The Work Doesn’t End at Handover
For many years in our industry, success was measured at practical completion. The rooms turned on, documentation was handed over, and the team moved on to the next build.
That definition of success has shifted.
Technology environments today are part of wider enterprise platforms. They connect to cloud services and need to keep pace with organisations that are constantly evolving. The real challenge begins once a space becomes operational and expectations move beyond installation.
Design, Construct and Manage sit within the same lifecycle. Yet they are often treated as separate stages, with service only entering the conversation after a failure or at the end of a warranty period.
Lifecycle management needs to start earlier. Governance, platform standards, monitoring capability, accountability and refresh planning all shape how an environment performs over time. When those considerations are left too late, we end up designing for installation rather than long-term operation. The system may perform well at handover, but sustaining that performance requires structure and ownership from the outset.
Construction delivers the outcome.
Management sustains its performance.
Lifecycle management is the ongoing governance of technology, ensuring environments continue to align with the organisations they support. The transition from Projects to Service should feel deliberate, moving from delivery into operational ownership rather than closing a task.
For me, success is measured years after practical completion, when an environment continues to perform as intended.
Practical completion marks a milestone. Sustained performance defines the result.
This article has been written by Justin Gleeson,
Director of Managed Services at Pro AV Solutions.
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