Coordinating the Installation

Coordinating the Installation
Most everyday events require you to coordinate activities. For example, before you, your
spouse, your four kids, and pet dog leave on a five-day automobile trip from Dayton to
Sacramento to stay a week with relatives, you’d certainly want to communicate with someone
at your destination to coordinate items such as sleeping accommodations and eating preferences.
Before leaving on the trip, you should let your relatives know that you are on the way. In addition,
you would certainly want to hold a predeparture meeting with the family, particularly the
kids, and talk about proper behavior while traveling. The installation of a network is probably
much easier to pull off than the car trip, but the coordination of activities is similar. The coordination
of installation activities includes the following:
• Communicating with the facility managers The person designated as the facility
manager for each facility should have a chance to review the installation plan. In fact, he
should have been active in developing the schedule to minimize any negative effects on
the organization.
• Giving the organization’s employees a heads up If you have to install components of
the network when the organization’s staff is present, announce when, where, and for how
long installers will be working within the area. Be sure it’s clear to the employees when
any existing system resources will not be available. People need time to rearrange their
schedules if necessary to accommodate the installation. Have the organization send out a
memo or e-mail to announce the installation.
• Holding a preinstallation meeting The preinstallation meeting gathers together everyone
involved in the installation to review procedures. Be sure everyone knows who to
contact if problems occur. This meeting is also the best time to remind people about
good safety practices.
With an installation plan in hand and coordination behind you, it’s time to begin the installation.