the project Web site,
as promised, following the ITPartners Conference.
- (Project Leader) met personally with each prospective participant and/or
parties interested to discuss matches and potential roles on the project
team. Communicated with their superiors to secure various levels of commitment.
- (Project Leader) met with a Competency Group representative to assist
with team building efforts, managing team dynamics, resolving HR issues.
- Worked closely with the WinAthena Team to identify overlaps and
reposition resources appropriately to benefit both efforts.
- (Project Leader & WinAthena liaison) began participating in WinAthena
Team meetings and WinAthena Container Administrators meetings regularly.
- Worked closely with the parallel Windows efforts, including the following:
- Met with the Building 37 High Performance Cluster team and with the
assistance of Training & Publications (TPS), hired and tasked a new
technical writer dedicated to these two projects. Began discussions to
identify overlaps and common tasks to help lessen documentation load across
the two efforts.
- Met with the Professional Learning Center (PLC) team and charted next
steps in their WinAthena and separate Windows 2000 Domain pilots.
- Checked in with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and Biology
WinAthena efforts through WinAthena Container Administrators meetings and
through project leads in these pilots.
- (Project Leader, one key DLC member, along with WinAthena and DITR
representatives) attended the Microsoft Exchange Conference 2002 in
Anaheim, CA. Attended various technical sessions on Windows Domains/Active
Directory, deployment/migration options and resources, installation
technologies, maintenance and update mechanisms, security issues and
resources, Exchange Server developments, and future development
directions/paths for many Microsoft products. Checked in with Microsoft
representatives, noted new directions in Microsoft's Windows, Windows
Server, and Exchange Server strategies, explored vendor offerings.
- Engaged several key project team members in the ongoing Microsoft Premier
Support Services (PSS) effort.
- Met and communicated with technical and sales representatives to MIT from
Microsoft and Dell to identify potential resources in further stages of the
project.
- Acquired a cost center and relevant financial resources related to the
project budget. Made preliminary allocations for project expenses and
particularly the technical writer position.
- Finished first draft of the Documentation Map and Training Strategy.
- Completed building the project team, including significant participation
from key DLC representatives and engaging various key IS colleagues and
groups across the organization.
- Met with the Network Security Team representatives to secure their
involvement/oversight in the project.
- Successfully held team kick-off meeting and re-examined the project
overview, established ground rules, and determined team logistics.
Scheduled weekly team meetings, commencing next week, Tuesday, November
12, 2002.
- Completed Project Leader transition to Delivery Process, with some
related administrative adjustments ongoing.
Goals for November:
- Finalize first version of the project plan and work breakdown structure.
- Commence community outreach with extensive in-person survey and analysis
of DLCs' Windows use and relevant needs.
- Redesign and finalize website and project team notebook.
- Finalize Documentation Map and Training Strategy.
- Begin development of Design Assistance & Review Team processes,
documentation, and supporting resources.
- Begin closer communication with ongoing pilot Windows efforts as well as
DLCs that have already moved/are interested in/constrained to urgently
moving to Windows 2000 Domain & Server platforms.
Next Community Milestone:
- Redesigned and finalized website and project team notebook. (ASAP)
- Completed in-person survey of DLCs and analysis of their Windows platform
use from server and client perspectives, key applications & services, needs
vs. wants. (December)
- Finalize and announce the initial Design Assistance & Review Team (DART).
(targeted for mid-January)
Issues:
- No major outstanding issues at this time.
Key Learnings:
- As per the preceding Discovery effort, community interest in and
following for the project remains very high. The ITPartners presentation
ran full-house (with overflow even) and there is solid, detailed, specific
feedback coming from various DLC representatives to this team. Part of that
feedback regarding the project effort itself is positive.
- The fact that this project is attempting to develop the necessary
resources, processes, and mechanisms to support Windows 2000 Domains &
Servers at MIT appears to be seen as a welcome (and overdue) gesture by
DLCs. The fact remains however that our effectively implying they will need
to hold off another 6-8 months is a concern we will need to address very
carefully in the coming months, especially in choosing pilots and test cases.
- We need to move aggressively and quickly on identifying our customer base
and audience in sufficient, relevant detail, in order to make proper and
realistic assessments of their needs, wants, and expectations, and
consequently tailor our offerings accordingly, however reasonably and
feasibly. Our outreach effort beginning immediately is the first step in that.
- There is a real need to negotiate those customer needs, wants, and
expectations in the face of available resources from IS. With the
significantly more complicated and feature-rich nature of the Windows 2000
technologies, it is crucial for our success to establish a common
understanding and reasonable expectations and responsibilities across
service & support providers in IS and their counterparts in DLCs, in both
directions. This is essential in preventing both sides from over-planning
and under-committing necessary resources. The Design Assistance & Review
Team is a key component of this attempt.
- The time is right to involve various peer-to-peer community support
organizations and user groups, such as ITPartners, WinPartners,
MacPartners, etc. in a more organized and connected fashion to 'extend' IS'
support into the DLCs and ultimately their customers. There is significant
first-hand experience within these communities, and a daily exchange of
useful information that is neither being effectively captured nor
extensively publicized when appropriate. As far as this project team is
concerned, these groups (of which many of the team members, IS or DLC are
active participants) represent a key link in reaching out to our community.
The project leader continues to remain in close conversations and planning
with Support colleagues from SWRT and Support HQ regarding these possibilities.
- This project has great potential for IS to "re-engage" DLCs, particularly
those who feel disenfranchised or disillusioned by IS' current (and recent
past) Windows NT 4.0 stance and overall Windows platform support. In the
same vein, this project represents a significant opportunity to help set
the tone of Windows support at MIT for the foreseeable future.
Team Dynamics:
- Excellent. Good rapport across various participants and openly expressed
eagerness to move forward.
Additional Comments:
- None at this time.
