Creating a Pilot Schedule

  • Article

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

One of the earliest activities in planning a pilot is to draft a schedule, which is usually included in the master project schedule. When drafting the pilot schedule, be sure to schedule time for:

  • Planning the pilot.

  • Training participants, support staff, and the installation team.

  • Creating an inventory of pilot sites.

  • Upgrading hardware.

  • Developing the support and communication mechanisms you identified during planning.

  • Deploying the pilot.

  • Testing by pilot participants during the pilot.

  • Evaluating the pilot.

To accurately schedule pilot deployment, you need to know:

  • How many computers or servers need to be upgraded and the approximate time it will take to upgrade each one.

    After you have gathered this information, determine how many machines can be upgraded per day and the sequence in which they should be upgraded.

  • Which hours of the day and which days of the week are best for upgrading servers and client computers. Questions to ask include:

    • Should computers be upgraded during off hours to avoid disrupting users?

    • Should client computers be upgraded during working hours so that the users can attend training during that time?

  • The types of upgrades that are required.

    If you are upgrading servers, the pilot might require a longer period than if you are upgrading only client computers, because some server processes occur on a monthly, rather than a daily, schedule.

  • Whether participants should receive training before Windows Server 2003 is upgraded or installed on their computers. If so, the training schedule is a dependency for your pilot deployment.

After you have drafted the pilot schedule, review it with management and all affected users. After you deploy the pilot, update the master schedule based on your installation experience so that it more accurately reflects the time that will be required for installation during the full deployment.