Recognising the constraint.
WHAT SUGGESTS THE NETWORK IS THE CONSTRAINT
Consistent slowness across all devices, wired included Problems worsening as devices were added Equipment at or beyond its supported life Wireless coverage inadequate where people work
WHAT SUGGESTS SOMETHING ELSE
One device affected One service affected Problems at specific times only
THAT LAST ONE
Usually congestion or a scheduled task, not capacity.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE SPENDING
What is actually consuming capacity Whether demand can be managed instead Whether equipment is simply old
THE AGE POINT
Equipment several years old struggles with modern device counts.
Replacement frequently resolves what looks like a capacity problem.
WHAT TO UPGRADE FIRST
Whatever is demonstrably the constraint.
Usually the router, the wireless, or the connection, in that order of likelihood.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Buy more bandwidth to fix a wireless problem.
WHAT TO MEASURE FIRST
So you can demonstrate improvement afterwards.
