Tag: Barclay Rae

Fresh Links Sundae – July 27, 2014 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

Brady Orand and Global Knowledge are running a blog series “11 Common Mistakes of ITIL Foundation Newbies.” I had already featured the first five posts several weeks ago. Here are the last six installments of the series. ITIL Newbie Mistake #6: Being Too Process Focused ITIL Newbie Mistake #7: CAB Meeting Burnout ITIL Newbie Mistake #8: Too Much ITIL Talk ITIL Newbie Mistake #9: Relying on Templates ITIL Newbie Mistake #10: Expecting a Tool to Do the Work ITIL Newbie Mistake #11: Thinking You’re Done. Ever. (Global Knowledge Training Blog)

Some manufacturers’ processing environments can have extreme swings in variability. As a result, those manufacturers need a more granular approach to diagnosing and correcting process flaws. Eric Auschitzky, Markus Hammer, and Agesan Rajagopaul discuss how advanced analytics can provide just such an approach. How big data can improve manufacturing (McKinsey & Company)

In his 20+ years of working in the IT industry, Barclay Rae continues to work with organization on fielding similar ITSM questions. He discusses the most important element for ITSM success that even trumps SLAs and KPIs. Do you have an SLA with your spouse..? (Barclay Rae Website)

Many organizations implements ITSM but neglect to have a CSI process in place. Stuart Rance talks about why he believes CSI is one of the biggest opportunities we have to create value for our IT customers. Building a CSI culture (The ITSM Review)

Many people talk about business digitalization as a portfolio of discrete game-changing technologies. Bob Lewis would argue that the digitization movement is different than what most people think because many have a false assumption about the digitization trend. The assumption of pervasive technology (IS Survivor Publishing)

To most people, innovation is risky, plagued with challenges, and hard to do successfully. Daniel Burrus illustrates how we can predict the changes accurately and be a great innovator. How to Transform Innovation ROI by Using the Science of Certainty to Accelerate Results (Daniel Burrus)

With the availability of many cloud technology and SaaS offering, companies are considering whether to leverage cloud for business intelligence and data analytics activities. John Myers discusses the emerging field of data analytics as a service and what criteria should an organization consider to determine whether it is ready for business analytics. Why Data Analytics as a Service? (EMA Blogs)

Many organizations are setting up the data analytics practice using big data technologies. Andrew Oliver outlines the top 10 worst practices to avoid. The 10 worst big data practices (Strategic Developer)

Fresh Links Sundae – September 8, 2013 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. More importantly, I picked these articles to help my fellow IT professionals be more successful. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

With IT being essential to the execution of nearly every job, Brad Power believes that business executives will need to continue to build their comfort level with managing IT more directly. Yes, Managing IT Is Your Job (Harvard Business Review)

Drawing from his own dieting experience, Earl Begley explains how building and following a plan are a must for an ITSM initiative to work. The ITSM Diet (The ITSM Review)

With the constant changes in business, many organizations are using IT in a much more sophisticated manner than they are used to be. Stewart Buchanan explains how organizations need better IT asset management controls to prevent unexpected costs from outweighing the benefits of new ways of using IT. Improve Your IT Asset Management Controls or Face Unbudgeted Costs (The ITAM Review)

Motivated by the interest in social-enablement and self-service, many organizations are looking at how best to manage and make knowledge accessible to their people. Barclay Rae gives some planning tips for your knowledge management effort . Knowledge Management Is More Than Just Buying A Tool (The ITSM Review)

Many IT organizations use popular metrics such as first contact resolution (FCR) or mean time to repair/resolve (MTTR) as a primary input into measuring service excellence. Dan Kane argues that well intended metrics don’t necessarily tell the whole story, and we can do better. First Contact Resolution is the last refuge of a scoundrel (Hazy ITSM)

In an effort to maximize his/her own productivity, some developers produce more extra code than the organization can test or make use of them. Dennis Stevens suggests six things that developers can work on that are better economic investments than writing the extra, untested code. Stop Writing Code You Can’t Yet Test (LeadingAgile)

With machines getting more proficient at doing many of the things people traditionally do on the job, this means people need to become smarter at things machines are not quite yet ready to take over. Michael Schrage suggests six different skills that can be useful in today’s workplace and should be taught in school. Six Classes Your Employer Wishes You Could Take (Harvard Business Review)

We live in a world where we want things to happen fast, faster and fastest. Mitch Joel suggests we focus on spending the time you need to get better at your craft. 10,000 Hours And 20% Of Your Work Time (Six Pixels of Separation)

When it comes to finding and leading like-minded people to make real and powerful change that matters, Seth Godin explains why it is vital to build the tribe around the experience that the tribe members already want to have. Q&A: Tribes and the reality of worldview (Seth’s Blog)

Our flaws at work usually don’t vanish when we go home. Marshall Goldsmith advises us on whom we can approach to learn more about ourselves. How to Learn the Truth About Yourself (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – August 25, 2013 Edition

When it comes to providing IT services, Barclay Rae believes that we do need to be consistent, accountable, reliable and able to deliver and demonstrate value. He outlines 7 simple, positive, and practical tips on how to be successful with IT service management. Start from the beginning: Introduction, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5, Step 6, ITSM Goodness Step 7: Change and Sell the Pitch (HDIConnect)

There are people who advocate that, while IT is essential, IT is also commodity like utilities. Robert Plant believes that company leaders should create stronger, progressive IT positions. He also suggests three areas where companies can take actions. IT Doesn’t Matter (to CEOs) (Harvard Business Review)

Many IT organizations have the tendency to rip-and-replace and constantly use new solutions to look for quick wins. Recalling a lesson he learned from his father 20 years ago, Jarod Greene thinks we should pay more attention to what we already have and not overlook any obvious value that is already there. You Can Read the Magic Quadrant, After You Finish Cleaning Your Room (Gartner)

With the large number of business blogs out on the Internet, the mediocre blogs probably outnumber the successful ones by a huge margin. Patsi Krakoff outlines what a successful business blog should have and what you can do to make yours better. Is Your Business Blog “Just Okay?” Here’s How to Change It (Writing On The Web)

When we extend deadlines, research suggests that we have difficulty using the newly-found time wisely. Heidi Grant Halvorson explains why do we squander the extra time and what can we do about it. Here’s What Happens When You Extend Deadlines (Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson)

Often we are trained to focus on the end goal and not letting things detract us from the ultimate objective, but that focus along is not sufficient. Kathy Simmons recommends what successful executive should do. Are You a Results Oriented Executive? (The Executive Update)

Hiring the right people is probably the most valuable contribution a manager can make for his/her organization. Rob England recommends how we can do a better job hiring for our organizations. How to Hire (The IT Skeptic)

Taking a chapter from Professor Rita Gunther McGrath’s most recent book, The End of Competitive Advantage: How To Keep Your Strategy Moving As Fast As Your Business; Theodore Kinni points out how the effect that transience on corporate strategy may have on our careers. Can Your Career Survive Transient Competitive Advantage? (Strategy+Business)

While we all claim to hate suck-ups, we seem to surround ourselves with them. Marshall Goldsmith shows how we unknowingly encourage sucking up and what we can do to change our behavior. All of Us Are Stuck on Suck-Ups (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Rachel Martin believes there is a list of living intentional type things we should do with our child. She suggests what her list looks like. 20 Things I Will Not Regret Doing With My Kid. (finding joy)

Fresh Links Sundae – February 24, 2013 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. They maybe ITSM related or not entirely. Often they are from the people whose work resonates with me, and I hope you will find them at least thought-provoking or something of value.

Today’s business environment calls for the IT professionals to facilitate or even lead business change initiatives. Bob Lewis explains what the IT professionals need to understand when it comes to working with business changes. He also provides a humorous example. For next-gen IT, resistance is fertile (InfoWorld)

Getting ready to start a competitive analysis of Service Catalogue offerings in the ITSM market, Barclay Rae outlines the criteria he plans to use for the assessments. Assessment Criteria for Service Catalogue [] (The ITSM Review)

While many organizations have undertaken IT service management initiatives, few are realizing the full benefits and true potential of ITSM. Instead of handling ITSM simply as a project, Charles Araujo advocates why ITSM needs to become a movement with a vision and a community. You Are the ITSM Community (ITSM Portal)

When it comes to formulating BYOD policies, many organizations take the default position of treating the users as risks. Patrick Gray lists three alternatives to preempting disaster by partnering with the users in protecting the corporate data. Three BYOD policies for keeping workers (and IT) happy (TechRepublic)

Many organizations have established their own business analysis standards based on the needs and preferences of their stakeholders. Laura Brandenburg outlines some essential requirement specifications that a business analyst might consider for any project. What Requirements Specifications Does A Business Analyst Create? (Bridging the Gap)

Reflecting from the recent Grammy Award given to the band “Fun,” Scott Eblin outlines three encouragements to leaders who are plugging along without much in the way of positive feedback. Three Ways to Get the Recognition You Deserve (Next Level Blog)

From his recently published e-book, Jim Taggart prepares a list of suggestions for the boomer managers to keep in mind when interacting with their younger co-workers. Jim also posted another blog entry which talks about the interaction from the Gens X and Y’s perspective. Leadership and the Inter-Generational Divide: 10 Suggestions for Boomer Managers and Executives (ChangingWinds)

As more of us work on brand-building in a more connected environment, the question of whether one should exchange his/her own time for non-cash compensation comes up more often. Seth Godin outlines some evaluation criteria that can help you determine the productive use of your time and resources. Should you work for free? (Seth’s Blog)

There are many ways to improve interpersonal relationships, and Marshall Goldsmith believes that asking is one thing we all should do more often. He also suggests several simple ways of asking, listening, and learning from the feedback. Why Don’t We Ask? (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – December 16, 2012 Edition

While ITIL may advocate the concept that problems come into play only after incidents had occurred, Rob England gives an introduction into what a proactive problem management process should look like and address. Proactive Problem Management (The ITSM Review)

In a two part series, Abhinav Kaiser outlines the steps for setting up a software license management process in your organization. Best practices for software license management [Part 2] (TechRepublic)

Implementing a service catalog can sometimes turn into a major undertaking for many organizations. Barclay Rae gives an overview of why having a service catalog, what it should look like, and what to expect when putting one together. Service Catalog is Simple…or Should Be (Barclay Rae Website)

Most people would agree with the notion that change is the norm in our time. Karen Ferris explains why the desire of staying static and avoiding changes is no long an option. CHANGE: Don’t be a statistic [] (The ITSM Review)

Reflecting from a recent McKinsey Quarterly article “Capturing value from IT infrastructure innovation,” Gregory Tucker shares his view of what the service management concept is turning into. Service Management Is Dead (Tracted IT Management)

In this information-rich age we live in, managing knowledge and classifying information can be a formal challenge. Aprill Allen discusses two methods of information classification schemes and how they can be used together. Taxonomies and Folksonomies (Knowledge Bird)

In a presentation to a group of computer science students in London, Simon Morris describes the software development methodology used within his organization. ServiceNow development methodology presentation to QMUL (ServiceNow Community)

Instead of making the typical New Year resolutions that get quickly deferred or forgotten, Jeff Haden outlines 21 goals that can go a long way to improve your personal effectiveness. 21 Things That Beat Your New Year’s Resolution (Inc.com)

Like so many things in life, the subject of leadership does not have one single source of truth, but a number of competing ideas or opinions. Jim Taggart suggests what each of us can do to better understand the field of leadership and management. A Big (Obvious) Idea for Leadership–There Are NO Experts! (ChangingWinds)

Seth Godin talks about how companies start in serving the niche market. Later on, some of those companies transform their products/services to serving the mass market. I think supporting the IT technologies in organizations has gone through the similar transformation as well. The question remains is how should an IT department deal with the two very different market/user segments within their own organization. The cycle of customers who care (Seth’s Blog)