- 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
This series of articles will focus on how to plan for the adequate capacity of computer resources within an infrastructure. Just as your perception of whether a cup is either half full or half empty may indicate whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, so also may a person's view of resource capacity indicate his or her business perception of IT. For example, a server operating at 60% capacity may be great news to a performance specialist who is trying to optimally tune response times. But, to an IT financial analyst trying to optimize resources from a cost standpoint, this may be disturbing news of unused resources and wasted costs. This series explains and bridges these two perspectives. In this initial segment I begin with a formal definition of capacity planning and then offer seven common reasons that this process is seldom done very well in most infrastructures.
Definition of Capacity Planning
As its name implies, the systems management discipline of capacity planning involves the planning of various kinds of resource capacities for an infrastructure, and is defined as follows:
capacity planning -- a process to predict the types, quantities, and timing of critical resource capacities that are needed within an infrastructure to meet accurately forecasted workloads.
As we will see, ensuring adequate capacity involves four key elements that are underscored in this definition:
The type of resource capacities required, such as servers, disk space, or bandwidth
The size or quantities of the resource in question
The exact timing of when the additional capacity is needed
Decisions about capacity that are based on sound, thorough forecasts of anticipated workload demands
Later in parts two and three of this series we will look at the steps necessary to design an effective capacity planning program. These four elements are an integral part of such a process. But first we will discuss why capacity planning is seldom done well in most infrastructure organizations.
Why Capacity Planning Is Seldom Done Well
There are two activities in the management of infrastructures that historically are not done well, if at all. These are documentation and capacity planning. The reason for poor, little, or no documentation is straightforward. Few individuals have the desire or the ability to produce quality technical writing. Managers do not always help the situation—many of them do not emphasize the importance of documentation, so the writing of procedures drops to a low priority and is often overlooked and forgotten until the time when it is needed in a critical situation.
But what of capacity planning? Almost every infrastructure manger and most analysts will acknowledge the importance of ensuring that adequate capacity is planned for and provided. There is nothing inherently difficult or complex about developing a sound capacity planning program. So why is it so seldom done well?
In my experience there are seven primary reasons why many infrastructures fail at implementing an effective capacity planning program (see Figure 1). I will discuss each of these reasons and suggest corrective actions.
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1. Analysts are too busy with day-to-day activities. 2. Users are not interested in predicting future workloads. 3. Users who are interested cannot forecast accurately. 4. Capacity planners may be reluctant to use effective measuring tools. 5. Corporate or IT directions may change from year to year. 6. Planning is typically not part of an infrastructure culture. 7. Managers sometimes confuse capacity management with capacity planning. |
Figure 1 Reasons Why Capacity Planning Is Seldom Done Well
1. Analysts are too busy with day-to-day activities.
The two groups of people who need to be most involved with an effective capacity planning process are systems analysts from the infrastructure area and programmer analysts from the application development area. But these two groups of analysts are typically the ones most involved with the day-to-day activities of maintenance, troubleshooting, tuning, and new installations. Little time is set aside for planning activities.
The best way to combat this focus on the tactical is to assign a group within the infrastructure to be responsible for capacity planning. It may start out with only one person designated as the process owner. This individual should be empowered to negotiate with developers and users on capacity planning issues, always being assured of executive support from the development side.
2. Users are not interested in predicting future workloads.
Predicting accurate future workloads is one of the cornerstones of a worthwhile capacity plan. But just as many IT professionals tend to focus on tactical issues, so also do end-users. Their emphasis is usually on the here and now, not on future growth in workloads.
Developers can help capacity planners mitigate this tendency in two ways: first, by explaining to end-users how accurate workload forecasts will assist in justifying additional computer capacity to ensure acceptable system performance in the future; second, by working with capacity planners to simplify the future workload worksheet to make it easier for users to understand it and to fill it out.
3. Users who are interested in predicting future workloads cannot forecast accurately.
Some end-users clearly understand the need to forecast workload increases to ensure acceptable future performance, but do not have the skills, experience, or tools to do so. Joint consultations with both developers and capacity planners who can show users how to do this can help to alleviate this drawback.
4. Capacity planners may be reluctant to use effective measuring tools.
Newly appointed capacity planners are sometimes reluctant to use new or complex measurement tools that they may have just inherited. Cross-training, documentation, consultation with the vendor, and turnover from prior users of the tool can help overcome this reluctance.
5. Corporate or IT directions may change from year to year.
One of the most frequent reasons I hear for the lack of comprehensive capacity plans is that strategic directions within a corporation and even an IT organization change so rapidly that any attempt at strategic capacity planning becomes futile. While it is true that corporate mergers, acquisitions, and redirections may dramatically alter a capacity plan, the fact is that the actual process of developing the plan has inherent benefits. I will discuss some of these benefits later in this chapter.
6. Planning is typically not part of an infrastructure culture.
My many years of experience with infrastructures bears this out. Most infrastructures I worked with were created to manage the day-to-day tactical operations of an IT production environment. What little planning was done was usually at a low priority and often focused mainly on budget planning.
Many infrastructures today still have no formal planning activities chartered within their groups, leaving all technical planning to other areas inside IT. This is slowly changing with world-class infrastructures realizing the necessity and benefits of sound capacity planning. A dedicated planning group for infrastructures is suggested.
7. Managers sometimes mistake capacity management for capacity planning.
Capacity management involves optimizing the utilization or performance of infrastructure resources. Managing disk space to ensure that maximum use is occurring is a common example, but this is not capacity planning. Capacity management is a tactical activity that focuses on the present. Capacity planning is a strategic activity that focuses on the future. Understanding this difference should help minimize confusion between the two.
Understanding and avoiding these seven common reasons for why capacity planning is seldom done well can help build a firmer foundation from which to develop a successful capacity planning program. In Part Two of this series we will look at the set of steps required to implement such a program.
References
Schiesser, Rich, IT Systems Management, Prentice Hall, 2002