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If your about to go onto a new client’s site to install MOSS or WSS, these are some of the things that need to be considered:

• Base windows install – Hopefully this step will be done for you, as well as any clustering setup either via a load balancer or via NLB.
• Network Access to Servers – Will we have machines that are on the same network as the servers, I’ve been given machines in a test lab that was impossible to use without the VMWare infrastructure client, needless to say that environment didn’t last very long.
• Admin Rights – We need accounts with admin rights to actually install SharePoint
• Active Directory Setup – It’s always a good idea to understand how the organisation is using AD.
• Service Accounts – Make sure the IT department understand the importance of service accounts, hopefully have them pre-created before you get onsite.
• DNS – While you put the request in for the service accounts, double check that your DNS entries are all setup. Have a think about all the zones you intend to use (i.e. are you using web application policy to give admin users god like rights on the admin.portal site?)
• Database – Make sure your setup account has permissions to create databases, you’ll be surprised at how often the DBA’s forget this task.

Remember always to select the complete install, never the web front end only option, you always want the option to change the servers configuration (i.e. start the search server).