Design Process

There are many ways to design each part of a VMware Cloud environment, such as host clusters and network connectivity.

Regardless, the final design should meet identified requirements within constraints and assumptions. Constraints are any limiting factors that may affect the design. They can be project-related, such as budget or timeline, or technical, such as an existing application architecture that cannot be altered. Assumptions can be made during the discovery, as not all the necessary information may be available immediately. Identified assumptions must be validated to make design decisions based on correct information.

In addition, any risks, whether they are technical or non-technical, that may arise from deciding on a particular design should be documented and addressed with potential mitigation strategies. Managing risk can vary based on the impact and level of effort. High impact risk items should likely be mitigated, whereas the organization may accept low impact risk items.

Once a particular design is finalized, it is important to document the decision, including justification and any related risks. It is also valuable to note which requirements have been fulfilled by a particular design to ensure that the final design meets all the identified requirements and business needs.