Why You Must Involve IT in the Planning Stages of Your Next Project

Imagine investing millions in a new facility, having the building completed, and then finding out there is no Internet... 

They never considered how long it would take to install fiber-optic cable during planning.

Getting fiber installed can take up to 90 days if you’re lucky. Not to mention lead times for networking gear, security cameras, or other workstations you might need. That delay turned their launch into a mad scramble, stacking unnecessary costs, missed opportunities, and a whole lot of frustration.

This isn’t about finger-pointing. It’s a reality check. Your IT partner can’t plan around needs you haven’t shared.

IT is infrastructure, not an add-on

Too many businesses treat IT as an afterthought, a line item to be handled once the big decisions are already made. The problem is, IT isn’t furniture. It’s infrastructure. And if you plan your office, your systems, or your next expansion without it, you're laying a foundation on guesswork.

You wouldn’t install a sprinkler system after the walls are sealed. So why do that with your network?

At Solve IT, we bake these planning conversations into every QBR (Quarterly Business Review). We ask about growth plans, upcoming hires, real estate changes, and anything that could affect uptime, bandwidth, or security.

But remember, we can’t read minds and we don't have a time machine after the project is underway...

The True Cost of Late IT Planning

Reactive IT isn’t just frustrating. It’s expensive. Here’s what businesses risk by leaving IT out of early-stage planning:

• Delayed Openings: Time is money, and it could cost you months of lost revenue.

• Emergency Costs: Last-minute solutions are rarely optimized or budget-friendly.

• Operational Downtime: Staff without tools are just people waiting on paychecks.

• Security Gaps: The rush to “just get online” often skips critical cybersecurity protections.

• Lower Productivity: If your systems can’t scale with the team, neither can your output.

Plan Proactively, Win Predictably

Every business wants predictable costs, reliable uptime, and scalable systems. None of that happens by accident.

When you engage your IT team during the planning stage, not just during the fire drill, you unlock real business value:

• More uptime: Planning prevents the “who forgot the firewall?” moment.

• Lower costs: You avoid rush fees, wasted installs, and abandoned equipment.

• Smarter spend: Budgeting with IT means choosing platforms and hardware that grow with you.

• Fewer risks: Security is layered in, not bolted on.

• Happier staff: Nobody likes working with broken tools.

If You're Not Sure What to Plan for Ask

We’re used to getting the late calls: “We’re opening a new site in 3 weeks, and we are hiring some new people this month. Can you help?” Of course we can, but it would be a whole lot easier and cheaper if we had a heads-up.

That’s why we lead QBRs with one simple question: What’s changing in your business next quarter? If you’re a client, you’ve probably heard that already. If you’re not, that’s a taste of what we bring to the table.

Solve IT exists to make your IT invisible in the best way possible. Smooth, secure, and always working. 

Whether it is planning or problems, we'll Solve iT, give us a call...

Before the new employee's ink is dry, before you commit to a new project, before you say “yes” to a major change, loop in your IT partner. Let us design around your vision, not patch it after the fact.

Let’s talk about where you’re going in the next 12 months. We’ll help you get there without the chaos.

Book your free threat assessment today. We’ll review your network health, scan the dark web for your data, and give you a roadmap, not a sales pitch.