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Infrastructure Projects
What Makes them Different and Difficult?
Dave Davis PMP, PgMP, PBA, ACP, CSM, DASSM, AHHP, ATP
Project Management Thought Leader
dldavisacp@gmail.com
Global Online PMDay 2021

2. What is Infrastructure?
The term IT infrastructure
is defined in ITIL v4 as “the
physical and/or virtual
technology resources, such
as servers, storage,
networks, client hardware,
middleware, and operating
systems software, that
provide the environments
needed to deliver IT
services.”

3. Business Challenges for Infrastructure
Costs
Not easy to
Agiliizd
Non
glamorous
Adds little
notable
difference
Delays other
enhancements
Risk – break
what we
already have

4. Hospital Network Profile
Primary Data Center Backup Data Center
App
Server
App
Server
App
Server
App
Server
Dr. Office
Equipment
Other Medical
Hospitals
Hospitals Hospitals
Hospitals
Clinics
Clinics

5. Connect People with Things and with Other People
Laptop
Mobile
Server
Desktop
Tablet
Folder
Cloud
Identity
Content
Queue
Communication
Connection
Network
Block storage
Database
84%
AT&T
CARD

6. Acknowledge Security Factor

7. Very Simplistic Model
Person
•Connect
•Identity
•ID/Password
•Biometric
•Authorized
•Active Directory
•Print
•Interaction
Device
•Connect
•Physical
•Wireless
•Identify
•MAC ID
•IP Address
•Authorized
•Interaction
•Job needs
•Access
Network
•Connect
•VLAN
•Ethernet
•Identity
•Assign IP
•Routing
•Authorized
•Whitelist
•Routing
•Interaction
Application
•Connect
•Network Routing
•Authentication
•Identity
•Network access
•App login
•Authorized
•Interaction
•User Driven
•App Ability
Data
•Connection
•App Access
•Raw
•Identity
•Authorized
•Physical Lockdown
•Regulated
•Interaction
•App
•Analytics
Infrastructure

8. Project Management
Infrastructure Projects
1. Stakeholders
1. RACI
2. Communication
2. Overall unique characteristics /
challenges
3. Scope
4. Cost
5. Quality
6. Reporting Status
7. Reacting to change
8. Definition of Done

9. Challenges of
Infrastructure
Projects
• Change from an existing
environment to a new environment:
– Upgrade
– Migration
• Real time
– Incomplete (if any) staging / test environment
– In-flight work
– One man’s blip is another man’s eternity
• Timing
• Follow up
– Material salvage
– CMDB updates

10. What Network
Infrastructure Projects
Really Do
• Secure corporate assets
• Connect Devices
• Provide Layer 1 on Floor
• Cables
• Access Points
• Wireless cards
• Build technology rooms
• Powered
• Water Remediated
• Install Switches
• Connect Switches
• Protect Network
• Take network outside of building to other
networks
• Private
• Internet
• Secured
• Provide tools to monitor network

11. Technology Rooms
• Standard supportable technology rooms
• Dedicated high availability electric
• Dedicated HVAC
• Low environmental risk
• Capacity for growth
• Standard supportable network hardware
• Reduced Operating Cost
From this
To this

12. Technology Room
• Walls
• Floors
• Doors
• Racks
• Switches
• Cabling
• Lights
• Electric / Dual power
– House
– UPS
• Water Remediation

13. The Little Things that are Big
Deploy the right system that is standardized
across the organization.
• Data Cabling using Cat5e, Cat6, CAT6a and
Fiber
• Wall & Rack Mount Cabinets
• Hubs, Patch Panels, & Network Switches
• Municipal overhead cabling
Other Things
• Power diversity
• Cable tension (no banjo strings)
• Air flow

14. CMDB Configuration Management Data Base
contains all relevant
information about the
hardware and
software components
used in an
organization's IT
services and the
relationships between
those components.

15. It’s Not Just Data
•Unified Messaging
•Voice
–Phone on desktop
–Forward central phone to
mobile
•Conference Rooms
–Video Conference Calls
–Integrated Meeting
Capabilities
•Instant Messaging

16. Legacy Challenges
• Physically is usually more expensive
• Total Cost of Ownership
Expensive to rebuild infrastructure.
Sustainability
Pay for the sins of years of “quick fixes”.
• Server level
• Throughput / Capacity
Approved technology
Remote access and control

17. Infrastructure
Projects usually
involves making sure
things talk to each
other – not value
add for what is
connecting….
But that is changing!

18. Services to the Patient
Bed
• Monitoring
• Services
• Food

19. https://www.aumcore.com/blog/2018/12/11/what-is-the-internet-of-medical-things-and-what-is-its-impact-on-healthcare/
Medical IoT – Explosive Growth

20. Security
•Patient Health
Information
•Login / Identity Validation
–Multi Factor Identity
• Key Cards
• Biometric
– Remote
– Access to resources
•Data Encryption
•Image distribution

21. Change Approval Model
A change model is a repeatable way
of dealing with a particular category
of change. A change model defines
specific pre-defined steps that will be
followed for type of change. Change
models might be quite simple (e.g.,
deploy MS Visio) or very complicated
(e.g., software release).

22. The I.S. Red Rule
I will implement changes to production
environments only after appropriate
approvals, testing, documentation,
communication, and enacting monitoring
plans.
Willful disregard of the Red Rule is
grounds for termination.

23. Transition Planning & Support
Transition Planning and Support plans and coordinates
the resources to ensure that the requirements of Service
Strategy encoded in Service Design are effectively
realized in Service Operations
• Plans appropriate capacity and resources for a release
• Provides support for Service Transition teams and
people
• Plans changes required to ensure the integrity of
customer assets, service assets and configurations
• Ensures Service Transition issues, risks, and
deviations are reported to appropriate stakeholders /
decision makers
• Ensures the adoption of a common framework to
improve integration planning and coordination activities

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Project Tracking Radiator Overall Tracking
Issues Risks Decisions
Timeline
W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16
Vision Box Blockers Interesting
Stuff

25. Summary
Components Installed
Environment Meets Standards
• People to People
• People to Devices
• Devices to devices
Things properly talk to other things
Monitor and Control
Optimize capacity

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Thank You!
We’re All in This Together!!!
Dave Davis PMP, PgMP, PBA, ACP, CSM, DASSM, AHHP, ATP
Project Management Thought Leader
dldavisacp@gmail.com