349: Don't Panic! The AV Guide to Migration

Tim Van Woeart hosts Troy Hanna of 22 Miles alongside Murphy Daley, Renee Benson, Brandy Johnson, and Nancy Blanchard for a conversation about AV and software migrations, with digital signage as the primary example. The discussion examines why organizations migrate platforms—from acquisitions and discontinued relationships to dissatisfaction with existing systems or a desire to consolidate multiple solutions under one umbrella.

Murphy Daley used Dolly Parton as the inspiration for her PM Minute, speaking about Dolly's enormous talent and every reason to put herself first, but instead she was known for lifting other people up, encouraging them, and sharing generously.

Troy stresses identifying a project owner, understanding the end user's needs, planning for unknowns, and maintaining communication throughout a migration. He offers three memorable rules: don't panic, don't recreate the past, and think beyond the features.

The conversation also explores proof-of-concept deployments, vendor feedback, hardware/software partnerships, digital signage's evolution from AV-adjacent technology, and the growing importance of integrated solutions.

Topics Discussed:

Murphy's PM Minute: The Dolly Parton Lesson for Project ManagersWhy organizations migrate AV and software platformsCommon migration triggers: acquisitions, company changes, dissatisfaction, and consolidationThe project manager's role in migration projectsThe five phases of project managementProject owners versus project managersIdentifying end users, stakeholders, and subject-matter expertsPlanning for unknowns and unexpected requirementsDigital signage CMS migration challengesCleaning up legacy data and the "garbage in, garbage out" problemProof-of-concept and pilot programsCustomer feedback driving product developmentPartnerships between manufacturers, resellers, CMS providers, and end usersDigital signage's evolution from AV-adjacent to an integrated AV communication solutionThe AV Life is a Higher Ed AV Media production. More at higheredav.com.

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