- 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
As discussed in part one of this segment, Figure 1 shows how a customer/supplier matrix could be set up to help improve IT customer service. The matrix consists of four partitions, each representing a key element of the customer/supplier relationship. The leftmost partition represents customers whose use of IT services is critical to their success and whose expectations are reasonable. The attributes that characterize these types of customers, and the methods used to identify them, are the subject of a previous segment of this guide under 'Identifying Key Customers'.
The partition to the right of the customer box contains the IT services that are critical to a customer's success and whose delivery meets customer expectations. These services should be negotiated in service level agreements, and should be associated expectations that are mutually agreed to as reasonable and realistic. The next partition to the right shows the processes that produce the key services required by key customers. Efforts should be ongoing to make these processes as streamlined and productive as possible. The last partition represents the suppliers who feed into the key processes.
|
Key Customers |
Key Services |
Key Processes |
Key Suppliers |
|
Customers whose use of IT services is critical to their success and whose expectations are reasonable |
IT services that are critical to a customer's success and whose delivery meets customer expectations |
Processes that produce the key services required by key customers |
Suppliers who feed into the key processes |
Figure 1 Customer/Supplier Matrix
The matrix can also be split into halves to simplify and amplify the focus of major areas of emphasis. For example, Figure 2 shows how the matrix can be divided into two major left-hand and right-hand partitions. The left half represents the customer-oriented phases and the right half represents the supplier-oriented phases. The purpose of this is to show how the key services are tightly bound to key customers, and similarly how tightly bound the key processes are to key suppliers.
|
Key Customers |
Key Services |
Key Processes |
Key Suppliers |
|
Customer-Oriented Customer/Supplier |
Phases of the Matrix |
Supplier-oriented Customer/Supplier |
Phases of the Matrix |
Figure 2 Customer-Oriented and Supplier-Oriented Phases
Figure 3 shows the two phases of the matrix that represent the human interaction phases. These consists of the key customers and the key suppliers, and are sometimes referred to as the external phases of the matrix. The human interactions of these phases involve interviews, negotiations, the building of relationships, and other personal-oriented activities.
|
Key Customers |
Key Services |
Key Processes |
Key Suppliers |
|
Human Interaction (External) Phase |
|
|
Human Interaction (External) Phase |
Figure 3 External Human Interaction Phases
Figure 4 shows the two nonpersonal phases of the matrix representing process, technology, and automation. These are sometimes referred to as the internal phases of the matrix. The value of these sub-divisions of the matrix is that they can point the relative strengths and weaknesses of an organization as the matrix is being used. For example, I had a client a while back who focused far more on the processes and the services than he did on the customers and suppliers. He was not aware of this until I pointed out that his entire staff had spend two months using the matrix without ever having interviewed a single key supplier or key customer. As we delved more into the causes for this we discovered most of his staff were very inexperienced at interviewing at any level. We subsequently offered some training on basic interviewing techniques and that helped eliminate the reluctance of his staff to interview. In his case, the internal phases were well-addresses while the external phases had hardly been addressed at all.
|
Key Customers |
Key Services |
Key Processes |
Key Suppliers |
|
|
Nonpersonel Phases of the |
(Internal) Matrix |
|
Figure 4 Internal Nonpersonal Phases
A worthwhile enhancement to the basic customer/supplier matrix is shown in Figure 5. Here we add service and process metrics. The service metrics are negotiated with key customers to measure the quality of the services delivered as seen through the eyes of the customer. Service metrics are normally incorporated into service level agreements.
The process metrics are negotiated with key suppliers to measure the quality of the input they provide into key processes. While service metrics are commonly known and frequently employed, process metrics are much less well known but can be just as valuable. Clients are often surprised to discover how much they can leverage well-designed process metrics with their key suppliers. One of clients even used these metrics when negotiating renewal contracts with two of their key suppliers.
|
Key Customers |
Service Metrics |
Key Services |
Key Processes |
Process Metrics |
Key Suppliers |
|
|
Measures the Quality of Services that IT Delivers |
|
|
Measures the Quality of Input that Suppliers Provide |
|
Figure 5 Customer/Supplier Matrix with Service and Process Metrics
This concludes the two-part series on how to utilize the four key elements of customer service by integrating them into a customer/supplier matrix. The matrix highlights the key relationships among customers, services, processes and suppliers. The use of service and process metrics can enhance the effectiveness of the matrix further by holding IT providers and suppliers more accountable for the their deliverables.
References
Schiesser, Rich, IT Systems Management, Prentice Hall, 2002