JOHN GOODING - IT INFRASTRUCTURE, OFFICE MOVE AND
COMPANY RELOCATION PROJECT MANAGER
John Gooding
"Probably the most experienced freelance Project Manager with extensive IT Infrastructure, office/data centre relocation/construction experience and depth of knowledge providing a blend of skills not found elsewhere!
In fact a rare find in a sea of mediocre project managers!
Eugene O'Donnell, Head of IT at Aga Khan University.
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I provide a unique depth of experience and knowledge not found elsewhere. With over 25 years of infrastructure and networks projects delivery experience, intermixed with office or company move projects where I have been responsible for the new facility fit-out and the IT installation.
The range of projects I have managed include:-
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Transformation and Transition from one outsource provider to a new provider
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Integration/Merging of businesses onto a single architecture
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E2E infrastructure delivery - design, procurement, installation, change control, security, DR and the move into Production (UAT, OAT, DR readiness)
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Desktop refresh projects and roll-outs
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Email and Application migration to the cloud - O365
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VOIP (Cisco/Mitel/BT/Avaya) implementation - on premise and hosted (Cloud)
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Wi-Fi implementations
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Firewall changes,
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Networks - NAC, Core, Edge, Firewalls – Cisco, Extreme
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Lan/Wan/structured data cabling/patching/racking/fibre/copper
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Mobile Working
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Skype implementations
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Security - Two Factor Access (2FA) implementations
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Fibre FTTx installation (BT/Colt/Virgin)
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Managed Print Solutions - "Follow Me" Printing
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COTS applications including SQL and Oracle initial database loads
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AV/VTC (Video-Tele-Conference) installations
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CISCO Telepresence Suite installation
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CCTV installation
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The IT and logistical elements of office, company and data centre relocation
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Implementation of LMS and e-Learning courses
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Production of PC based training courses in an Agile environment
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Implementation of new ways of working
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Data Centre design and configuration including power schedules, and air con loads
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Data Centre relocations and migrations
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Comms Rack configurations and Patching Schedules
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I have current Enhanced DBS Clearance
In the world of Corporate Relocations and
Office Moves, there are ample opportunities for Senior Executives to make career limiting decisions.
Let John Gooding ensure you make the right ones!
As a Corporate Relocation Consultant/Project Manager with over 25 years experience, I work with your Professional Team (Space Planners, M&E Consultants, Architects, Main Contractor) to solve the critical issues. My unique experience is what helps to ensure that the target site is delivered to your requirements, is future proofed for you and the relocation achieved with no disruption. This is what sets me apart and it's what makes me successful.
Let your staff focus on using their expertise to support your business day to day and let me manage the multitude of the difficult facets of moving your office.
For Office Moves, in addition to the Project Management of your move (including managing the IT elements), I provide the following range of services to add value:-
New Premises Searches
I'll help you find your new location by
analysing and defining your requirements and go to market to identify suitable locations for your new office and provide pros and cons to enable you to make an informed decision.
IT Infrastructure Delivery
As well as Office Moves, I have been successfully managing IT infrastructure projects for over 25 years including - Desktop IT refreshes and roll-outs; Installation and configuration of servers/switches/firewalls - including design, configuration, procurement, installation, OAT/UAT testing and Change Control into the live or production environment. These projects have been as stand alone assignments or as an integral part of an office move.
The range of IT projects I've managed is extensive and below are more details of the projects I've been involved with.
Consulting
Having managed a wide variety of Projects for over 25 years, I have gained a unique blend of knowledge and experience not found elsewhere. Thus I can operate as the
Project Manager at the coal face or as a Consultant advising and mentoring your teams to deliver first class projects.
Some Case Histories
Seadrill's New Global Head Office, Liverpool.
A second assignment for me with Seadrill. The brief this time was to manage the CAT B fit-out of the new office and installation of new IT infrastructure.
I designed the comms room layout, the rack configurations, the power schedule and managed the installation of servers, switches and routers, the office space planning, the furniture installation, VOIP phones installation, AV/VTC installations, data cabling, the installation of a temporary satellite dish on the roof of the building to facilitate a large scale data transfer from Dubai onto the new achitecture and the relocation of the staff from serviced accommodation.
I achieved the complete relocation with ZERO issues on day 1!
Crown Prosecution Service New Offices, London.
My expertise guided the Government's legal team through the maze of Planning Applications, working with Heritage England for works to a Grade 2 Listed Building and producing detailed documentation for gaining a Licence for Alterations from the Superior Landlord. Having ensured all the necessary permissions
(from Heritage England and the superior Landlord) were in place, I managed the complete office fit-out including the power and data cabling installation, the furniture installation, installation of servers, switches and routers, VOIP telephone system installation, fibre feeds into the comms room from the street, CCTV installation, premises door access controls, introduction of new ways of working and the relocation of the the staff, into the new office.
I produced a "Welcome Pack" for the staff which detailed how to use the new telephone system and the new printing system, the building evacuation procedures and the locations of local pubs, bars, restaurants, tube stations and bus stops.
The relocation was achieved with a few issues on the morning of day 1. But having engaged floor walkers from the IT outsourcers (CGI), the VOIP phone suppliers (Level3) and Xerox for the new print solution, by lunchtime the staff were pleasantly surprised to be operating as BAU.
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This picture shows the condition of the underfloor. I was suspicious that the floor might not cope with the loads that were going to be imposed on it. I engaged a Structural Engineer to review the condition of the beams, test the deflection of the floor under load - which confirmed my suspicions - and design a sympathetic solution to ensure the floor was capable of taking the loads imposed by a modern office environment. Heritage England were delighted with the solution because it future proofed the facility. I maintained close management of the work to ensure H&S was being followed and disruption to existing tenants was kept to a minimum.
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From the below mess to a refurbished office in under 8 weeks including the Christmas shutdown!!
Aga Khan University New Premises, Kings Cross, London.
Some Unusual Challenges Including....
Due to overuns by the Main Contractor, in order to meet the tight deadline for occupancy it was necessary to install access control and CCTV IT while the building was still under Main Contractor control. I put the IT team through CSCS Certificate Training and Exams to enable them to gain their Green Cards and thereby have unrestricted site access - subject to attending site inductions.
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I was initially engaged to manage the relocation of the core IT from their Euston Office into the new Data Centre in the new building. Included with this core IT was an archive system of 30 Petabytes which held the world's only digital copies of historic Islamic publications and 4,000 year old manuscripts! My strategy for this particular element was to organise taking two copies of the data in the months before the move and to ask the Curator to view random parts of the backup to gain a degree of confidence that the backups were successful and complete.
During the life of the project my brief was expanded to oversee the staff moves and manage all of the other IT elements of the installations including power and data cabling for the Data Centre and satellite rooms, AV/VTC in the classrooms and meeting rooms, a room booking system with panels outside each class room and meeting room, WiFi (WAP) installations and follow up heat map survey, VOIP installation, the new network kit installation and the installations and commissioning of networked printers.
I designed the DC layout, the rack configurations, the power schedule to the racks and produced the patching schedule to be used in the DC and in the satellite rooms.
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This photo shows the Estate Team's Helpdesk.
Notice how the "Clean Desk" and "No Liquids on Desks" policies are being vigorously applied!!!
Other Projects Managed
London Borough of Waltham Forest
I was consulted on how to improve the current LBWF processes for relocating departments between ofices. I reviewed the procedures and made recommendations for improvements which when implemented brought the time taken for a department to be up and running after a move from 3 days to less than 2 hours!!
Following on from this, I was retained further to manage the IT elements of a building refurbishment and the relocation of staff and their IT from satellite offices into the new environment. A major change to be managed was the introduction of Agile working. I maintained close communication to staff representatives regarding this major change to their previous way of working with the result that the relocation and occupation went very smoothley and staff were ready to adapt to the new way of working.
BP Head Office, Hemel Hempstead
This was an intense and time constricted piece of work - an internal restack of 1200 staff. I created and managed a rolling program of:- empty area re-furbishment (with new data cabling); relocation of staff and their deskside IT into the newly refurbished area, thereby creating the next area to be refurbished. I managed all elements of the relocations including "Rentacrate" provision, humpers and shifters and the IT teams for re-booting PC's to confirm all was working for the Monday.
Rolls-Royce Aero Engines, Derby
I have had several assignments with Roll-Royce.
My first project for them was to manage the installation of IT into a new logistics facility being built on R-R land and then the relocation of existing IT and staff from the old building into the new. I produced the design and directed the Installation of a high (15 metres up!) level LAN and an RF system used by the warehouse trucks for "Picking and Putting". An interesting element was having discussions with British Rail for permission to pile drive at two widely separated locations under a branch line of theirs in order to create two diverse routes for fibre connectivity from the new warehouse back to the R-R mainframe.
I also held discussions with the Home Office leading to one of their RF specialists to come to R-R and walk in and around the site and take readings to confirm that the RF solution did not leak into the nearby homes.
Metlife Insurance
I looked after two projects concurrently for Metlife. In London, the installation of IT in Level 34 of the Canary Wharf Tower and the relocation of their Trading Team and back office staff from Covent Garden to the new facility; and in Dublin the fit-out of the 4th floor of a building that was their European Head Office (decoration, furniture, IT etc.) and a subsequent restack program to relieve overcrowding on their other floors.
"Gotchas" included firstly, due to overuns by the fit-out contractor, the office move was potentially going to take place during The London Olympics! I proposed (and it was accepted) that the relocation should be delayed until late September when both the major event and the Paralympic Events were ended and all the retinue had packed up and gone home! Secondly it was decided during the project that a new Dealer Board system should be provided from day one for the trading team (scope creep?). The preferred supplier was IPC. I therefore worked with IPC to integrate their installation and training activities into my project plan including having a floor walker from IPC on the floor for the first two days after the office move. The third "oportunity to excell" for me was a decision from head office in New York that the Canary Wharf office should have a Cisco Telepresence Room. An additional little "Gotcha" here was the mistake made by the builders when coverting Cisco metric dimensions to Imperial by using an incorrect conversion figure. It meant that connecting cables, rebated into a wall did not reach where TV screens and speakers were sited!!! Oops!! A second (successful) attempt and a second run of connecting cables (because the originals had been made to specific length!) and a plasterer recovered the situation.
DODS Parliamentary Publications
I was engaged to find new offices for DODS to relocate to. I interviewed 8 property finding agencies and awarded the business to Morgan Pryce. Through them, after viewing 12 potential properties, I found suitable accommodation in The Shard (Floor 11) and negotiated 15% rent reduction, plus a contribution to fit-out costs, plus break clauses at 5, 7 and 10 years!! Not bad eh?
Northampton Borough Council, Town Hall
I provided Project Management services for the replacement of their ageing network in a live environment. I produced an RFP on the Governments GCAT for the design and installation of the new network and invited companies to respond. The business was awarded to ComputCenter. Given that the work was being performed in a live environment, my diplomacy and communication skills were utilised to the full to ensure that when disruption was unavoidable, it was kept to the minimum and staff and councillors were at all times kept appraised of progress and forewarned when their area was to be visited by the team.
Trader Media Group (Autotrader Magazine)
I was engaged to find and acquire new offices south of London (found suitable space in Reigate); manage the fit-out of the new office and then the relocation and consolidation of 5 south London offices into the new facility and the closure of the vacated premises.
