Chapter 5. Scoping the Project

As with any major undertaking, whether it is motorcycle repair under desert heat or cooking your first turkey, the first step is scoping the project. The process of scoping the effort usually helps in prioritizing the components, as well as defining alternative approaches. Getting a caterer to cook your turkey might be the right approach if the real effort is exposed. Scoping the project helps you to identify the breadth and depth of the goal and, subsequently, the choices available to obtain objectives and to reach the goal. Ultimately, you determine the best path to travel to obtain your goal and complete the project. As with any undertaking, creating an effective Active Directory design requires a scoping that bounds the project and further defines the challenges.

This chapter provides an overview for identifying the issues involved in scoping an Active Directory project. In developing the roadmap, this chapter travels through a series of components that can affect the design and implementation of Active Directory. As a foundation for many enterprise services and applications, Active Directory's scope affects this technology's capability to leverage its promise in the enterprise.

With a limited scope, Active Directory's effect on your organization might be transparent. As the implementers, you might decide that it is better to have a simple introduction to the technology than provide the user with a new technology that might cause problems that put the move to Active Directory in question. New technology usually has stability problems and limited integration with other technologies. In Active Directory's case, it might be prudent to limit the introduction of new capabilities because this might expose the latest generation of code in the product. In addition, there are a limited number of commercially available applications that can take advantage of the technology.

If you look to the early adopters of Novell Directory Services (NDS), there was some pain in the initial installation. This was further complicated by the limited support of commercial applications and tools. Most administrators who have lived through the implementation of a well-thought-out NetWare 4.X installation will remind you of the tools that were not available.

So, with all this said, the key decision in identifying the scope is, "How much do you want to leverage the promise of Active Directory?" If you answer "fully," the risk is greater, but the reward might also be greater, creating value that differentiates your organization from your competitors. You need to evaluate it.

I had a business strategy professor who mentioned a consulting gig for a small manure business. The owner wanted to develop a strategic plan for improving his business, something that would give him a strategic advantage. After careful analysis, the conclusion was that getting individuals who could shovel the manure into the bags faster would have the greatest impact on the business. The point is choosing your features carefully. Don't become caught up in implementing the "cool" features just for technology's sake. You can always do that in the lab where it won't have long-term effects on your career.

After your strategy has been identified, you need to look at a variety of factors to determine the impact of the scope of your project. These include the following:

• Current applications in your organization

• Analysis of the administrative structure

• Analysis of the computing environment