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I’m considering taking on a project to install and configure a small office of computers: hardware, software, server and network. Does anyone know of a good list of questions to ask the client? I’m thinking of maybe a checklist/survey/questionnaire to use so I know up front what they want done (which software to install, what security to implement, what their needs are, etc.) The company is not very tech savvy, so I really need to spell it out for them.

Basically I want to have a really good idea of what I’m getting into and what I can quote them for a price. As many of you know, setting things can turn into way more work as the client “realizes” they want more features as you go. Any list out there, or am I on my own?

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(Gary D Williams) 2

How can we provide a list without knowing the details ourselves and even if there was a list how would the client know what services they need?

It sounds like you need to sit down with them and go through it all and make up a list of services yourself which you then need them to validate and sign off on.

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How is this any different than generating a list of things to bring on a camping trip? Ok, I suppose there are many choices available, like Windows network or Linux. But like a packing list, there are typical things that people might want in their setup. Here are a few I’m thinking of off the top of my head (not specific to any client):

  • Assuming Windows server and workstations, setup a Windows domain?

  • Antivirus or internet security (firewalls, communication monitoring, etc)? Local or centrally managed?

  • Microsoft Office installed? Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook? Other ones: Visio, Project, …?

  • Other specialty software?

  • Windows Updates centrally managed?

  • Company emails: online service (e.g. Gmail) or Exchange?

  • File server: NAS?

I could go on, but I hope you get the gist. Each question/check item could have several sub points that delve deeper, but these seem like standard issues that anyone setting up a small company office would encounter. I suppose I could just ask these as I go, but who am I kidding, that would be like teeth on a chalkboard. Painful.

Anyway, my point in asking isn’t to convince those of you who don’t have such a list to go and write one for me, but for those of you who have one or have seen one, to kindly introduce me. Here’s a great example of this concept but for a web designer/marketer: The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period: http://www.dipee.info/pdf/DomainNamesURLs/1.pdf

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Because each camping trip needs a few basic essentials, a place to sleep, tools to eat with and a phone for calling room service when the camping gets boring.

IT isn’t like that. Each client is unique (or thinks they are) and each one will have specific requirements that you can only find out about by talking to them and doing a site survey.

Now, I’m going to be devils advocate. lets assume that a client is a hedge fund, say 10 traders and some office staff (I’ve worked with a few so its easier for me to answer this from their side).

This is not a call a client should make. This is for an IT person to RECOMMEND. My fictional client would just provide a blank look at this point.

My fictional client wouldn’t care. They’d just say “we don’t want viruses on the network”.

They’d ask for excel. they wouldn’t know if they need the others. outlook maybe.

My client would say "No, none. " even though there is and that is because to them, the systems they use are not special software but day to day products that they need.

Why would they care? Not the clients problem.

Whatever works.

a what?

Ditto. I have been into approximately 20 clients and never used a checklist because clients wouldn’t know how to answer them. They are probably not fans of camping either.

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Gary, hats off to your answer. You’re right. camping trips and IT have very little in common. And I suppose those clients don’t like camping because they may not think in lists the way an IT worker like us does. And you definitely make a good point about them not usually caring about implementation. So if such a checklist did exist, it would better serve the IT worker and not the client. In light of this new direction, what kind of questions do you ask your hedge fund moguls? Just a simple “Do you want protection against viruses and to run Excel?” I guess I’m looking for a way to tease out the business requirements without it dragging into a prolonged “oh and I want this too … [weeks later] … oh and I want this too”. Not that that is bad if you’re being paid by the hour …

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I sat down with them for a day to see what they did and what they used and then I wrote up a recommendations document that had relatively simple explanations for each service on the list and the we sat down and went through that list. After that it was a matter of sitting down with them and going through the list to see if anything had been missed which as easier once they had a list of services that the company I was working for at the time were going to provide.

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