Defining an Effective IT Metrics Framework

21 January, 2007
IT Management, Metrics
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Had a really good conversation about metrics the other day. We've been discussing ways to express how our systems are performing, delivering value, and staying available - and I'd like to use the same general structure for all systems, regardless of function (transactions, integrations, analytics) or platform (Wintel, AS/400, Open Systems). For each type of metric, we need to understand two dimensions: Performance against some Target. This can either be a baseline (a minimum or average expected score), or a…

A stunningly direct list, suitable for self-evaluations at year end

via Rothmann (who got it from Lester) - MacLeod's list (from the prolific Wade) ... The Career Manifesto (original here) Unless you’re working in a coal mine, an emergency ward, or their equivalent, spare us the sad stories about your tough job. The biggest risk most of us face in the course of a day is a paper cut. Yes, your boss is an idiot at times. So what? (Do you think your associates sit around and marvel at your…

Is there a Design Pattern for “Update else Add”?

9 November, 2006
Hands-On
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They always say data conversions are a labor of love - you pour your heart and soul into the program, to get the most data converted as possible, and then, when you actually do run the code in production - it's a one time event; toss the source files in the bit bucket. Well, that's what it was [almost] like in my first job - we sold Property Management systems along with implementation services, and those services invariably included a…

Search as the Killer KM App – Three Benefits for Knowledge Management

5 November, 2006
Knowledge Management
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Knowledge Management (KM) may sound amorphous, but here are three specific examples of real business value generated when basic KM principles are applied.

War Stories from the Change Management front

Stories make our ideas real and relevant, and are helpful tools when introducing change. This article has a few examples of stories - all around the topic of introducing change.

Three Best TLAs of all time, the hegemony of Excel, and the Intuitive Front End

Everybody jokes about TLAs and the proliferation of consultant-speak. My favorites to date include: SPOC - Single Point of Contact: During integration meetings between two merging IT organizations, SPOCs were identified as the key connection points between groups. Panders to the trekkies, but sticks in your mind. WOMP - What's On My Plate: The name of a report we developed in a PMO, listing issues assigned, projects being managed, open programming requests, etc. - one page per person. The WOMP…

Quality requirements for technical documentation are lower than user documentation

Ok, don't freak out now ... All I want to point out is that the apparent need for screen prints of every step in the process is a bit overdone, especially when we're talking about technical documents. Screen prints / images in the documentation typically means the electronic documents get unmanageably huge, even if you shrink the .JPGs, and few people know how to do that. Plus, you indirectly commit yourself / your organization to a huge maintenance burden. because…

Flexible intranet search does not have to mean a single search interface

Trying to provide a simple, flexible search capability for your organization's reams of historical documents? Using a project process that generates the typical stacks of documents, databases full of status reports and issues, and other "stuff"? It's important to think about the knowledge we are generating, and the best way to capture that knowledge – and not worry too much about how we’re going to search through those deliverables. There is no one way to capture / store different kinds…

The “Army Rangers” model for IT Professionals

I got a chance to read over some Gartner predictions for 2006 (available $ online). One that struck me said that the job market for IT specialists will shrink 40 percent by 2010. Hey, that's only a few years away! The article makes the point that "... IT people ... must have the capacity to move fluidly and effortlessly into multiple projects, disciplines, and processes." I like to cite, as an excellent illustration of this idea, the movie Black Hawk…

Build a Framework: Your chart junk is my roadmap / vision statement

I remember in the late 90's, seeing many examples of the little train of wedgies that folks used to characterize their business processes: I've used them myself (some of the above samples are mine, I'm comfortable in admitting it) - of course, I typically don't make this stuff up, I adapt from other examples, like everyone else. As I searched for a reasonable picture / schematic / "framework" for a "supply chain", I stumbled across what I believe to be…