System Planning

Ensuring system success through proper planning

Issues and Challenges

• Developing capital plans and strategies to obtain necessary funding
• Establishing the charter, roles, and responsibilities of new or changing program offices
• Developing working relationships with other organizations and user communities to develop consistent, coordinated plans that meet user needs
• Creating guidelines and policies to meet funding and security objectives
• Fostering buy-in through effective outreach and communications

For every dollar spent on planning, $10 more are spent on systems design, and $100 are spent on system implementation. If the planning stage is not wisely conducted, costly problems can ripple through subsequent stages of development. Proper planning includes securing necessary funding, building strong stakeholder relationships, and developing sound system policies. Planning must also address current user needs as well as needs over the life of the system. Changes in mission, expanding responsibilities, security issues, and advances in technology must all be considered. Systems must be standards compliant, upgradeable, and scalable. Programs that plan and manage these systems must be flexible enough to address new requirements; they must also include personnel with the necessary breadth and depth of disciplines to ensure system success.

The Booz Allen Solution

• Perform business case analyses to justify program spending
• Develop strategic plans for laying out clear program and system direction
• Build collaborative working relationships with program stakeholders
• Perform policy, market, and technical analyses to accurately chart the landscape
• Build support through outreach and communications efforts

Why Booz Allen?

• We have the financial models and staff know-how to develop sound business case justification for federal and commercial clients.
• We have expertise in creating capital and strategic planning documents for senior agency officials, Congress, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
• We have successfully launched many wireless programs—obtaining funding and creating charters, policies, guidelines, and program plans.
• We expertly define and facilitate working relationships with key program stakeholders.
• Our skilled outreach and communications staff assist in sharing program objectives and direction and encourage valuable feedback.