- The IT environment has grown increasingly complex. You need to rein in complexity and handle it centrally. Admin wants reliable data in one place and a strategy for making use of that data.
- You want to implement systems management but are unsure how to do so in a resource-challenged environment.
- You need to determine what are the key areas to focus on, and what tools, processes, and practices make sense to create a sustainable systems management program.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Every IT department does systems management, even if only ad hoc or informally. This blueprint will help you make more productive use of time and effort you already spend managing systems and problems.
- No service or system can perform better than its weakest component. You probably don’t know what your real priorities are until you create a baseline and visualize real or estimated performance and criticality.
Impact and Result
- Reduce disruptions caused by unplanned downtime by establishing systems management discipline.
- Reduce time and effort to resolve issues by improving visibility into systems and coordination across teams.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Thornton Tomasetti, Inc
Guided Implementation
9/10
$6,366
4
The analyst was very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and helped guide me towards a clearer path for resolving my project challenges. He ult... Read More
Workshop: Implement Systems Management to Improve Availability and Visibility
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 delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Establish systems management priorities to ground your business case
The Purpose
- Prioritize services and systems to target for improvement.
- Define SLAs, targets, and goals.
- Identify risks and potential causes of service disruption.
- Target quick wins by taking action on underperforming systems.
- Make the case for investing in systems management.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A measured (or estimated) performance baseline for identifying priorities and goals.
- A prioritized list of services and systems to target for improvement.
- Analysis of systems and components most affecting service levels.
- Estimate of the value of systems management.
Activities
Outputs
Determine criticality of IT services by evaluating business dependencies.
- Systems Management Service Level Assessment
Quantify the value of improving systems management to build a stronger case.
Map dependencies between systems and services to evaluate the criticality of subsystems and components.
Estimate or gather current performance data to identify problematic components or subsystems.
Drill down from the service level to identify systems and components inhibiting performance.
Prioritize performance gaps to maximize value of the systems management project.
Module 2: Assess current systems management capabilities to identify opportunities and challenges
The Purpose
- Focus time and energy where it will have the most impact (people, processes, or tools).
- Begin developing or acquiring the necessary skills for systems management success.
- Identify opportunities to improve systems management processes before investing in tools.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A capability assessment that shows overall maturity and specific gaps (people, processes, or tools).
- List of available and required skills.
- Process diagrams.
Activities
Outputs
Evaluate process capabilities to identify critical focus areas.
- Systems Management Discipline Capability Assessment
Strike a balance between people, processes, and technologies for all management disciplines.
- Systems Management Skills Inventory and Gap Analysis
Perform a skills inventory and identify any expertise gaps.
Map your processes to identify inefficient activities and opportunities to improve effectiveness.
Estimate measurable improvements in processes to establish targets.
Assess the effectiveness, quality, and value of systems management tools currently in use.
Module 3: Develop a systems management project plan
The Purpose
- Keep the systems management project on track.
- Mitigate resistance to change and centralized visibility and control.
- Make a business case for investing in a systems management solution.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Concrete goals and well-defined scope for keeping the systems management project on track.
- Team buy-in on high-level project decisions.
- A compelling business case for your systems management project.
Activities
Outputs
Determine targets and scope of the implementation project to ensure you’re solving the right issues.
- Systems Management Project Charter Template
Build a high-level project timeline that leads to a realistic success scenario.
Assemble your project team and arrange participation to ensure buy-in and project success.
Plan your approach for process improvement to keep the project grounded in clearly defined goals and scope.
Outline high-level technical requirements for the systems management solution.
Develop a planning-level cost-benefit business case to ensure project costs stay within the value threshold.
Document decisions using the Systems Management Project Charter Template and present to management for approval.
Module 4: Evaluate and select systems management tools
The Purpose
- Focus on the solutions that are best suited for your organization’s needs.
- Expedite the evaluation and selection process in order to get to pilot and deployment phases faster.
- Evaluate and select a systems management solution.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Defined requirements for a systems management solution.
- A shortlist of systems management solutions to evaluate.
- An RFP or demo script to expedite evaluation and selection.
Activities
Outputs
Establish the selection committee.
- Systems Management Feature Evaluation Tool
Define requirements to guide selection.
- Systems Management RFP Template
Determine which type of solution is best for your organization.
Decide which vendor solutions to evaluate.
Review and revise the business case to ensure expected costs are still within the value threshold.
Create and submit an RFP using Info-Tech’s RFP Template.
Module 5: Deploy the systems management solution
The Purpose
- Consistently manage and continuously improve systems management processes.
- Track benefits and value of the systems management project.
- Sustain and continuously improve your systems management implementation.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A visual SOP for systems management.
- Project milestones and targets.
- Plans for dealing with challenges and potential setbacks.
Activities
Outputs
Create a visual standard operating procedure (SOP) to consistently manage and improve processes.
- Systems Management SOP Template
Schedule milestones to measure the progress and value of the systems management implementation.
- Systems Management Project Scorecard
Measure the value of the systems management implementation.
Track performance of systems and components to proactively identify issues and problems.
Discuss possible implications and remedial actions for underperformance.