- 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
The Effective Use of SDLC - Part One: Integrating and Coordinating Micro-Climates
This segment was written by Diane Altwies.
A Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a method for ensuring consistency in software development supportability and maintainability. This is also known as Classic Life Cycle Model (or) Linear Sequential Model (or) Waterfall Method. Depending upon your organization, the SDLC would include a set of activities similar to the following:
System/Information Engineering and Modeling
Software Requirements Analysis
Systems Analysis and Design
Code Generation
Testing
Maintenance
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Figure
7. Iterative nature of SDLA
The classic waterfall method implies that each subsequent step does not begin until all elements of the steps preceding it have completed, and that there is no going back to a prior step once the subsequent step has begun. A more modern approach is shown in Figure 7 in which steps can be repeated in an iterative manner.
A recent client of mine initiated a major overhaul of their SDLC process and began with the traditional waterfall approach. A cross-functional team that was assembled to refine the process soon realized that an iterative approach was far more practical and efficient in the long run, even though some of the purists among them needed to be convinced of the benefits. It did not take long for everyone to be in support of the iterative method.
An SDLC process is an iterative approach to development, providing natural review points or "gates" as progress occurs. These gates can be used to validate efforts in order to ensure compliance to requirements.
Implementing an SDLC process effectively, with appropriate iterative evaluation steps, can provide organizations the benefits of consistent delivery and improved maintainability of source code and of the application. A common misperception is that the process provides consistency and maintainability all by itself. This is not the case. An organization's commitment to structure and flexibility and a strong project management process, in combination with an SDLC process, will provide the best results possible. An SDLA process, regardless of how well-designed and robust in nature, cannot by itself ensure software development success.
The reality is that it takes the integration and coordination of four key organizational environments or "micro-climates". A microclimate is a local zone wherein the climate differs from the surrounding area. Microclimates exist, for example, in large buildings, in and around cities, and can even exist on individual properties. For example, one may find that grass growing in a corner bounded by a concrete driveway and sidewalk may need more water than the grass growing in the fenced back yard of the same property.Microclimates can be used to the advantage of gardeners who carefully choose and position their plants.
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Figure
8. IT Organizational Climates Associated with SDLC
Management, Customers, IT organizations and Project Management organizations, although theoretically are working toward the same ultimate goals and objectives, each approach problems in different ways and will vary in their opinions on how to achieve the overall project objectives. Therefore, I compare these organizational environments, as shown in Figure 8, to that of the natural science of "micro-climates".
As stated earlier, ensuring consistency of delivery and maintainability of software can only be accomplished with an efficient SDLC process. One of the primary objectives of the SDLC process is to ensure that the business requirements are comprehensively defined. A combination of various definition documents can be used in order to clearly define the quality required to satisfy the customer. These documents have specific purposes and should interrelate, so that the set of documents clearly describe the needs of the customer and how the IT department effectively plans on delivering on those needs.
Business Requirements documents include critical success criteria such as performance requirements, and must-have features and functionality, which should be directly related to the overall objectives of the application project. Business Requirements documents are best if developed by the customer themselves, but in many cases, the customer may not have the expertise in order to perform, in which case, the IT analysts could be used to provide that expertise. The objective of the Business Requirements document defines Product Quality expectations.
Software Design documents provide a comprehensive view of how the software application will be structured. It should provide a detail enough definition of how each software component should be developed in order to meet the Business requirements, sometimes called psuedocode.
Architectural Design and Technical Design documents include the definition of the technical environment, construction principles to be used in design and technical documentation of code, algorithms, interfaces, APIs, etc. Design documents, whether, software, architectural or technical, cannot be developed serially. They must be developed iteratively in order to ensure complete and comprehensive documentation.
Applications Test Plans provide the development team with the approach to testing the application.
Deployment documents provide information to the support team who will be responsible for maintaining the application. This document should include a summary of information provided in the other documents that is pertinent to the on-going maintenance of the application.
If you look at a typical SDLC, you will notice that System/Information Engineering and Modeling, Software Requirements Analysis, and Systems Analysis and Design appear to be worked on sequentially. In order to effectively utilize an SDLC process, all documents described above, with the exception of Deployment, should be initiated early on in the process and iteratively reviewed and updated. By performing these steps of document, review, update on all interrelated documents, the odds of delivering a product that meets the expected quality will significantly improve. It does not however, assure project quality. That assurance comes by integrating sound project management techniques with those of a sound SDLC process. Part Two of this series presents how to perform this valuable integration.