How to use When to use For whom Planning pitfalls Reaching deadlines

FREE Data Center Project Plan Template

Master data center project plan timelines with our intuitive data center project plan template project plan Gantt chart template.

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Gantt chart template

Why use our Data Center Project Plan Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?

Get started with our Data Center Project Plan Template in seconds while skipping the hassle involved with Excel or Google Sheets.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

Build Gantt charts in minutes, not hours.

No project management experience? No problem. Tom's Planner offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that's intuitive and easy to learn. Creating Gantt charts is a breeze, saving you time and effort. Compare that to the time-consuming, frustrating, manual formatting-intensive process of building a Gantt chart in Excel or Google Sheets.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Move at the pace of modern business with no learning curve or Googling formulas.

Good luck figuring out how to make a Gantt chart work in Excel or Google Sheets. Excel’s user manual weighs in at a hefty 500+ pages. It takes just five minutes with Tom’s Planner to start planning your first real project plan.

Create a Gantt chart in minutes, not hours

Headache-free collaboration and sharing.

Tom's Planner offers powerful options for sharing and collaborating on Gantt charts, including public links, PDF exports, and team access with customizable permission levels. It’s never been easier to communicate or ensure everyone’s on the same page. Compare that to Excel, where sharing and collaboration mean jumping through hoop after hoop and dealing with confusion and chaos.

How to use Tom’s Planner’s data center project plan template to build and share your data center project.

Getting your project off the ground is as easy as 1-2-3.

Step #1

Click the 'start with template’ button to open the Data Center Project Plan Template.

Step #2

Register for a free account and watch a short video on using Tom’s Planner. The account is free forever, with no strings attached.

Step #3

You’re all set to use the Gantt chart template. Need additional help? Our AI assistant can create a custom Gantt chart Data Center Project Plan Template based on your project description.

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What is a data center project plan template?

Data center projects include both migrations and consolidations. Both types are complex and require in-depth planning to ensure success. Having clear project plans in place for stakeholders and project teams can help ensure success.

A data center project plan template is a tool that helps streamline the creation of such a project plan. It allows you to plan stages, organize teams, identify tasks, align team members, identify milestones, and allocate resources. Think of your data center project management template as a map that shows you how to get from where you are to where you need to be, whether that’s migrating technology to a new data center or consolidating hardware in an existing one.

Plan better with a data center project plan Gantt chart

You can use any number of tools to create a data center consolidation plan, but they’re not all created equal. For instance, Excel and Google Sheets seem to promise easy access and familiar functionality, but spreadsheets don’t provide the flexibility and customization required.

Instead, consider using a data center project plan Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner. A Gantt chart offers the planning capabilities that you need, from roughing out project stages to allocating and managing resources and teams.

When to use a data center project plan template

With proper implementation, a data center project plan Gantt chart can be a powerful tool that helps to ensure success. It will be critical at certain phases, including:

Project Planning:

Solid planning is the foundation of any successful project. A data center project management template like Tom’s Planner provides flexible, customizable planning capabilities that can scale to suit any data center migration, consolidation, or construction plan.

Network Design:

Network design is a critical process within your larger data center project. A data center project plan allows you to assign tasks, identify dependencies, allocate resources, and keep stakeholders engaged.

Server Installation:

Server installation requires the right people, key equipment, and the right preliminary steps (design and planning, for instance). A data center project plan Gantt chart helps you plan the installation, identify server models, assign installation and configuration tasks, and more.

When used correctly, a data center project plan Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner becomes an invaluable planning tool to help deliver optimum results.

Who should use a data center project plan template?

Multiple people will need access to the data center project Gantt chart before, during, and after the project. Some of those who will need access include:

Project Manager:

The project manager will lead a cross-functional team, while also planning key elements of the project, assigning tasks, and ensuring work aligns with stated goals.

Data Migration Specialists:

Data migration specialists work to manage the complex migration process between servers and need to synchronize their efforts with those of other teams.

IT Professionals:

IT teams will play a range of roles within the project, from data management to network engineering. All team members will need to stay in the loop regarding tasks and dependencies.

Planning a data center project is a massive undertaking. Tom’s Planner can help.

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The top three pitfalls to avoid when planning a data center project

Costly mistakes can derail your data center project. Help ensure positive outcomes by avoiding these pitfalls:

  1. Failure to Design Effective Cooling Systems

    Data centers require effective cooling systems that suffice for current needs but can also scale as the infrastructure grows. Failure to plan effectively could mean reinvesting significant money very soon after the project.

    Solution:

    Cooling system design should be a major part of your initial planning. Make sure to account for current needs, but also predicted growth.

  2. Failing to Plan Adequately

    Data center consolidations and migrations are complex projects that require detailed planning. Failure to do so can lead to a lack of information, imperfect network design, the wrong server configuration, and other negative outcomes.

    Solution:

    Do your due diligence and plan your project in depth before doing anything else. A tool like Tom’s Planner can make this easier.

  3. Insufficient Space for Expansion

    Data centers aren’t static. They must grow as the business’s needs change. Failure to plan adequately can lead to insufficient space for expansion, curtailing growth, and increasing costs.

    Solution:

    Accurate growth forecasting is a critical part of data center project planning to ensure sufficient space for future needs.

What does a data center project plan template include?

Your data center project plan Gantt chart will vary depending on whether you’re planning a migration or a data center consolidation. It will also vary on whether you’re creating a data center consolidation project plan, a data center build out project plan, or a relocation strategy.

Wondering how to build a data center project plan to fit your specific needs? Consider these phases:

  1. Initial Planning:

    The most important stage of any data center migration or consolidation project is initial planning. This is where you’ll estimate your budget, identify resources, define goals and milestones, create a timeline for the project, assess technology, establish sustainability considerations, plan for legal compliance, and more.

  2. Infrastructure Design:

    The infrastructure design phase builds on what came before. Here, you’ll assemble your team, gather project requirements, create a preliminary design, plan for space. and efficiency, design the cooling and power systems, account for security concerns, and document the design.

  3. Procurement Process:

    Procurement is the phase when you begin identifying vendors and requesting quotes. You’ll need to evaluate proposals, compare your options, negotiate contracts, issue purchase orders, create vendor agreements, order materials and equipment, and handle inventory management.

  4. Building Construction:

    The building phase will vary depending on whether you’re consolidating, migrating, or building a new data center. Some of the steps here will include clearing the site, laying the foundation, erecting the structure, installing the roof, installing the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, and more.

  5. Installing Infrastructure:

    You’ll need the right infrastructure within the data center. This phase involves installing network hardware, assembling server racks, setting up power supplies, installing the cooling system, implementing security, and testing the infrastructure to name just a few.

  6. Network Configuration:

    Once the hardware is in place, you’ll need to configure the network. This includes design planning, handling IP addresses, configuring routers and switches, setting up wireless access points, and testing the network.

  7. Server Installation and Testing:

    Finally, we come to server installation and testing. You’ll need to select your servers, install the hardware, install the operating system of your choice, network your servers, implement a backup system, and then test everything thoroughly.

All data center projects require the right tools. A data center project plan Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner helps you plan and manage your project accurately.

Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines

1. Begin Planning Well in Advance

Successful data center projects require a great deal of planning. Begin laying the groundwork well in advance and don’t proceed until you have a robust strategy in place. Tom’s Planner helps streamline the planning process.

2. Assign Teams Early

It’s critical that your teams are in place before the project begins and that everyone understands not only their roles but how those roles fit within the overall project in terms of dependencies.

3. Don’t Overcomplicate Things

Data center projects are complicated on their own. Resist the temptation to overcomplicate them with complex designs that increase costs without a corresponding increase in benefits or capabilities.

4. Plan for Standards

Incompatible standards can mean that different systems and components cannot interoperate or communicate. Make standards planning part of your process.

Gantt charts in Tom's Planner vs in Excel

Excel Tom's Planner
Cost License required Free version available
Learning curve Hours Minutes
Create your first Gantt chart Hours Minutes
Making an update in your chart Several minutes Seconds (drag & drop)
Sharing charts with others At some point you will save and email a file titled: version_4_def_usethisversion_reallyfinal.xlsx Online, one source of truth, always up to date, with no confusion
Look & Feel Messy Clean, polished and professional
Dependencies
Filtering
Zoom in/out
Automatic Legend
AI-assist Let our AI assist do the work for you
Export to image or pdf Requires workarounds to export One mouse click

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