Task And Risk Management

8 Pages 2049 Words

l the hardware decisions have been made. This may be a major impact to the practicality of both the budget and the technology selection. If users have not been trained prior to the arrival of their new equipment, they may become unproductive for a time until training is made available or until they have acquired self-taught skills. Deployment is a critical aspect of the decision process to ensure a smooth transition of any technology into the daily work environment of the users. Additionally, consideration should be given to the recent trend toward seat management. Seat management is defined in this perspective to include not only the acquisition of the PC or laptop hardware but also the standardization of agency platforms, software, and PC configurations for a range of users from high-end users to low-end or specialized user functions. Seat management also includes user training as specified by the agency and help desk support which are otherwise hidden costs of PC management.
Project Risk:
Extending the PC replacement cycle from the current 4-year cycle to 5 years has both financial and technical considerations. Changing to a 5-year cycle has the potential to save PC purchase costs per fiscal year, but additional maintenance costs to keep those PCs in service the fifth year would certainly reduce that savings, and could even eliminate the savings or cost more than a 4-year replacement cycle. Extending the replacement cycle shifts cost from highly visible hardware expenditures to less visible support costs, especially personnel services. From a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective, we believe the net benefits of the proposed change are likely to be minimal, at best. Note also that the cost of lost user productivity and diminished service associated with work disruptions is not quantified.
The workload placed on PCs by applications is just now beginning to change significantly, making this an appropriate time to thoroughly re...