Task: Set Up and Maintain Experimentation Facility
This task focuses on setting up and maintaining the experimentation facility.
Disciplines: Environment
Purpose
  • To implement, maintain, monitor and manage an environment in which hand-on experiments with COTS packages and/or a solution are conducted by developers and users within the broader context of the organization's operational environment
Relationships
RolesPrimary Performer: Additional Performers:
InputsMandatory:
  • None
Optional:
    Outputs
      Steps
      Set Up Experimentation Facility

      The purpose of this step is to create the environment that will be used to evaluate the impact of candidate COTS packages and candidate solutions within the broader context of the organization's operational environment.

      To set up the experimentation facility:

      • Install the hardware and software infrastructure according to the Deployment Plan. This work can involve many departments and subcontractors/vendors.
      • Install the integrated subsystems, according to the deployment plan, and establish the environment that an instance of an Executing System will run.
      • Ensure the training requirements are included in the experimentation facility setup.
      • Set up the data, including the migration of evaluation-specific data based on the Data Migration Specification.
      • Execute the final deployment procedures by distributing the user guides and operational documentation.
      • Fabricate workspace and install phones, network connectivity, desktops, email, office software, printers, fax machines, and so forth.

      Specifically, the experimentation facility will be used to create an instance of an Executing System based on the objectives of the RUP elaboration, construction and transition phases as follows:

      • Elaboration phase: architectural prototypes
        • Demonstrate the critical business use cases.
        • Demonstrate the initialization of the system.
        • Demonstrate a scenario to drive the worst-case data processing flow through the solution.
        • Demonstrate a scenario to drive the worst-case control flow through the solution.
      • Construction phase: production quality releases (including alpha, beta, and other test releases)
      • Transition phase: general availability releases, bug fixes, patches, minor enhancement releases

      Hopefully, the amount of evaluation-specific customization can be minimized. There will usually need to be some customization to accommodate the technology and the people at the evaluation location, but avoid customization that affects the workflows. Remember, a major benefit of the running of an instance of an executing system, in the experimentation facility, is to utilize common processes and services across the organization, so be careful not to jeopardize that goal.

      Support and Maintain the Experimentation Facility

      The purpose of this step is to support and maintain the environment that will be used to evaluate the impact of candidate COTS packages and candidate solutions within the broader context of the organization's operational environment by:

      • Updating configuration of the servers required during the evaluation and test tasks.
      • Updating configuration of the network equipment, network services, and workstations required for communication between users and the executing system to meet business service levels.
      • Updating solution components required for each major evaluation milestone based on the scope of the evaluation and user functional requirements, nonfunctional requirements, and service level objectives.
      • Providing ongoing support for the evaluation team during candidate solution evaluations, including work space, phones, network connectivity, desktops, email, office software, printers, fax machines, and so forth.

      Additionally, once the experimentation facility has been established, procedures must be in place to monitor and manage this environment. Ensure that mechanisms are in place to handle outages, new users, corruptions, backups, recoveries, migration of code, patching and any other issues which might arise which would affect the operational performance of the executing system running in the experimentation facility.

      Monitor and Manage the Experimentation Facility

      Once the experimentation facility has been established, procedures must be in place to monitor and manage this environment. Ensure that mechanisms are in place to handle outages, new users, corruptions, backups, recoveries, migration of code, patching and any other issues which might arise which would affect the operational performance of the executing system running in the experimentation facility.