Posted: September 13th, 2017

discuss here how to identify customer’s Design Requirements.

discuss here how to identify customer’s Design Requirements.
What are the design requirements and how you can identify in a RFP? Let me define the design requirements? It is the scope of work required to meet client’s business requirements. The scope of work includes but not limited to upgrade network infrastructure, replace or add new services, devices. The next question is how we can find the client’s requirements. Most of the time client solicit proposal in the form of RFP. The RFP contains a broad list of client’s upgrading needs. A designer call the client, make a site visit to check client’s requirement listed in RFP. After verification, the designer submits the design requirements as his response to RFP. These design requirements are specific and meet all the broad requirements of client for upgrading the network.
Below are criteria to Extract design requirements of network from Client’s RFP, site visits and some testing of the network
• Existing topology, equipment, and software version
• IP addressing plan
• Scalability configuration (summarization, stub areas, etc.)
• List of advertised networks
• Link utilization
• Metric requirements for primary and backup links
Based on this information, the network engineer can decide about the tasks that are required. The existing network may not require topology, IP addressing, or any other changes. In a best case scenario, when the network is built following the Cisco recommended design, the new implementation is just an addition to the existing network
Identifying Other Requirements
In addition to network information, there are many other requirements for the successful creation of an implementation plan and for implementation:
• Site-specific implementation requirements
• Dependencies on the existing installation, related to site-specific implementation requirements
• Configuration and verification commands
• Implement schedule and resources
• Tools
I realize that some of items you cannot do in this project such as site visit and discuss with the client. But good news is that you are designing from ground zero and site visit and discussions with client may not have much impact on the design at this stage of the project.
I am copying a Design Scenario from Top-Down Network Design by Priscilla Oppenheimer to identify Business and Design requirements.