Working on the Windows 11 upgrade project has given me a better understanding of how much planning, organization, and technical knowledge that is involved in upgrading computers in the workplace. At the start of it, I viewed the project as mainly just mainly just determining which computers were capable for Windows 11 and which ones were not. As I worked through the process, however, I realized the successful upgrade involved much more than installing an operating system. It requires accurate inventory management, verification of device information, communication with users, troubleshooting, and accurate documentation.

One of the most important things I learned was the importance of maintaining an accurate master inventory. The three documents contain various information about the organization’s computers. The first document contains devices that have been physically or manually checked, the second provides information from the Intune Windows 11 Upgrade Readiness report, and the third contains the devices registered with Intune. Because the information on these documents do not always match up, it is necessary to compare them carefully rather than relying on one singular report. A computer may be physically present but not registered in Intune, while another may show in Intune but not included in the manual inventory. There were also notes of the physical location of PCs that were outdated so I had to do quite a bit of hunting down devices to make sure when I sent communications, they were going to the correct users. This taught me that accurate IT asset management requires continuous verification and updates.

I also learned to not rely completely on automated reports. Intune can identify computers as ready or not ready for Windows 11, but computers that were marked as not ready still needed to be manually examined. This is especially true for the kiosks because different ones have different GPO settings and may not be registered in Intune, so each machine was evaluated. Automated tools are extremely useful when it comes to managing large numbers of devices so I was grateful for a lot of it, however it is still important that technical staff does not skip the verification process.

The most valuable hands-on experiences I had during this project was using a bootable USB drive that I created with a Windows 11 ISO image. I used the USB to install Windows 11 on one of the work PCs. This gave me practical experience with the installation process rather than only learning about the upgrade through the reports and documentation. Creating the bootable USB and using it to install the operating system helped me to understand what is involved when a computer needs to be upgraded or reinstalled manually. It also gave me more confidence in working with OS installation and troubleshooting during the deployment process.

This project also showed me how important professional communication is between myself and the users during an upgrade. The plan is to schedule upgrades for one or two users at a time and notify them beforehand. Even though the upgrade may take place in the background, users still need to know when the change will occur and should be contacted afterward to make sure everything is working properly. This shows the other part of the job outside of technical skills, there is an emphasis on the support end as well in order to minimize disruption to employees so that transitions are made smoothly when changes are made to their computers.

Another focus of this project was determining which computers could not support Windows 11 at all. After the capable machines have been upgraded, the computers that are not capable and unable to be supported need to be put on a list of ones that need replacing. The small details in the reports can be crucial when determining the status. For example, the value of “10.0.26200.9168” in the Intune device list represents a Windows 11 version even though it may appear like identifying information for Windows 10. Being able to recognize those details are important for accurate documentation. It also reinforces that IT professionals need to understand the data they are looking at rather than accepting the labels seen on reports.

My experience installing Windows 11 is valuable because it allowed me to connect the information in the reports to an actual computer installation. I also learned that maintaining inventory is an ongoing responsibility to uphold. As machines are being updated, manually verified, registered in Intune, or identified for replacement, these details need to be updated in a master document to accurately reflect the organization’s devices. One thing that surprised me during this process was how quickly outdated inventory information can create additional work. I initially anticipated the device lists would provide most of the information I needed, but physically locating some of the PCs showed me how important it is to keep inventory information current. This experience has given me practical exposure to Windows 11 deployment while also teaching me the importance of documentation, verification, communication, and follow-through in a professional IT environment.