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Beyond Root Cause: My 11 Years Beyond Root Cause: My 11 Years in the Practice of Problem in the Practice of Problem

ManagementManagement

Yvette StewardYvette StewardITIL Foundation Certified since 1998ITIL Foundation Certified since 1998Certified Practitioner Support & RestoreCertified Practitioner Support & Restore

Y Steward Nov 13, 2007 Keynote - iTSMF Central NC LIG Y Steward Nov 13, 2007 Keynote - iTSMF Central NC LIG 22

Presentation ObjectivePresentation Objective

• To share the key success enablers and To share the key success enablers and lessons learned from the trenches of a lessons learned from the trenches of a 1997 ITIL Implementation with a focus on 1997 ITIL Implementation with a focus on the Problem Management practice.the Problem Management practice.


Presentation OverviewPresentation Overview

• 1997-1998 Mission1997-1998 Mission

• ITIL Processes Implemented in 1997-1998ITIL Processes Implemented in 1997-1998

• Implementation SuccessesImplementation Successes

• Implementation ChallengesImplementation Challenges

• Continuous Improvement StrategiesContinuous Improvement Strategies

• The $125 Million SuccessThe $125 Million Success

• Questions?Questions?


The Mission in 1997The Mission in 1997

• To better understand the customers To better understand the customers and define IT servicesand define IT services

• To take control of and stabilize the To take control of and stabilize the infrastructureinfrastructure

• To increase customer satisfactionTo increase customer satisfaction

• To move from reactive to proactive To move from reactive to proactive resolution of problemsresolution of problems


The ITIL Processes The ITIL Processes ImplementedImplemented

CMConfiguration Mgmt

Roles & Responsibilities

IMIncident Mgmt

PMProblem Mgmt

ChangeChange Mgmt

SLMService Level Management


Problem Management Success Problem Management Success EnablersEnablers

• Single Tool SuiteSingle Tool Suite

• Enterprise-Wide Process ComplianceEnterprise-Wide Process Compliance

• Committed LeadershipCommitted Leadership


A Single Tool Suite for all ProcessesA Single Tool Suite for all Processes

• A single tool suite for all processes A single tool suite for all processes implementedimplemented

• Optimized tool to leverage automated Optimized tool to leverage automated integrationintegration


Enterprise-Wide Process Enterprise-Wide Process ComplianceCompliance

• By designing, developing and then By designing, developing and then delivering a set of roles and responsibilities delivering a set of roles and responsibilities to the IT Service Support Staffto the IT Service Support Staff

• By integrating role and responsibility By integrating role and responsibility expectations with training and expectations with training and communicationcommunication

• Rewards and RecognitionRewards and Recognition


Enterprise-Wide Process Enterprise-Wide Process ExpectationsExpectations

• Process Roles and Responsibilities Process Roles and Responsibilities delivered to prepare users for successdelivered to prepare users for success

• Strong Process-to-Process integration Strong Process-to-Process integration facilitated by Role and Responsibility facilitated by Role and Responsibility DesignDesign

• Process design drove Training designProcess design drove Training design


The Glue: Enterprise-wide defined Roles & ResponsibilitiesThe Glue: Enterprise-wide defined Roles & Responsibilities

Diagram copied from v2 ITIL Service Support Blue Book


The PlaybookThe Playbooknounnoun

1: a notebook containing descriptions and 1: a notebook containing descriptions and diagrams of the plays that a team has diagrams of the plays that a team has practiced (especially an American football practiced (especially an American football team)team)


From “Fixed” to..From “Fixed” to..• Documented in such a way that detail Documented in such a way that detail

resolution steps are readily available to all resolution steps are readily available to all levels of support across the support levels of support across the support domaindomain

• Example: “Example: “logged onto server ABC and logged onto server ABC and found the server service stopped. found the server service stopped. Checked the system log and found system Checked the system log and found system error 1234. Resolved with a workaround error 1234. Resolved with a workaround by manually restarting the server by manually restarting the server serviceservice”.- ”.- Resolution Code: Resolution Code: WorkaroundWorkaround

From Process Expectations to From Process Expectations to Process ComplianceProcess Compliance


The Benefits of Enterprise-Wide The Benefits of Enterprise-Wide Process ComplianceProcess Compliance

• Reliable Management Reporting DataReliable Management Reporting Data• Significantly Reduced Mean Time to Significantly Reduced Mean Time to

Restore ServiceRestore Service• Improved and/or enabled Problem Improved and/or enabled Problem

Management AnalysisManagement Analysis• Better Quality of Life for Support StaffBetter Quality of Life for Support Staff• More effective remote communication More effective remote communication

between cross functional IT support staffbetween cross functional IT support staff• Increase customer satisfactionIncrease customer satisfaction


Committed LeadershipCommitted Leadership

• Time and resources allocatedTime and resources allocated

• Rewards and RecognitionRewards and Recognition

• Marketing “It’s the Process Stupid”Marketing “It’s the Process Stupid”


Problem Management ChallengesProblem Management Challenges

• The transformation from reactive to The transformation from reactive to proactiveproactive

• Incident Management dataIncident Management data

• Action ItemsAction Items


Transformation from Reactive to Transformation from Reactive to ProactiveProactive

• Making the proactive analysis a priorityMaking the proactive analysis a priority

• Root cause analysis on issues that were Root cause analysis on issues that were not impacting productionnot impacting production


Incident Management DataIncident Management Data

• Classification dataClassification data

• Configuration Item (CI) dataConfiguration Item (CI) data

• Resolution steps fully documentedResolution steps fully documented


Action ItemsAction Items

• Follow up and follow throughFollow up and follow through


Management ReportingManagement Reporting

• Agreed Upon Reporting StrategyAgreed Upon Reporting Strategy

• Resource AllocationResource Allocation


PM Continuous ImprovementPM Continuous Improvement

• Encouraging and Listening to FeedbackEncouraging and Listening to Feedback

• Resource allocationResource allocation

• Recurring PM meetingsRecurring PM meetings


Encouraging/Listening to FeedbackEncouraging/Listening to Feedback

• Subject Matter Experts made available to Subject Matter Experts made available to collect feedbackcollect feedback


Resource AllocationResource Allocation

• Allocating the time to do trend analysisAllocating the time to do trend analysis


Recurring PM MeetingsRecurring PM Meetings

• To drive Action Item and RFC To drive Action Item and RFC accountability and completionaccountability and completion


Success!Success!


Questions Questions

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