Over the years as a practitioner it seems as
though I keep repeating myself like a broken record referring to the CMS (Configuration
Management System) on the ability to take process “x” to the next level. No
matter where in the lifecycle it has been I always seem to find myself saying “how
does the CMS apply to this”?
Despite the fact that for some I will be
preaching to the choir, I feel a sense of obligation to share a few examples on
where this integration point can take the delivery of customer service to the
next level. Overall the CMS should really tie into all Service management
processes, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We can start with a few of the
obvious ones:
Incident
Management
Both Incident and Problem management should
have the ability to pull information from and input info into the CMS. Just think
about how detailed information would allow the service desk to improve on its delivery
of service. They would have the visibility needed to see what makes the service
tick. It would allow the analysts to see the known issues and any workarounds
that would be associated to a configuration item. From a service perspective this
may allow us to drive down first line resolution.
Change
Management
This is probably more obvious but there needs
to be solid ways to ensure that whatever configuration items (CI) we already
have are updated as part of any change we put into our systems. With a solid
link we can ensure that the available information in the CMS is as accurate as
we need it to be. In some cases the ability to graphically see the
relationships between configuration items which would easily identify any
potential risks as the result of any upcoming changes
Knowledge
Management
The CMS, which in reality is the base for
your knowledge management system, should provide the details that will enable
people to make better informed decisions based on quantifiable data. This requires that your knowledge management
policy supports these activities.
So
why don’t we do this more often than not
Because it’s hard! As we know all things
worth doing may not be easy. Remember that in these relationships while one
thing may be the glue that binds it will open new possibilities and challenges
along with it. One comment I had heard recently was that with the “Cloud” we won’t
need to manage CI’s this way. Not quite, we just need to make sure we manage
them in a way that makes sense. We need to make sure that where we can this is
not a hard process to manage – simple is best. Automate where possible. Ensure
that you choose the proper scope. For example, what business outcomes will we
need to support through this process.
Keep in mind that as you make any
improvements you may need to review the other processes to ensure we are still
on track from an overall improvement perspective.
Labels: Change Management, Configuration Management, Continual Service Improvement, Incident Management, Knowledge Management, Service Management