Yeah they call me as the Bad Boy or IT because they see me as the STOP sign on the way of their “successful” implementations. I tell them be what it is, I am not going to let them go without adequate documentation, right from the planning stage to Build Guide to Hardening and then the Management and Monitoring activities.
I really get a lot of flake from incidentally the same set of people, even after repeatedly telling them that the Industry just doesn’t run on the technology, but it relies a lot on the associated processes. The Processes that are defined and designed to be repeatable, to be continuous, to be consistent and so on.
Technology certainly is an enabler, but to get the desired output from the technological deployment, to get the desired support during breakfix and troubleshoot technology, the processes followed play an important role. If we follow the process during initial stages and document the way the implementations have been carried out, it would be easier for the operations team to be able to manage and troubleshoot the implementation if the need arises to. If we document the breakfix, management and maintenance activities right at the time of implementation, the overall manner in which the teams would handle the technological deployment, would be the same irrespective of the person handling the task. This would bring a consistent approach in to deal with the problems and document them to create a Known Error Data Base (KEDB) or Knowledge Management Database (KMDB). This would certainly help in reduced time in error handling or problem management as the team involved will not have to re-invent the wheel to identify the solution.
Processes that way though are seen as time consuming, they actually are there to make one’s life easier and smoother. It is thus important to understand the role of Processes in the Technological World.
For me both the Process as well as the Technology are Vital Cogwheels of the Cart and without them the survival or IT would be tough!!!
