- 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
Process Implementation
This section discusses the last three steps of the 13 required to design and implement an effective change management process. These steps include the development of policy statements and of the charter for the change review board (CRB), how to use the CRB to continually improve the change management process, and the topic of emergency changes. The section concludes with a technique to assess the change management process of any infrastructure.
As mentioned previously, there are 13 steps required to implement an effective change management process; they are listed below in Figure 1. This section will describe the last three of these 13 steps.
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Figure 1 Steps Required to Develop a Change Management Process
Step 11: Develop Policy Statements.
Regardless of how well the cross-functional team designs a change management process, it will not be effective unless there is support, compliance, enforcement, and accountability. These are the objectives of policy statements. They are what give a process visibility and credibility. These statements should reflect the philosophy of executive management, the process design team, and the users at large. Figure 2 illustrates a set of sample policy statements for change management.
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Figure 2 Sample Policy Statements for Change Management
A recent client took this notion of policy statements a step further by tying the compliance of change management policies to the performance review and raises of affected managers. This may seem extreme to some, but it certainly resulted in full observance of the organization's policies.
Step 12: Develop a Charter for a change review board (CRB).
The cornerstone of any change management process is the mechanism provided for the review, approval, and scheduling of changes. In almost all instances this takes the form of a change review board (CRB). Figure 3 shows a sample CRB charter. The charter for the CRB contains the governing rules of this critical forum and specifies items such as primary membership, alternates, approving or delaying of a change, meeting logistics, enforcement, and accountability. During the initial meeting of the CRB, a number of proposals should be agreed on including roles and responsibilities, terms and definitions, priority schemes and associated actions, policy statements, and the CRB charter itself.
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Figure 3 Change Review Board Charter
A number of companies with whom I worked evolved the membership of their CRB's. In most cases the first few meetings were attended by the CIO or the head of the infrastructure. This naturally resulted in almost full attendance. After a month or two, attendance may decline as executives start to delegate the conducting of the meeting to the designated chairperson. This is where the policy statements come into play. Another way to avoid this is to have the executives who attend at the start allow their chairperson to actually run the meeting. That can be difficult for executives to do, but it's effective at giving the chairperson, and the meeting, much needed credibility.
Step 13: Use the CRB to Continually Improve the Change Management Process.
Some time should be set aside at every meeting of the CRB to discuss possible improvements to any aspect of the change management process. Improvements voted on by the CRB should then be assigned, scheduled for implementation, and followed up at subsequent meetings. Small, quick wins should be publicized to show the progress of the process.
Emergency Changes Metric
One of the most significant metrics for change management is the number of emergency changes occurring each week, especially when compared to the weekly number of high-impact changes and total weekly changes. There is a direct relationship between the number of emergency changes required and the degree to which a shop is proactive. The higher the number of emergency changes, the more reactive the environment. While numbers will vary from shop to shop, in general, if you are executing more than four or five emergency changes per week, your shop is more reactive than proactive. Just as important as the raw numbers is the trending over time. As improvements to the change process are put in place, there should be a corresponding reduction in the percentage of emergency changes.
A few years ago a client of mine used only emails for his change management process. He had no idea of how many emergency changes his staff was making because the data was not collected. After a few weeks of tracking these numbers, we learned that almost 40% of his changes were of an emergency nature. After totaling overhauling his change management process, he was able to reduce his emergency change ratio down to under 10%. He and his staff both noticed the subtle change of his environment from that of reactive to proactive.
Assessing an Infrastructure's Change Management Process
The worksheet shown in Figures 4 presents a quick and simple method for assessing the overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of a change management process. For details on the use of this worksheet, please refer to 'Assessing a Production Acceptance Process' in the Application Section of this reference guide.
Change Management ProcessAssessment Worksheet |
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Process Owner________________ Owner's Manager_________________ Date ________ |
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Category |
Questions for Change Management |
Weight |
Rating |
Score |
Executive Support |
To what degree does the executive sponsor show support for the change management process with actions such as attending CRB meetings, analyzing trending reports, and ensuring that applications, facilities, and outside vendors use the CRB for all changes? |
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Process Owner |
To what degree does the process owner exhibit desirable traits and effectively conduct the CRB and review a wide variety of changes? |
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Customer Involvement |
To what degree are key customers involved in the design of the process, particularly priority schemes, escalation plans, and the CRB charter? |
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Supplier Involvement |
To what degree are key suppliers, such as technical writers and those maintaining the database, involved in the design of the process? |
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Service Metrics |
To what degree are service metrics analyzed for trends such as availability, the type and number of changes logged, and the number of changes causing problems? |
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Process Metrics |
To what degree are process metrics analyzed for trends such as changes logged after the fact, changes with a wrong priority, absences at CRB meetings, and late metrics reports? |
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Process Integration |
To what degree does the change management process integrate with other processes and tools such as problem management and network management? |
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Streamlining/ Automation |
To what degree is the change management process streamlined by automating actions such as online submittals, documentation, metrics, and training; electronic signatures; and robust databases? |
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Training of Staff |
To what degree is the staff cross-trained on the change management process, and how is the effectiveness of the training verified? |
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Process Documentation |
To what degree is the quality and value of change management documentation measured and maintained? |
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Totals Weighted Assessment Score = (TS/(SW*4)) = |
(SW) |
(TS) |
Figure 4 Sample Assessment Worksheet for Change Management Process with Weighting Factors
This concludes our three-part series on change management. As always, your comments and own experiences are always welcomed.
References
ComputerWeekly.com, Change Management is Biggest Challenge This Year, June 22, 2004
John Jones, DeAnne Aguirre, Matthew Calderone, Resilience Report-Strategy+Business, Booz Allen Hamilton, February, 2004
Schiesser, Rich, IT Systems Management, Prentice Hall, 2002