Using the Lab for Risk Management

A well-designed test lab provides a controlled environment for the range of testing throughout the project life cycle — from experimenting with the technology, to comparing design solutions, to fine-tuning the rollout process. A good lab need not be a large resource or capital funding investment; it can range from a few pieces of hardware in a small room to a full-scale network in a data center environment.

The test lab is an investment that can pay for itself many times over in reduced support and redeployment costs that arise from poorly tested solutions. It is an important part of the risk management plan for your Windows 2000 project. You can identify risks in the lab when tests uncover problems such as:

• Hardware or software incompatibilities
• Design flaws
• Performance issues
• Interoperability difficulties
• Limited knowledge of new technologies
• Operational or deployment inefficiencies

When testing uncovers problems such as these, the lab can provide the means for developing and validating alternative solutions. The lab is also the place to:

• Design and validate back-out plans, thus reducing risk to the business during pilot and production rollouts.
• Learn how to optimize the deployment process, thus reducing the time and cost spent on deployment activities.
• Develop efficient administrative procedures, thus reducing the time and personnel required for ongoing maintenance after deployment.
• Verify your progress against the project plan and refine your project schedule.

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