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DIGITAL SIGNAGE IMPLEMENTATION – PLANNING & DEPLOYMENT CHECKLIST

Project & Client Evaluation


Establish Objectives
 
  • Develop an understanding of the requirements
  • Desire for the end result
  • What, where, and how for the version of system implemented

Conduct Needs Analysis
 
  • Determine design parameters
  • Quantity and location of screens
  • Audio requirements

Conduct Site/Location Survey
 
  • Document site conditions
  • Determine placement
  • Identify installation requirements

Take Digital Photos
 
  • Used for documentation purposes of the site specific requirements
  • Used as a reference for design and engineering tasks

Non-Disclosure Agreement
 
  • Engagement's between a client and vendor require the exchange of proprietary information and should be protected with an NDA

Secure Content Commitment
 
  • What content is available from client, outsourced etc.
  • Terms for content acquisition and production

Define Financing Terms
 
  • A clear understanding between the client and vendor of how the project is going to be funded
  • Define the funding terms
  • What are the up-front engineering costs, if any?
  • What are the purchase terms for installation and equipment?
  • Software licensing and any actual costs?
  • Content production and acquisition costs?

Develop Pilot Scope and Proposal
 
  • Develop the details necessary to test the concepts
  • What sites/locations should be evaluated?
  • Specific work detail and tasks are outlined

Finalize Agreements/Contracts
 
  • A formal agreement concerning the expectations and deliverables


Project Initiation & Planning


Identify Project Team
 
  • Define the roles and responsibilities of each team member from the client and vendor teams
  • This team should embody facilities, IT, marketing, administration and senior management representing business objectives

Hold Kick-off Meeting
 
  • The formal meeting for team introductions and expectations from the client and vendor relationship
  • Establish the communication process between the team
  • Project is review
  • This collaboration identifies objectives, responsibilities and methods for measurement

Define Success Criteria, ROI and Pilot Metrics
 
  • Outcome needs to be identified
  • What are the results that are expected form pilot, i.e., uplift in sales, improved communications, more traffic is generated etc.

Identify Network/Content Distribution Requirements
 
  • Define the content distribution method
  • Local LAN/WAN
  • Dedicated broadband terrestrial or wireless
  • Satellite DVB or VSAT
  • Pricing considerations for each distribution method

Develop/Refine Project Budget
 
  • Identify and detail all costs associated with project
  • Internal/external labor
  • Hardware, Electrical, HVAC, Installation, and content distribution costs
  • Volume pricing if available

Secure Content Commitment
 
  • What content is available from client, outsourced, etc.
  • Terms for content acquisition and production

Finalize Partner Agreements
 
  • Formally define agreement regarding expectations and deliverables from the partners

Develop Project Plan
 
  • The beginning and the end
  • Categorize, how the project is to be executed – Phases with budget allocations
  • Breakdown and define the tasks required for each category of the project

Client Review and Approval
​​​​​​​
  • Have the expectations and deliverables been met?


​​​​​​​Technical Design

 

Develop Technical Architecture
 

  • Push System, Pull System or Flex System
  • Delivery of content (internet, intranet, stand-alone, wireless)
  • System security
  • Display variables (Interior, exterior, flat panel, projection, LED, LCD)
  • System management tools
  • Pricing structure for content database

Select Content Management Software
 
  • ​​​​​​​Remote-player monitoring
  • Attribute-based scheduling
    • Automates playlist creation based on parameters
    • Day-parting schedules
    • Internal live data feeds
  • Player health checks
  • Set distribution policies
    • Bandwidth Shaping
      • Maximum usage
      • Percentage of Bandwidth utilized
    • Time of day delivery to reduce network impact
  • Remote player management
    • Capable of rebooting player
    • Capable of restarting all services on player
    • Capable of upgrading software components​​​​​​​

Specify Servers & Players
​​​​​​​
  • ​​​​​​​Interactivity
  • Demographic recognition
  • IT network compliance
    • Existing hardware alliances
      • Dell, IBM, Linux, etc.
    • Existing software alliances
      • Microsoft, etc.
      • Symantec, etc.
  • Content creation compliance
    • Existing assets - PowerPoint, MPEG, PDF
    • Future assets - PowerPoint, MPEG, PDF, RSS

Display Specifications
​​​​​​​
  • Interior or exterior - Flat panel, projection, LED, LCD
    • Inputs - VGA, DVI, S-video, RGBHV
    • Audio
      • Internal amplifier
      • Line audio out for external amplifier
    • Control
      • Serial
      • IR or Infrared
    • Internal hard drive
      • Networkable
  • Interactivity
    • Demographic recognition
    • Holographic
    • Lenticular – 3D imaging

Prepare Technical Specifications
​​​​​​​
  • IT
    • Hardware
    • Software
    • Security
    • Content delivery methods
  • Content Creation Managers
    • Existing assets
    • Future assets
  • Facilities Managers
    • Display locations
    • Mounting concerns
    • Infrastructure
      • Power
      • Network cabling
    • Administrators responsible for the system
      • Scheduling
      • Content deployment

Digital Photos and Display Overlays
 
  • Photograph display locations
  • Create display overlays to provide a vision for the display content

Select Suppliers/Manufacturers
 
  • Content Creation – may be internal, external or both
  • Content Management – may be internal, external or both
  • Network Partner – may be internal or external
  • Electrical Contractor – generally external
  • Audio Visual Integration – generally external
 

Content Development


Develop Content Plan
 
  • Utilization plan of existing assets
  • Creation plan for future assets

Existing content inventory
 
  • ​​​​​​​Identify and catalog all existing assets
    • Type – MPEG, JPEG, etc.
    • Resolution
    • Orientation – landscape or portrait
    • Genre
    • With or without audio

Video/Audio content development
 
  • Identify needed assets
    • ​​​​​​​Type – MPEG, JPEG, etc.
    • Resolution
    • Orientation – landscape or portrait
    • Genre
    • With or without audio

POS/Data
 
  • Interaction capture of demographics
  • Environmental monitoring
  • RFID triggering
  • Coupon deployment
 

Implementation


Pilot Project Implementation & Evaluation
 
  • Procure components
    • Provide contracts for strategic partners
  • Installation
  • System Integration and Test
  • Train Pilot Team
    • Managers are the key components
  • Implement Pilot
    • Content Scheduling
    • Collect Evaluation Data
    • Complete Daily Evaluation
  • Refine Project Plan
  • Management Review
 

Project Rollout


​​​​​​​Develop Rollout Approach and Schedule
  • End-date and Site-count
  • Ramp-up and run rate
  • Technician requirements
    • Skill sets
    • Locations
  • Site specific
    • Individual site specific design
  • Logistics
    • Procure equipment
    • Equipment staging / assembly
    • Shipping
    • Site access coordination
  • Schedule
    • Common constraints
      • Regional implementation
      • Site density – travel time between sites
      • Site locations – metro vs. rural
      • Hours of access
      • Blackout dates ( e.g. holidays, delivery days)
    • Timeline vs. Number of technicians
      • Optimize for cost, time and quality
      • More technicians
        • More training
        • Reduced learning curve benefits
        • Less travel
      • Fewer technicians
        • Less training
        • Higher learning curve benefits
        • More travel
​​​​​​​

Develop Policies and Procedures
 

  • Establish Project Management team
  • Develop documentation and training materials
    • Installation manual
      • Updates and version control
      • Define site signoff / completion criteria
    • Training materials
    • Reporting requirements
      • Web accessible
      • Real time
      • All shared or one data repository(s)
      • Digital photos
      • Issue logs with status and resolution
    • Issue escalation procedure and accountabilities
    • Status reports
    • Communication protocols

Train Location People
 
  • In-person
  • Web-based
  • Manual

Installation & Testing
 
  • Pilot the Rollout plan to confirm processes and procedures
  • Refine training and procedures as needed

Rollout
 
  • Expand training to all technicians
  • Ramp-up
    • Start slow to accommodate adjustments
  • Full run-rate
  • Clean-up
    • All issues closed
    • Unexpected site parameters

Refine
 
  • Post Implementation Review process (PIR)

Continued Development
 
  • Lessons learned