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Plexent's Approach
Most consulting organization have an approach or delivery methodology; few adhere to it when delivering services to a customer. As illustrated in the diagram below, Plexent's approach is both straightforward and more importantly - real world. We understand that the true value of any approach lies in the underlying detail. Built on the principles found in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), an ANSI Standard published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), our approach leverages proven methodology to help you realize your vision. To give you a feel for how we do business the paragraphs that follow provide a high-level overview of a generic engagement.
Beginning with processes in the Discover stage, Plexent seeks first to understand your business need. This is often obscured when the hustle of day-to-day activity precludes frequent contact with the organizational goals that should be the touchstone for evaluating project decisions. Once clearly articulated and documented the technical requirements necessary to satisfy the business need can be identified and validated. It is also important to include the stakeholders. By involving representatives from those groups impacted early in the planning most of the fear and uncertainty associated with the contemplated change can be alleviated.
With your requirements firmly in hand, we advance to the Design stage processes where the project plan becomes critical to ensure the vision is accurately captured. Here, the harsh realities of time and cost often reduce the extensive list of requirements that have crept into the scope. When moving forward with the shortlist of viable alternatives it is important to carefully consider the risk and lifecycle cost associated with each. The final design should be accompanied by critical success factors and testing protocols for each of the major components.
To this point there has been much discussion, planning, and documentation. Many organizations feel uncomfortable entering the Deliver stage because a good portion of the schedule may have already been consumed without any tangible results in terms of the end product. Similar to the carpenters rule, "measure twice, cut once," the key to balancing the triple constraint of time, cost, and quality is planning. With planning, processes in the Deliver stage move smoothly and continuously. Tasks outlined in the Work Breakdown Structure are completed on time and within budget, culminating in presentation of the final deliverables for customer acceptance.
Technically, at this point the project is concluded as the deliverables, be they a redesigned network or a policies and procedures library, enter their operational lifecycle. Here, in the Support stage, the benefit of planning is manifest in their functionality, reliability, maintainability, efficiency, and ease of use. Unanticipated factors which negatively impact performance as well as routine upgrades are accomplished as part of the normal Incident-Problem-Change Management process flow.
Finally, in recognition of the importance maturity plays in a learning organization, the metrics and measurements obtained during testing provide a baseline for continuous improvement. Taking advantage of the knowledge resident in repositories such as the Configuration Management and Capacity Management Databases, details from activity in the Support stage are fed back to the stakeholders who participated in the Discover stage. Presented with this new information they can forecast future enhancements and plan accordingly.
