The steps involved in deploying Windows NT Workstation are performed by the following teams:
Executive Team
The executive team includes the deployment project manager (usually the head of the Information Systems department) and members of the executive committee of the corporation. This team must include one or more individuals with decision-making authority for organization policies and procedures.
Planning Team
The planning team includes the deployment project manager, key installation team members, and a representative from the support and training teams.
Installation Team
The installation team includes technicians and individuals who will be conducting the installation. This team must include a specialist in 32-bit applications who can evaluate the proposed Windows NT Workstation 4.0 configuration for compatibility.
Training Team
The training team includes individuals responsible for user training.
Support Team
The support team includes staff from the help desk or support department, and select individuals from the planning team. This team develops a plan for supporting Windows NT Workstation 4.0 during and after deployment, integrating new methods and processes as needed into the existing support scheme.
In many cases, team members must continue with their regular work, in addition to working with their assigned deployment teams. Make sure you have the support of their managers, and that adjustments can be made to their regular work loads as needed.
The composition of the installation, training, and support teams depends in large part on the early decisions made by the executive and planning teams. Therefore, the first teams to be assembled are the executive and planning teams.
The deployment project manager participates on the executive team and leads the planning team. This individual is usually the head of the Information Systems (IS) department; however, the executive committee may find another individual to be more appropriate, depending on the organization.
When setting up the planning team, it is important to include a set of individuals representing the groups involved in the deployment process. This includes people from the corporate support and employee training departments, the corporate standards committee, and key installation team members. Individuals from the finance and accounting groups will need to take part in planning and evaluation later on, but need not be assigned to the team for the full duration of the deployment process.
The executive and planning teams make top-level decisions, including the decision to purchase and deploy Windows NT Workstation. They may also decide which computers should have Windows NT Workstation installed on them, and which computers should run other operating systems, such as Windows 95. Once these decisions are made, these teams can assemble the remaining teams, and continue to oversee the deployment process.
The installation team is busy long before the final deployment. This team sets up the lab, and then uses it to test the deployment process. During this phase, the installation team, together with the planning team, has the opportunity to fine-tune the chosen configurations of Windows NT Workstation.
While testing the deployment process in the lab, the installation team creates a detailed checklist that can be used during the pilot and final deployments. Because the installation team is likely to increase in size for the final rollout, the checklist should include enough information to be useful to those who did not participate in the testing phase.
The Installation team should include an applications expert who can evaluate 32-bit applications running with Windows NT Workstation 4.0.
For the deployment to be successful, the users need to know the advantages of the new operating system, and how to use its features to make their jobs easier. The training team is responsible for providing this knowledge to the users.
You can either hire a training vendor to act as the training team, or assemble the team from employees in your organization. Let this team know what configuration of Windows NT Workstation you have chosen, and keep them informed of any refinements you make to that configuration during the lab test phase.
Your Training team can use the materials provided by Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs) as a basis for their user training course. In addition to developing and presenting the training class, the training team also sets up the lab or classroom with computers for training.
The support team develops a plan for supporting Windows NT Workstation 4.0 during and after deployment. The Support team should become familiar with the Windows NT Workstation product documentation and the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Resource Kit before Windows NT Workstation is actually deployed. Team members can receive instruction at a Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Center and participate the Certified Professional program. Call (800) SOLPROV (or (800) 765-7768) for information about authorized training offered for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and the Certified Professional program, and for referral to a local Microsoft Solution Provider Authorized Technical Education Center (ATEC).
If Microsoft Systems Management Server is available, the support team should also be familiar with the Help Desk and Diagnostics features of Systems Management Server. Systems Management Server is a separate product available from Microsoft.