Documentation
Documenting the WLAN design

This section provides advice on how to respond to a request for proposal (RFP) from a customer, and includes information on how a design document should be written when no RFP exists.

At this point in the network design process a comprehensive design should exist, which is based on an analysis of the business and technical goals of the customer, and includes both logical and physical components that have been tested and optimized. The next step in the process is to write a design document.

A design document describes the requirements of a customer and explains how the new design meets those requirements. It also documents the existing network, the logical and physical design, and the budget and expenses associated with the project.

It is also important for a design document to include plans for implementing the network design, measuring the success of the implementation, and evolving the design as new application requirements arise. The job of the network designer is never complete. The process of analyzing requirements and developing design solutions continues even after a design is implemented. Figure illustrates the cyclical nature of the network design process.

In addition to being cyclical, network design is also iterative. Specific steps take place during multiple phases of a design. Testing occurs during the design-validation phase and also during implementation. Optimization occurs while finalizing the design and also during the network-monitoring phase after implementation. Documentation is an ongoing effort. Documentation can facilitate the approval process for a design.