By By David Spinelli
Network World, 4/14/97

Too many distributed systems and network management (DSM) projects fail on their first attempt, leaving in their wake significant expenditures without tangible results. Most users blame lack of integration of management products or limitations in the management platforms and frameworks for the disappointments.

The harsh reality is that those factors rarely cause the project's failure. It's more likely that one or more of the following are at the root of the problem:

• Poorly defined goals and objectives.
• Limited planning and poor project management.
• Limited articulation of project goals and objectives to the outside parties that are affected.
• Poor communication and management of changes to the organization and processes.
• Failure to manage scope creep - the tendency of projects to expand beyond the originally defined goals.
• Unrealistic time alloted for the level of integration effort required.
• Lack of end-user acceptance of the new system and processes.
• Failure to recognize that DSM is a production system and should be treated as such.
• Lack of understanding from IT professionals that they are end -users of a DSM system.

If these sound familiar, it may be because a DSM project is no different from any other client/server development project, which means it must be planned and executed in a similar fashion. The DSM project should focus on three basic elements: people, process and technology.

In short, you need to do the following:

• Define the project scope. This should include your organization's agreed- upon definition of the word ''management'' and a definition of which networked objects will and will not be managed within the scope of the project.
• Develop the management processes. Start with the basic management processes of configuration management, event management, performance management, accounting and security and apply them to each object you want to manage.
• Realign the organizational structure to support the new management processes.
• Select the technology to implement the management processes.

For DSM to be successful, it muost be applied to all IT operational areas and strictly adherred to. Therefore, buy-in from end users - meaning the IT professionals who will use the system day to day - is a key success factor. DSM projects implemented in specific network or systems management silos provide minimal return on investment.

Following these steps should help you avoid the need late in the project to manage the ''Fudge Factor'' - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt with Great Expectations.