Optimize Systems Management to Improve IT Resilience and Proactivity
Streamline processes, use tools with purpose, and continually look for opportunities to improve.
RETIRED CONTENT
Please note that the content on this page is retired. This content is not maintained and may contain information or links that are out of date.Immature systems management processes result in:
- IT not realizing maximum value on its investment in systems management.
- Waste of technicians’ time on isolated problems that should have been identified earlier.
- IT being ill-equipped to respond to the changing needs of the organization.
- Inadequate service delivery.
- Budget wasted on tools and software that provide redundant capabilities or are under-utilized.
An optimized systems management process results in:
- New opportunities from identifying system redundancies and inefficiencies, as well as opportunities for improvement.
- Accurately prioritized IT efforts to reduce wasted costs.
- Refined processes to improve efficiency and reduce wasted time and effort.
- Reduced time spent performing management tasks.
- Improved IT credibility and user experience.
- Reduced number of incidents that impact business availability.
- Reduced number of unplanned changes.
- Improved overall resilience of IT infrastructure.
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Onsite Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn’t enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our Project Workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a road map in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Make the Case for Optimizing Systems Management
The Purpose
- Define systems management.
- Scope your management project.
- Determine the value of systems management.
- Avoid common pitfalls.
- Build the business case for optimizing systems management.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Hard dollar value estimate for the systems management initiative.
- Identification of common problems to be avoided.
- Advice on aligning the case with business priorities.
- Quantified criticality of services and systems.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Assess the criticality of IT services |
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| 1.2 | Evaluate the management value threshold |
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| 1.3 | Summarize the business case for optimization |
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Module 2: Align Systems Management with Organizational Priorities
The Purpose
- Align priorities with actual organizational need.
- Identify specific trouble spots.
- Create specific project goals.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identify user-perceived service deficiencies.
- Measure the value and criticality of core systems for prioritization purposes.
- Quickly target quick wins by taking action on underperforming systems.
- Prioritize services and systems to guide optimization efforts.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Review service desk ticket logs and identify patterns to help prioritize based on user experience |
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| 2.2 | Drill down from the service level to identify systems and components inhibiting performance |
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| 2.3 | Prioritize performance gaps to maximize value of the optimization project |
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| 2.4 | Document identified pain points and turn problems into actions |
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| 2.5 | Design focused, measured goals for the optimization project |
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Module 3: Refine Systems Management Processes with Optimized Visual SOPs
The Purpose
- Refine processes to ensure clear interaction across management silos.
- Transform opaque documentation into usable SOPs.
- Identify candidates for automation.
- Streamline SOPs and reduce process inefficiency.
Key Benefits Achieved
- More effectively communicate processes in a format that will be read and used rather than filed and forgotten.
- Automate repeatable processes to reduce process duration and the risk of human error.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Collect and evaluate present SOPs to identify opportunities for improvement |
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| 3.2 | Review existing SOPs with the documentation scorecard |
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| 3.3 | Review existing processes and specify terms under which they become active |
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| 3.4 | Map relationships between SOPs to ensure smooth interfaces between processes |
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| 3.5 | Identify and record candidate processes for automation |
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| 3.6 | Document revised processes with Visual SOPs to improve readability and usability |
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Module 4: Refine Your Systems Management Toolkit
The Purpose
- Define systems management.
- Scope your management project.
- Determine the value of systems management.
- Avoid common pitfalls.
- Build the business case for optimizing systems management.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identify actual requirements for systems management tools.
- Determine the value and relative grip of each tool in the environment.
- Eliminate unnecessary software licenses and reduce management headaches with a deduplicated toolkit.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Establish a tool selection committee to develop a requirements list that meets your team’s needs |
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| 4.2 | Develop a detailed list of technology requirements to guide the selection process |
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| 4.3 | Identify need-to-have and nice-to-have features to find a solution that meets your needs |
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| 4.4 | Evaluate your toolkit to eliminate redundancies and find opportunities to streamline your software |
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| 4.5 | Perform a tool rationalization exercise to eliminate redundant capabilities |
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| 4.6 | Interpret the results of your tool rationalization exercise |
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Module 5: Build a Plan to Implement Your Optimization Initiative
The Purpose
- Develop a project team and stakeholder management strategy.
- Build a roadmap to implement the optimization project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identify key roles and responsibilities.
- Manage stakeholder concern and win over skeptics.
- Have a concrete schedule for implementing optimization.
| Activities: | Outputs: | |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Plan to approach stakeholders strategically to win over skeptics and gain project champions |
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| 5.2 | Assemble the project team and arrange participation to ensure project buy-in |
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| 5.3 | Clarify team responsibilities with a RACI chart |
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| 5.4 | Plan regular reviews of processes and practices to ensure continual optimization |
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| 5.5 | Determine milestones to evaluate project progress and success |
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| 5.6 | Determine your systems management optimization roadmap structure |
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| 5.7 | Start building your roadmap by identifying external factors that will affect the project |
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| 5.8 | Populate the roadmap with initiatives to complete the project plan |
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