The key to keeping presentation spaces operational and usable.
There was a monastery in Greece that was built on top of a very steep precipice. The only access was by a basket on a long rope, pulled by a monk on top. A visitor riding up to the top looked at the aged rope and asked his host how often the rope was replaced. The monk thought a moment and then replied, “I guess whenever it breaks.”
Many technology managers take the monk’s approach to maintaining presentation systems. There is no planning for the future, but instead an expectation for the equipment and systems to last forever. There are several reasons to change this approach.
Professionalism: Over the past quarter of a century, the perception of technology managers has evolved from cart-pushing nerds to presentation specialists. Entry-level technicians are expected to have an understanding of viewing angles, acoustics, ambient light, and lumens. Management staff is involved in budgeting and design. If technology managers want to be considered professionals, then planning and preparation are required skills to be learned and applied.
Leadership: Tied closely with professionalism, it is the responsibility of today’s audiovisual technology manager to take the lead in planning for continued use of a presentation system or facility. A leader will not excuse a poor or non-performing presentation system for being old or out of date, but instead will have a plan to keep the system current and operating.
A leader also knows the importance of preparedness. Schools, government institutions, industries, and large corporations all have disaster recovery plans in the event of an emergency. An AV disaster may be avoided by having a systematic plan in place to replace components before failure.
Economics: Budgets are tight everywhere. An unplanned capital purchase can wipe out savings. If a piece of equipment, or a system, fails during its planned lifetime, the request for replacement is excusable. If the failure should have been anticipated, it could be considered negligence of the technology management team.
Downtime due to equipment or system failure can be extremely expensive. In the corporate world, it can mean lost sales, missed training sessions or embarrassment of the leadership. In the academic world, classes may be cancelled or forced to relocate, placing a hardship on students, faculty, and support staff. In higher education, inadequate or inoperable technology may affect accreditation.
Currency: Planning to remove older equipment allows the technology manager to keep the technology up to date. As formats and resolutions change, the technology manager does not have to worry about when the equipment will be obsolete, since there will be a plan in place to upgrade.
As technology changes and is more accessible, expectations of presenters and audiences have risen sharply. This rise in expectations of the level and quality of the presentation systems requires the technology manager to maintain the system. Part of maintenance is replacement of out-of-date parts.
Elements of the Plan
So what is a life-cycle plan? A life-cycle plan is a well-researched document outlining the expected useful life of a piece of equipment, a sub-system, or a system in a presentation environment and the anticipated cost of replacing it. It can be compared to a depreciation schedule that an accountant uses for capital items. The plan should be a “living document,” updated annually to reflect changes in need and new technologies becoming available.
No AV system is designed to last forever. Preparing for replacement of part or all of the system on a schedule, and presenting that schedule before the initial installation, will allow for budgeting of time and money to keep the system at the same level of service and reliability as the day it was initially installed.
A complete life-cycle plan includes regular reviews and needs assessments with the users of the facilities. The users should include power users -- presenters who take full advantage of the presentation tools available and regularly ask for more; standard users -- presenters who use basic presentation tools on a regular basis (more than just a microphone); and high-profile users -- department heads, organizational leadership, and presenters who may bring in big money or the press. This last group needs to be comfortable with the basic tools and know what the system is capable of doing, even if they require major assistance with the presentations.
Keeping presentation areas technologically current relaxes presenters and allows them to concentrate on the presentation and not worry about equipment failure. Keeping current equipment and removing aged equipment reduces the likelihood of catastrophic failure. Having a plan in place reduces budgetary stress when a component or system needs to be replaced.
When developing the initial plan, try not to be limited by current or proposed budgets. This document is a “best-world” scenario for keeping all presentation venues current and fully operational. A modified “real-world” plan can be put in place following budget negotiations, but the initial program is the document that can be referred to when older equipment fails or as the economic outlook improves.
Developing an initial life-cycle plan can be a daunting task. It should be methodically laid out on a space-by-space or system-by-system basis. Begin with a thorough inventory of each area. Include each item in the presentation pathway, from the source devices to the screens and loudspeakers. Identify the purchase date of each item.
What to Consider
Use a “down-then-up” process to develop the plan. Starting at the top, review the entire scope. For installed systems, break up the inventory into categories (i.e., large-venue spaces, special-purpose areas, large meeting spaces, small meeting spaces, conference rooms, board rooms, etc.). Portable systems may be divided into levels of complexity (all-in-one units, videoconferencing systems, quick-presentation set-up, video playback only, etc.). Whatever method is used, make sure every space and every system is inventoried.
Make a list of all components, sub-systems and systems. This is not a comprehensive inventory, but a general catalog of the various items to be maintained.
For example:
Data Projector, large venue, installed
Data Projector, standard, installed
Data Projector, DLP, mobile
DVD Player
Blu-ray Player
Document Camera, XGA
Document Camera, S-video
Control System, wireless touch panel
Microphone, wireless, handheld
Microphone, wireless, lavaliere
Microphone, wired, gooseneck
Matrix Switcher, RGB
Videoconferencing System, standard format, installed
Videoconferencing System, HD, installed
Review maintenance and purchasing records for each item in the catalog. Determine the operational lifespan of each item. How long before unplanned maintenance replaces preventive maintenance? Was the last replacement due to failure or a change in technology? Is the equipment failing at the end of the warranty period, or does it seem to last “forever”?
Interview integrators, asking how long they expect the same items to last. When do they see more service calls? Use local integrators -- weather, altitude, dustiness, and humidity can all be factors in determining the reliability of electronic systems. Talk to manufacturers’ representatives -- ask the same questions. They will have a broader view of what the expected lifespan of the equipment should be. Talk to colleagues at similar organizations. Once again, ask the same questions. This will be real data with no bias.
Take the information from in-house reviews and the interviews and come up with an average of the expected lifespan of each item on the list.
Now, starting at the individual room or system, build an inventory. Include every component. Record the age, model, and specifics of everything in the room.
A separate inventory should be built for each individual system or room. Determine what needs to be replaced in each area just to bring it into currency (within at least one year before their expected lifespan end). This assessment does not take into account what is expected of the space or may be required in the future, but just maintaining the status quo. Create a replacement chart, listing the individual components from the inventory and a current model replacement, including any changes in specifications.
Conduct a needs assessment of each space. Meet with power users, standard users, and high-profile users of the space as well the schedulers of the space (the schedulers know what is being requested and need to know what is available where).
Determine the expected technology level of each room and the percentage of usage for each type of presentation technology. Review any new technologies or new features that will be expected or required in the space. Add these items to the end of the replacement chart. Determine the life expectancy of the new technologies by talking again with integrators, manufacturers’ reps, and colleagues.
Bring in facilities management staff to review structural or support issues. Also review any changes in airflow or cooling requirements based on proposed changes to the system. Interfaces with building controls (temperature, locks, lights, etc.) must be cleared through this group. Oftentimes when changes are made to a facility, changes in electrical codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or similar laws may have to be addressed.
Consider the Whole Space
Remember that even when you’re just changing the presentation system or its components, it’s important to consider the impact on all systems in the same space. A formal space-by-space plan can then be prepared. It should begin with an overview of the space: seating capacity, existing capabilities, and typical uses. If data is available, you should also consider how often the space is used by various groups and the level of technology used by them. This should be followed an overview of the technology’s history -- how the room was originally configured, when and what changes have been made over the years, and the age of the current equipment and systems. At this point, present the cost to bring the room to currency with no real upgrades. This cost should be realistic, including components, any necessary wiring changes required, software modifications, and any facility changes (is the new projector heavier than the existing one, is the screen mounted in a fixed ceiling?).
The next section should discuss the changes being recommended by the needs assessment, explaining which groups asked for specific changes. Include technologies being phased out, those being replaced by different technologies, and any new technologies. Explain changes in technology that may require upgrades (resolution changes, aspect ratio changes, etc.) some changes may be the result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reallocating the wireless spectrum and rendering some equipment unusable or subject to unacceptable interference. Industry best practices for viewing angles, image size, and viewing distances -- which may be obtained from InfoComm International -- may require changes in equipment or furnishings (as facilities change from 4:3 aspect ratios to 16:9 or 16:10, the acceptable viewing areas are redesigned). Changes in the types of presentations may also affect the good viewing areas. Again, include any facility modifications required for this section, as well as any impact that might be felt by housekeeping services (special cleaning solutions, training on how to clean some items, new dustable surfaces, etc.).
These observations help reinforce the perception that the technology manager is a professional who looks at the big picture, not just the presentation system. Include the complete cost to upgrade to this level. Also discuss the anticipated time to complete the project after the go-ahead is given. Include time for document preparation, proposal review, award of contract, and actual work. Discuss the amount of actual downtime to the room and the impact this will have of continued operations. Finally, you should explain the relocation or cancellation of regularly scheduled events in the space during the replace/upgrade process.
This should be followed by a schedule of continued replacement of components and systems for the room, on a year-by-year basis, with anticipated costs. A footnote on this section should explain that it will be reviewed annually and updated as necessary. This section is the final goal of preparing a life-cycle plan.
A summary section, listing each space or system and its schedule for upgrades should wrap up the report.
The formal plan should be concise and include real numbers and be based on a “best-of-all worlds” view. Don’t include pie-in-the-sky hopes to do everything at the highest level items or systems, but offer a system that will perform at the level required by the presenters. Be prepared to defend what is crucial to the space and compromise on what is optional or flexible. It may be necessary to adjust the length of service of some items to meet the financial demands of the organization. Tuck away the original plan for back-up if (or when) a system fails after your initial proposed replacement date has passed.
Prepare a list of equipment purchase requirements per year for five to seven years out, adding a year to the plan each year as the earliest year drops off. Carefully fine tune the costs associated with the first two years out and use these numbers to adjust the following years. This list should be presented with annual budget requests, showing a systematic plan for keeping the organization functioning in the presentation areas.
A defined plan, reviewed and updated regularly, will go a long way toward achieving and maintaining a professional presentation facility that can be counted on to work when needed.
Ernie Bailey, CTS, is director of audiovisual services at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the chairman of InfoComm’s Technology Managers Council.