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- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
Conducting a fire drill may seem to be a fairly rudimentary activity for a manager, and not likely high on his or her priority list. In some companies the IT department may not have any direct involvement in conducting such an exercise. But the importance of performing fire drills, and their tie-in to an IT department, are both increasing. Data centers usually have a close working relationship with their companies' departments of facilities, physical security and business continuity. In some instances, one or more of these departments may report directly to IT.
Most IT network operations centers (NOCs) today house physical facility monitoring systems. These monitors include sensors and alarms for the smoke and fire detection and suppression systems. In the event of an actual fire, these NOCs would become directly involved with facilitating the evacuation of the data center and its host building.
Conducting an effective fire drill does not happen by accident. Managers need to thoroughly plan such an exercise to ensure it is sufficiently staffed, coordinated, executed and analyzed for improvements. As a former IT manager and a current consultant, I have participated in several fire drills over the years. My level of involvement varied depending on my role within the company. In some of the drills I was the lead coordinator, for others I was a facilitator for the planning, and for still others I was simply an observer. From these experiences I developed ten helpful tips for conducting an effective fire drill. Figure 1 lists these ten tips.
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Figure 1 Ten Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Coordinate internally – A successful fire drill will involve several key internal groups, and their participation needs to be well coordinated. These groups may include facilities, business continuity, physical security, IT, and emergency safety response teams (ESRTs). In smaller companies some of these departments may be combined but regardless of the size of the firms representatives from each of the key internal groups should be included in the planning for the exercise.
- Coordinate externally – Similar to coordinating key internal departments, a successful fire drill also needs to coordinate with its key external agencies. These groups should include representatives from the local fire department, the alarm company, the elevator company, building maintenance and property management. The alarm and elevator representatives are sometimes overlooked yet can spell the difference between a successful and less than successful exercise.
- Identify indirect coordinators – A number of coordinators need to be identified and made available for the fire drill. One or more may coordinate the efforts of the external agencies. One or more others will coordinate activities of the internal departments. Many companies have employees who serve as members of an internal emergency safety response team (ESRT). There will usually be one or more coordinators who will work with ESRT members who will be participating in the fire drill.
- Assign roles and responsibilities – Fire drills may have up to 20 to 30 individuals participating in various roles. These roles and their corresponding responsibilities need to be assigned, agreed to and fully understood by those who will be enacting them. One role is that of floor sweepers who ensure everyone has safely evacuated the building. Another is that of observer to record the time, orderliness and any anomalies in the evacuation. External agencies, including the fire marshal, will also have specific roles and responsibilities to carry out.
- Select optimal time, with minimal awareness – Planners should select a time for the fire drill that ensures maximum participation by employees. For many companies this will mean a mid-week day, and a mid-morning or mid-afternoon time of event. Regardless of the time selected, planners should minimize the number of people who are actually aware of the exact date and time to ensure maximum realism.
- Conduct briefing just prior to fire drill – By the day of the exercise all of the participants should be aware of who they are and what their roles and responsibilities are. It is a good idea to conduct one final briefing just prior to the exercise to ensure everyone is aware of their duties and to discuss any last minutes that may have arisen.
- Observe, observe, observe – Once the fire drill begins the best for all the participants is to observe closely what is going on. This does not mean to offer advice or guidance, but to silently observe what seems to going well and what may be going awry. Make note of such things as how long it takes to evacuate, how orderly it was, and if people knew what to take, what to leave behind and where to congregate after exiting the building.
- Conduct lessons learned immediately after – The best time to identify the lessons learned from a fire drill is immediately after the exercise concludes. It pays to schedule the session ahead of time, preferably at the same time that you decide on the date and time of the exercise. All principal participants should be included, and all should be asked two questions: what do they think went well? And what do they think could be done better?
- Analyze and share results – The quickest way to prioritize and analyze the lessons learned is ask participants to identify their top four or five responses, assign a decreasing point value to each response (for example, top pick gets five points, second pick gets four points and so on) and then compile the results. This will give two prioritized lists of what went well and what can be done better.
- Follow-up with improvements and corrective actions – Once the results have been complied, analyzed and shared with the participants, improvement suggestions and corrective actions can be identified. These items should then be assigned, scheduled and tracked to completion. Their application to future fire drills should help ensure even more success.
Employing these ten tips should help to make any fire drill in which you participate more effective and successful. We all sincerely hope that we never have to exercise these practices in an actual disaster, but being prepared for such an event is always the best strategy. Knowing how to safely and efficiently evacuate a work facility, regardless of it being a small office building, a warehouse, a high-rise skyscraper or a manufacturing center can calm the chaos, reduce fears, lower insurance costs, minimize injuries and potentially save lives. That is one of the strongest and most worthwhile business cases that any manager could make.