Term Paper Undergraduate 1,241 words

Data Centre Migration Project Plan: WBS, Cost & Quality

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Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive project plan for migrating a large energy technology data centre to a new facility at the Corvallis International Airport industrial complex in Oregon. The company serves 235 oil jobbers and gasoline companies and cannot tolerate any client downtime during the move. The plan details a full work breakdown structure (WBS), a network diagram with critical path tasks, project milestones, resource assignments by functional unit, labor and materials cost tables, and a quality framework drawn from enterprise resource planning (ERP) critical success factor literature. A brief reporting section notes actual versus planned task durations for key early activities.

Key Takeaways
  • Project Overview and Scenario: Zero-downtime data centre relocation context and constraints
  • Work Breakdown Structure: Full task list with estimated durations
  • Network Diagram and Critical Path: Task start, finish dates, and predecessor logic
  • Milestones and Resource Assignments: Key milestones and departmental resource allocation
  • Quality and Critical Success Factors: ERP literature applied to migration project quality
  • Cost Budget: Labor, materials, and total project budget tables
  • Project Reporting: Planned versus actual duration for early tasks
Data Centre Migration Work Breakdown Structure Critical Path Risk Planning Resource Assignment Zero Downtime Project Milestones Cost Budget Critical Success Factors Change Management

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What makes this paper effective

  • The paper integrates structured project management artifacts — WBS tables, network diagrams, resource matrices, and cost tables — with a narrative quality analysis, creating a self-contained project plan document.
  • The quality section grounds the plan in peer-reviewed literature (Nah, 2006; Somers & Nelson, 2001; Verville et al., 2005), connecting practical decisions to academic critical success factor frameworks.
  • The reporting section honestly compares planned versus actual durations for early tasks, demonstrating awareness of real-world project variance and its downstream implications.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates applied project management methodology: it uses a critical path network diagram with predecessor task logic to identify sequencing dependencies, then supplements the schedule with a resource-loaded WBS. This technique shows how theoretical project management tools translate directly into operational planning decisions.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a scenario framing the zero-downtime constraint, then proceeds through six functional sections: WBS (task list with durations), network diagram (start/finish dates and predecessors), milestones, resource assignments by department, quality analysis using ERP literature, cost tables (labor, materials, totals), and a brief status report comparing planned to actual early-phase performance. The structure mirrors a standard project management plan deliverable.

Project Overview and Scenario

A network administrator has been tasked with moving a large data centre to a new office location in the newly developed industrial complex at the Corvallis International Airport in Corvallis, Oregon. The company provides application-as-a-service products to 235 oil jobbers and gasoline companies. As a result, the company can experience no downtime during the transition to the new facility. Any service interruptions to clients could result in lost revenues and damage to the company's reputation as a reliable IT provider in the industry.

The scenario dictates the entire focus of the project. Since all data centre components must be moved over a single weekend — after the new location has been fully prepared — there is no allowance for error. This, coupled with the organization's requirement that clients experience no inconvenience whatsoever, makes a successful transfer critically important. Therefore, the most important aspect of this project will undoubtedly be thorough risk management and risk planning. A careful evaluation must be conducted by each functional representative, and a risk contingency plan must be prepared to avoid any potential delays.

The work breakdown structure (WBS) below lists all project tasks and their estimated durations.

Work Breakdown Structure

Task Name — Duration

Preliminary Discussions — 1 day
Scope Meeting — 1 day
Initial Project Planning — 2 days
Hire Contractor — 5 days
Network Design — 10 days
Order Hardware (Ventilation) — 15 days
Order Hardware (Racks, Servers, Switches, and Others) — 10 days
Order Hardware (Power Supplies) — 5 days
Install Ventilation — 5 days
Install Racks — 15 days
Construction — 20 days
Inspection — 2 days
Install Power Supplies and Run Cables — 5 days
Functional Unit Approval — 5 days
Check Voltage — 1 day
Install Test Servers — 5 days
Batteries, Vents, Test Servers — 2 days
Primary Systems Check — 1 day
Set Official Date — 1 day
Move Network Components — 2 days

The network diagram below identifies task start and finish dates along with predecessor relationships. Critical path tasks are highlighted in bold.

Task Name — Duration — Start — Finish — Predecessors

Network Diagram and Critical Path

Preliminary Discussions — 1 day — Mon 5/28/12 — Mon 5/28/12 — (none)
Scope Meeting — 1 day — Tue 5/29/12 — Tue 5/29/12 — 1
Initial Project Planning — 2 days — Wed 5/30/12 — Thu 5/31/12 — 2
Hire Contractor — 5 days — Fri 6/1/12 — Thu 6/7/12 — 3
Network Design — 10 days — Fri 6/1/12 — Thu 6/14/12 — 3
Order Hardware (Ventilation) — 15 days — Fri 6/15/12 — Thu 7/5/12 — 5
Order Hardware (Racks, Servers, Switches, and Others) — 10 days — Fri 6/15/12 — Thu 6/28/12 — 5
Order Hardware (Power Supplies) — 5 days — Fri 6/15/12 — Thu 6/21/12 — 5
Install Ventilation — 5 days — Fri 7/6/12 — Thu 7/12/12 — 6, 11
Install Racks — 15 days — Fri 7/6/12 — Thu 7/26/12 — 7, 11
Construction — 20 days — Fri 6/8/12 — Thu 7/5/12 — 4
Inspection — 2 days — Fri 7/6/12 — Mon 7/9/12 — 11
Install Power Supplies and Run Cables — 5 days — Tue 7/10/12 — Mon 7/16/12 — 12
Functional Unit Approval — 5 days — Tue 7/17/12 — Mon 7/23/12 — 13
Check Voltage — 1 day — Tue 7/17/12 — Tue 7/17/12 — 13
Install Test Servers — 5 days — Wed 7/18/12 — Tue 7/24/12 — 15
Batteries, Vents, Test Servers — 2 days — Wed 7/25/12 — Thu 7/26/12 — 16
Primary Systems Check — 1 day — Fri 7/27/12 — Fri 7/27/12 — 17
Set Official Date — 1 day — Mon 7/30/12 — Mon 7/30/12 — 18
Move Network Components — 2 days — Tue 7/31/12 — Wed 8/1/12 — 19

Four key milestones mark the project's progress through its major phases:

1. Planning Complete
2. Installation and Construction Complete
3. Testing Complete
4. Project Completion

The resource assignment table below identifies which functional units are responsible for each task.

Task Name — Duration — Start — Finish — Predecessors — Resource Names

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Milestones and Resource Assignments · 260 words

"Key milestones and departmental resource allocation"

Quality and Critical Success Factors

Table 1 — Labor Costs

Design — 55 total hours — $60.00/hr — $3,300.00
Engineering — 110 total hours — $45.00/hr — $4,950.00
HR — 6.5 total hours — $50.00/hr — $325.00
Operations — 48 total hours — $45.00/hr — $2,160.00
Purchasing — 23 total hours — $50.00/hr — $1,150.00
Total Labor — $11,885.00

Table 2 — Materials and Direct Costs

Ventilation System — $16,000.00 — Running Total: $16,000.00
Racks — $4,000.00 — Running Total: $20,000.00
Power Supplies and Cables — $2,600.00 — Running Total: $22,600.00
Renovation — $55,000.00 — Running Total: $77,600.00
Inspection — $5,000.00 — Running Total: $82,600.00
Move — $3,200.00 — Running Total: $85,800.00
Total Materials — $85,800.00

Table 3 — Project Budget Totals

Total Labor: $11,885.00
Total Materials: $85,800.00
Total Project Budget: $97,685.00

2 Locked Sections · 250 words remaining
42% of this paper shown

Cost Budget · 120 words

"Labor, materials, and total project budget tables"

Project Reporting · 130 words

"Planned versus actual duration for early tasks"

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Key Concepts in This Paper
Data Centre Migration Work Breakdown Structure Critical Path Risk Planning Resource Assignment Zero Downtime Project Milestones Cost Budget Critical Success Factors Change Management
Cite This Paper
PaperDue. (2026). Data Centre Migration Project Plan: WBS, Cost & Quality. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/study-guide/data-centre-migration-project-plan-80321

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