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Change,Configuration and Release Management
Ed McMahon Chair, CMSG October 2001 The only Constant is Change Name Thank you for Allowing me to present to you this evening. Sadly it is only my voice as my colleague cannot be here I shall try to make this as interesting as I can for you. It has been some time since I have been in front of the camera as I am not classed as very photogenic. I shall try to ignore it as I have to admit that it does make me nervous. I have no problem with questions being asked during the presentation however I shall be around for a time afterwards for the question and answer session. If you believe, agree or even understand the statement on the screen you will begin to understand the need to manage Change and this is one of the major reasons for the CMSG’s existence.
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CMSG: Aims and Objectives
To be the voice of CM in the UK To promote the disciplines of Change, Configuration and Release Management To actively pursue the establishment of standards To introduce ISEB approved education and examinations….. WHY? Talk through. CM in this context is synonymous with both Change and Configuration. There is an esoteric argument about which comes first. Is Configuration part of Change or is Change part of Configuration. Personally I do not think that it matters as one cannot be accomplished properly without the other. However we exist to promote these disciplines within the industry. WHY
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BSI PD0005 Service Management framework
Service Design & Management Processes Security Service Level Management Capacity Management Management Service Reporting Availability & Service Control Processes Financial Continuity Management Configuration Management Change Management Release Relationship Processes Processes Because they are seen as necessary, critical, central and a key building block in the overall Service Management Framework. I would argue that without mature Change, Configuration and Release Management processes there will be a potential severe lack of quality in any development programme or project as there will not exist the details with which to audit the system(s). As we see the Service Management Framework gain greater acceptance in the industry we must therefore better define what is meant by these discplines and where they fit. It is not only Service Management. Resolution Processes Business Relationship Management Release Incident Management Management Problem Management Supplier Management Automation
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Projects & PRINCE Organisation Change Control Plans Configuration
Controls Stages Management of Risk Quality in a project environment Configuration Change Control Effective Project and Programme Management is also dependent upon Change and Configuration and, with the increased demand of faster products to market, Release Management should also probably be a segment of this diagram as, of course, should Testing. Source: OGC’s PRINCE ® methodology PRINCE is a registered trademark of OGC
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Why? Related processes with a direct impact on Quality
Essential disciplines that must be planned for and Implemented early in the Lifecycle Provides key information and input to Project Management Testing Quality Management Audit and Verification. So the reasons why the group exists is because these disciplines have… Talk through. The group is a voluntary group like most other SIGS and the work is done by volunteers in their spare time. To fulfil our objectives we
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Accomplishing these Objectives?
Day events and seminars Running introductory sessions on the disciplines Presentations at other SIGS Introduction of an education syllabus Linking with ITIL and the ISM Levels. Try to do the following: AFTER TALKING THROUGH Of Course we have the usual problems and issues that all other SIGS have.
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Problems and Issues Time. Committee work is voluntary
Money. Group is self financing. Position. Not seen by industry OR Seen but not recognised as effective. Talk through. Position. It is hoped that the new relaunched BCS will bring about improvements or advancements in the way the industry relates to the SIGs. However, we also need to help ourselves and promote ourselves. But, as a potential discussion point the BCS could help by perhaps.
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What is required? - Discussion point.
Higher Profile Semi-dedicated resource from BCS to support volunteers Financial support from BCS A higher profile from BCS itself. BCS promotion of the SIGS Gaining a higher profile within the industry. This is something that they are working on. TALK THROUGH REST We have also started to help ourselves.
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What can we do ourselves?
Make the group more attractive. Appeal to a wider audience. Appeal to a Management audience. Present solutions as well as awareness Promote ISEB qualifications in recognised disciplines - Train practitioners Promote appropriate ISM Level within organisations. We have tried to make the events more attractive and interesting. The recent events on Content Management Versus Configuration Management were very well received and attended. Appealing to a wider audience rather than just the Configuration Management disciple has also been an objective that has been partly hit. Sadly we have not, as yet, been able to crack the Management nut who still seem to be enthralled and impressed with still more open standard computer languages and development tools whilst paying little attention to the underlying processes and people. As well as awareness we are also trying to present solutions. After each supposed IT Paradym shift the amount of work required to maintain systems rises. First mainframes, then downsizing client server and then the internet brought new languages and new developments. Some time afterwards the amount of time and money being spent on Maintenance rather than new developments increases towards the 75% mark. We do not appear to learn any lessons. This time, with faster delivery, we have just got there faster. Perhaps the answer lies in education but before education comes visibility
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Easier to Sell? Name Change From Configuration Management to
Change, Release and Configuration Management. Long and heated arguments: against and for Esoteric arguments - not commercial. The name change took years to get through. It was done to give a more specific home to related disciplines. It was done to make the group more marketable The purists argued that Change and Release belonged within Configuration and that we did not need to change. Whilst they are right it is not a marketable statement. We need to market ourselves more both within and without the BCS if we are to be successful. Education plays a major role.
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Education Proposed Courses and syllabus for two levels
Essential: Target BCS ISM Level 3 for Change, Configuration & Release Management 2 days, 14 hours, 1 hour exam ISEB Business Systems Development: Certificate in Change, Configuration & Release Management Essentials Intermediate/Practitioners: Target BCS ISM Level 4-5 for Asset & Configuration Management 3-4 days, 20 hours, 2 Assignments, 1 hour exam ISEB Certificate in Change, Configuration & Release Management Intermediate/Practitioners Talk through slide. By making the industry aware that these courses and professional qualifications are there we will hopefully raise the acceptance of the disciplines.
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Management Awareness Assessments : BS 15000 Achieve this Standard
Conformance Manager’s Overview PD0005 Capability & Maturity Process Definition This is the target. The top three layers already exist and provide a mark against which the bottom layer can be implemented/measured. By creating PD0005 it is hoped that Managers will be able to quickly read, understand and assess the implications for their organisations. By achieving the standard they can increase the quality of their deliverable without making any unnecessary concessions to cost or time to market. This then is the key message of Change, Configuration and Release Management. Enabling organisations to get measurable quality products to market at the right cost and at the right time using as many releases as is necessary whilst still retaining management control and flexibility of change. ITIL Solutions In-house procedures ITIL Best Practice & Standards Links
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Structure, Relationships and Content
Change, Configuration and Release Management And so to what we actually mean by these disciplines.
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ITIL Version 2 Service Support
Configuration Mgt. -identifies impact & updates records The Service Desk Release Mgt. -controls release of software & hardware to implement the change Incident Mgt. -logs & resolves incidents The quick and easy definitions are given by the IT Infrastructure Library. These are quite simple and do not require much explanation. As there is no need for improvement or process without change lets use that as a start point. Problem Mgt. -identifies root cause & minimises effect Change Mgt. - assesses & authorises change
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Change Management - Activities
Requests For Change Approve & schedule changes Change Management Most of the functions within Change Management involve either research or decision making. Requests for Change (RfCs) must be researched for impact, cost, need, and dependencies. Following this analysis the Change Management process must decide whether the change is approved or denied. This simplifies an extensive and human process of decision making. The research part is accomplished through a link with Configuration management. Oversee change building, testing and implementation Review all implemented changes
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RFCs & Configuration Management
Initial Change Request Configuration Management Assess Impact & Proposal C M D B Software CI to be changed Related Training CI Related Operating CI Related Hardware CI The information held in the Configuration Management Database is based on a unit called a Configurable Item. We shall cover this later. Once analysis is done and related CI’s have been identified then another level of change analysis can be undertaken to link associated Request For Changes that require common CI’s. Linking related RFCs not only assists in making impact assessment more realistic but also reduces the bureaucratic overhead of change management. Combined Change Request
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Change Procedure Raise RFC CMDB Assess Manage, Impact monitor, report,
chase, RFCs Assess Impact Identify CIs Approve Release CIs CMDB Implement The Change Procedure therefore, in its simplest form looks something like this. Talk through major points. This then defines a relationship with Configuration Management where Change Management is the deicion making on which action should be taken whilst Configuration Management holds and provides the base information for those decisions as well as the control mechanisms that carry out those changes. Update CIs Post Impl. Review Audit CIs Close RFC
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Configuration Management Objectives
Enabling control by monitoring and maintaining information on: Resources and configurations needed to deliver projects, systems and services Configuration Item (CI) status and history CI relationships Providing information on the infrastructure for all other processes & Programme/IT/IS Management Data about Configuration Items (CIs) are held in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). These are key terms in ITIL. Configuration Management is considered to be fundamental to the success of the other processes. It is however very difficult to create a working Configuration Database without knowing which questions will be asked of it and information that is needed by those using it. This also makes it difficult to cost justify the considerable investment in resources required to establish Configuration Management from scratch. A view has recently been put forward that it should be considered as an emergent process - gaining resources and process definitions from the other key processes. This does not however detract from the fact that tools are necessary regardless of the amount of data held and that defined process is required before tools are selected and implemented.
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Configuration Management - activities
information Identification & Naming Verification & Audit Configuration Management Configuration Management looks like this. All components (and their relationships) of an IT infrastructure have to be identified, categorised and named. CMDB design and population are non trivial activities which often pass through several iterations. Identification should begin as soon as it is possible to predict a CIs entry into the infrastructure. Control is concerned with ensuring that CIs are not changed, removed or added without authorisation and that all actual and planned changes to CIs are recorded in the CMDB. The overall Control activity clearly has strong links to the Change Management process. Status Accounting records the state of CIs in time (e.g... in development, test, scheduled to go live, live or archived). It includes recording the historic, current and expected present state of CIs. Verification ensures that the CMDB is accurate and helps to identify unauthorised changes. Management Information is fed in to all the other processes and to IT Management. Control Status Accounting Need to be planned!
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Configuration Control
Configuration Control is responsible for the way in which we put our projects and systems together. It allows us to assign and associate a series of selected elements to form a Release Unit or Release Package (i.e. Set) Pre-grouped elements formed into identifiable packages are what we move through the life cycle. These types of control have to be thought out before projects start. It should be a key part of the Configuration Management plan for a project or programme and the control should be generic as possible and created by the Configuration Management strategy of an organisation. The controls are identified as
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Configuration Control Procedures
Depend on Configuration Item Type: Check-out/Check-in Impact Analysis Versioning Move/Copy/Build Baselining - packages, systems & environments Environment Restore System/Package/Change Backout/restore Security Talk through each one leaving build till last. Build is one that deserves more detail.
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Build IN OUT Inputs must be from controlled library or repository
Identify environment, inputs, outputs and build tools Identify dependencies to permit rebuilding later on & order! The way a system is built and the parameters used can have an enormous impact on the state of the system and therefore its reliability and quality in whatever stage of the lifecycle that it is in. It is no longer acceptable or necessary to have developers build software with whatever options they want or without doing the proper impact analysis for pre-requisite or co-requisite code, I.e. version of code that should be included in the build. This has a direct result on the quality of the system. And so onto Configurable Items. IN OUT Build Tools & Clean Environment Built Environment
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Configuration Management
Categories include Programmes/Projects Services Systems Hardware Software Documentation Environment People Data Any item that you want to control is called a configurable item. Additionally, one configurable item may consist of many other smaller configurable items. You will note here the similarity between Configuration Identification and Product Breakdown Structures in Prince. One technique compliments the other. Items you want to control are called Configuration Items (CIs) Data about all the CIs are held in the Configuration Management System or Database (CMDB)
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Configuration Item (CI)
A Configuration Item Is needed to deliver a system/product/service Is uniquely identifiable Is subject to change Can be managed Belongs to a CI category Has relationships Has descriptive attributes Changes status over time There are categories suggested by ITIL and we would normally include Services and Datafiles as categories. In fact since the only reason we hold information on CIs is to help manage services it follows that the service category is the most fundamental of all to hold information on. Software includes system software as well as applications . ITIL is not prescriptive in terms of the relationships used. They should represent real world relationships. These relationships are used in the Impact Analysis Typical relationships used are: is a part of, makes use of, is a copy of, is being used by, etc The CI relationships are used to assess the impact of events/incidents/problems and changes. States might be: ordered, received, in repair, stored, operational, under development, etc. Each individual CI also has attributes
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Configuration Item (CI) Attributes
number Name Category Description Security Own attributes Version Euro Size/Capacity Supplier These are only a few examples. The specific attributes recorded will depend upon the CI involved and the information required to manage the service. Some attributes will, however be common across all CIs (such as owner) In addition to these relationships a CI record will also be linked by relationships to other forms of records, including changes, incidents, problems and known errors. Status Support Group Location Owner
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CIs - scope and detail D E T A I L SCOPE Service Environ- ment
Hardware Software Documen- tation People resources D E T A I L Network printer PC Local printer Bundled s/w The relationships shown here are for illustrative purposes only. In reality the relationships are multi dimensional and can become very complex with different logical models being required. Since the only reason we are maintaining data on CIs is to deliver a service it is important that all CIs are directly or indirectly linked to the Services that they support. From a management perspective the over riding factor in deciding both scope and detail is the information needed to manage the service, irrespective of the cost or difficulty of obtaining and maintaining that data. A more pragmatic view is that not only should those factors be taken into account but also, and perhaps most importantly, managers should consider the consequences of inaccurate and out of date data being stored on the CMDB. The scope and level of CIs refers to the depth and breadth of the CMDB, or simply "how much should be included in the database". Attributes are the components (or "fields") which together define a CI (Configuration Item). Looking at an e-business as a simple example No break power VDU Keyboard CPU DBMS W.P. SLA SCOPE
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Web World - What to Control?
Multimedia Formats URL Servers Layout SMIL XML Editors HTML Tag List Databases VRML Perl Java Design HTML4 JavaScript Tools Plugins CGI ASP Cascading Style Sheets Open Source Protocols Images You can begin to understand the scale of the problem. It is NOT one that can be ignored. Saying it is too complex or too costly is the same as saying that we will not attempt to control or understand the changes that are required. THAT IS NOT AN OPTION. Faster chaos is still chaos. The only option is to utilise the techniques to manage and control the items and their relationships. Virtual Library Software Icons Flash Tutorials Navigation Security Domains UNIX DHTML Browsers Graphics
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Role of Status Accounting
What have we Configured? I’m doing a release, take the baselines for me please. OK, I’ll Get the pictures Status Accounting concerns baselines. Baselines should be taken at every stage of the lifecycle. Recorded Baselines
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Configuration Audit ‘As Built’ Baseline Records Live Infrastructure
App. Server ‘As Built’ Appl. Server ‘Live’ NT Server ‘As Built’ NT Server ‘Live’ Audit Tools & Scripts Desktop ‘As Built’ Desktop ‘Live’ And finally Configuration Audit is an audit facility that allows baselines to be compared against delivery. Requests for Change therefore have a scope of CI’s after an analysis has been done. Perform audit Log exceptions Notify exceptions Investigate exceptions Follow up & resolve
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RFC - Scope and Contents
Change Sponsor & Originator Software Hardware Justification CIs What, Why, When SLA Documentation Service impact etc.. Change Request (RFC) Environment Scope also covers the type of activity that comes under formal Change Control as well as the CI involved. Staff need clear guidelines on those activities they can undertake without the involvement/approval of Change Management. A clear definition is required of what constitutes a change and it is helpful to have an explicit list of those activities which do not require formal approval every time they are undertaken. The sponsor of a change does not necessarily have to be the same person as the change originator. The originator is the person who files the RFC. The sponsor is commonly the person who is willing to pay the bill, but the role might also encompass managerial, political or project authority, Note that not all changes go to the CAB! Category Priority Resource Estimates etc.. Change Advisory Board (if appropriate)
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Change Management Process
Implement Manage RFC Preparation Categorise Prioritise Authorise Plan Refusal Build CAB Test Approve Release Although there is a need for final approval before implementation, which in ITIL is vested in the Change Manager, approval is also needed from different players throughout the process. Some of those involved may have the authority to stop a change because they consider it high risk without the corresponding authority to force a change through to implementation. Some of those involved may also be members of the Change Advisory Board (CAB). And so on to Release Management. Refusal Implementation Backout Review
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ITIL Version 2 Release Management
Development Environment Controlled Test Environment Live Environment Release Policy Planning Design, develop, build, configure release Fit for Purpose Testing & Acceptance Roll-out Comms., Preparation & Training Distribution & Installation Configuration Management Database and Definitive Software Library Life cycle management of related items Pre-group elements into identifiable release packages and move through the systems lifecycle with individual hardware and software changes Planning releases, environments & roll out Ensure we’ve got it all & our actions are appropriate Making sure we have recoverable positions Depends on Configuration Management To successfully identify and manage our configurations through each and every stage of the life cycle What is to be managed? Who is responsible for what? How it will be done? - common approach How and when the contents and management will be audited To provide visibility of accurate information on configurations, their status, related problems and changes Release Activities Plan the exact content of releases & roll-out Oversee the release and rollout of software and related hardware to development, test and live environments Design and implement distribution & installation Provide secure environments where only correct, authorised and tested versions are installed Provide formal release documentation for problem, change and configuration management records to be updated accurately and efficiently Provide controlled back-out mechanisms for incomplete or failed releases
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Release Management Objectives
Deliver systems that are correctly configured and built first time e.g. 99% of target Repeatable, consistent process that is cost effective, responsive and flexible Everyone knows what is happening & when Accurate updates are fed back to configuration management Can do OFTEN & QUICKLY! Maintain quality Talk Through
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Platform & Cultural Challenges
Network Computer Mainframes B2B Systems Mobiles Internet Release management Laptops Compact Disks Personal computers Client/server Balancing control of corporate, regulated systems with end user flexibility across platforms
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Release Policy Release policy 1. Roles & Responsibilities 2. Levels of
Authority 8. Business critical times & risks 3. Identification & Packaging Release policy 7. Emergency change Roles & Responsibilities - Document them clearly, Make them practical, Do not link to individuals in the process, agree them Release Numbering ensures each release is allocated a release number to ensure it can be identified. There should be a well publicised and predictable release frequency and an agreed limit for change content. Business requirements rather than technical convenience should be the determining factor. Specifications should be frozen sufficiently in advance of the release date to allow for sufficient testing. Urgent Changes follow the urgent changes procedure, which most likely translates to an urgent SC&D procedure. Release Unit - the level at which software of a given type is normally released e.g. suite, module or application. Full Release - release which replaces all components of a release unit, whether all components have changed or not. Delta Release - a release which only includes CIs which have changed since the last version. Package Release - a package release of related software CIs introduced into test then live together, such as a desktop environment consisting of , emulator, office suite and operating system. 4. Release unit - full/delta 6. Release frequency 5. Release numbering
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Release Management Best Practices
Designer/developer should design for change, configuration & release management Release management should offer advice & info. Standards, identification, tools, techniques Release, build and back-out procedures Re-use of standard procedures & CIs from CM system Automate installation routines if sensible Automated one-off jobs need equivalent back-out routines Design software distribution so that the integrity of software is OK during handling, packaging, delivery & AUTOMATE!
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CM System Release & Roll-Out Definitive Software Library Build New
CI records CM System Release Record Build New Release Test New Release Distribute release
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Release Planning - Why? What is to be released and to where?
Who is responsible for what? How it will be done? How do we know it has worked?
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Release Planning Release contents & schedule Roll-out planning
Phasing over time and by geographical location, business unit and customers Site surveys/audits Obtaining quotes for new hardware, software or installation services Quality plan Back-out plans Acceptance criteria
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What Does It Mean? Part 3 - Making it Work.
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The Brave New World No central computer, no single network
A changing environment where anyone can publish information or read it Information is on any server And we need to be able to trust our business partners, suppliers, and customers engaging in e-commerce!
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WWW By 2003 More than 500 million users
Dominant growth in Europe where 60% of Web users will live & work No. of devices will be more than 700 million B2B will be 90% of all internet traffic & B2B e-commerce may be $7 trillion Related IT services opportunity is estimated at just under $1 trillion B2B value chain
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World-wide prototype to B2B
DEV TEST LIVE Support more data, applications , processes across enterprises Separate information and services (logical) from infrastructure (physical) Use remote services (internal & external) Re-engineered IT infrastructure for maximum cost-effectiveness and reliability Server-centric, thin-client applications, broadband networks, high performance server clusters
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Business Programme Challenges
Short Lead Time to Market Fast & clear decision making and risk analysis Ever More Complex Technical Systems Need to manage variants and dependencies Needs clear ownership through the lifecycle High demand for Deliverables from Organisation and Staff Need to know ‘true’ status
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Start with Change Management
Keep It Sufficiently Simple Appoint Change Manager Document Scope Establish Communications Base it upon Business Continuity Necessity but Risk of Change Ignore Content for now Appoint a Change Manager
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Appoint Change Manager
Use BCS Industry Structure Model Senior appointment Business AND IT knowledge Expert Communicator Programme and Project knowledge Service Management knowledge Risk Management experience People person Process Person - Process is everything
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Change Manager - Defines scope and process - Operates process
Process Manager Manage Change and Risk - Defines scope and process - Operates process - Manages data and records - Interface & communicator - Sets targets & measures - Reduce Incidents - Manage risk of change - Process reviews - Efficiency & effectiveness reviews - Manages improvement cycle - Evolve sub-processes - Measure change & effect Quality Parameters & Key Performance Indicators - Establish interfaces/ links with all areas, projects, programmes, service & support - Identify Interface Impacts for Business Impact Change Manager & Team (& all staff) Change Manager Change Administrator
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Possible Problems Systems overload easily Circumvention of procedures
Excessive over-ruling for strategic expedience Suppliers Over-zealousness can lead to analysis-paralysis Unclear responsibilities and definitions
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Possible Problems Establishing depth and breadth
Interfaces to other systems where CI information is stored Data collection and maintenance of accuracy Roles and responsibilities in distributed, client/server environments Establishing owners for CIs Over-ambitious schedules and scope Management commitment to importance of Configuration Management as a foundation block
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Potential Benefits Increased productivity of customers and IT staff
Less adverse impact of changes on services Ability to absorb a higher level of error-free change helps speed to market & quality of service Better up-front assessment of the cost and business impact of proposed changes Reduction in the number of disruptive changes Reduction in the number of failed changes Valuable management information
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Potential Benefits Improves asset management
Reduces risks from changes Leads to more effective user support Improves security against malicious changes Facilitates compliance with legal obligations Supports budget process Facilitates service level management, better planning & design Improves capability to identify, improve, inspect, deliver, operate, repair & upgrade Provides accurate information & configuration history Increased Quality Facilitates Learning and Knowledge based organisations
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How - Define the Method & Process
Change & Release Management throughout the life cycle Validation Test Conditions & Cases Test Business Acceptance Testing Requirements Execution Rework Verification Activities - Release Package & Signoff - Configuration Audit - Change Management Audit - Test and Quality Lifecycle Checkpoint System design Large System Testing Component design and build Unit Test The V-Model Method & Process
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Analyse Current What Processes are currently specified and used?
What Tools are in place? How many production and development problems are caused by change and release issues? What are the costs associated with the above? How much time is spent waiting/wasted?
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Analyse Current Identify where current practices would need to change
Specify roles & responsibilities Identify training requirements; tools and process Create a Cost Benefit Analysis Model Identify likely tools and general costs Identify pilot project/release and implementation milestones
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A Learning Organisation
That can work practically with the Process Can deliver fast but with quality Can deliver fast but with control Protecting the assets of the future Learns and reuses from the past Identifies Risks & Prioritises Change
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Organisation Project Management Business Risk Management Development
Aims, Objectives, Financial, Quality, Principles & Policies Business Risk Management Development Management Quality & Verification Management Change Management Risk & Issues DB Requirements Catalogue Release Management Configuration Management Business Priority, Commercial & Technical Analysis of Change. Design Products Test Management Audit Build Products Management Implementation Products
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Remember Quality e.g. EFQM Business Excellence Model
Enablers 50% Results 50% Leadership 10% People Management 9% Policy & Strategy 8% Partnership & Resources Processes 14% People Satisfaction 9% Customer 20% Impact on Society 6% Business Results 15% Innovation and Learning
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To be successful …… Avoid bureacracy Invest in processes
People Technology Avoid bureacracy Invest in processes + people + tools
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