- 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
In this section I discuss how to initiate an effort to design a robust problem management process. This type of effort requires a number of key steps that need to be executed in the proper sequence. In order to get your process design off to a solid start, it is important to understand these preliminary steps thoroughly, and to implement them successfully. This section shows how to do this by describing the initial portion of this process design.
Key Steps to Developing a Problem Management Process
In Figure 1 I list the 11 key steps required to develop a robust problem management process. I will discuss the first of six of these steps in detail in this section. Part three of this series will discuss the final five steps and several other important aspects of problem management.
Step 1: Select an Executive Sponsor Step 2: Assign a Process Owner Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team Step 4: Identify and Prioritize Requirements Step 5: Establish a Priority Scheme Step 6: Identify Alternative Call-Tracking Tools Step 7: Negotiate Service Levels Step 8: Establish Service and Process Metrics Step 9: Design the Call-Handling Process Step 10: Evaluate, Select, and Implement the Call-Tracking Tool Step 11: Review Metrics to Continually Improve the process |
Figure 1 Key Steps To Developing a Problem Management Process
Step 1: Select an Executive Sponsor.
A comprehensive problem management process is comprised of individuals from an assortment of IT departments and of suppliers that are external to IT. An executive sponsor is needed to bring these various factions together and to ensure their support. The executive sponsor must also select the problem management process owner, address conflicts that the process owner cannot resolve, and provide executive leadership, direction, and support for the project.
For most of my clients, the sponsor was either the vice president of IT operations or the CIO. In a few instances the manager of client services was this sponsor, but employing higher level executives for this role seemed to work best.
Step 2: Assign a Process Owner.
One of the most important duties of the executive sponsor is to assign the appropriate process owner. The process owner will be responsible for assembling and leading a cross-functional process design team, for implementing the final process design and for the ongoing maintenance of the process. The selection of this individual is very key to the success of this project as this person must lead, organize, communicate, team-build, troubleshoot and delegate effectively.
The ability to promote teamwork and cooperation is extremely important due to the large number of level 2 support groups that become involved with problem resolution. This is also why the ability to work with diverse groups is necessary though not at as high a priority. Knowledge of desktops is key due to the overwhelming number of desktop calls. The ability to analyze metrics and trending reports ensures continual improvements to the quality of the process. Effectively communicating and meeting with users is essential to good customer feedback.
At some of the shops I worked, the service desk manager or his designate was the process owner. One of my clients had the change coordinator serve as the problem management process owner, and this worked surprisingly well. The integration of the two processes of problem and change management became very apparent and beneficial.
Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team.
A well-designed problem management process will involve the participation of several key groups. Mature, highly developed processes may have up to a dozen areas serving as second-level, tier–2, support. A representative from each of these areas, along with key user reps and tier 1 support, normally comprise such a team.
This team is responsible for identifying and prioritizing requirements, establishing the priority scheme, negotiating internal service level agreements, proposing internal process metrics and external service metrics, and finalizing the overall design of the call-handling process. The specific areas participating in this cross-functional process design team will vary from shop to shop but there are some common groups that are usually involved in this type of project. Figure 2 lists typical areas represented by such a team.
One should take care to ensure you have representatives on your team who are every supportive of your efforts. I have watched a few process design teams leads struggle to move forward when representatives with hidden political agendas undermine the team's efforts.
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Figure 2 Areas Typically Represented on a Problem Management Process Design Team
Step 4: Identify and Prioritize Requirements.
Once the cross-functional team members have been identified and assembled, one of the team's first orders of business is to identify and prioritize requirements. Specific requirements and their relative priorities will depend on an organization's current focus and direction, but several common attributes are usually designed into a robust problem management process. It should be noted that this step does not yet involve the actual implementation of requirements, but focuses on acquiring the team's consensus as to a requirement's inclusion and priority.
A variety of brainstorming and prioritizing techniques are available to do this effectively. I discuss brainstorming in more detail and list helpful brainstorming ground rules in the section called "Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques."
Step 5: Establish a Priority Scheme.
A well-designed priority scheme is one of the most important aspects of an effective problem management process. Priority schemes vary from shop to shop as to specific criteria, but most all of them attempt to prioritize problems based on severity, impact urgency, and aging. Closely related to the priority scheme is an escalation plan that prescribes how to handle high-priority but difficult-to-resolve problems. Using an even number of levels prevents a tendency to average toward the central, and employing descriptive names rather than numbers is more user friendly. Table 1 is an example of a combined priority scheme and escalation plan from one of my former clients.
Table 1 Sample Priority and Escalation Scheme
|
Priority Level |
Description |
Examples |
Expected Response Time |
Status Interval to Mgmt |
|
Critical |
Total system or application failure or loss of availability to the mission-critical site(s), network(s), system(s), and/or application(s). |
Total system or application is down. A remote site is completely unavailable. All communication lines between remote sites are down. A critical database is corrupted. |
Immediate |
30 Minutes |
|
Urgent |
Major subset of system or application functionality is unavailable or inoperable. |
Portions of memory or disk array not functioning. Network at risk of failing. Severe impact to accounting period close. Severe impact to adding customers or services. |
30 minutes |
1 hour |
|
Serious |
Significant impact to system or application functionality. |
Data integrity concerns. Reconciliation issues. More than 10 customers not receiving service. Billing center is down. Sales interface is not functioning. |
1 hour |
Daily |
|
High |
Some impact to system or application functionality. |
Training system is down. Unable to activate a customer. Billing nonpay cutoff is not running or is delayed. |
4 hours |
Daily |
|
Moderate |
Minimal impact to system or application functionality. |
Backups running too long. Individual desktop problems Network printer down. |
Daily |
Weekly |
|
Low |
Minimal impact to business operations. |
Inability to set a period end flag. Carriage control/line feed errors on report prints. Report format problems. |
As able |
Weekly |
Step 6: Identify Alternative Call-Tracking Tools.
The call-tracking tool is the cornerstone of an effective problem management process. Requirements for the tools will have already been identified and prioritized in step 4. Companies usually lean toward either having their tools custom developed or purchasing a commercially available application. I have seen several instances of both of these types of call-tracking tools, and each kind offers unique advantages and disadvantages.
Commercial packages generally offer more flexibility and integration possibilities while custom developed solutions normally cost less and can be more tailored to a particular environment. In either event alternative solutions should be identified for later evaluation.
In next week's final installment of this three-part series, I will present the last five steps of the 11 required for developing a world-class problem management process. Part Three will also include a discussion on process and service metrics, and a technique for assessing the quality of any organization's problem management process.
References
Walker, Gary, IT Problem Management, Prentice Hall, 2001
Schiesser, Rich, IT Systems Management, Prentice Hall, 2002