ESP examination - Structure guide (all tasks)

 ESP structure guide (Task 1-4) 

 

This document was made to give a rough idea of structure for the digital infrastructure ESP exam. 

 

Task 1 – Troubleshooting 

Task 1 focuses on a network issue. The scenario goes as follows: a business has come to you with a problem in their network. They will give you an outline of the issue and configuration settings. There may be more than one issue that you need to identify and solve. After finding the issues, a help plan should be created to help the network administrator of that business fix the issue. This should be accompanied by screenshots and other helpful materials. Here is a basic help plan structure: 

Introduction 

  • Outline the issues they are facing 

  • Justify your reasoning as to why the issues are happening 

  • Explain the technical issues 

Help 

  • Guide them through step-by-step instructions about how to fix each issue 

  • Explain why along the way 

  • Accompany with screenshots 

 

After creating the help plan, you will need to create a test plan. This document is to advise the network administrator to complete certain tests to verify the issues were rectified. A test plan is usually in a table format. Here is a basic test plan structure: 

Introduction 

  • Purpose of the test plan 

  • Root cause analysis of issues 

Test plan 

  • In a table with 7 headings: 

  • User = who will be performing the test 

  • Test date = when the test will be performed (make up a date) 

  • Test proposed = what is the test going to be? 

  • Expected outcome = what do you expect to be the outcome of the test? 

  • Changes = what changes should be made if the test was unsuccessful? 

  • Acceptance = has the fix been implemented correctly and the issue resolved? 

 

Task 2 – Interview 

Task 2 starts off with a proposed meeting with the network administrator of this business. Task 2-4 is all about upgrading their network infrastructure, treat it as though the issues in task 1 have been solved. Task 2 will contain a brief usually with plans to upgrade or expand the business (for example, employing more staff). Read the brief carefully and make sure to note anything the business is interested in such as cloud solutions. They may also provide requirements like robust security or speed. You will have 1 hour to create a list of questions to interview the network administrator with. Here are some that you may be able to use (note that every scenario is different, and these questions may not work): 

  • What is the budget for upgrades? 

  • What is your current router? (brand, type, etc...) 

  • How much data do you store? 

  • Are you interested in cloud computing solutions? 

  • Have you had any other issues in the past? 

  • How often do you complete network maintenance? 

  • Do you implement any security protocols or policies? (BYOD, AVs, IDS/IPS) 

 

After the interview, you should write 2 emails. One email is to your own line manager updating them on the current situation with this business and the recommendations you intend to give. Note that this is a technical audience, and you can use technical terminology to explain your reasonings. The second email is to the managing director of the business. This is a non-technical audience, and you will have to explain in detail at a basic level the technical terminology used. For example, you can’t mention IP addressing and DHCP without explaining it first. A basic structure for these two emails could be: 

From..... me@techcorp.com 

To......... linemanager@techcorp.com / managingdirector@business.com 

Subject. Update on [business] network upgrades 

 

  • Greeting – say hello professionally 

  • Introduction – Give an overview of the business 

  • Requirements – Outline requirements that the business wants 

  • Solutions – Give recommendations to hardware/software that could be implemented to upgrade or improve the business’s IT systems. 

 

Task 3 – Project Proposal 

Task 3 is a long document that you should write proposing the project to the business. It should contain information such as hardware that needs to be installed, software that needs to be installed, explanations on why upgrades should be installed, subscriptions that need to be purchased, cost of the upgrades proposed and justifications on why the proposed upgrades are worth it. It is essentially a big essay on the whole project. Here is a basic structure for the project proposal: 

Introduction 

  • Overview of the project 

  • Purpose of the project 

  • Aims of the project 

Issues and requirements 

  • Summary of problems faced 

  • What is causing the problems 

  • Needs of the business (priority on security, speed, etc...) 

Solutions 

  • Outline of the solution 

  • Justification of the solution (why is it the best solution?) 

  • Include technical information (Law around data, read/write speeds, etc...) 

  • Timelines for implementations 

Resources 

  • Hardware/software needed to complete the project 

  • Associated costs 

Summary 

  • Summarise key points along with justifications 

 

Task 4 – Survey and Final Project Review 

Task 4 is the final task of the ESP. It consists of creating a survey for employees at the business to complete and creating a final project review. The survey consists of questions to gather data about the new IT upgrades in the business. The survey is for employees to fill out and can consist of questions such as: 

  • Have you had any problems with the new IT systems? 

  • How could the new IT system be improved? 

  • Rate the new system out of 10. 

You may also want to include questions to compare the old IT system and the new one: 

  • Did you have problems with the old IT system? 

  • How often did you face these problems? 

  • Did the old IT system affect your productivity? 

 

Finally, you should create a final project review. This is sort of like a self-reflection document where you should write about what went well, what went wrong, what could be improved next time and justifications for these points. Here is a basic structure for a final project review: 

Introduction 

  • Overview on the project 

  • What the problems were 

  • How did you meet the client’s needs? 

Task evaluation 

  • Task 1 – How did you identify and fix the network issues? 

  • Task 2 – How did you create questions and interview the network administrator? How did you make recommendations and provide justifications in the emails? 

  • Task 3 – How did you find the best solutions for the business’s upgrade needs? How did you stick to the scenario and respect the business’s requirements? 

Reflective cycle 

  • Use a reflective cycle such as Gibb's or Kolb’s and assess the project with it. 

Conclusion 

  • Conclude the project with self-reflection on what could be improved next time. 

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