6 PHASES OF GIS IMPLEMENTATION

1. AWARENESS
   1. Selling the GIS to your organization
      • Obtaining a Champion for your GIS proposal
        • Management as Champion
        • Workers as Champions
        • Consultant as Champion
   2. Reasons for considering a GIS?
      • Data management issues
      • Data retrieval & manipulation issues
2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
   1. Identify components of your organization
      • Data Input and Output
      • Procedures and Policies
      • Applications
      • Users
   2. Functional Requirements Grid
      • Identify Current Technology
      • Identify Current Users
      • Identify Current Tasks
   3. Perform a formal Needs Analysis
      • Goals, Objectives, and Purposes
        1. Detail Organizational Requirements
        2. Data Source
        3. Primary Applications
        4. Identify Users
        5. Deadlines
   4. Current System Analysis
      • Data quality and completeness
      • Hardware scalable?
      • Recommendations
3. SYSTEMS EVALUATION
   1. Evaluate alternative systems -- comparative analysis of competing systems
      • Use Needs Analysis of Phase 2
        1. State Goals and Objectives
           • Organization Policy
           • Primary Applications
           • Data Sources
      • System Integration with current system
      • System Cost / Expense Analysis
        1. Hardware Conversion
        2. Software Conversion & Training
        3. Data Conversion
   2. System Benchmarking
      • Evaluate systems with user data.  
        1. Perform analysis and manipulation of data as indicated in Goals and Objectives
        2. Develop Pilot study with 
           • Costly but informative
      • Compare performances
        1. Did systems work as advertised?
        2. How did systems compare to system requirements?
   3. Generate Report
      • Recommendations for system
      • Identify funding source
      • Identify Staff requirements
      • Identify organizational changes
4. DEVELOP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
   1. Multiple Approaches to Implementation
      • Acquisition Issues
        1. When to Purchase?
        2. What to Purchase?
           • Hardware, Software, Data, and Training
        3. Needs for Purchase
           • Support Structure, Vendor Information, Vendor Contracts
        4. Cost of Purchase
      • Organizational Changes
        1. Management of GIS
        2. Prepare for Changes
      • Funding Strategies
        1. What are the costs?
        2. Where is the funding?
   2. Application Development
      • Purpose
      • Goals
      • Methods
      • Procedures
      • Instructions
   3. Data Conversion / Development
      • QA/QC
      • Accuracy Issues
      • Metadata
5. SYSTEM STARTUP
   1. Contracting Issues
      • Request for Proposal (RFP)
        1. Detail Goals and Objectives
           • Required Applications
           • Required Data
           • Organization Policy
        2. Detail Services
        3. Detail Requirements
        4. Perform Test
        5. Specify Maintenance Contract
           • Tech Support
           • Product Upgrades
           • Application trouble-shooting
   2. Apply the Implementation Policy
      • Dealing with unexpected problems
      • Pilot Project
        1. Develop Pilot Application
        2. Develop complete dataset for small study area.
           • Pursue an easily attainable project with high probability of success
        3. Plan and execute as if full-scale application
           • Participation of all staff/users
           • Use your resources
             1. Available staff
             2. Consultants
        4. Report Results
           • Detail failures and corrections necessary
6. OPERATIONAL PHASE
   1. Define & Implement Procedures
      • Updates/Upgrades
        1. Hardware Upgrades
        2. Software Updates
        3. Training
        4. Data Management
   2. Promote GIS
      • Actively Promote GIS to remind all of benefits 
        1. Ensures budgetary needs
   3. Establish Security & Accountability
      • Develop Information Policies
        1. Distribution Policy
           • Technical, Legal, Economic, and Political implications of distribution.
   4. Reporting