Planning for a growing business.

How to reach more of your customers.

How to best increase & share knowledge in your company.

When should technology be implemented and how?

Helpdesk design & management.

Analyze existing working procedures.  How does your business work?

Review staff comfort levels with technology.  How will they perceive new working methods?  What will it take to bring them up to speed?

Explore future growth & budget availability.  How will the business change as a result of technology?  What can the business afford now and in the future?

What existing equipment will be useful?  Develop an inventory list.

Will you need to connect to the internet?  Do E-Commerce?

What is the scale of the design?

What type of network is needed?  Is the configuration expandable later?

How will it be implemented? Who will do the install & when?

What are the exact components needed?

What software packages will be used? Are existing programs networkable?

What does the desktop standardization look like?

What do the user groups and permissions look like?  Who will set those up?

How much will it cost by phase and in total? 

Will parallel systems be needed?
Who will provide user and administrator training?  Where, when and how much?

Who will support the network once installed?

How is the service contract setup?

Review network procedures like security, anti-virus, internet access, backups, data management, printing & user profiles.

Inventory existing hardware and software.

Review education needs for staff.

Examine growth needs and goals.

Review benefits and network usage.  Is the network used to its full capacity?   Is the network a good investment?

What improvements are necessary?

General computing questions - make a list!

Basic instruction on getting started with your system including email, printing & file management.

Using email programs and Microsoft Outlook.

Using Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel & PowerPoint.

System administration: concepts and practices for network managers.

Scanning images and text.

Large document handling with Word.

Making brochures and other marketing materials.

Setting up news letters and form letters with envelopes or labels.

Resolve issues with hardware & software: "Help!"  "I can't print!"  "The keyboard keeps freezing up!" 

Virus/spyware/adware prevention and removal.

Answer "Why does it?" or "How do I?" questions not part of ongoing education.

Troubleshoot error messages in windows, software or hardware.

Resolve issues related to a program or device not performing to specification.

Reinstall software, operating systems or drivers for hardware.

Help decide what type of system is required and select specific components to meet those needs.

Review quotes from vendors for accuracy and completeness.

Setup and test new systems.

Remove unnecessary software bundled with new system.

Connect new system to internet for email and browsing.

Customize desktop & set up "special" icons.

Setup and update anti-virus programs and system utilities.

Setup and test backup procedures.

Answer questions about new system and provide instructions.

Review existing hardware and software to see if an upgrade is feasible and cost effective.

Determine what components should be upgraded and recommend suppliers.

Install and test hardware or software upgrades or updates.

Review performance improvements.

Determine requirements for database: Why is it needed? Who will use it? 

What is the existing system like?  What improvements should be made?

What are the development costs and the approximate time frames for completion?

What types of forms, queries and reports are needed?

Is a parallel system needed?  For how long and how will the migration work?

Is the database networked?  If so, how will the data be handled?

Is outside programming necessary?

What are the testing requirements?

What are the security needs?

Is distribution of the front end necessary?  If so, how will this be handled and by whom?

Is user education and documentation an issue?  If so, who will provide resources?

Is the system operating at full capacity or possibly maxed out?

Are the components in the system balanced? 

What and where are the bottlenecks?  How can they be opened up?

Are the users educated enough to do their job effectively?  What is the weakest point in their activity?  What can be done to strengthen their efforts?

Are the right tools in place? Are the right tools being used?

Are there unnecessary steps that can be deleted from the process?

How is growth being managed?  What is the short and long term needs for technology?

Learn how to effectively use the internet to find all your favorite sites.

Setup and education on using email including sending attachments.

Setup favorites and icons to get where you want to go quickly.

Use search engines like Yahoo and Lycos to shop.

Set a start page and web security.

Have you registered your domain yet?  Do you need to?

Why do you need a web?  What will it do for you? 

What kind of web is right for you?

Who is your audience?  How will you reach them?

What are the development costs and ongoing maintenance costs?

When do you need it running by?  Can it grow after an initial setup?

Where will it live?  What are the hosting costs?

How many email accounts do you need?

Will you need e-commerce?

Will you collect data from visitors?  What kind of data and what should the collection method be?

Will data be uploaded to the web for others to access?  If so, how and by whom?

Creating marketing materials

Organize & Document your technical processes for other employees to follow.

Have emergency instructions at the ready when you need them.

Store custom instructions from personal education to refer to.

Set up and learn to scan at your office.

Scan documents into the system for word processing, websites, presentations and more.

Scan images, designs and photos and use them in your programs.

Word: Basics, formatting, images, tables, columns, large documents, news letters, form letters.

Excel: Basics, create financial spreadsheets, sort data, track important business information.

PowerPoint: Basics, create and print presentation slides; create educational handouts, make signs and other informational postings.

Outlook: Learn to use and manage email, scheduler, contacts and task lists.