Migrate 2 New Technology

Build on existing knowledge to
upgrade or acquire skills in

response to new technology
The need to identify new technology 2
Sources for identifying new technology 2
Identifying the impact of new technology 4
Assessing the impact of new technology on the business 43
Skills for acquiring and implementing new technology 6
Technical skills 6
Interpersonal and psychological skills 6
Managerial skills 6
Summary 7
Check your progress 7
Reading: Build on existing knowledge to upgrade or acquire skills in response to new technology 1
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The need to identify new
technology
When a new technology emerges, IT professionals wait anxiously to see how
the technology could be used to enhance the current business functions.
There should be a good business case supporting any decision to integrate
new technology into a business. When a technology is used to support a task
that is not well suited for the functions and skill levels of the employees, it is
likely to be a waste of time and fail.
In the majority of cases, the lack of skills related to using and supporting new
technology hinders the migration into the new technology, causing missed
opportunities. Therefore, it is important for you as an IT professional to
upgrade your skills in response to any new technologies that are emerging in
the industry. Most new technologies require IT professionals and other
employees to upgrade or acquire new skills. This is critical to your survival
as an IT professional in today’s competitive environment.
It takes experience and persistence to find the right technologies to meet the
business requirements of an organisation. Your existing knowledge in the
area of investigation will help you to find the right solution to meet the
business needs of the organisation.
Lessons learnt from other similar implementations, experiences of other IT
professionals, and best practice amongst other similar national/international
organisations will give you invaluable knowledge and skills when
identifying new technologies for the benefit of the organisation.
We cannot predict the future with certainty. However, it is necessary to look
back, observe and learn from history when implementing new technologies.
Consider the development of personal computers in the past twenty years. A
trend can be identified in the physical features (size, look, colour), speed,
cost, power, storage capacity, communication capability, etc, as the
computers evolved over the years. Our past experience suggests that in the
next few years we can expect to see more powerful, faster, smaller, high
storage capacity and communication-ready computers.
In the last few years, attention has also shifted into mobile technologies,
multimedia communication (using voice, video and audio) systems and
wireless access methods.
Sources for identifying new technology

As an IT professional, you need be aware of the trends of new technology
emerging in the industry. The following are some sources amongst many
others that will keep you up-to-date with these changes.
2 Reading: Build on existing knowledge to upgrade or acquire skills in response to new technology
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Trade magazines
Trade and business magazines such as Technology and Business constantly
introduce IT professionals to new technologies.
The Internet
The Internet, giving access to World Wide Web, forums, newsgroups and
mailing lists, is also a valuable source of information about new
technologies.
Networking
Socialising with other IT professionals and joining professional associations
is also a good source of identifying new technologies available. Suppliers
and consultants will also keep you updated with trends and information
about new technology.
Formal training
Attending formal training courses will certainly expose you to new
technologies available by giving you an opportunity to identify new
technologies — not only through the content of the course but also by
getting an opportunity to network with other IT professionals.
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Identifying the impact of new
technology
New technologies are emerging in the market every day. It is important that
IT professionals are aware of how to identify new technologies that are
appropriate for their organization. If you decide to adopt these technologies
in your organization you will need to acquire new skills in response to the
new technology before successfully implementing it. IT professionals need
to follow a systematic procedure to identify the implications of the new
technology for all the stakeholders.
Implementing new technology means change. It is expected that the new
technology will make life much easier for users by providing better
mechanisms for performing and managing regular organisational tasks.
However, if we are to be successful in migrating to new technology then we
must anticipate how the new technology will impact all stakeholders. You
should also be mindful of the magnitude of the impact the technology will
have on the enterprise. Finally you must bear in mind that user (stakeholder)
acceptance is the key to successful implementation.
Assessing the impact of new technology

on the business
Gather information about the technology
 Talk to vendors and other IT professionals to learn as much
as possible about the new technology and other related technologies.
 Use IT magazines and other journals to learn about the
technology including legal and political impacts.
 See how this technology compares with the existing
technology to get an idea of the magnitude of the impact on the
organisational functions.
Gather information about the business strategies
Your choice of new technology should comply with the company’s overall
business strategy. The strategies of the business may promote or hinder the
application of new technology.
Identify the stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people who have a share or an interest in the business
and will be affected by the new technology. The acceptance of the new
technology into the organisation will be increased when you take the needs
of all stakeholders into account before choosing the new technology.
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Assess the impact on stakeholders
Assess not only the financial, educational and economic impact of new
technology but also the social, legal and political impact that new technology
will have on the stakeholders.
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Skills for acquiring and
implementing new technology
IT professionals must refresh their skills and use their existing knowledge
when acquiring and implementing new technologies. The following are the
types of skills essential in acquiring and implementing new technologies.
Technical skills
Once a new technology is identified, it is fundamental that you gain the
technical skills necessary before migrating to it. These technical skills may
relate to hardware, software, network, PC support or programming
knowledge.
Building technical skills is an ongoing and never-ending process for an IT
professional. While you rely on your existing technical knowledge to
identify new technologies, you would need to acquire new skills before you
can successfully implement a new technology into the organization.
Interpersonal and psychological skills

When implementing new technology, an IT professional must further develop
interpersonal and psychological skills, so they can deliver the new
technology in a user-friendly manner.
Interpersonal skills will be useful when you need to convey new information
to the people that would be affected by the technology. Psychological skills
will give you the ability to create harmony in difficult situations and promote
better acceptance of new technology.
As an IT professional implementing new technologies, you need to be skilled
in customer relations, oral and written communications, dependability,
teamwork and leadership.
Managerial skills
It is important that the IT professional be conversant in managerial and design
skills so that new technology is chosen and implemented in line with
business objectives.
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Summary
As an IT professional, it is vital that you have an awareness of the latest
trends and developments in the field of information technology. This
reading explored how to identify new technology and suggested various
sources that can be used for identifying new trends and developments. We
then discussed how to assess the impact of new technology on stakeholders
and the importance of ensuring their acceptance of it. Lastly, we highlighted
the need for IT professionals to use their existing knowledge to develop and
acquire new skills in response to new technology, and the types of skills
essential for successful implementation in line with the business needs of the
organisation.
Check your progress

Now you should try and do the Practice activities in this topic. If you’ve
already tried them, have another go and see if you can improve your
responses.
When you feel ready, try the ‘Check your understanding’ activity in the
Preview section of this topic. This will help you decide if you’re ready for
assessment.
Activity 1: Gain experience for new

projects
Name three ways an IT professional can gain valuable experience that
could be used in new projects
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Feedback
1. Learn from other similar implementations.
2. Share and exchange experience with other IT professionals.
3. Follow best practice examples among other similar national
and international organisations.
Activity 2: Keep up with new technology

List five ways to stay on top of new technology developments in the world
of IT.
| Print | Close |
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Feedback
1. Read trade and business magazines.
2. Use Internet resources, eg surf the World Wide Web and
subscribe to Internet discussion forums, newsgroups and mailing
lists.
3. Share experience and knowledge with IT professionals.
4. Enrol in formal training programs.
5. Join professional associations.
Activity 3: Assess new technology

How do you assess a new technology is suitable for your organisation?
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Feedback
1. Ensure that the new technology will cater for the current as
well as future needs of the business.
2. Check that the technology is cost effective. Consider the total
cost of the technology as well as the timeframe for implementation.
3. Check that the new technology is likely to be accepted by
most (if not all) the stakeholders. Listen to the stakeholders. Staff
affected by the new technology will need to have the basic skills to
use the new technology or the company’s training budget should be
able to fund the necessary training. The employees should be willing
to undertake the training.
Activity 4: Acquire new skills

Case study
Kline Pty Ltd has been selling taxidermy products for the past 20 years. This
has been a family business started by the late Mr Stanley Kline. Even though
the company has expanded worldwide, all sales and operations are still done
on manual systems. A number of employees started their employment with
the late Mr Kline and are still very proud of the way they do business at
Kline Pty Ltd.
You are the Technical Support Officer of this company — one of the recent
recruits hired by the new General Manager. You have already implemented
the local area network (LAN) that is currently used for printing word
processing documents and maintaining central control of data. You have
come across a great order processing system that would be beneficial for
your organization
What technical, interpersonal and managerial knowledge and skills
would you need to acquire in response to this new technology?
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Feedback
Technical knowledge and skills you’ll need are:
 familiarity with the functions of the software package
 knowledge of how the new system could be used with the
current LAN
 Knowledge and ability with any special data formatting needs
of the package.
Interpersonal and managerial knowledge and skills you’ll need are:
 written communication skills to create user documentation
and technical documentation of the new technology
 verbal communication skills to sell the new technology to all
stakeholders
 training skills
 IT implementation planning skills
 project management skills
 time management skills.
How would you acquire these skills?
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Feedback
 Obtain an evaluation package from the vendor and run a test
system before deciding to adopt the new technology.
 Attend IT seminars and exhibitions that highlight technical
features of products.
 Undertake formal training programs.
 Follow related articles in IT magazines and journals.
 Talk to IT managers who have implemented similar systems.
 Build on your existing skills that would have got you the job
in the first place.
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Identify appropriate business
use of new technology
Appropriate business use of new technology 14
Aligning business and IT strategies 14
Types of business technologies 15
New technology and your business 17
Understanding your business 17
Locating information 17
Business planning and IT solutions 19
Defining organisational needs 19
The product selection process 19
Matching solutions with strategic directions 20
Identifying appropriate new technologies 20
Evaluating and selecting new technology 21
Productivity and efficiency issues 23
Identifying and examining processes 23
Testing proposed solutions 23
Summary 25
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Appropriate business use of
new technology
We have grown to accept technological change. Unless businesses exploit the
advantages of the new technology, they will find that they can’t compete
with businesses that do. Consider the changes to our lives that have been
brought about by such things as telephone banking, the Internet, e-business,
email and so on, and the competitive advantages such changes have given
the organisations that implement them. Organisations need to be constantly
aware of current or emerging technology trends and directions in
information technology (IT). IT will continue to evolve and produce more
and more new technology. Many IT managers are very keen to embrace new
technology, anticipating better IT services for the organisation. However,
unless new technology is used appropriately, it may not bring the desired
outcome for the organisation.
If you buy a garment from a department store chances are that you can return
it if it is the wrong size or does not meet your requirements. Unfortunately,
this will not work the same way with your IT infrastructure. Let’s look at
the case where you bought five high-speed backup servers in order to
provide redundancy and distribute the load on servers. If all your five
servers are currently working at 15% capacity, the equipment that you have
purchased is not appropriate for your business. The idle resources are a
waste of money. Rushing to purchase new technology without prior
assessment of its appropriateness or relevance to organisational goals wastes
your organisation’s valuable resources and money. Your objective is to not
only apply new technology to solve the organisation’s problems, but to
employ it in the most cost efficient and appropriate manner.
Aligning business and IT strategies

In today’s competitive business environment, an IT manager should
understand the link between business objective, business strategy and IT
strategy. If your company is to get the maximum benefit from the new
technology, then the new technology must be properly aligned with the
company’s business strategy. Unless you align your IT services strategically
with the business, you will not have a case for management to invest money
in any new technologies.
All IT managers should understand that IT exists to support the business
objectives of the organisation and not the other way around. IT must support
the business goals in every service it provides. The IT department must
develop a vision and strategy to ensure that this is the prime focus of its
existence. Management must take all measures to ensure that information
technology is part of business strategy planning with a view to aligning IT
with the business strategies of the organisation.
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To ensure that IT is totally aligned with business objectives, IT managers
need to:
 Provide business-focussed leadership rather than technology-
focussed leadership. The IT leadership must be connected to business
management.
 Think about the impact of tasks on business as a whole rather than
provide solutions for individual tasks.
 Concentrate more on end-user experience with new technologies
rather than the technology itself.
 Focus on the business goals and let the technology follow.
 Play a strategic role in the future of the organisation.
The relationship between business objective, business
strategy and IT strategy
Business objective
A business objective is what the business wants to happen in broad terms. It
is best if there is some way of measuring it. Some examples are:
 Reduce operating costs by 2.5% per year.
 Get BAS ready on time every 3 months.
 Improve customer satisfaction levels by 10%.
 Process orders within 3 working days.
Business strategy
A business strategy is how the business objective will be met. Some examples
are:
 Automate a labour-intensive function.
 Implement an accounting package with BAS capabilities.
 Provide printed quotes over the counter.
 Implement an order tracking system.
Information technology strategy
IT strategy is about how IT will be used to support the business strategy.
More than one strategy may be identified. Some examples are:
 Switch to barcode-scanner checkouts.
 Modify existing accounting package and retrain users. Or, purchase a
BAS-ready accounting package.
 Build quotation report software. Provide networked PCs and printers
to front counter staff and train them.
 Purchase an order tracking module of the existing inventory software
and train staff. Or, purchase a stand-alone order tracking package and
train staff. Or, build custom order tracking software and train staff.
Types of business technologies

Production technologies
Production technologies include:
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 Technologies that boost, aid or enhance production/manufacture of
goods. Tools, machines and utensils used for production would fall in
to this category. The primary purpose of investing in these types of
technologies in business is to reduce costs, increase flexibility and/or
improve the quality of the product, such as machines that assemble car
components with greater precision.
 Technologies for the ‘production’ of technical services such as a
wide area network (WAN) and computer software development.
Automation
Automation technologies include:
 technologies that automate services such as payroll
 technologies that automate the tasks that are labour intensive or
dangerous, eg human-like machines (robots) to perform very specific
production tasks and point of sale terminals at a warehouse.
Technologies that improve services
Technologies that improve the quality of services will lead to increased profit
by drawing clients back for more service, eg more accurate diagnostics in
the medical field made possible by new technologies and automated patient
monitoring in hospitals.
Technologies in design
Design technologies include:
 technologies that are used to design or develop a new product or
service such as Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) and Computer Aided
Systems Design (CASD)
 technologies that promote innovation by introducing new, more
efficient, cost effective and improved quality services or products to
the consumer.
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New technology and your
business
New technology is used to enhance service, promote innovation, improve
communication and quality while reducing the costs, and increase
productivity and profits. The appropriate business use of new technology
should result in benefits such as:
 reduced costs
 improved quality of existing services
 existing resources being utilised to optimum capacity
resulting in better products and better ways of conducting business
 increased flexibility.
A new technology that does not lead to real benefits to the organisation
cannot be justified.
Understanding your business

To be utilised effectively, technology must fit with the users’ goals. It is no
good developing a database that manages stock when the requirement is for
a system that manages contacts of potential customers. To ensure that you
get off on the right track it is important to have an understanding of the
organisation’s business domain.
What is your client’s core business? What does the organisation set out to do
and what are the main activities it undertakes to achieve this?
Sometimes it is apparent what the organisation’s core business is, but it is
not always straightforward. How can you find out what an organisation’s
core business is?
Documents produced by the organisation such as mission statements,
strategic plans and organisational charts are usually a good source of
information for determining the organisation’s core business. A mission
statement states the main purpose of the organisation and usually
incorporates its financial, social and/or environmental goals. A strategic
plan defines how the organisation plans to achieve its goals, and includes
the activities it will undertake to achieve them.
Organisation charts can provide a graphical representation of the business in
terms of how it is organised to fulfil its core business.
Locating information
Where can you find information such as mission statements and organisation
charts?
Many organisations publish these documents and can provide them when
requested to do so. A source is the company’s annual report which may be
available on the company’s website. You can see examples of these
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documents on Global Platform website at http://www.globalplatform.org by
following the link ‘About Global Platform’.
Understanding an organisation’s core business is critical to understanding
how technology can help it. This includes organisational features and
functions as well as its structure. Certain organisational functions such as
purchasing, selling, marketing, production and warehousing are common to
many organisations. The control of these functions depends on the size and
type of the organisation. On the other hand, the organisation structure gives a
clear picture of how the organisation is managed and provides a picture of
the communication hierarchy. This information will be very useful when
planning for and implementing new technology.
An understanding of an organisation’s structure and functions, as well as how
they interact, is essential for the organisation to be efficiently supported by
available technology.
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Business planning and IT
solutions
To understand how the business planning process relates to the development
of IT business solutions, we must first define the organisational needs and
establish the business requirements.
Defining organisational needs

One definition of organisational need is a lack or problem that requires
actions so that organisational goals or objectives can be achieved.
Organisational needs are usually identified by the staff and/or the managers
directly affected by them. Often users express their needs in terms of the
hardware, software or services that they think are needed.
As a support person or an IT manager, you must determine the organisational
needs, and then use your expertise to match solutions to those needs. Often
those needs could be met with new technology, but you need to know how to
determine which type or feature of new technology will best suit the need.
The product selection process

The product selection process establishes a set of criteria that must be
matched by new acquisitions. The product selection criteria are drawn from
business requirements of an organisation. An organisation’s business
requirements will state high-level outcomes of any new technology. Often,
new business requirements arise when organisations experience problems.
This could range from the slow printing of invoices to poor response times
of an online accounting system distributed across nation-wide branch
offices. Problems are expressed in different ways by organisations, and, as
we mentioned previously, they can be found in documents such as:
 corporate mission or vision statements
 long-term goals stated in strategic plans
 product specifications from project plans and designs.
From these high level outcomes stated in the business requirements, a set of
criteria can be established for selecting any new technology that the
organisation will acquire. For example, the high level outcomes of the
business requirements could implicate all or any of the following criteria for
selecting the new technology.
Compatibility
New technology will need to work with existing hardware, system and
application software with minimum changes to both.
Interoperability
The new technology must be able to interoperate with the existing network.
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Maintainability
The current IT staff should be able to maintain the system even after the
introduction of the new technology.
Centralisation/accessibility
The new technology must be accessible by multiple users at various sites.
Security
The new technology must be accessed by authorised users only.
Ease of use
Existing users must be able to operate new technology with minimum re-
training.
Scalability
The system introduced using the new technology should be able to cope with
growth of the business, expansion of networks, and a growing number of
employees, etc.
Matching solutions with strategic

directions
IT staff are expected to have expertise in a range of IT products. Each support
section has standard products that it supports, but because of the diverse
range of offerings from vendors, there are usually more products than is
possible to fully understand and support. IT staff usually have the skills to
locate and interpret information about new technologies. However, standard
products cover most expected needs. This means that it should be relatively
easy to match existing technology to organisational needs.
Most large organisations have procedures in place to conduct feasibility
studies. By following these procedures, the technical, economic, legal,
operational and schedule feasibilities of applying new technology to an
organisational need can be assessed.
Strategic direction is something that is set by upper management. It refers to
the strategy the business will undertake to steer it through its planned future
course. In order to formulate a strategic direction, upper management needs
to take into consideration the current circumstances of the organisation. It is
very important that you get the right technology to match the company’s
strategic and technological directions.
To get maximum benefit from the new technology enhancements, you must
also carefully analyse the market needs as well.
Identifying appropriate new

technologies
Suppose you came across a new technology that most IT managers are
excited about. How would you evaluate whether you need to implement this
technology in your organisation? Remember that technology should be
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identified based on an organisational need and comply with the technical,
commercial and economic criteria of the organisation. Here are some
approaches you can use when selecting a new technology for the benefit of
the organisation.
 Get together with a team of IT professionals in your
organisation and put your heads together to identify a suitable new
technology that will help achieve your business goals.
 Horizon scanning — talk to your circle of friends or other IT
professionals. Browse through published reports. Read IT magazines
and the World Wide Web to identify new technologies that are
proven to be a success.
 Collective scanning — attend meetings of IT professionals
such as the Systems Administrator’s Guild to discuss their findings.
Evaluating and selecting new

technology
Usually there is a gap between what new technology promises and what it
actually delivers. This gap will be narrowed if you align the new technology
with current business needs and IT strategy of the organisation. Reducing
this gap will result in maximising benefits of the new technology.
How do you evaluate whether the new technology is successfully aligned
with the business requirements?
There are several tangible (eg cost savings) and intangible (eg user
satisfaction) benefits of implementing new technologies. These benefits will
give you an indication of how well the new technology is aligned with the
business objectives. Therefore, before new technologies are introduced, an
organisation’s management must agree on the performance indicators that
will help them calculate and measure benefits after implementation.
Assessing the appropriateness of a technology
This involves assessing the technical as well as economic features of the new
technology in the organisational context. It is important to obtain reliable
information about the new technology from various sources, such as the
Internet, consultants, colleagues and other IT professionals, IT supplements
of newspapers, magazines and trade papers, demonstration versions of
software and vendor catalogues containing drawings, designs and product
specifications. You can also ask for more information from vendors, visit
show rooms and attend product demonstrations, exhibitions and conferences.
You can use assessment tools such as an evaluation matrix to compare two or
more competing products. An example is given in Table 1 below.
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Table 1: An evaluation matrix
Business need and/or performance Product X Product Y
criteria
Economic factors
Capital required, fixed costs, variable costs,
impact on profits, etc.
Product/service efficiency
Does the new technology provide the service
or production more efficiently than the
existing system?
Interoperability, backward
compatibility
Is the new technology able to interoperate
with the existing network/system?
Maintainability by existing
personnel/training needs/ease of use
Effect on quality of service or product

quality
Effect on flexibility of service or

flexibility of production
Effect on labour/client relations

How does the new technology affect workers
and worker-management relationships?
Does it improve the client relationship with
the organisation?
Time required for implementation
Scalability
Can the new technology cope with growth of
the organisation?
Use a rating scale such as: 1 = poor, 2 = below average, 3 = average, 4 = good, 5 = excellent, to compare
alternative technologies.
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Productivity and efficiency
issues
Identifying and examining processes
Most organisational problems involve poor productivity and inefficiency. To
improve efficiency, you would need to look at processes linked to the
problems and examine the volume, rate and quality of the output of such
processes.
Once the processes have been identified, you’ll need to identify measurable
outcomes for the processes. That way you can evaluate the output before and
after introducing the new technology.
Testing proposed solutions

When processes that are linked to an organisational problem have been
identified, you will need to construct tests to measure outcomes. The
simplest form of testing is to note the presence or absence of an outcome.
However, tests for enhanced productivity and efficiency require examining
pre- and post-implementation effects of new technology. Statistics collected
before the application of new technology can be compared with those
collected after.
Problems arising from customer dissatisfaction can be hard to measure
directly, unless you conduct a survey. However, there could be a cause to
reduced levels of customer satisfaction, such as late delivery of goods or
slow processing of claims. In the case of goods delivery, you could measure
the time taken to receive an order and dispatch it, before and after
implementation of the new technology.
Some IT technologies, when implemented, become an integral part of the
business. Then the profit brought in by the new technology will justify the
implementation.
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Case study: Testing a new technology solution
Employment Services Australia (ESA) is a non-profit organisation providing
employment assistance to long-term unemployed people in Australia. Each
branch maintains its own database of employers and a current list of job
vacancies with those employers. When an unemployed person registers with
the organisation, an officer will manually collect information regarding
skills, abilities and work history of the client. At the end of the day, the
officer tries to find job matches for the day’s clients (and any other
registered clients outstanding) by manually searching through the employer
database. When a job is found, the officer rings the client and organises
necessary paper work for the job interview.
As the IT Manager, you have suggested that this process be automated to
increase the efficiency of the service. You have conducted an evaluation and
selected the best method of automating the process of matching client
characteristics to the jobs available on the database.
In order to test the automated system, you decided to have both manual and
automated systems running parallel for a period of two weeks. During this
time some clients were served using the automated system and the others
were served using the manual system. At the end the two weeks, you
calculate the average time it has taken to match clients to a job since the first
meeting with them. You will use these figures to get an understanding of the
quality of service and efficiency improvements of the automated system.
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Summary
We began with a discussion of the importance of aligning technology with
business objectives, as any new technology implementations must be in line
with the business strategic plan and IT strategic plan of the organisation.
Then we moved on to business planning and IT solutions, covering ways of
understanding your business, defining organisational needs, evaluating and
selecting new technology and matching solutions with strategic directions.
Finally, productivity and efficiency issues were discussed and demonstrated
with a case study.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Migrate to e-business

An organisation has produced its statement of strategic goals for the next
three years. One of these goals is to Migrate to e-business.
What business functions would be affected by such a goal
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Feedback
Using the electronic medium to conduct business would basically mean that
all of the organisation’s business functions would be affected. This goal will
require some careful planning and liaison between all departments as well as
the IT Department.
Case study
In 2004, two pet insurance companies Companion Care and Your Pet
Insurance merged to form the largest insurer of companion animals in the
country: Companion Insurance.
The following is an extract from the CEO’s report to the section heads of
Companion Insurance in December 2005.
‘Since the merging of our two companies we have experienced great
difficulties in integrating business practices and procedures, especially in
more remote branch offices. The incorrect processing of customer requests
has caused a backlog of unprocessed paper work, creating increased
customer dissatisfaction. It is taking well over three weeks for requests to
return to our customers, when it should be less than two. We are considering
using the existing corporate IT infrastructure to implement a centralised
database of policies and procedures, accessed from the corporate computer
network. The job of maintaining policies and procedures will be handed to
our Human Resources Department.’
Now answer the following questions about this case study.
When selecting appropriate new technology to solve the organisational
problem in this case study, what business requirements would you
consider?
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Feedback
The extract is taken from a high level-planning document, so technical
requirements are not very specific. Some of the business requirements could,
however, include:
 compatibility with existing operating systems and networking
software
 interoperability with existing corporate intranets
 user-friendly systems manageable by staff with basic
computer literacy skills eg staff in HR and branches
 centralised database accessible from multiple sites.
With reference to the extracts from the CEO’s report, suggest how
productivity and efficiency should be enhanced with the application of
new technology. Give one example of a process that can be measured
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Feedback
Improving the quality of service to both customers and internal staff can
enhance productivity and efficiency. This can be achieved by setting up a
centralised database accessible from multiple sites so that staff can have
ready access to tools needed to process customer requests.
One process that could be measured is the response time to customer
requests, eg the benchmark of ‘ten working days’ or ‘within two weeks’ can
be established.
Suggest how you would construct a test to examine the processing of
customer request
2005
Develop a simple installation plan
Planning is the key 2
Your workspace 3
Sources of information 4
Installation tips 5
General notes on planning the installation of software 6

Minimum system requirements 6
Licensing 6
Backup 6
Software installation types 6
General notes on planning the installation of hardware

components 7
Motherboards 7
CPUs 7
RAM memory 7
ROM memory 7
Hard drives and optical drives 8
Video cards 8
Expansion cards 9
Software device drivers 10

Obtaining drivers and other software for the installation 10
Testing 12
Preparing an installation plan to minimise impact 13
Planning for contingencies 14
Summary 15
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Planning is the key
Planning is fundamental to the successful operation of any business.

Planning is deciding in advance what is going to be done. This function
entails evaluating your resources and environment and establishing goals.
Once the goals are established, managers develop tactics to achieve these
goals and monitor the results.
Planning is the key to a successful installation. By doing this you’ll avoid

making mistakes that may require you to reinstall the component and so
minimise the impact on clients in a network. This procedure may take some
time, but you’ll definitely benefit by doing so.
In this reading we will be looking at developing an installation plan for the

installation of hardware components or software applications. These plans
need to:
 Name the project.
 Break down the project into steps.
 Identify and allocate resources to the project.
 Give timelines for the project.
 State who will take the appropriate action.
 Develop contingency plans.
 List desired outcomes.
Your plan needs to include steps for:

1 installing
2 configuring
3 testing
4 backup procedures and disaster recovery plans.
At all times it is important to try and minimise the disruption to the client.
For the installation, arrange a convenient time for the client and notify the
client how long the job will take and what you are going to do.
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Your workspace
One resource your installation plan needs to address is a suitable working

environment and adequate tools for the task. You will generally need the all
of the following if you are installing any hardware:
 a clean, tidy and well-lit working space or bench
 sufficient power points
 a toolkit comprising screwdrivers (flat and Philips) and some long
nose pliers
 an anti-static wrist strap to avoid static discharges on your components
 a small torch to look inside dark corners
 a small jar or plastic container to store screws and small parts
 sticky notes to label components.
Hand tools for component installation
Computer toolkits are available from electronic suppliers such as:
Dick Smith Electronics (http://www.dse.com.au/)
Jaycar Electronics (http://www1.jaycar.com.au/)
Paw Products (http://www.paw.com.au/)
2005
Sources of information
The next resource that your installation plan needs to address is the
necessary information regarding the procedure for installation — this needs
to be gathered prior to the installation.
Read the manual. The first place to look for information on installing a
component or software is the user’s manual which will normally come with
the component.
You may be supplied with the manual in paper format, but increasingly
manufacturers are supplying manuals in digital format on the installation
CD. Take the time to print out any user manual or installation guide.
Your user manual may contain information on:

 minimum system requirements, hardware and software
 safety precautions
 all the accessories provided with the component such as screws and
cables
 hardware installation
 driver installation for various operating systems
Your installation CD may contain the following information and/or

software:
 installation guide
 user manual
 drivers for different operating systems
 additional software. Examples include:
– Adobe Acrobat Reader — many manuals are published in PDF
format
– video or audio players such as DirectX
– software specific to the component being installed, for example,
answering machine software for an internal modem, to allow the
computer to be used as an answering machine.
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Installation tips
Here are a few useful tips to follow when carrying out an installation.
 The safety first approach should be adopted when you are dealing
with a client’s computers. You must ensure that you do not pose a risk
to the data on the computers you are servicing. Remember, you do not
own the data on the computers, the client does.
 Duplicate the set up you plan to implement on a test computer first to
ensure all the modifications will behave as you anticipate.
 If you do not have a suitable spare computer, use one of the client’s
computers when it is not in use. This may require work outside usual
office hours.
 Always backup the client’s computers prior to starting any
modifications.
 Another option is to image the client’s hard drive to a spare drive of
your own, using a program such as GHOST. Then use the spare drive
to test all modifications. (Refer to http://www.symantec.com). If you
use this option, remember that the data contained on your client’s hard
drive belongs to the client and must be deleted after successful
installation.
The use of an imaged drive will also allow you to test any
modifications you make to the operating system configuration, and
will fully test the interaction of software applications with the newly
modified system hardware and drivers.
Once you have proven the new modifications, you can start the
implementation to other computers.
2005
General notes on planning the
installation of software
Minimum system requirements

All software application will have minimum system requirements for the PC
processor, amount of RAM and available hard drive space. You need to
verify that all these requirements are met prior to the installation of any new
software application.
Licensing
Prior to the installation of any software application, you should check that
the organisation has licenses for the software to be installed, and that all
terms and conditions of the license have been adhered to. Record any serial
numbers or product keys that will be required during the installation.
Most licenses allow you to make a backup copy of the software. Make any
backup copies prior to the software installation.
Backup
Determine what data will need to be backed up before the installation. If you
are installing a new application such as a database, you need to ensure that
the user will be able to access old information. This may require that data
stored in the old database format is converted to a format that can be read by
the new database application.
Software installation types

The most common installation options that you will be presented with are as
follows:
1 Express or typical installation. This installs the most common features.
2 Custom installation. This lets users select components to install and
change the installation directory.
3 Minimal Installation. This is used where the amount of hard drive space
used is minimised.
4 Full installation. This installs all features and requires the most hard
drive space.
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General notes on planning the
installation of hardware components
Motherboards
Planning the installation of motherboards is a complex task and you will
need to consult the user manual for a specific motherboard. You will need to
ensure that the form factor of the motherboard is compatible with the form
factor of the case.
CPUs
The main point to consider in planning the installation of a CPU is to ensure
that it is supported by the motherboard. You will need to check that the
physical socket size is compatible and then that the CPU speed is supported.
Read your motherboard manual to find out whether the new CPU will be
automatically detected or you may need to change a jumper setting on the
motherboard.
RAM memory
Again, the main point to consider here is compatibility with the
motherboard. You will need to ensure that there are vacant slots for the new
memory modules, that the memory speeds of the new modules are supported
and then that the maximum memory supported by the motherboard is not
exceeded. After physical installation of the new memory modules, BIOS
should automatically detect the new RAM memory.
ROM memory
As the ROM is an integral part of the motherboard, physical replacement is
not possible. Software updates are — consult the website of the relevant
motherboard manufacturer for further information.
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Hard drives and optical drives
First when installing a new hard drive, you need to decide in consultation
with the client whether you are going to replace the existing drive or keep
both new and existing drive. If the decision is to keep both drives, it would
then be recommended that the newest drive is the boot drive and that the
operating system is installed on the newest drive as the data access time will
be fastest.
Physically, when installing a new drive you need to ensure that there is a
suitable position to mount the drive.
In other topics you have looked at the two different interfaces for hard
drives: IDE and SCSI. Most desktop PCs use the IDE interface and these
notes are for the IDE interface. At the time of writing the IDE interface
supports four drives, but an emerging standard is SATA (Serial ATA).
Again, these notes discuss the IDE interface.
The IDE interface supports four drives as listed below:

Drive Function
Primary Master Typically boot hard drive

(IDE 1) Slave
Secondary Master Typically first optical drive
(IDE 2) Slave
You will need to set jumpers on your drive to be either the master or slave.
Consult your user manual
After completing the physical hardware installation, the drive will need to be
configured and formatted. Unlike floppy drives, hard disk drives vary greatly
in storage capacity. The disk is electronically blank to begin with. The
manufacturer generally performs a ‘low-level format’. Here are the basic
steps in the preparation of a hard disk:
1 Configure the CMOS for the drive you have installed.
2 Perform a low-level format.
3 Partition the drive.
4 Perform a high-level format.
5 Restore the client’s data to the installed drive if necessary.
Video cards
Most video cards today use the AGP interface. If you are planning to install
an AGP video card, you will first need to examine your computer system to
ensure that there is a physical slot that you can use.
2005
Some of the cheaper motherboards use the AGP interface but incorporate the
video within the chipset and have an integrated video output. Physically
there is no AGP slot available. It is not possible to upgrade the video card in
this situation.
Other motherboards also have an integrated video output, but have an AGP
slot if you which to upgrade the video. Check that the motherboard BIOS
allows you to disable the on-board video.
After physical installation of the video card, typically you will need further
installation of drivers and other additional software. Consult your user
manual.
Expansion cards
You will need to ensure that there is a spare expansion slot available.
Typically this will be a PCI expansion slot. You need to ensure that your
computer system meets the minimum system requirements (both hardware
and software) of the new expansion card.
After physical installation of the expansion card, typically you will need
further installation of drivers and other additional software. Consult your
user manual
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Software device drivers
A device driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer or

graphics card. Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with the
operating system. For other devices such as a sound card, you may need to
load a new driver when you connect the device to your computer. The driver
is specific to an operating system.
Obtaining drivers and other software for

the installation
Any software drivers and special installation instructions will be available in
the original packaging supplied with the device. Most manufacturers will
have all documentation and drivers available for download on their web
pages, therefore the need to be able to correctly identify components is of
initial importance.
Ensure that all the necessary drivers and documentation are at hand prior to
proceeding with any work. The drivers are necessary to interface the
hardware with the operating system and are therefore supplied in a different
version for each operating system. This includes the different operating
systems from the same manufacturer; so do not assume the drivers for
Microsoft Windows 2000 will also work with Microsoft Windows XP.
Where one driver may work across different platforms, it is not the usual
situation.
Here’s a sample of the driver/software which is provided by a particular NIC

(Network Interface Card) manufacturer (Realtek).
Note the number of operating systems supported by the downloadable driver

and especially to the Setup/Diagnostic program also supplied.
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Software support available for 8139 NIC
On-board EEPROM (93C46) programming
Setup/Diagnostic program for DOS/Windows
Help utility for easy installation
RPL boot ROM for Novell Netware, Microsoft NT
NDIS2 (DOS, OS/2, Lantastic, WFW3.1)
NDIS3, NDIS4, NDIS5 for WIN95, 98, NT3.51, 4.0, 5.0, WFW3.11
Netware 16-bit ODI driver for DOS,OS/2 and 32-bit ODI driver for Netware
3.x,4.x,5.0 Server
Packet driver for UNIX Client
SCO Unix driver
Linux driver
FreeBSD
UnixWare 7.0
Microsoft Network Client for DOS
LAN Manager Workstation/Server
Windows for Workgroups v3.11
Windows NT 3.5, 3.51 & 4.0
Windows 95 and OSR2
Windows 98 and Windows 2000 & Windows ME
2005
Testing
Testing is necessary to ensure that you have:

 installed the component or application properly, and
 that it is working properly.
The testing process will depend on:

 the type of hardware device.
 the type of software application
 the operating system.
Your test plan will need to ensure the following.
For hardware devices:

 the new device is recognised by BIOS (if applicable)
 the new device is recognised by the operating system. For example a
new hard drive is formatted and assigned a drive letter.
 the new device performs the function it was intended for. For example,
after installing a new sound card, you would need to check
Output to speaker — play an audio CD and check that there is sound
Input — record a sound file through a microphone
 any additional software is functioning correctly.
For software applications:
Software is tested for all functionalities of the new software. For example, if
you are installing a new office suite, test the word processing, spreadsheet
and database application. Be sure that they can all create and save new
document and that you can print these documents.
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Preparing an installation plan to
minimise impact
In this section we will look at the preplanning procedure as a first step of

installation. Here is a series of general steps that are useful to follow.
Step Details
Overview List the characteristics of the component.

Warnings List the safety precautions provided by the vendor in the manual.
Hardware Is any special hardware required for the procedure, other than the
required obvious ones?
Software For hardware devices: Do you have the drivers, burner software for
required CD burners and so on?
For software applications: Do you have the installation CDs and
any serial numbers or product keys required?
Preparation This will include questions such as the following.
For hardware systems:
Does the system unit have the space to take the peripheral?
Are there spare internal power cables if required?
Do they reach the proposed location?
For software applications:
Does the hardware meet the minimum system requirements?
Have all necessary data backups been made?
What type of installation is to be performed?
Procedure What are the specific steps involved in the installation?
For hardware components this will include steps such as actual
physical installation, BIOS setup, driver installation, and
configuration. The specific procedure will obviously depend on
various factors such as the particular device, the type of
computer/motherboard, the operating system and so on.
For software applications you will also need to consult your user
manual to determine the specific installation procedures.
Testing Develop a testing plan.
Estimated time How long should the procedure take? It will obviously be longer
for someone who has not done it before.
Writing a plan helps solidify the ideas and concepts. It is a document which
you can use to guide you and measure progress.
2005
Planning for contingencies
Planning a successful installation
No matter how carefully you plan, things rarely go exactly as you planned.
We need to cope with the odd things that may occur while installing or
configuring or testing. In this section we will see how to plan for
contingencies.
Reflect
What sort of things could go wrong with an installation?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Feedback
You need to be able to predict and attempt to avoid situations such as:
 component is not suitable for the computer it will attach to
 incorrect connections
 missing software
 component does not do what it is supposed to do.
2005
Summary
The planning of your installation is important to minimise the disruption to

the client.
You will need to read the user manual or installation guide that comes with
your new component or software application to gain specific information
such as equipment checklist, minimum system requirements, hardware
installation steps, driver installation steps, and precautions you need to take.
After gathering this information, you should be able to develop an

installation plan for your hardware component or software application.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Select a toolkit

Visit one of these websites and find a suitable toolkit for use by a computer
technician:
 Dick Smiths Electronics at: http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-
bin/dse.storefront
 Jaycar Electronics at: http://www1.jaycar.com.au/
 Paw Products at: http://www.paw.com.au/index.jsp
List the contents of the kit
2005
Feedback
There is a variety of toolkits available. This is a toolkit available at Jaycar

Electronics.
Computer Service Tool Set
Kit includes:
- IC inserter/extractor
- Pearl Catch
- Tweezers
- 1/4' Nutdriver
- 3/16' Nutdriver
- Double ended 10/15 torx driver
- Parts tube for storage
- #1 Philips screwdriver
- #0 Philips screwdriver
- 1/8' Slotted screwdriver
- 3/16' Slotted screwdriver
- Zipper case
- Size 220mm x 155mm x 38mm
Activity 2: Read the manual

Locate a user manual/installation guide for a hardware component or
software application. This may be one from your own computer system or
you may need to contact your teacher/supervisor for further information.
Alternatively, most manufacturers now publish their user guides in the
Support section of their website. For example, search for a user guide for a
PCI sound card.
2005
List the details provided on the installation guide/user manual in the
categories listed here. (Note: Not all information may be available from your
documentation.)
2005
Feedback
Your answer to this question will depend on the manual you are using. The
following answers are taken from a users guide to a GeForce4 AGP video
card.
Equipment checklist
None given
Minimum system requirements
 Pentium CPU based PC/AT compatible machine
 One AGP slot
 64MB system memory
 CD-ROM drive
 Windows 98
Hardware installation steps
 Power down the PC
 Locate the AGP slot in the system
 Allow the AGP video card to sit firmly in the AGP slot
 Power up the PC again
Driver installation steps
 Installation steps are provided for various operating systems. The
following are for Windows XP
 Activate Control Panel
 Double click the Display icon in the control panel and then click the
Settings tab
 Click the advance button
 Under the Advanced tab, click the Change button. Click the Have
Disk button
 Enter the path D:\TNT\WINXP
2005
 Reboot the system
Precautions
 For models equipped with TV-OUT, the user is advised to connect
the cable properly between the VGA card and the TV BEFORE the
system is powered ON
Any additional software required
None provided
Activity 3: Testing
You have replaced an existing CD ROM with a new CD writer. You have
checked that the device has been recognised by BIOS, and installed the
correct operating system drivers. You then install the additional software for
burning CDs that comes with the CD writer.
Detail the steps you would take to test that the CD writer is functioning
properly
2005
Feedback
Here is an example of a plan you could use. Did you include all these steps?
Perhaps you included some additional ones.
1. Check that the device has been assigned a drive letter.
2. Insert a CD and ensure that you can do a directory listing.
(Depending on your operating system and the CD, the CD might
auto-run.)
3. From you directory listing, check that you can open a file.
4. If your system has a sound card, insert an audio CD and ensure that
you can play the audio file. This checks that you have correctly
connected the audio signal cable between the CD writer and your
sound card.
5. Use the CD burning software to create a new CD.
2005
Feedback
A suitable test could be to measure the rate of processing customer requests
pre- and post-implementation. The rate can be expressed as the number of
requests, and the number processed per day. You could also look at the
average time it takes to process a request, eg number of days from the date it
is received to the date it is completed.
Activity 3: Understand new software

Obtain a recent issue of a computer magazine such as:
 PC Magazine Australia at: http://www.apcmag.com/
 PC @uthority at: http://www.pcauthority.com.au/
 Byte at: http://www.byte.com/.
Find a software product featured within the magazine. Read the article and
write down the following information about the product.
1. What is the name and version of the software?
2. Who makes the software?
3. What are the main features of the software?
4. What are its drawbacks, as stated by the reviewer?
5. Are there particular uses for the software mentioned in the
article? If so, describe them.
6. Give an example of an organisational need that could be met
by this software.
What would you need to do to become competent in using this product?
2005
Feedback
To be competent in using the new software you could:
 Spend time exploring the features, practise using the software
to produce outputs, documents, etc, and investigate the built-in Help
facility and user guides.
 Do a short training course, or go to a seminar, for guided
learning about the product.
 Find someone who knows how to use the software. You
could ask them to help you with advice or to show you how to use
features, etc.
 Search for Internet sources, such as forums or vendor
websites, that support the product.
2005
Establish a strategy for integration
and implementation of new equipment
into an existing system
Organisational requirements 2
Identify organisational requirements 2
Strategic planning for new technology 3

Importance of strategies and planning 3
Technology strategy 3
Integration and implementation strategies 4

Uses and benefits of technology roadmaps 5
Mini implementation plan 6
Testing 8
Testing a prototype 8
The test plan 8
Types of testing 9
Removing redundant equipment 11

Services required for removal of equipment 11
Procedures for removal of equipment 12
Summary 13
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Organisational requirements
You must carefully analyse and diagnose organisational requirements before

introducing new equipment. With the integration of new equipment into any
existing system, change is unavoidable and it is usually accepted in the
expectation that it would bring about improvement. Therefore, the first rule
in managing technology is to ensure that the desired outcomes are aligned
with organisational requirements and achievable.
Technology investments must deliver value to all stakeholders by meeting

specific organisational requirements. The integration and implementation of
new equipment is an investment in technology and should also be expected
to deliver value by being put to appropriate business use according to
organisational requirements.
Identify organisational requirements

The following questions will help you to identify the organisational
requirements with regard to new technology:
 What are the current priorities of the organisation?
 Is the organisation expecting to grow in the near future? If so, what is
the extent of the expected growth?
 Will the organisational needs change in the near future?
 Does the organisation have any budgetary constraints?
 How capable are the end users with regard to adapting to the new
technologies introduced? How much training would they need?
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Strategic planning for new technology
Most new technology fails when it is implemented without proper

assessment of the factors that caused the technology to be introduced in the
first place. For successful technology implementation, you must first analyse
the business requirement that alerted the need for new equipment in the first
place. This is usually found in the IT strategic plan and business strategic
plan. As part of the technology strategy, you must follow a systematic
procedure to ensure the successful integration of new equipment into the
existing system.
Importance of strategies and planning

Strategy is defined as an elaborate and systematic action to get something
done. Once a company’s goals and objectives are established, each division
must establish strategies to support the company goals and objectives.
Strategic planning is essential for the successful running of any business in

order to improve customer service and increase efficiency. Strategic
planning gives direction to the acquisition and integration of new
technology. All important equipment implementations must be carried out
with thoughtful planning within the framework of these strategies.
Technology strategy
When introducing new equipment into any existing system, you must
comply with the technology strategy of the organisation because this will:
 Reduce completion time and accelerate the progress by providing a
framework for integrating new technology into the existing system.
 Reduce total IT costs through appropriate technology selection as
well as improve software development and package selection
decisions.
 Enable increased return on your technology investments.
 Provide a competitive advantage through the strategic use of
information technologies.
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Integration and implementation
strategies
As discussed above, following a systematic procedure can ensure the
successful integration of new equipment into an existing system. You can
develop procedures appropriate to your organisation by selecting from the
following strategies.
 Identify all stakeholders and take their input into account when
formulating a strategy for integration and implementation of new
equipment.
 Map the organisation’s business goals into the information
technology requirements.
 Align the IT requirements to existing infrastructure to identify areas
that need to be supported by the new equipment.
 Check the readiness of the IT infrastructure to accept the new
equipment. This is critical for the success of your new technology
implementation. The organisation must have a strong technology
foundation before new equipment could be introduced into the
organisation. You must evaluate features such as connectivity,
security and level of integration. Then you must test that the new
equipment is appropriate for integration into the existing system.
 Measure success. Strategies must be established to measure success
of the new equipment at each stage of the implementation.
 Plan a rollout strategy that may be based on any one of these:
department, job function, physical location and alphabetical order
 You may decide to have a pilot rollout to iron out problems
progressively rather than involving and hence affecting the entire
system. In this case, you may install the new system only on a few
machines and progressively add users to the new system.
 When you are planning a rollout strategy always assume that
something will go wrong. Therefore, you must plan your rollout
strategy based upon how much risk the organisation can handle and
how long it will take to recover from a failure. For the same reason,
roll out strategy must be accompanied by a backup and contingency
plan as well.
 It is always a good idea to involve users in developing a rollout
strategy that works for them.
 Establish effective IT support strategies by reviewing
and extending IT support policies and services to include the new
equipment.
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Uses and benefits of technology
roadmaps
The technology strategy must be aligned with the corporate strategy. The
technology roadmap helps to do this by outlining what the technology can
and should do to move the business in the direction of the stated goals.
Technology roadmaps have the following uses and benefits:
 Technology roadmaps give a clear view of the needs of the
organisation and what technologies can be used to satisfy those
needs.
 The road map gives clear direction for the experts to follow and
forecast the technology developments in certain areas.
 The technology roadmap provides a framework for planning and
coordinating technology developments of the organisation. It helps
the managers to make better decisions about technology investment.
o Through technology roadmaps one can identify the
technologies that are critical for improving the performance
of the organisation. It also enables technology gaps to be
identified and then filled to get better performance from the
organisation.
o In large organisation, IT professionals can identify areas that
need research and development through technology maps.
Refer to the Research section of this topic for more information on

technology roadmaps.
2005
Mini implementation plan
Implementation planning forms an integral part of integrating new

technology into an organisation. Numerous projects have been jeopardised
by time and cost overruns due to inadequate planning. Therefore, once the
decision is made to introduce new equipment, an implementation plan must
be carefully formulated by taking the following aspects into account:
Activities
A table outlining each activity and associated sub-activities in implementing
the new equipment must be identified.
Time plan
Realistic and sufficient time must be allocated for each activity identified
above. This schedule is probably best presented in the form of a Gantt chart
showing the planned time periods for implementing each of the defined
activity. You can see examples of Gantt charts by following the link ‘Gantt
charts and calendars’ at the SmartDraw website http://www.smartdraw.com
Commercial project management software such as Microsoft Project could
also be used as a tool for developing a time plan.
Milestones must be established to ensure that activities are carried out

according to the time plan throughout the duration of the project. (A
milestones is an event which is selected to signify that certain project
activities have been completed.) Table 1 below presents an example of
milestone documentation.
Table 1: Example of milestone documentation
Milestone Description Dependency Resources Due Date
1 Requirements 0 4 15 March
analysis 2006
2 Verification 1 2 Ongoing
3 Requirement 1 3 31 March
solution 2006
4 Equipment 3 7 30 June 2006
installation
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Total project time must be estimated. Activities that are time critical must be
identified in order to take greater care in performing these activities on time,
as these activities, if delayed, will cause time over-runs in the project.
This proposed project schedule then becomes a key document for capital and
expense budgeting.
Resources
Personnel, materials, computer equipment, utilities, and funds must be
identified and allocated. You need to get a very clear idea as to who is doing
what and using what resources during implementation.
2005
Testing
New equipment must be tested to verify its functionality, performance and

reliability before being integrated into the existing system. All components
within the system must be tested to ensure that they interact correctly.
Testing a prototype
This is a strategy you could use to ensure that the new equipment will work
with the existing system. It will be wise to set up a prototype and verify that
the new equipment solution is capable of meeting the requirements of the
organisation and integrates well with the existing system.
The test plan

The test plan is a document that provides and records information about
scope, resources and schedule of intended test activities. It generally outlines
the following:
 test plan identifier, scope and objective of the test
 any references such as manual for equipment, CD ROMs, URLs, etc
 introduction
 test items (features to be tested), inputs and expected outputs, item
pass/fail criteria
 features not to be tested
 test approach
 test deliverables
 test schedule.
Before a test plan is implemented you must have a deep understanding of the
organisational requirements for the new technology. You should have
eliminated ambiguous, incomplete and inconsistent requirements during the
implementation planning stage to speed up the testing process.
The test plan must be written down, as there could be a number of people
involved in the testing process. Their input must be coordinated with a
2005
written test plan. All critical aspects of the new equipment must be covered
in the test plan.
Supposing you are introducing a new printer. Part of your test plan would
include the items shown in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Test plan for introducing a new printer
Test case Input Expected output Pass / Fail
Components
Printer manual, connected and
Installation and
components, working together
general connectivity
software drivers
Connect printer
cable and power
Printer connectivity Printer detected.
cable. Printer turned
on.
Correct printer Test page with
Print test page.
driver installed correct output.
Must match with the
Functionality and Five print jobs each printer’s ppm (pages
performance with 20 pages. per minute)
specified.
Types of testing
Testing could be a combination of ad-hoc testing, systematic testing and
automated testing.
Ad-hoc testing
With ad-hoc testing, the test cases are made on the fly. It does not cover all
aspects of the new technology. An example of this would be using the new
printer device just to see whether you can force it to fail.
2005
Systematic testing
With systematic testing, a test suite is designed to cover all aspects of the
new equipment introduced. The test plan would specify the outputs expected
from each test. Systematic tests are repeatable to ensure that errors found in
earlier tests are eliminated. Systematic tests must be documented to keep
track of the tests performed and the results obtained. An example of this
would be using the new printer device systematically according to a test plan
such as:
 testing physical connectivity and then the printer drivers
 checking physical connectivity again (if the printer drivers fail) and
then testing the printer drivers again.
Automated testing
Automated testing could be the same as systematic testing but it does not
require human intervention. The testing is automatically carried out when a
new component is added to the existing system. Examples of this would be
printing logs and error reports that are automatically maintained while users
are printing to the network printer. The automated testing system ensures
that the printer works at the optimum capacity and reliably under every
network condition.
Integration testing
Integrated testing is undertaken to ensure that the parts of a system that
should work together do work together. This commonly involves testing new
equipment within the existing infrastructure to ensure that they work well
together with existing components under desired conditions.
2005
Removing redundant equipment
The wide usage of IT equipment coupled with our increased awareness of

environmental issues calls for responsible and streamlined strategies for
removing redundant equipment. Therefore, organisations must ensure that
they are aware of environmental, health, safety and security issues when
disposing equipment.
Services required for removal of

equipment
Many of the tasks involved in the removal of equipment can be undertaken
in-house, but some tasks may require services from other organisations.
Data removal
Remove and erase all traces of any data to protect the organisation’s
confidentiality.
Certification
Some companies have strict rules about removing equipment and needs
certification of removal for auditing and tracking purposes.
Donation to charity or sold to employees

You company may have a policy to donate replaced equipment to a
charitable organisation or sell to employees for a minimum price.
Transportation
If the equipment must be removed, who is responsible for securely
transporting the equipment to designated waste disposal locations?
2005
Hazardous material
Equipment with glass that is breakable and devices containing fluid that
could leak could be hazardous in nature.
Procedures for removal of equipment

To ensure that accurate documentation is maintained and equipment is
disposed of in an environmentally responsible way, specific procedures have
to be established for the purpose. Here is an example:
1 Identify equipment to be removed.
2 Determine whether the equipment obsolete. If not, explore the
possibility of recycling or using the equipment for other purposes.
3 Consider the options of using the equipment as spare parts and/or
redeploying it to another section of the organisation.
4 Identify services required and the organisations that can provide the
services, eg choosing a recycling organisation. When you get any new
equipment, suppliers of the new equipment may agree to remove any
redundant equipment from the organisation. If not, you will need to
identify appropriate organisations to dispose, donate or sell to
employees.
5 Ensure that procedures are in place to de-install any complex
equipment.
6 Update your inventory before you remove any equipment from the
organisation to ensure accurate documentation and good inventory
control practice.
2005
Summary
This reading has taken you through the process of establishing a strategy for
the integration and implementation of new equipment into an existing
system. We started with the importance of identifying organisational
requirements in the strategic planning for new technology. Then we explored
some effective strategies and tools for integration and implementation of
new equipment, including the use of technology roadmaps, Gantt charts and
developing a mini implementation plan. We then moved on to a discussion
of testing because new equipment must be tested to verify its functionality,
performance and reliability before being integrated into the existing system.
We finished with the environmental considerations in the removal of
redundant equipment, as well as some procedures for undertaking this.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Plan implementation

NovelMax Company Pty Ltd currently manages all its finances using UNIX-
based spreadsheet systems. The IT Manager has identified that the latest
Microsoft Excel package can better serve the organisation as it provides
better features to solve organisational problems. The current organisation file
server does not have adequate storage capacity to store the Microsoft Excel
program as well as the associated data. The IT Manager would like to
upgrade the storage devices on the server so all spreadsheet data could be
converted to Excel and stored on the centralised file server.
What factors would you consider when you are planning for the
implementation of this new system?
2005
Feedback
Before you can integrate the new technology into the organisation you
would need to identify the business requirements that created the need for
new spreadsheet solutions. Some factors you would consider are:
the expected growth of data? Will the organisational needs change in
the near future?
 How capable are the end users with regard to adapting to new
Activity 2: Remove redundant

equipment
ABC Pty Ltd currently has a network with three servers providing file, print
and application services. As the IT strategic plan emphasises maximum
utilisation, the IT Manager has decided to consolidate all three services into
one powerful server.
What procedures would you follow to remove the three file servers that
are no longer needed by the organisation?
2005
Feedback
You should follow these procedures for removing redundant equipment:

1. Ensure that the three file servers do not have any other use in the
organisation.
2. Identify the service requirements such as: data removal, certification
for removal, possibility of donating to a charity, possibility of selling
to employees, transportation of redundant equipment to the recycling
base and disposal of hazardous material.
3. Choose an appropriate external organisation or coordinate with the
responsible internal department to organise the removal of
equipment.
4. Ensure that all equipment is properly disconnected prior to removal.
5. Update inventories before removing the equipmen
Activity 3: Test a new server

A manufacturing company is currently using a number of UNIX servers to
perform stock control in its factory workshops. The IT Manager has
recommended that these servers migrate to Windows 2003 to be in line with
the systems in other departments. The existing hardware is not adequate for
installing Windows 2003. Therefore, the company has purchased a powerful
new server for this purpose.
What sort of tests would you carry out to ensure that the new server
performs to the expected standard prior to migration?
2005
Feedback
You would:
 Assemble the new server and install with Windows 2003 network
operating system.
 Create a prototype of the system by creating a backup copy of the
UNIX server programs and migrate it to Windows 2003.
 Perform systematic testing to ensure that the system can cope with
the new change with regard to response times, data integrity, data
availability, data conversion, etc.
 Perform ad-hoc testing to test very specific aspects of the new server
installed with the Windows operating system.
 Integrate the test server with an existing workstation to test the level
of integration.
2005
Establish a strategy for integration
and implementation of new equipment
into an existing system
Organisational requirements 2
Identify organisational requirements 2
Strategic planning for new technology 3

Importance of strategies and planning 3
Technology strategy 3
Integration and implementation strategies 4

Uses and benefits of technology roadmaps 5
Mini implementation plan 6
Testing 8
Testing a prototype 8
The test plan 8
Types of testing 9
Removing redundant equipment 11

Services required for removal of equipment 11
Procedures for removal of equipment 12
Summary 13
2005
Organisational requirements
You must carefully analyse and diagnose organisational requirements before

introducing new equipment. With the integration of new equipment into any
existing system, change is unavoidable and it is usually accepted in the
expectation that it would bring about improvement. Therefore, the first rule
in managing technology is to ensure that the desired outcomes are aligned
with organisational requirements and achievable.
Technology investments must deliver value to all stakeholders by meeting

specific organisational requirements. The integration and implementation of
new equipment is an investment in technology and should also be expected
to deliver value by being put to appropriate business use according to
organisational requirements.
Identify organisational requirements

The following questions will help you to identify the organisational
requirements with regard to new technology:
the extent of the expected growth?
 Will the organisational needs change in the near future?
 How capable are the end users with regard to adapting to the new
2005
Strategic planning for new technology
Most new technology fails when it is implemented without proper

assessment of the factors that caused the technology to be introduced in the
first place. For successful technology implementation, you must first analyse
the business requirement that alerted the need for new equipment in the first
place. This is usually found in the IT strategic plan and business strategic
plan. As part of the technology strategy, you must follow a systematic
procedure to ensure the successful integration of new equipment into the
existing system.
Importance of strategies and planning

Strategy is defined as an elaborate and systematic action to get something
done. Once a company’s goals and objectives are established, each division
must establish strategies to support the company goals and objectives.
Strategic planning is essential for the successful running of any business in

order to improve customer service and increase efficiency. Strategic
planning gives direction to the acquisition and integration of new
technology. All important equipment implementations must be carried out
with thoughtful planning within the framework of these strategies.
Technology strategy
When introducing new equipment into any existing system, you must
comply with the technology strategy of the organisation because this will:
 Reduce completion time and accelerate the progress by providing a
framework for integrating new technology into the existing system.
 Reduce total IT costs through appropriate technology selection as
well as improve software development and package selection
decisions.
 Enable increased return on your technology investments.
 Provide a competitive advantage through the strategic use of
information technologies.
2005
Integration and implementation
strategies
As discussed above, following a systematic procedure can ensure the
successful integration of new equipment into an existing system. You can
develop procedures appropriate to your organisation by selecting from the
following strategies.
 Identify all stakeholders and take their input into account when
formulating a strategy for integration and implementation of new
equipment.
 Map the organisation’s business goals into the information
technology requirements.
 Align the IT requirements to existing infrastructure to identify areas
that need to be supported by the new equipment.
 Check the readiness of the IT infrastructure to accept the new
equipment. This is critical for the success of your new technology
implementation. The organisation must have a strong technology
foundation before new equipment could be introduced into the
organisation. You must evaluate features such as connectivity,
security and level of integration. Then you must test that the new
equipment is appropriate for integration into the existing system.
 Measure success. Strategies must be established to measure success
of the new equipment at each stage of the implementation.
 Plan a rollout strategy that may be based on any one of these:
department, job function, physical location and alphabetical order
 You may decide to have a pilot rollout to iron out problems
progressively rather than involving and hence affecting the entire
system. In this case, you may install the new system only on a few
machines and progressively add users to the new system.
 When you are planning a rollout strategy always assume that
something will go wrong. Therefore, you must plan your rollout
strategy based upon how much risk the organisation can handle and
how long it will take to recover from a failure. For the same reason,
roll out strategy must be accompanied by a backup and contingency
plan as well.
 It is always a good idea to involve users in developing a rollout
strategy that works for them.
 Establish effective IT support strategies by reviewing
and extending IT support policies and services to include the new
equipment.
2005
Uses and benefits of technology
roadmaps
The technology strategy must be aligned with the corporate strategy. The
technology roadmap helps to do this by outlining what the technology can
and should do to move the business in the direction of the stated goals.
Technology roadmaps have the following uses and benefits:
 Technology roadmaps give a clear view of the needs of the
organisation and what technologies can be used to satisfy those
needs.
 The road map gives clear direction for the experts to follow and
forecast the technology developments in certain areas.
 The technology roadmap provides a framework for planning and
coordinating technology developments of the organisation. It helps
the managers to make better decisions about technology investment.
o Through technology roadmaps one can identify the
technologies that are critical for improving the performance
of the organisation. It also enables technology gaps to be
identified and then filled to get better performance from the
organisation.
o In large organisation, IT professionals can identify areas that
need research and development through technology maps.
Refer to the Research section of this topic for more information on

technology roadmaps.
2005
Mini implementation plan
Implementation planning forms an integral part of integrating new

technology into an organisation. Numerous projects have been jeopardised
by time and cost overruns due to inadequate planning. Therefore, once the
decision is made to introduce new equipment, an implementation plan must
be carefully formulated by taking the following aspects into account:
Activities
A table outlining each activity and associated sub-activities in implementing
the new equipment must be identified.
Time plan
Realistic and sufficient time must be allocated for each activity identified
above. This schedule is probably best presented in the form of a Gantt chart
showing the planned time periods for implementing each of the defined
activity. You can see examples of Gantt charts by following the link ‘Gantt
charts and calendars’ at the SmartDraw website http://www.smartdraw.com
Commercial project management software such as Microsoft Project could
also be used as a tool for developing a time plan.
Milestones must be established to ensure that activities are carried out

according to the time plan throughout the duration of the project. (A
milestones is an event which is selected to signify that certain project
activities have been completed.) Table 1 below presents an example of
milestone documentation.
Table 1: Example of milestone documentation
Milestone Description Dependency Resources Due Date
1 Requirements 0 4 15 March
analysis 2006
2 Verification 1 2 Ongoing
3 Requirement 1 3 31 March
solution 2006
4 Equipment 3 7 30 June 2006
installation
2005
Total project time must be estimated. Activities that are time critical must be
identified in order to take greater care in performing these activities on time,
as these activities, if delayed, will cause time over-runs in the project.
This proposed project schedule then becomes a key document for capital and
expense budgeting.
Resources
Personnel, materials, computer equipment, utilities, and funds must be
identified and allocated. You need to get a very clear idea as to who is doing
what and using what resources during implementation.
2005
Testing
New equipment must be tested to verify its functionality, performance and

reliability before being integrated into the existing system. All components
within the system must be tested to ensure that they interact correctly.
Testing a prototype
This is a strategy you could use to ensure that the new equipment will work
with the existing system. It will be wise to set up a prototype and verify that
the new equipment solution is capable of meeting the requirements of the
organisation and integrates well with the existing system.
The test plan

The test plan is a document that provides and records information about
scope, resources and schedule of intended test activities. It generally outlines
the following:
 test plan identifier, scope and objective of the test
 any references such as manual for equipment, CD ROMs, URLs, etc
 introduction
 test items (features to be tested), inputs and expected outputs, item
pass/fail criteria
 features not to be tested
 test approach
 test deliverables
 test schedule.
Before a test plan is implemented you must have a deep understanding of the
organisational requirements for the new technology. You should have
eliminated ambiguous, incomplete and inconsistent requirements during the
implementation planning stage to speed up the testing process.
The test plan must be written down, as there could be a number of people
involved in the testing process. Their input must be coordinated with a
2005
written test plan. All critical aspects of the new equipment must be covered
in the test plan.
Supposing you are introducing a new printer. Part of your test plan would
include the items shown in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Test plan for introducing a new printer
Test case Input Expected output Pass / Fail
Components
Printer manual, connected and
Installation and
components, working together
general connectivity
software drivers
Connect printer
cable and power
Printer connectivity Printer detected.
cable. Printer turned
on.
Correct printer Test page with
Print test page.
driver installed correct output.
Must match with the
Functionality and Five print jobs each printer’s ppm (pages
performance with 20 pages. per minute)
specified.
Types of testing
Testing could be a combination of ad-hoc testing, systematic testing and
automated testing.
Ad-hoc testing
With ad-hoc testing, the test cases are made on the fly. It does not cover all
aspects of the new technology. An example of this would be using the new
printer device just to see whether you can force it to fail.
2005
Systematic testing
With systematic testing, a test suite is designed to cover all aspects of the
new equipment introduced. The test plan would specify the outputs expected
from each test. Systematic tests are repeatable to ensure that errors found in
earlier tests are eliminated. Systematic tests must be documented to keep
track of the tests performed and the results obtained. An example of this
would be using the new printer device systematically according to a test plan
such as:
 testing physical connectivity and then the printer drivers
 checking physical connectivity again (if the printer drivers fail) and
then testing the printer drivers again.
Automated testing
Automated testing could be the same as systematic testing but it does not
require human intervention. The testing is automatically carried out when a
new component is added to the existing system. Examples of this would be
printing logs and error reports that are automatically maintained while users
are printing to the network printer. The automated testing system ensures
that the printer works at the optimum capacity and reliably under every
network condition.
Integration testing
Integrated testing is undertaken to ensure that the parts of a system that
should work together do work together. This commonly involves testing new
equipment within the existing infrastructure to ensure that they work well
together with existing components under desired conditions.
2005
Removing redundant equipment
The wide usage of IT equipment coupled with our increased awareness of

environmental issues calls for responsible and streamlined strategies for
removing redundant equipment. Therefore, organisations must ensure that
they are aware of environmental, health, safety and security issues when
disposing equipment.
Services required for removal of

equipment
Many of the tasks involved in the removal of equipment can be undertaken
in-house, but some tasks may require services from other organisations.
Data removal
Remove and erase all traces of any data to protect the organisation’s
confidentiality.
Certification
Some companies have strict rules about removing equipment and needs
certification of removal for auditing and tracking purposes.
Donation to charity or sold to employees

You company may have a policy to donate replaced equipment to a
charitable organisation or sell to employees for a minimum price.
Transportation
If the equipment must be removed, who is responsible for securely
transporting the equipment to designated waste disposal locations?
2005
Hazardous material
Equipment with glass that is breakable and devices containing fluid that
could leak could be hazardous in nature.
Procedures for removal of equipment

To ensure that accurate documentation is maintained and equipment is
disposed of in an environmentally responsible way, specific procedures have
to be established for the purpose. Here is an example:
1 Identify equipment to be removed.
2 Determine whether the equipment obsolete. If not, explore the
possibility of recycling or using the equipment for other purposes.
3 Consider the options of using the equipment as spare parts and/or
redeploying it to another section of the organisation.
4 Identify services required and the organisations that can provide the
services, eg choosing a recycling organisation. When you get any new
equipment, suppliers of the new equipment may agree to remove any
redundant equipment from the organisation. If not, you will need to
identify appropriate organisations to dispose, donate or sell to
employees.
5 Ensure that procedures are in place to de-install any complex
equipment.
6 Update your inventory before you remove any equipment from the
organisation to ensure accurate documentation and good inventory
control practice.
2005
Summary
This reading has taken you through the process of establishing a strategy for
the integration and implementation of new equipment into an existing
system. We started with the importance of identifying organisational
requirements in the strategic planning for new technology. Then we explored
some effective strategies and tools for integration and implementation of
new equipment, including the use of technology roadmaps, Gantt charts and
developing a mini implementation plan. We then moved on to a discussion
of testing because new equipment must be tested to verify its functionality,
performance and reliability before being integrated into the existing system.
We finished with the environmental considerations in the removal of
redundant equipment, as well as some procedures for undertaking this.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Consequences of poor

planning
What do you think would be some of the consequences if the
implementation of new technology is not planned properly?
2005
Feedback
Imagine the impact on an organisation where the installation is planned to

coincide with the release of the company’s major marketing catalogue,
where little thought has gone into determining the implementation tasks let
alone allocating resources. Such an approach would have major negative
impacts on the day-to-day running of the business and it could jeopardise the
chances of gaining users’ acceptance of the new technology.
Activity 2: Data and file conversion

The Marketing Department requested that they upgrade their word
processing software to a different supplier’s product. The reasons they give
are that it has a superior mail merge facility and that it supports a macro
programming language that will enable a lot of the department’s repetitive
tasks to be automated. Having evaluated a range of options, you
recommended that the new software (the one they requested) be
implemented.
Consider the following questions about this case study:
1. What conversion process would be warranted here?
2. What about the Marketing Department’s data files?
3. Given that the new technology is from another supplier, how will this
affect the existing data
2005
Feedback
One of two methods of conversion might be appropriate here. Given that

what is at stake is not a complete system but rather just one component, it
might be reasonable to go with a direct conversion. That is, if the data format
is compatible with the existing document files. The alternative would be the
pilot conversion method where, for example, one or two people within the
Marketing Department try the new application. This would be the logical
choice if there was a degree of risk involved with the integrity of the
Department’s word processed documents.
Activity 3: Use of new product feature

Choose a new feature of any computer-related product and describe how you
might implement/use it. It could be hardware or additional features in a
software package. Sometimes accompanying documentation (printed or
online) has a ‘What’s new’ section which may help you.
Note the product name, version and manufacturer. How could this
product be used within an organisation?
2005
Feedback
Your answer will vary with the feature you choose, but please note that you
often only ever look for a particular feature when you have a need to use it.
The catch is how do you find out if it exists? It often seems to be the case
that when you have a need to perform a particular task but don’t know how,
that’s when you start asking questions.
You will often find the most useful sources of information are other people,
work colleagues, friends and/or computer magazines.
2005
Test and use new features of new
technology
Using new features of new technology 2

Integrating new equipment into the existing workflow 2
Selling new features to users 3
Skills to explore changing technology 4
Passing on knowledge 5
Testing new features of new technology 6

A test case 6
Classifications of testing 7
Strategies for testing 7
Conclusions of tests 8
Summary 9
2005
Using new features of new technology
New technologies are expected to have a positive influence on the business

performance. In is not realistic to have this expectation unless users are
willing to use the features of new technology to improve the business
performance. For new or upgraded equipment to be used to its optimum
capacity to meet business objectives, we must continuously verify that
advanced features and functions are used and that they are providing the
promised performance.
Some users might find the new technology overwhelming, and therefore
only use the features of the new technology that they are comfortable with.
Consider the following situation:
Your organisation has been using a spreadsheet package version 1.
Recently you upgraded to version 3 of this package as the technology
committee found that it will definitely increase the business productivity.
There are a number of very important advanced features available in
version 3 of the spreadsheet package. However, you find that most users
are not using any of the added features because they are already familiar
with the way version 1 performs and they can perform all version 1
functions using version 3.
What can be done to help these users to use the new features?
Integrating new equipment into the

existing workflow
The existing infrastructure must be taken into consideration when
implementing new technology. Measures must be adopted to ensure that the
new equipment will integrate well with the current workflow.
Consider the following situation:

A local supermarket introduced a new computerized ‘Shift Management
System’ to keep track of the weekly hours of the full-time and casual shift
workers in each department. Many department managers are very
comfortable with the manual paper-based system and are not very keen to
change their well-established system.
What can you do to ensure that your investment in the new Shift
Management System is justified? Unless appropriate strategies are followed
to promote the use of the new system, your investment will not produce the
desired results.
2005
Phasing out old technologies
Ensure that old processes and technology will lapse by a certain date so
users will be more eager to learn and use the features of the new technology.
If you continue to use the old systems, some users will feel very comfortable
using these and IT professionals will end up dealing with platform and file
compatibility problems.
In the case of the supermarket example, unless the old manual system is
phased out by stopping the acceptance of manual time sheets and
departmental reports, the users will not have incentive to learn about the new
system nor use it to improve the business processes.
Selling new features to users

You must sell the new features to the existing users so that they will actively
adopt these potentially profitable features to improve the business
performance. It is worthwhile spending time ‘hyping up’ users to use the
new features of new technology. Let’s look at some approaches.
Giving full conceptual perspective to users

Make the business and IT strategies accessible to all users. This will enable
them to understand the full picture of the new technology and how it
improves the business processes to achieve the business objectives.
In the example above, the supermarket department managers must be given

the full picture of how the new system will improve the performance of the
organisation. The supermarket managers will filter this information to the
workers in their departments.
Developing an organisation-wide support strategy

Introducing support strategies could substantially lower the barriers that
users face when using new technology. The organisation-wide support
strategy should be flexible enough to adapt to varying needs of the different
user groups.
In the supermarket example, a support strategy to help with the department

managers to migrate from the old technology to the new technology will
ensure that you win them over.
2005
Focusing on user-specific features
Bring the users’ attention to the essential and most common tasks that they’ll
need in their everyday work life. To focus on specific features:
 Create job specific cheat sheets and how-to guides.
 Provide help desk and other mechanisms for resolving problems and
offering guidance, eg automated information systems and searchable
frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) databases.
 Offer initial and ongoing training on upgraded/new equipment and
software.
 Identify external resources, including websites, consultants, and
volunteers as appropriate.
Establishing a use policy

It is important to establish an acceptable use policy for all new and upgraded
equipment. This policy should clearly state:
 user’s rights and responsibilities
 rights of the organisation to monitor and control the use of equipment
or software.
Skills to explore changing technology

What stops people from using new technology? It is the fear of the unknown.
At this point in your study of computing, you no doubt realise that you will
not destroy the world if you press the wrong key. In other words, you have
already learned a number of skills that allow you to confidently approach
any new technology. From your numerous experiences, you will have built
confidence in your own knowledge and skills with computers. When faced
with a new piece of software or hardware, you’ll probably find yourself
asking questions like:
 What does the software do?
 How can I use it?
 What happens if I do that?
 Where can I find out how to use that?
 Why does this work but that doesn’t?
 How can this program/equipment make my work easier and more
productive?
 How can I apply its new features to my work?
2005
Passing on knowledge
The knowledge and skills that you learn in constantly keeping up-to-date
with information technology are extremely valuable to you and your
organisation. However, keeping it all to yourself will do little to benefit the
organisation. Your knowledge and skills will obviously be used in areas such
as general IT/client support, selecting suitable products to upgrade, and so
on. It is also likely that you will be expected to perform either informal or
formal training sessions to ensure staff in your organisation can make the
most of what technology has to offer.
2005
Testing new features of new
technology
Once the new features of the technology are identified, you must build a
variety of tests to ensure that these features continue to meet the business
goals even after implementation. In order to test the effectiveness of the new
technology you can use the following process:
 Test case — state clearly the features you are testing.
 Test procedure — identify the specific tasks that are involved in
using each feature.
 Test plan — develop a test plan to determine whether the features of
the new technology are used to improve business performance.
 Conditions — select the conditions under which the test will be
conducted.
Remember to focus on the features that are most important to the

organisation’s performance.
A test case
Let’s take the supermarket example again and develop a test case of the
feature ‘Produce a weekly establishment working hours report’. Table 1
presents a test case for the supermarket Shift Management System.
Table 1: Test case of weekly establishment working hours report
No. Feature Required Test scenario Pass/Fail

functionality
1 Produce a weekly Ability to generate Generation of a PASS

establishment an accurate report accurately
working hours weekly report providing
report. using the daily information about
casual and full- weekly hours
time workers worked for each
hours submitted employee and
by each total hours for
department. each department.
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Classifications of testing
Level 1
These tests are used to test the major functions of the equipment and usually
this is done during the equipment selection process.
Level 2
These test the major as well as minor functions of the equipment and ensure
that they can work together in a variety of situations. This type of testing is
usually conducted in the prototype phase.
Level 3
These tests target the performance, stability and reliability under heavy
loads, usability, error handling, recovery and compatibility. Level 3 tests
could start very close to the implementation phase and a substantial period
after the introduction of the new technology. At this stage of testing, the IT
professional will work with the users to test the solutions to ensure the
upgraded equipment’s features and functions work as expected. You may
also engage a series of test cases to gauge the upgraded equipment’s stability
under various conditions. The IT team must resolve any issues discovered
during the testing process.
Strategies for testing

It is good practice to use two different groups of users and test various
methods of doing the same task using the technology. This will enable you
to identify the most productive method of performing a task and confirm the
operation of advanced features and functions.
In most cases, as the technology is new to the organisation, testing must be

conducted with a few competent people, unless the purpose of the test is to
identify problems for all users. Therefore, it would be a great help to identify
one or two ‘power users’ from each area being tested to eliminate incorrect
use of software due to poor training. In fact, an individual with proven in-
depth technical skills must lead the group in testing.
When selecting participants for testing you must include:

 users for whom the new technology is an integral part of their work
 representatives from IT personnel supporting the new/upgraded
equipment
 Individuals who understand the business objectives and the rationale
behind the implementation of the new equipment.
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Conclusions of tests
Conclusions of tests should be able to indicate whether the organisation’s
business performance expectations are met with the measured performance
of the new/upgraded equipment.
Test results must be documented as part of the ongoing process of

monitoring, implementing and aligning new technologies with business
requirements.
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Summary
In this reading you saw the importance of putting strategies in place to

ensure that new or upgraded technology is used to maximum capacity to
improve the organisation’s performance. You must make certain that the
new equipment is used for maximizing services, productivity and efficiency
for both internal staff and external customers. We also looked at how you
can verify the operation of identified advanced features and functions
through the testing process, including how to develop a test case, the
classifications of testing and some useful strategies for testing.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Ensure use of new features

A local supermarket introduced a new computerised ‘Shift Management
System’ to keep track of the weekly hours of the full-time and casual shift
workers in each department. Many department managers were very
comfortable with the manual paper-based system and are not very keen to
change their well-established manual systems.
Name four strategies you would use to ensure that the new technology is
used to the maximum capacity to improve the organisational
performance.
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Feedback
You can use the following strategies:

 Sell the features of new technology to the users. Show the advantages
of using it and how the new features will increase productivity.
 Phase out old technologies by setting a deadline where the
organisation would not accept any manually created reports.
 Communicate the benefit of new technology to all stakeholders.
 Provide an organisational support strategy where managers, casual
workers and full-time workers are given job-specific how-to guides,
‘cheat sheets’ and training to make sure they are all familiar with the
features that are specific to their job function.
Activity 2: Write a test case

Royal Institute of Technology has a large computer lab comprising of 200
computers. The lab is used to deliver various IT-based training to
approximately 500 students. As the computers are arranged to form 10
logical classrooms, there was a printer available for each cluster of
computers. The IT Services Department recently introduced ‘print pooling’
to maximize printer usage and efficiency. A printer pool was created using
five identical HP LaserJet printers connected to one set of print software.
The rationale behind the introduction of this system was to ensure that users
from one cluster do not need to queue when printers in other clusters are not
being used to the fullest capacity.
One of the features of this system is the ability to prioritise print jobs based
on whether the print job is coming from a teacher or a student. Write a test
case for this feature. You can set it out in the form of a table.
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Feedback
No Feature Required functionality Test scenario Pass/Fail

Login to a
number of
computers as
teachers.
Print jobs from all 200 Print a number

User with higher
computers must be directed of documents of
priority will be various sizes
to various print queues
given priority
depending on the priority using these
access to the next computers.
assigned to the users.
available printer
1 Higher priority jobs will be Log in as a PASS
than a user with a
printed using the next student on to a
lower priority
available printer and when number of
that has a print
they are finalised lower computers.
job waiting in the
priority jobs will be printed
print queue.
on any available printer. Print a number
of documents of
various sizes at
the same time as
the teacher’s
computers.
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Provide instruction
Instructor roles 3
What makes a good instructor? 4

A common scenario 4
Types of instruction or training 5

Instructor or trainer 5
Training situations 5
One-to-one instruction 7
Circumstances requiring one-to-one instruction 7
Advantages of one-to-one training 8
Planning the training process 9

Determining the type of training needed 9
Determining client’s training needs 10

Strategies to find out about client needs 10
Meeting client’s training needs 12

How can I plan effective instruction? 12
Developing an overall presentation approach 12
Setting learning objectives 13
Developing a training session plan 14
Planning the teaching of each skill 16
Delivering the training 17

Motivate the learners 17
Encourage your learners 18
Monitor a learner’s progress and provide feedback 19
Demonstrate practical skills 19
Select appropriate instruction activities 19
Reviewing a training session 21

Evaluation strategies 22
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Follow up 22
Summary 23
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Instructor roles
Your role as an instructor may vary from organisation to organisation or

within the section where you are employed. Some general areas you may be
involved in are:
 identifying the individual and organisational needs of the client
 providing advice on the instruction (training) available
 planning the instruction
 researching available training materials and accessing these resources
 developing instructional or training resources
 providing appropriate instruction
 modelling appropriate behaviours, attitudes, skills and ethics
 obtaining client feedback
 providing informative feedback to clients, both individuals and the
organisation
 reviewing training outcomes.
Sometimes clients request instruction on a technical matter. On other

occasions, client support staff will be able to determine the client’s need for
instruction, based on the types of client requests logged. At least some of the
instruction you give is likely to be on a one-to-one basis.
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What makes a good instructor?
A common scenario
Jay, a clerical officer, has this to say about the help desk at his organisation:
Some people at our ‘help’ desk are not at all helpful. They assume they
know what my needs are. They use IT jargon. Or they might just quickly
go into a monologue. I feel like saying, ‘Can you just come and show me
on my computer?’ Worse, there are some of them who are quite impatient
and I feel as if I’m wasting their time. At the end of a negative experience
like that, I just feel like giving up.
I have to say, however, that there are some at the help desk who do help.
They take time to listen carefully as you state your problem. They also
take you through the process step-by-step and they make sure they’ve fully
resolved your problem before they leave you to it.
Reflect
Think of some of your experiences that have involved instruction. You may
have received instructions from a teacher, an instructor, a co-worker or a
supervisor. You may have had to provide instruction to classmates, friends,
co-workers and clients. If you are working, think of some instruction or
training situations in your own workplace or any other place where
knowledge transfer has occurred. It could have been a construction site, a
hairdressing salon, a childcare centre or a ferry.
What do you think makes a good instructor?
Feedback
Generally a good instructor is someone who:
 adopts an enthusiastic attitude in every lesson
 has a good grounding of the subject matter
 is able to simplify difficult tasks and concepts for the learners
 is confident in presenting the information
 has a friendly manner that puts the learners at ease.
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Types of instruction or training
Instructor or trainer
Sometime during the course of your career, you may be called on to either
work with clients or to provide instruction to clients or co-workers. The
terms ‘instructor’ and ‘trainer’ can be interchanged in this topic. Note that in
this topic, we interchange terms such as instructor and trainer; and client,
user, trainee and learner.
Figure 1: The terms ‘instructor’ and ‘trainer’ can be interchanged
Training situations
Your organisation may be large with its own training department and with
systems specific to the organisation, and your role may be that of mentor or
trainer. On the other hand, your organisation may be small with someone,
perhaps you, mentoring some staff.
You may be asked by your organisation to prepare formal training sessions

either to a group or to individuals. Sometimes the training you provide will
be less formal. For example, someone may log a call to the help desk and
you may go over to their desk to demonstrate on their computer, or someone
next to you may ask you for on-the-spot help.
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No doubt you would have the technical skills and knowledge. However, as
an instructor, you need more than just technical expertise. You need to
develop strategies that will help your learners (clients) gain the skills,
knowledge and attitudes necessary for achieving a task. You need to be a
good teacher.
The instruction you provide will only be meaningful if it relates to the needs
of the client. One of the keys to playing the instructor role is the ability to
identify what instruction the client actually needs. Training needs analysis is
an important part of the process. If you neglect to identify what the client
actually needs then the instruction you provide may be useless.
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One-to-one instruction
One-to-one instruction is personalised training. It’s when you instruct or

train someone individually to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to
be able to competently undertake a task. You may, as trainer, for example,
sit next to the learner (client) at their workstation and go through the features
of an updated version of a software package; or you may give step-by-step
instructions to someone over the phone.
Think of the time when you first learned to drive. You had an instructor
sitting right there beside you. Think of the advantages of having a trainer
sitting right next to you. Did you grasp the basics right away? Did the trainer
demonstrate one skill at a time, supervise your practice closely and give you
immediate feedback? Were your exact needs being met?
You would certainly have had quite a different experience if you had learned
to drive in a group. With theoretical subjects, you may probably gain from
the questions and comments from others in the group, but not with practical
skills like driving! It is also quite common to find yourself sitting through
group instruction in areas in which you are already competent or which may
not be relevant to your own needs.
Circumstances requiring one-to-one

instruction
One-to-one instruction is generally more costly than group training, but
under some circumstances, such as the following, it is the preferred option:
 The organisation may believe that the training is so important or so
urgent that it is willing to invest in individual training.
 The knowledge and skill levels of individual staff vary. Users often
have unique problems and therefore unique training needs. In such
cases, training that is customised to the individual would be more
effective than group training.
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Advantages of one-to-one training
There are advantages to delivering training in a one-to-one situation that the
group-training equivalent just does not share. For example, one-to-one
training enables the training to be tailored to be more suitable for individual
learners, thereby accelerating the learning process as well as enabling the
learner to provide immediate feedback about the training. Here are some
more advantages:
 With one-to-one instruction the client will be able to ask more
questions and work at their own pace. As a learner, if you’re working
quickly, the trainer will be able to introduce new material. If you’re
learning slowly, the trainer will be able to go over each step of the
process until you’re confident you know it. When you’re with a
group, you may not be able to do that as easily. You also have the
exclusive attention of the trainer.
 One-to-one instruction gives you, the trainer, an opportunity to
demonstrate the steps required in learning a new skill or performing a
work task and then to observe your client repeating the same steps
independently. You can immediately correct any mistakes and
explain any misunderstandings you notice.
 One-to-one training is generally, but not always more costly than
group training if you consider the effectiveness of the training. If the
quality of the one-to-one instruction is really good, the learner
(client) learns quickly and won’t need any further training sessions.
If the group is too large, then the quality of instruction may not be as
good and the learners (clients) may need more training sessions and
thus the training will end up being more costly.
 In a one-to-one situation, the trainer can pick up any changes in the
client’s learning pace more easily than in a group situation. Subtle
shifts in the client’s responses and motivations are more observable
when the trainer focuses on only one person.
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Planning the training process
Suppose a group of staff in your workplace need a particular set of skills in

order to perform a task. You’ve been asked draw up a training program for
this. Where do you begin? You’ll need to ask some questions that will help
you determine the type of training needed.
Determining the type of training needed

The following questions can help you to determine a training strategy:
 What will be the overall goal of the training — for the organisation
and for the individual clients?
 What does the client need? What are the learner’s existing
knowledge and skills?
 What is the complexity of the skills to be taught?
 Is there a time frame to teach these skills?
 Are there others in the organisation who need more or less the same
type of training?
 Are there resources (eg manuals and textbooks) that I can draw
from?
 When is the client available for training?
 Would one-to-one training be more effective than group instruction?
 Should you provide all the training or would it be more effective to
enrol the client in an external course or engage a training provider?
 Is there a need for a service level agreement?
 What is the organisation’s budget for this training?
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Determining client’s training needs
Now you need to work out the specific training needs of individuals, in order
for them to achieve the training goal. This is also known as conducting a
needs analysis.
Then you can compare what they already know with what they will be
expected to know by the end of the training. The ‘gaps’ indicate the skills
and knowledge your training should focus on. These will become the
learning objectives.
To determine a client’s training needs, you will need to consider the overall
gaol of the training and:
 the specific tasks the client needs to perform
 the skills needed in order to perform those tasks
 the different levels of training needed for different learners —
novice, advanced, power-user or technical training.
Strategies to find out about client needs

Determining the client’s training needs is similar to determining any sort of
client need. You must be careful not to make assumptions!
Focus on what the learner needs to know in order for them to perform the
task, and also find out what they already know. The training needs to be
valuable and appropriate to this particular learner or group.
The following are some strategies to find out about client’s training needs.
You may develop more strategies as you go along.
Ask
Employees need to acquire new skills and competencies to function
effectively when there are changes in their workplace, be it the introduction
of new technology or new work procedures. A good understanding of the
stakeholders and their current competency levels will give you an idea of
their training needs.
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Conduct a diagnostic activity
A good solution is to prepare in advance a diagnostic activity. This might be
a specific set of questions for the client, or it might be a sort of test to see
whether the client can perform a series of tasks.
Practise good communication skills

Good communication skills, such as questioning and active listening
techniques, will help you get useful information about client’s training
needs.
Observe the client as they attempt to complete the task

This will help you see where the client’s gaps in knowledge and skills are
and find out what they don’t know.
Do some research
You may be able to find out what the client’s recurring problems are. For
example, you might be able to look through the help desk request log.
Frequently requested help with a particular problem may alert you to a
particular training need. This strategy is particularly useful in gauging any
problems arising from the introduction of new technologies.
Find out about barriers to the learner (client)

Find out whether the learner (client) has any special needs, negative attitudes
or phobias about any of the tasks they need to learn to perform. Before you
offer training, you may need to help the client think positively about the
training. For example, your client may have a disability or cultural barriers
with regard to using certain types of technology.
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Meeting client’s training needs
Now you’re able to start planning the detail of your training session/s, in
order to meet your client needs. You’ll need to:
1 Set the training (learning) objectives, identifying the skills and
knowledge the client will gain.
2 Develop an overall presentation approach.
3 Develop a training plan for a training session.
4 Plan the demonstration and information you’ll give for each skill.
How can I plan effective instruction?

Over time, as you get more experienced as a trainer, you will develop your
own effective strategies for providing instruction. As a start, you can
identify:
1 the client’s preferred ways of learning — such as seeing or observing;
listening and note-taking; reading and research; imitating and practising;
or a combination of all these.
2 the client’s existing knowledge and skills level — your client is an adult
and may have had prior training, studies and work experiences. You’ll
be able to build on these skills and knowledge.
Developing an overall presentation

approach
Below are a few examples of different presentation approaches. Some of
them will be more appropriate for some situations and others less so. Adapt
them as you see fit.
 Demonstrate each skill and get the learner (client) to practise them.
 Present a project or a case study at some stage of the training.
 Teach the skills either one at a time or altogether.
 If appropriate to the situation, show the client the end result and then
show the steps you took to arrive at that final result.
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 Introduce a skill, followed by other related skills. Then go back to
each skill time and time again during the session, to build on or
elaborate on that skill.
 Cover each skill (or group of skills) and then revise them via a
project.
 Give them a task right at the beginning. Throw them in at the deep
end, so to speak. The aim is to allow them to discover for themselves
and learn from their errors. Note: This approach may not be suitable
for tasks that have a high risk with regards to occupational health and
safety practices. Some people may also be easily discouraged if they
are thrown in at the deep end.
 Follow a chain of cause and effect, at least in some parts of your
session. Show them a step, for example, and the wanted or unwanted
effect of that.
 Always devise questions that you will ask to check the client’s
progress or understanding.
Setting learning objectives

This involves identifying the skills and knowledge the client will gain. Once
you’ve got a list of the tasks that the learner needs to be competent in, break
each one down into a list of skills involved in each task. At this stage you
can also think about how you will know that your client has acquired the
new skills. This might involve them producing something for you, or you
may be able to observe their performance to gauge their progress.
You may wish to draw up a checklist encompassing all the skills for that
task. This checklist can be customised each time you need to instruct a new
client.
On the checklist, allow a space next to each skill for you to tick if your client
does not need instruction in that skill, or if/when they are competent.
For example, for the task ‘access the Internet’ you might draw up the
following skills checklist:
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Table 1: Skills a learner needs to perform the task ‘access the Internet’
Skills Complete
a Demonstrate a positive attitude towards the value and

purpose of the Internet by identifying some reasons why it
may be useful.
Demonstrate basic computer skills by being able to
perform simple computer tasks such as starting a
computer, starting application programs and work in a
windows-based environment
b Start up Internet software applications.
c Identify rules about acceptable practices when using
Internet technologies.
d Access files and documents using Internet search engines.
e Browse the Internet to find related sites via links.
f Send, download and respond to emails.
As you can see, you need to include both the skills and knowledge the
learner needs to perform this task. Depending on the situation, you may also
note the type of ongoing support or mentoring needed.
You can use the checklist to keep track of the learner’s progress with the
tasks. If there is a contract with the learners then that could also be used to
monitor the learner’s progress.
Show this checklist of skills to the learner/s at the start of the first training
session. At this stage, you may also decide to include additional content that
the learner wishes to cover.
Developing a training session plan

This involves developing a meaningful overall structure for a training
session.
If the training is formal, it is important to develop a basic structure or

program for the training. This allows both trainer and client to see where the
training is up to and where it’s going. The client can even do some prior
reading before each session.
In the lesson plan below, the left-hand column is a basic outline for a
session. A lesson plan may also have time limits associated with each stage.
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Table 2: A sample plan for a formal, group training session
Session activity Description
Introductions (personal) Trainees and trainer get to know more about each other.
This is a good time to set the tone for the rest of the
session. If the trainee has any doubts about the training,
this would be the best time to discuss them.
Discussion: learning Discuss the skills to be covered. Explain whether you’re
outcomes of the session going to teach the skills separately or as a group.
You may wish to allow the client to write down each skill
in their own words and as it relates to their job.
At this stage, you may also wish to go through the skill and
discuss what it means not to be competent. Sometimes,
only by looking at what you do not want to end up with do
you clarify in your mind exactly what it is that you do
want.
Demonstration: explain List each skill (or each group of skills) in the order in
and demonstrate skills a, b which you’ll teach them.
and c
Include how the instruction will take place, ie what you
will be doing and what the trainees will be doing. For
example: demonstration followed by questions, etc
Morning tea Refreshment break
Practice: learner practise Learning is an active experience. You must allow the
skills a, b and c learner plenty of time to practise and repeat that practise.
Just because they have seen you do it, doesn’t mean they
can do it themselves.
Lunch
Activities: learners More practice and putting skills together to perform tasks,
practise applying the new or to apply them to their own workplace
skills to the workplace
Assessment Have the trainees reached the learning outcomes? This
could be assessed by questions, making observations or
asking for trainees to hand in practical work.
Feedback and evaluation You need feedback from your learners on how they felt
about the training, the methods you used and if they are
satisfied. This is usually done with an evaluation sheet
given out at the end of the training.
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Planning the teaching of each skill
It is important to develop a plan for the teaching of each skill, particularly if
the skill is a complex one or if your learner does not have much existing
knowledge and skills in the area. Some skills, of course, can be taught at the
same time.
Below is a draft plan for teaching the use of an email system. Remember to
always focus on the learner.
Table 3: A draft plan for teaching the use of an email system
Develop Details
Skill: Learner should be able to send, download and respond to emails.

Content: Open up email system.
Fill in intended recipient’s address and message title.
Send email message.
Download incoming email message.
Respond to email message.
Teaching Demonstrate first.
strategies:
Give learner a number of messages to send.
Provide constant and instant feedback.
Provide learner with a help card.
Assessment: Ask learner to send, download and respond to an email.
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Delivering the training
You have decided on your program and your presentation approach. Now
it’s time to deliver. What strategies will you use?
Here are a few strategies you might find useful:

 Motivate the learner.
 Encourage the learner to participate actively in the training session.
 Monitor a learner’s progress and provide feedback.
 Demonstrate practical skills, where possible.
 Select appropriate instruction activities.
 Identify the learner’s existing skills and knowledge and build on
them.
 Don’t assume the learner knows something. Find out for yourself.
 Use examples or case studies to help explain abstract or theoretical
concepts.
 Use memory aids (for you, the trainer) if you can.
 Get the learner to check their own progress. Use checklists.
 Ask questions of the learner to help them learn.
Using these techniques is the key to effective instruction, so let’s look at a

few of these in greater detail.
Motivate the learners

Before anything else, make sure that the learners have a positive attitude
towards the subject matter of the training. Develop rapport and gain their
confidence. You can do this, for example, by introducing yourself and
perhaps talking a bit about yourself. Try to get them to talk about past work
experiences and training. That’s one way of developing mutual trust and
respect between you and your clients.
Even if the learners already have a positive attitude, explain the importance
of the training — how the skills learnt will benefit their work practices and
allow them to be more multi-skilled, for example. Ask the learners what they
expect to get out of the training. Discuss, from the outset, what the learning
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outcomes will be. Accommodate any further learning outcomes expected by
the learners, within the scope of the overall training goal.
During the course of your instruction, you can motivate the learners further,
for example, by setting activities that are not too difficult, providing positive
feedback and getting learners to actively participate.
Encourage your learners
Respect the learners

Treat them as adults. Acknowledge their existing knowledge and skills as
valuable. Value their input and give them time to ask questions. Listen to the
learner. Encourage them to contribute to the discussion.
Build on the learner’s existing skills and knowledge

The learner’s prior knowledge and existing skills, they will be more likely to
retain, in their long-term memory, the knowledge and skills you’re teaching.
You might want to conduct a diagnostic test, or you might see it as
appropriate to just ask the learner. Be aware, however, that sometimes some
learners may not like to admit that they do not know.
Reflect
Think of some strategies that might motivate and encourage a learner.
Feedback
There are many strategies that motivate and encourage a learner. Here are
just a few examples. You may develop more as you become a more
experienced trainer.
 Tell the learner a little about yourself.
 Ask the learner to talk about their work and experiences.
 Discuss everyday funny situations with the learner.
 Discuss the positive aspects of the learning for the client.
 Show respect for the learner.
 Provide encouraging feedback ‘That’s right’, ‘You seem to have the
hang of it’ and so on.
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Monitor a learner’s progress and
provide feedback
To see whether learners are actually making progress, you need to monitor
them. Here are some monitoring strategies:
 Ask a learner questions and provide immediate feedback.
 Get them to perform a task (even if it is very simple) and observe
them. Setting a variety of such activities will help you determine the
level of skills and knowledge achieved.
 Remember to record such observations. There are often
organisational guidelines which should be used for this sort of
documentation, and these records are used to support
recommendations on further training needs.
Demonstrate practical skills

This is the most popular method for conducting sessions where a client has
to learn new practical skills.
There are three steps in this method:

1 Talk about the whole skill (or group of skills) in broad terms.
2 Demonstrate the whole skill without instructions and at normal speed.
3 Demonstrate again, slowly, and describe each step.
It works best when the new skill can be broken down into a number of steps.
Select appropriate instruction activities

Activities you run in a training session could include: discussions,
demonstrations, practice, reading, role plays, Internet research, questioning,
viewing a video, following a tutorial, and so on. When deciding on suitable
instruction activities ask yourself the question, does the activity help the
client to:
 achieve the outcomes of the training?
 understand and remember the information?
 see how they could transfer the new information into their work
situation?
 meet their needs?
 remember the new information?
 use equipment, resources and a location that are easily available?
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Case study activity
Chris is a part-time teacher at a metropolitan TAFE campus. A few weeks
ago, Chris was asked to plan some workplace training. A large
manufacturing plant in the area had called for tenders to organise their
training for the process workers, and to organise and deliver various
training sessions in the workplace. The TAFE Institute’s business unit was
successful in winning the contract to provide this service and called on
Chris, who had previously worked in the industry, to deliver some of the
training.
The plant manager had decided that the plant was going to embrace
technology and use the Internet as a research and development tool
throughout the organisation. The employees were to use the Internet to set
up international contacts for best practice examples, source raw materials
and parts for equipment, organise to attend conferences, etc. Chris was
given the job of organising training sessions for the staff on effective use
of the Internet. The training was to take place at each employee’s
workstation as this would enable Chris to tailor the training to suit
individual needs and accelerate the training. Chris carried out a needs
analysis by meeting with the intended trainees. Some people were very
appreciative that the organisation was providing them with training.
However, the following questions were also raised by some employees:
Well, I think what you have told me sounds great. I’d also like you to tell
us if management is going to provide us with access from home.
I am a proficient user of the technologies you’ve mentioned and I have a
lot of other work to do, so can you please leave me alone?
I don’t want to use the technology and anyway, I don’t see how you could
help me in my job. Nobody even asked me my opinion.
(In private:) I’m dyslexic and I don’t think I will be any good at this. I
don’t normally have to read a lot, so I haven’t mentioned it before. I’m a
bit worried it might affect my job.
Reflect
What responses would you make to the above questions and comments? If
you can, discuss this situation with other students and your teacher.
2005
Reviewing a training session
Toby conducts regular one-to-one training on occupational health and

safety for various new staff that join his organisation. Training sessions are
conducted every three months in each department and have been ongoing
for about two years.
Toby has been called into the manager’s office to discuss the training he
has been conducting. The manager asks Toby for documentation of the
effectiveness of the training. Toby has been very thorough in preparing
and conducting the training and shows the manager his training plans and
methods. He does not have any written information on the effectiveness of
the program but he is confident that it is going well. Participants appear
happy with the training and there have been no major complaints.
However, as Toby was away the previous week, he is unaware that there
was quite a serious accident and it looks as though the company may be
investigated by the local authorities.
Reflect
1 Why is it important to evaluate instruction?
2 Does Toby have any evidence that his training was effective?
3 What could Toby have done to regularly review the one-to-one training
sessions he has been conducting?
Feedback
Whether the training is conducted one-to-one or in groups, it is important to
review instruction so that a record of the effect of the training is kept.
Unfortunately, Toby has no evidence that his training has been effective.
Some things he could have done are:
 observe and record work practices of learners after the training
session
 ask learners to complete a written test on the key content of the
training session
 ask learners to complete a written survey on the clarity and
effectiveness of the training.
2005
Evaluation strategies
The final stage of training is evaluation. The major aim of training
evaluation is to verify whether the client’s requirements have been met.
Evaluation is usually based on the feedback obtained from the client.
If a training session is appropriately documented then the evaluation process

requires only analysis of the training documentation and the implementation
of its findings.
What can you do to review instruction to ensure that client’s needs have
been met? Here are some suggestions:
 Ask the client probing questions.
 Conduct group discussions.
 Observe the client and obtain feedback.
 Accept anonymous feedback from the client, eg using a
questionnaire.
 Evaluate the client’s feedback.
 Evaluate yourself.
 Set up plan to implement findings.
These are methods used to determine if training went according to plan,

whether the tools and resources used were appropriate and whether training
could be improved in the future.
Follow up
Is further instruction or training needed?
Sometimes the most appropriate way to meet the client’s needs is to refer
them on to other training sessions. For example, they may want or need to
attend a course on using their spreadsheet software rather than just being
instructed in a particular feature of a spreadsheet.
This training may need to be identified when you first determine their
training needs, or it may only be realised after you have conducted one or
more instruction sessions.
2005
Summary
We have discussed the process for providing instruction to clients in

group or one-to-one training sessions. We started with an introduction to
the roles of the instructor, what makes a good instructor, types of
instruction or training and the advantages of one-to-one instruction. Then
we moved on to exploring how to plan the training process, determine
and meet client’s training needs, and finished with discussions on how to
deliver and review instruction.
You must keep in mind that while effective training will contribute to
users viewing training as a fundamental process, ineffective training may
affect users’ confidence in themselves and/or the environment in which
they work.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Identify group and one-to-

one training needs
As the trainer, your objective in providing instruction is to help your clients
develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to competently
undertake the task they need to perform. You have the option of providing
either group or one-to-one instruction. For this activity, you are to:
1. Consider these four situations in which training is needed.
2. State the option (group, one-to-one or a combination) you would
recommend for each situation and give reasons.
Give your recommendations and reasons here.
2005
Feedback
The answers are open as they depend on what you have considered. Here are
some considerations you should have covered.
Remember that clients will need training on the essentials first. Once they
become confident with these, you can provide training on more specific
features of their task. In some of the situations in the activity, you (or your
organisation) may decide on a group training followed by one-to-one
training. You can see how important the training needs analysis is and the art
of asking useful questions in determining exactly what a client’s needs are.
Even though a group of clients may appear to have the same need, it does
not always follow that they have the same levels of experience and the same
learning style to warrant conducting group training.
Do you recall receiving or giving someone one-to-one instruction: a teacher,
a sports instructor or a friend perhaps? Think about whether it would have
been more or less effective in a group training session.
Activity 2: Train a user in a new skill

To practise giving a demonstration you’ll need to find a willing participant
(perhaps a friend or work colleague) to play the role of the trainee.
Think of a skill you know well — preferably one that your trainee needs or
wants to learn. Prepare and deliver a demonstration for your trainee to learn
this skill. For example, you might choose to demonstrate:
 cleaning a piece of equipment
 changing a software setting
 formatting text using a word processor
 connecting equipment
 using equipment, like sending a fax.
Here are some tips for conducting the training.
After you have conducted your training, answer these questions.
List the things you did to prepare for your demonstration
2005
Feedback
To prepare for a demonstration you need to:

 Practise the skill or task you are demonstrating.
 Break the skill into steps.
 Create a checklist of the steps to demonstrate and explanations you
may need to give.
 Set up the demonstration area, eg with equipment, manuals, tools,
cleaning gear, paperwork, pen and paper, seating, lighting, etc.
What did you observe about the trainee’s understanding and ability
with the new skill when you watched them practise on their own?
2005
Feedback
You may have thought they did not look confident, as they kept having to
ask for feedback or made errors. You may have thought that they did not
perform the skill to the level you expected them to.
Or, you may have been surprised that they learnt the skill quickly and were
very confident with what they were doing.
If you feel you didn’t meet the training goal, think about these things:
 Did you overestimate the trainee’s ability to begin with? Ie, did you
assume they already had certain skills or knowledge needed to learn
the new skill?
 Was your demonstration slow and clear? Could the trainee observe
what you were trying to show them?
 Was the trainee distracted by the environment, or not willing enough
to participate in the training?
If you feel you did meet the training goal:
 Congratulate yourself — demonstrations require planning and good
communication skills, well done.
 Although you achieved your goal, did you make the training goal too
simple for the trainee?
 Could you have raised the performance level or your expectations of
the trainee?
 Did the trainee already know how to do the task?
In either case, it is important to check your trainee’s prior skills and interests
before you expect them to learn a new skill.
It’s also essential to follow up any difficulties the trainee may have, or repeat
the steps or explanations, etc, to make sure they are satisfied with their
learning as soon as possib
What feedback did the trainee give you about the training?
2005
Feedback
You might have had good feedback if you achieved your training goal. Well
done!
If you received negative feedback, try and see this as a way to learn more
about your own ability as a trainer. What could you do better next time?
Think about the feedback you get in a constructive way, and try not to take it
personally.
What would you do differently next time when demonstrating this skill?
2005
Feedback
If you did not meet the training goal you may have said something like:
 Make sure the environment is quiet or better set up.
 Do the training at a time that will suit the trainee.
 Practise the skill myself and make sure I can do it well.
 Give more explanation of what I’m doing as I demonstrate.
 Let the trainee practise more, with me just guiding them.
Activity 3: Reflect on training

Reflect on the training you have practised so far. Then think of an example
of when you were on the other end, as someone receiving instruction. Write
down some of your thoughts by answering these questions.
When you were an instructor:

How did you know the trainee/s needed assistance?
2005
Feedback
Remember that sometimes a person may not be able to tell you exactly what
their problem is. You would need to elicit this by asking or through
observation. Before conducting training, you ought to have completed a
training needs analysis and probably a report on them as well
Did you achieve your goal?
2005
Feedback
Remember that the goal of client instruction is to enable the client to

independently and confidently perform specific tasks and procedures in
their workplace. The client must be able to apply these skills and knowledge
in a way that meets their organisational standards and goals.
When you received instruction:

How did the instructor know you needed assistance?
2005
Feedback
What feedback mechanisms did your instructor use to find out whether you
needed any help? Did you ask questions yourself or did your instructor ask
you whether you needed assistance or just observed how you went?
At the end of the training, did you feel competent (perhaps with a little more
practise on your own) in the skills that were being taught?
2005
Collect feedback and evaluate the
new or modified technology
The need for evaluation 2
The process of evaluation 3

Planning evaluation 3
Key indicators of usability and performance 4
Environmental considerations for new equipment and

software 5
Using feedback 6
The value of feedback 6
Gathering feedback 6
Analysing and processing feedback 8
Scoring of usability and performance 9

Produce a final report 11
Summary 12
2005
The need for evaluation
Evaluation needs to be conducted after the migration into the new

technology to assess the project’s success or failure. In this process, you
must use the project success indicators to compare against the actual benefits
and returns. During evaluation, data is collected, recorded and analysed to
identify the benefits of the new technology.
Evaluation is conducted after implementation of new technology to:

1 Identify any issues relating to the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency
of the hardware and software systems installed.
2 Identify changes that are necessary to address any pressing issues.
3 Ensure that the organisational process used for migrating to new
technology are acceptable to stakeholders and identify any changes that
are necessary.
4 Verify whether the system the system has delivered what was expected
so as to benefit future projects.
5 Monitor long-term use of the system.
2005
The process of evaluation
There are three steps in the evaluation process:

1 Collect, record and analyse feedback to track progress against the
targets. Explain success and failures with respect to the performance
indicators. Identify unintended positive or negative effects.
2 Decide on necessary adjustments to the system to increase its usability
and performance.
3 Establish any lessons that could be learnt from this project so future
information technology projects would be much more efficient.
Planning evaluation
The evaluation plan should be flexible enough to accommodate new
questions and information sources. Here are some strategies in planning
evaluation:
 Obtain a list of all stakeholders of the new technology.
 Identify stakeholders that must be consulted to evaluate the
performance and usability of the system. Ensure that the sample
chosen includes users, power users, support personnel, managers as
well as customers (if applicable).
 Identify any other data sources to collect information such as
documents, reports, performance logs, etc.
 Identify key performance indicators with regard to performance and
usability of the software applications and hardware.
 Determine the resources that are needed to carry out the evaluation.
 Identify the methodologies that will be used to conduct the
evaluation. The possible methodologies are: observations,
questionnaires, walkthroughs, interviews, focus groups, etc.
 Analyse the information collected and compare it against the targets
of performance and usability.
 Recommend potential enhancements to the system and identify any
shortcomings of the implementation for the benefit of future projects.
2005
Key indicators of usability and
performance
The overall objective of conducting usability and performance evaluation is
to recommend changes that will contribute to increase user acceptance,
increase productivity, decrease training and learning times, and increase
business performance.
Key indicators of usability

Usability of the system measures hardware and software user interface with
respect to attributes such as ease of learning, ease of use and satisfaction in
meeting user needs. A usable system ensures that the user can access the
required feature instantly through its well-planned user interface. It also
ensures that all control features are consistently presented so would need
minimum training to identify various processes within the system.
 Ease of use — users find it easy to apply to their intended tasks.
 User satisfaction with the functional capabilities.
 Sufficient and easily accessible user support. Users are satisfied with
the support procedures such as help screen with context sensitive
help, knowledge bases, help desk, etc.
 Satisfactory initial experience. Users have successful initial
experience with the software and/or hardware.
 Integration with existing processes. The new system integrates well
with existing processes.
 Overall system capability. Users are satisfied with the overall
capability and usefulness of the system.
Key indicators of performance

Performance of the system measures the reliability of the hardware and
software. It includes:
 availability of the system
 error rate
 mean time taken to complete tasks.
2005
Environmental considerations for new
equipment and software
It is important to use a formal process to ensure that potential environment

problems are foreseen and addressed at early stages of the implementation of
new hardware or software. However, a careful environmental impact
assessment prior to implementation does not exempt you from re-visiting
this topic during the evaluation stage.
Assessment of the environmental impact of using the technology must be

done against:
 resources
 labour
 infrastructure
 supporting technologies required.
Factors that could bring favourable environmental outcomes are:

 reduction in wastage
 replacement of old equipment that is not environmentally friendly
 reduction in paper usage
 reduction in energy consumption.
Factors that could pose a challenge are:

 environmental issues relating to disposal of obsolete computer
supplies, hardware and other equipment
 environmental issues relating to communication devices, wireless
communication devices in particular
 the apparent need of many organisations to purchase large numbers
of new computers. (It is estimated that 1.8 tons of raw materials are
required to produce the average desktop personal computer and
monitor. Imagine the negative impact of the production on the
environment!)
Another major consideration when purchasing new equipment is whether it

is designed with environmental attributes. The environmental responsibility
does not stop there. The users of technology must do so responsibly by using
software and hardware that can reduce wastage as well as minimise printed
material and energy consumption, etc.
2005
Using feedback
The value of feedback

Feedback is extremely valuable in the evaluation of hardware and software
as it provides an effective balance for your own observations and
walkthroughs on the system. This is an ongoing process of keeping IT
professionals informed of the performance and usability of the system and
should not be treated as merely an event.
While positive feedback reinforces the implementation of the system,

negative feedback provides very valuable information about how to improve
the usability and the performance of the system. The performance
improvements made due to the feedback will ultimately benefit the
organisation.
Gathering feedback
The goal of collecting feedback from users and gathering information from
other sources is to enable the technology committee to assess how well the
software and hardware implementation is satisfying the key usability and
performance indicators.
Sources of information
You can gather data from people, documents, performance data, observation
of events or any other empirical method such as experiments and
benchmarking.
Basic feedback gathering methods

The ideal form of feedback gathering is to use a combination of the
following methods depending on time and organisational factors.
2005
Observations, walkthroughs and site visits
These are conducted to get first hand information on performance and

usability features of the system. The internal or external evaluators will
observe all stakeholders using the technology and observe usability and
performance indicators of the system.
Walkthroughs are conducted where an evaluator walks through a certain

feature to assess how the system performs that feature with respect to
usability and performance indicators.
Interviews
Here are some tips for conducting interviews:

 Choose stakeholders who would have greater or unique involvement
with the new system.
 Communicate the purpose of the interview to the interviewee.
 Ask brief questions relevant to performance and usability of the
system.
 Don’t interrupt.
 Be a good listener.
 Take notes.
Focus groups
These are group interview situations where discussions can take place about
the usability and the performance of the hardware and software. Here are
some tips for conducting focus groups:
 Reward the attendees by providing refreshments as this could be a
good motivator.
 Start and finish on time.
 Be prepared to hear positive and negative comments.
 Be prepared with prompting questions to start the discussions about
usability and performance of the system.
 Let the participants communicate and listen carefully.
 Avoid being defensive.
 Listen to all comments.
 Engage a note-taker.
2005
Surveys and questionnaires
These are used to gather quantifiable data about the system from a large
number of people. You should make allowances for the low response rate
and the slow response time. Here are some tips for conducting surveys:
 State the objective of the survey as evaluating the performance and
usability of the new technology.
 Keep the survey to a manageable length.
 Use both open-ended and closed questions.
Analysing and processing feedback

All data regardless of how and from where it was collected must be
summarised against the performance and usability indicators so they are
more manageable. In almost all case, both quantitative and qualitative data
will be collected and used.
 The performance measurements such as error rates will be
quantitative and will be easy to interpret.
 Performance measurements such as reliability could be a
combination of qualitative and quantitative data.
 Usability indicators could be qualitative or quantitative.
2005
Scoring of usability and performance
It is common practice to use a scoring system to identify how the system is

performing with regards to usability and performance. An example of a
scoring system is given below.
Table 1: Directions for scoring key indicators
Indicators Poor Satisfactory Good Excellent
Support
Help desk Support Support Support Excellent

services mechanisms are mechanisms mechanisms support
non-existent or exist. But fees exist. Fees for mechanisms.
not adequate. associated with help desk calls Reasonable fees
help desk calls are reasonable and acceptable
are high and but response response times.
response times times are slow. Relevant cheat
are slow. Cheat sheets sheets and how-
and how-to to guides are
guides are accessible
available for through the
some features. web-based
support system.
Technical needs assessment
Needs Needs Some groups of Needs for all An elaborate

assessment assessment was stakeholders stakeholders and
conducted for not conducted. were surveyed identified comprehensive
implementation to identify however not all needs
computer needs are assessment was
hardware accounted for in conducted and
requirements. the final it all
implementation. stakeholders
were well
informed about
the
improvements
that would be
introduced.
2005
Training
Training prior Training was Training was More customise A

to and during not provided. provided in training for comprehensive
implementation large groups. small groups. training plan
was derived and
all users were
trained in
groups for
common skills
and on a one-to-
one basis for
user specific
tasks.
Customisation
User All features are Desktop Power users can Power users can
customisation set and attributes such customise customise most
customisation is as fonts and certain features. features where
not an option colours could Ordinary uses as ordinary
be customised cannot change users can
to suit the any features change a
user’s needs limited number
of features.
Integration
Compatibility The new New software New software is New software is

software is not is partially backward totally
compatible with compatible with compatible with backward
any old old the old software compatible with
packages that technologies but does need the old
performed however the some software.
similar tasks. administrator intervention
has stopped with data
making any conversions.
reference to
data in the
previous
system.
2005
Performance
Value for The technology The new The technology The technology
Money has not technology has has minimized is proving to be
produced any not enforced costs producing a
cost advantages any additional profit.
that was expenses
anticipated. In (running costs)
fact, the new compared to
technology the old
costs more technologies
money to the used
organisation. previously.
Speed Output of new New New New
(Throughput) technology is Technology is Technology is Technology is
slower comparable lot more producing more
compared to the with old other efficient than all than three times
previous technologies. previous faster than the
technologies. technologies. previous
system.
Quality The quality of The quality of Produces good The quality of
output is not output is quality output. output is rated
acceptable. comparable to Less than 2% as very high.
Error rate is older defects. Less than 0.5%
more than 5%. technologies defects.
and is
acceptable.
Less than 5%
defects.
Produce a final report

Once you score each evaluation indicator using the directions given in Table
1, you can conclude the finding in a final report and present your
recommendations to the technology committee or any other body
responsible for technology implementation.
2005
Summary
We began with a discussion of the need for and process of evaluation when
implementing new technology. Then we moved on to planning an
evaluation, key indicators of usability and performance, and environmental
considerations when purchasing new equipment. Then we explored using
feedback, its value and how to gather, analyse and process it. We finished
with an example of a scoring system to identify how the new system is
performing with regards to usability and performance.
Check your progress

responses.
assessment.
Activity 1: Evaluate a billing system

The local shopping centre has installed a new customer billing system to
manage the purchases and payments of all the shops. This system
encompasses a relational database to handle purchases, inventory, stock-
control and a bar code reader as an input device to enter purchased items.
The system was implemented only two weeks ago and you are an internal
evaluator who is asked to conduct an evaluation of this implementation.
Answer the following questions.
List the stakeholders of this system.
2005
Feedback
In this case, the stakeholders are: checkout operators, stock control

personnel, centre managers, support personnel and customers
What performance key indicators should you be concentrating on for

such a system?
2005
Feedback
Some of the performance indicators are: time taken to complete one

transaction, latency, accuracy of the information calculated, satisfaction with
the range of features available, backward compatibility with previous data,
error rate, reliability of the reports produced, availability of the bar code
reader for the entire duration (less down time) etc.
What usability key indicators should you concentrate on for a point of
sale system?
2005
Feedback
Some usability indicators are: ease of use, well-established support features,

simplicity, ease of locating information and features and non-ambiguous
information.
Activity 2: Collect feedback

How would you collect feedback for the new customer billing system in
Activity 1?
2005
Feedback
Some ways of collecting feedback for the new customer billing system are:
 Customer surveys — check customer satisfaction with the new
system; prizes can be offered to encourage customers to return
completed surveys.
 Staff questionnaires — design different questionnaires focusing on
specific aspects of the system according to the work roles of check-
out operators, stock control personnel, centre managers and support
personnel.
 Group evaluation sessions — conduct these sessions on the basis of
work units, giving staff the opportunity to talk about their experience
with the new system and give feedback.
 Staff interviews — from findings of the questionnaires, select some
members of staff for more in-depth evaluation of the system through
individual interviews.
 Observation of staff at work and note-taking.
2005

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Migrate 2 New Technology

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Build on existing knowledge to

upgrade or acquire skills in

Sources for identifying new technology

Assessing the impact of new technology

Interpersonal and psychological skills

Check your progress

Activity 1: Gain experience for new

Activity 2: Keep up with new technology

Activity 3: Assess new technology

Activity 4: Acquire new skills

Aligning business and IT strategies

Types of business technologies

Understanding your business

Defining organisational needs

The product selection process

Matching solutions with strategic

Identifying appropriate new

Evaluating and selecting new

Effect on quality of service or product

Effect on flexibility of service or

Effect on labour/client relations

Testing proposed solutions

Check your progress

Activity 1: Migrate to e-business

Planning is the key 2

General notes on planning the installation of software 6

General notes on planning the installation of hardware

Software device drivers 10

Preparing an installation plan to minimise impact 13

Planning for contingencies 14

Planning is fundamental to the successful operation of any business.

Planning is the key to a successful installation. By doing this you’ll avoid

In this reading we will be looking at developing an installation plan for the

Your plan needs to include steps for:

One resource your installation plan needs to address is a suitable working

Hand tools for component installation

Computer toolkits are available from electronic suppliers such as:

Dick Smith Electronics (http://www.dse.com.au/)

Jaycar Electronics (http://www1.jaycar.com.au/)

Paw Products (http://www.paw.com.au/)

Your user manual may contain information on:

Your installation CD may contain the following information and/or

Minimum system requirements

Software installation types

The IDE interface supports four drives as listed below:

Primary Master Typically boot hard drive

A device driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer or

Obtaining drivers and other software for

Here’s a sample of the driver/software which is provided by a particular NIC

Note the number of operating systems supported by the downloadable driver

Setup/Diagnostic program for DOS/Windows

Help utility for easy installation

RPL boot ROM for Novell Netware, Microsoft NT

NDIS2 (DOS, OS/2, Lantastic, WFW3.1)

Packet driver for UNIX Client

SCO Unix driver

Microsoft Network Client for DOS

LAN Manager Workstation/Server

Windows for Workgroups v3.11

Windows NT 3.5, 3.51 & 4.0

Windows 95 and OSR2

Windows 98 and Windows 2000 & Windows ME

Testing is necessary to ensure that you have:

The testing process will depend on: