Running Head: Collaboration System Implementation and Management Plan 1

Collaboration System Implementation and management Plan

LaRon Walker

Master of Information Technology and Internet Security

August, 2010
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ABSTRACT

Implementing a new collaboration system in any business can be challenging. Kucera Clothiers

have identified some of these challenges, and are concerned on how they will be addressed. Due

to this, they are inquiring as to how their organization goals and communication issues that this

technology will address, who the departments’ key players that will be part of implementation

and management of the new technology are, and what input will be required from these sources,

along with how developing this solution will be conducted. Along with this, Kucera wants to

know how and when the training of key users and all users will occur, how and when the new

implementation will happen, as well as the scheduling plan for system maintenance and

conducting periodic audits of the new technology.

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Collaboration System Implementation and management Plan

LaRon Walker

Master of Information Technology and Internet Security

August, 2010

Implementing a new collaboration system into the information technology infrastructure

of Kucera Clothiers is in line with their key organizational goal of improving communication

throughout their company. By implementing a new collaboration system via hosted services

provides external access to network resources, as well as a central place where information can

be shared and easily accessible. This will help in ensuring all employees within Kucera are

informed in real time when new information is introduced, or information changes. With this

new strong means of communications in place, the potential for vital information being lost or

communicated incorrectly will be decreased. The system maintenance including upgrades,

patches and periodic audits will be conducted by the hosted service provider. This solution will

help control the flow information, which in turn will help control the scope and costs of all

projects, helping eliminate potential communication gaps that could determine the success of

other projects planned by Kucera Clothiers.

Before implementing this new collaboration system, a project plan must be in place. This

includes making sure each department is involved in the Systems Development Process. The IT

department should lead the project, and get the managers of each department involved who will

be using the new system to help coordinate critical dates throughout the implementation process
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of this new collaboration system. Despite this as being a critical piece of the project, end users

are the key players that will help determine the success of the system. End users can provide a

great amount of information to developers throughout the process of designing this new

collaboration system. Developers commonly look to end users to help with systems analysis and

design, testing, and implementing new systems after the systems are created. This information is

also used by management to develop a risk assessment of the project to analyze the impact it will

have on current business operations. Based on the article Project Risk Management Principles

(1996), the three elements of risk assessment are to identify uncertainties by exploring the entire

project plan and look for areas of uncertainty, analyze risks by specifying how those areas of

uncertainty can impact the performance of the project, and prioritize risks by establishing which

of those risks should be eliminated completely due to potential extreme impact to the business,

and those that are sufficiently minor.

End users can help provide information necessary to system designers to help define

system objectives, user information requirements, how information needs to be accessed and the

user interface including the ease of use to help drive the risk assessment. This is some of the

basic information needed by system designers to rationalize business processes and help

understand the work flow of the business. Using end user input can also help identify

technology challenges early on in the process, and help target areas in which user training will be

needed. This will help define and develop the training structure necessary for users that will be

required to obtain before the new system is implemented.

After the new collaboration system is developed, a prototype of the new system should be

implemented. This prototype system should be tested by small groups of end users from each

department to test systems before they are implemented to larger groups. This pilot group should
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test the new system for 6 months, meeting every week with the management staff assigned to the

project from each department, along with an external vendor specializing in training

development. The information shared from these meetings should be used to help design the

training curriculum. After one month of collecting this data, this outside vendor should start

creating the training content and training schedule. During the six month pilot program process,

the external vendor will adjust the curriculum using information provided throughout the

program.

In the last month of the pilot program, the department heads assigned to the project

should start communicating to their departments the training schedules for this new system. The

training will be conducted by the outside vendor who develops the curriculum. This training

should include e-learning modules that can be accessed from any computer, along with instructor

led training. This training schedule should be spread out over the span of one month, allowing

for flexibility of user schedules, as well as helping control the overload of information. After

users have had the training, they will be given access to the new collaboration system, and have a

one month grace period to start using the new system while still maintaining access to the current

systems in place. After this one month period, IT will remove access to all systems which are

not a part of the new system.

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References

Tusler, R. (1996). Project Risk Management Principles. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~rtusler/project/principl.html