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

FREE IT Integration Plan Template

Master IT integration project plan timelines with our intuitive it integration plan template project plan Gantt chart template.

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Gantt chart template

Why use our IT Integration Plan Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?

Get started with our IT Integration 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 it integration plan template to build and share your IT integration 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 IT Integration 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 IT Integration Plan Template based on your project description.

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What is an IT integration plan template?

Wondering what is an integration plan? An IT integration strategy is designed to connect the IT systems of two different companies after a merger or acquisition. These types of projects are always complex, with many moving parts and numerous risks. An IT integration plan template can help you manage the process while ensuring that you achieve your goals.

An IT integration plan template is a skeleton that includes specific focus areas, common objectives, regularly required projects, and common KPIs. However, using a generic system integration plan is not usually advisable.

It’s all too easy for critical planning elements to fall through the cracks, particularly given the complexity of integrating two different IT systems. A better option is to use an IT integration plan Gantt chart.

The advantages of an IT integration plan Gantt chart

While a system integration plan will provide some utility, a Gantt chart delivers much-improved flexibility and customization to make planning more accurate. With a data integration plan template like Tom’s Planner, you can:

  • Assign tasks
  • Allocate resources
  • Create visual timelines
  • Track task progress

When you’re dealing with something as complex as integrating IT systems, it’s critical to have the right tool.

When to use an IT integration plan template

The right tools are essential at all stages of an IT integration project. An integration template will be needed at many steps, including:

Planning Phase:

Given the complexity of merging two IT environments into one, detailed planning is crucial. An IT integration plan Gantt chart supports assigning tasks, tracking task completion, identifying dependencies, and allocating resources across a visual timeline.

Resource Allocation:

Resource management and allocation are crucial considerations during complex processes like IT integrations. A Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner makes it easier to identify resources, allocate them appropriately, and update them as the project evolves.

Team Communication:

All teams involved in the integration process will need a way to stay on the same page throughout the project. A systems integration plan allows teams to see tasks assigned to others, the completion status of those tasks, and manage their own assigned tasks.

When used appropriately, a tool like Tom’s Planner can improve the accuracy of your planning and encourage success for the integration.

Who should use an IT integration plan template?

Multiple professionals will require access to a planning tool like an IT integration plan Gantt chart, including:

Project Managers:

Project managers are tasked with planning and executing each stage of the integration process, managing teams, and ensuring communication across the board.

IT Teams:

IT teams are responsible for the bulk of the work during an integration project and will need to communicate with one another, as well as synchronize their efforts for seamless progress.

Testers:

Testers must know when the environment is ready and be able to communicate with other teams and stakeholders during the integration process.

Providing the right tools for integration managers and teams encourages forward progress and helps avoid challenges that could lead to failure.

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The top three pitfalls to avoid when planning an IT integration

Give your IT integration the best chance of success by avoiding these three pitfalls:

  1. Failing to Plan Adequately

    A lack of planning can lead to poor integration with other IT systems, harming productivity, creating security risks, and leading to project failure.

    Solution:

    Every IT integration project requires detailed planning to see success. Tom’s Planner can help.

  2. Failing to Set Clear Goals

    Never assume that “finish the integration” is a clear enough goal. Without clear goals, your teams have no way to track progress or success.

    Solution:

    Set SMART goals during the planning process.

  3. Failing to Have Experts Involved

    IT integrations require a great deal of experience and expertise. If your teams lack this, your project is unlikely to succeed.

    Solution:

    Identify experts early on so they can lead the project. If you lack in-house talent, hire outside specialists.

What does an IT integration plan template include?

Technology integration planning is recognized for its risks and complexity. Planning is crucial to pull off the integration within time and cost requirements. Some of the phases included in an IT integration plan Gantt chart include:

  1. Pre-Merger Assessment:

    A pre-merger assessment is a critical part of your planning. This phase includes an analysis of the current IT infrastructure, hardware inventory, an evaluation of data security, a risk evaluation, and more.

  2. Due Diligence Phase:

    In this phase, you’ll need to create a data room, conduct a financial analysis, go through an operational review, assess the technology stack in question, screen everything for legal compliance, evaluate vendors the IT department is using, assess the market position, and identify potential liabilities to name just a few.

  3. IT Integration Planning:

    Planning the IT integration will require forming an integration team. Then, you’ll need to set the project scope, conduct a detailed technology analysis, establish an accurate timeline, allocate your budget, plan and allocate resources, design a data migration strategy, plan for risk management, design workflows, and get the final integration plan approval.

  4. System Analysis & Mapping:

    To integrate IT systems, you must know the lay of the land. This phase includes identifying existing systems, analyzing their functionality, and examining data structures. You’ll also need to map inter-system dependencies, decommission legacy systems, create a data flow diagram, conduct a gap analysis, check hardware compatibility, review security protocols, and update system documentation.

  5. Data Migration Preparation:

    Data migration is a big part of IT system integration. Here, you’ll need to assemble your data migration team, inventory data, design databases, map the data in question, choose your migration method, test your migration method, develop a migration schedule, train staff, and approve the final migration plan.

  6. Integration Execution:

    Now it’s time to execute the integration. First, consolidate hardware resources, then handle software installation and configuration, legal system data extraction, application integration, security system integration, synchronize systems, and set up user access. You’ll need to monitor system performance, troubleshoot any issues that arise, and conduct quality checks.

Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines

1. Plan Your Schedule Appropriately

Tasks within an IT integration are highly dependent on those that come before. Plan your schedule sequentially to help keep the project on time. Tom’s Planner can help you assign tasks, identify dependencies, and track progress toward deadlines and milestones.

2. Ensure You Have High-Quality Data

Low-quality data or incomplete data can derail your entire project, leading to missed deadlines and even outright failure. Verifying data quality should be a top priority during your planning process.

3. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most common reasons for project holdups is a lack of clarity when it comes to roles and responsibilities. During your planning sessions, identify team and individual roles and responsibilities and then communicate those so that everyone understands what’s expected of them throughout the integration process.

4. Ensure Ongoing Communication with Stakeholders

Communication is crucial not just between IT teams, but also between stakeholders who might not play an active role in the integration process. Failure to keep them in the loop could mean missing key information or having to backtrack during the project, causing needless delays.

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
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Export to image or pdf Requires workarounds to export One mouse click

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