Active Directory Deployment Project Cycle

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

An Active Directory deployment project involves three phases: a design phase, a deployment phase, and an operations phase. During the design phase, the design team creates a design for the Active Directory logical structure that best meets the needs of each division in the organization that will use the directory service. After the design is approved, the deployment team tests the design in a lab environment and then implements the design in the production environment. Because testing is performed by the deployment team and potentially affects the design phase, it is an interim activity that overlaps both design and deployment. When the deployment is complete, the operations team is responsible for maintaining the directory service.

Lab testing and the implementation of a pilot program continue throughout the lifetime of the Active Directory deployment.

Figure 1.2 shows the relationship between the phases of the Active Directory project cycle relative to the lifetime of the deployment project.

Figure 1.2   Relationship Between Active Directory Project Cycle Phases