Project Successes
In the world of technology project implementation, things don`t always unfold as planned. That`s why project success is often as much a product of the ability of the team to adapt to these changes as it is a product of meticulous project planning and technical excellence. At Taligent, our understanding of the intricacies that accompany the implementation of technology projects has helped us contribute to many project successes.
Confidentiality considerations prevent us from publishing detailed client information on our website. However, we have included a number of project overviews that provide further insight into the strengths that Taligent will bring to your projects. For additional information on any of these projects please contact us at info@Taligent.ca.
1: Preserving Heritage while Updating for the 21st Century
Taligent was engaged to manage a multimillion dollar implementation of a technology infrastructure in a Canadian Legislative Chamber. The project scope included audio system, camera technology, television control room design, CATV systems, simultaneous interpretation systems, video recording facilities, acoustic design, television lighting control system, digital signal paths, multimedia control systems, network delivery, acoustic design, console design, equipment room design, cable management, infrastructure specifications, space planning, technical power and grounding and CAD design. The technical complexity of the project was further complicated by the heritage designation of the facility and the necessity to adhere to strict timelines to ensure the Chamber was ready for the return of the legislative body.
An extensive consultation process was used during the development of the system and was a critical factor in the delivery of a very successful project. The client has since adopted many of the practices related to planning, procurement, project management and governance during other large scale projects of a similar nature.
2: A Seamless Transition
The building housing the master control broadcast facility for one of our clients was scheduled to undergo extensive renovations necessitating the relocation of the facility to a different building. Because much of the equipment was very dated, it was determined that it was highly unlikely that it would survive the move. This necessitated the complete redesign, procurement and implementation of technology for the new facility. Technologies involved included digital video and audio distribution and routing, monitoring of live video and audio feeds, monitoring of live streaming content, monitoring of digital and analogue audio and video recording systems. Taligent was engaged throughout all phases of the project to provide planning and implementation services in the areas of project management, design management, risk management, business planning, quality assurance, management of organizational change, communications planning and training planning.
The project was implemented successfully on time and within budget, without interruption to critical client operations. Underpinning the successful implementation was effective planning, risk management, consultation with numerous broadcast organizations, team work, communication and cooperation between the project team, business stakeholders and the group responsible for construction of the new facility.
3: Steering a Troubled Project to Success
A medium sized public sector organization had started a multimillion dollar upgrade of their obsolete corporate network to new high availability technology. Technical aspects to the project included: local area networks, VLANs, IP switching and routing, network security, high availability network design, firewalls, network monitoring, optical networking, storage area networking, Ethernet services, fibre optic and copper cabling. Several months into the project, the client realized that issues were impeding progress and jeopardizing project success. Taligent was engaged to provide networking expertise and assist with the planning and management of the project. As a first step, the Taligent team convened a workshop and through open dialogue with all project participants quickly identified the root cause of the project issues as a lack of awareness of the key hand off points. This had resulted in poor communications and coordination which was exacerbated by an overly optimistic implementation schedule.
To rectify this situation, Taligent created an end-to-end cutover process that clearly identified all hand-offs and defined team roles. Because the teams participated in building the process and talked through issues and handoffs, chronic misses were uncovered and addressed. Also by going through this process, defining roles and dependencies and typical durations, Taligent was able to empirically determine the time it takes to convert the network in a building so an achievable program could be assembled. Built into this plan was the RACI concept (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) – in PMI terminology this is a Linear Responsibility Chart with governance and approval points.
As a result of these actions, the project moved from a problematic project to a highly successful one. This project serves as an excellent example of how a complete understanding of the dynamics of projects and the client culture, good interpersonal skills, business analysis knowledge, and respect for people has led to a successful outcome.
4: Procuring and integrating a security solution in a highly complex environment
The scope of this complex solution was to deliver a detailed procurement and implementation strategy for an off the shelf security product which Taligent Consulting Inc. led by providing experienced Project Management and Business Transformation services.
A security solution was urgently needed by our client, a public sector organization, in order for its security personnel to effectively fulfill their mandate to protect lives and property. The initiative was launched to replace the existing older system with a new system that had to meet organizational, functional and technical requirements for the next ten years. The resulting integrated solution is a Commercial off the Shelf product that is used to control access within multiple buildings and to monitor, detect and report incidents and emergency situations. It is also used to provide forensic tools (such as audio and video recording and playback) for investigative actions. In addition, it also monitors technical alarms for continued operation of protective devices.
The technical scope involved consideration of CCTV cameras and displays; Video Management Systems, including video recording & distribution equipment; Access Control Systems; Network Delivery; and Systems analysis and integration; including alarm / incident management systems, access control systems, and camera control systems.
The planned business outcomes remain on track to be successfully realized. Bringing together the complementary skills and expertise from both client and Taligent Consulting Inc. throughout this initial strategic stage of the project has led to an expedient selection and procurement of a COTS product that will meet the requirements of the client. The success and resulting synergy created between client and Taligent in the earlier planning and COTS section phase of this initiative continues into the crucial implementation phase of the solution where Taligent remains fully engaged with the client team.