Tag: David Ratcliffe

Fresh Links Sundae – April 13, 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!

Many organizations carry out ITSM initiatives by spending a great deal of effort on planning what to do and how to do things. David Ratcliffe reminds us that knowing why doing ITSM is the first question we should be asking ourselves. What’s The Purpose Of ITSM In Your Organization? (Pink President’s Blog)

While many IT organizations are transforming themselves to be a service provider to the enterprise, the service provider model may or may not work for some organizations. Bob Lewis explains why defining the business model and strategy should precede the definition of service catalog. IT as a service isn’t a technology (IS Survivor Publishing)

IT value can be difficult to measure for a number of organizations. Pearl Zhu believes that it is not the measurement that is important; it is what you do with the data obtained from the measurement. How to Measure IT VALUE Effectively (Future of CIO)

Companies such as Google and Amazon have been leaders in providing capable cloud services, and many corporate IT infrastructure teams also are trying to run highly automated operations at a massive scale. Mark Tonsetic believes that it’s not necessary to emulate Amazon or Google and recommends approaches the corporate IT teams can leverage to create value. IT Infrastructure: So, You Want to Be Like Amazon? (CIO Leadership Council)

Barton Kaplan believes the biggest misconception with big data is that the sheer volume means there is more meaningful insight to be had. Yet, many firms continue to struggle to realize the benefits. He outlines several tactics which could help organizations to be more effective at leveraging big data. Big Data: Big Opportunity or Big Challenge? (VMware Blogs)

Some organizations are trying to leverage big data and analytics, but they are not seeing the impact they had hoped for. Michael Schrage explains why leveraging on the analytics may require a shift in organizational culture and behaviors. Why Your Analytics are Failing You [] Harvard Business Review)

Windows XP became non-supported, but many organizations are still using those XP systems for payment processing. Laszlo Gonc talks about several approaches you can deploy to mitigate the risks of still operating this sunset operating system. WindowsXP Sunset – A Compliance Nightmare? [] (Intreis)

Many ecommerce operators believe that 100% up time is what every well-run ecommerce website should be doing. Walker Rowe explains what is possible and practical and offers some recommendations. How To Increase Ecommerce Site Uptime (Anturis Blog)

Something else you might be interested in…

Microsoft has made a free eBook by Kraig Brockschmidt available for download. Free ebook: Programming Windows Store Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Second Edition (MSDN Blogs)

Fresh Links Sundae – September 1, 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 the NASDAQ outage on August 22nd, a number of people have been analyzing and discussing the incident and the lessons learned. Brian Barnier explains what risk management lessons we could have learned from this incident. Have the right lessons been learned from the NASDAQ outage? (ISACA Now)

Some people advocate that the gap between ITSM and Agile are wide enough where the two frameworks really cannot leverage each other’s principles. Simon Morris outlines his thoughts on why ITSM practitioners should care about Agile principles and the positive effects Agile can bring to an ITSM organization. Applying Agile principals to Service Management (The ITSM Review)

Getting IT service management initiative off the ground can sometimes seem like a long journey without highly visible progress. Julie Montgomery suggests things we can do to maintain our focus. The 8 Step Cycle to Grow Your ITSM Impact (Plexent Blog)

Taking the lessons learned from her recent training for marathon, Melanie Karunaratne articulates how the lessons can be applied to improving customer satisfaction in IT. Learning to Run (LANDesk Blog)

People like to compare methodologies and debate why one framework is more superior than the other. Dennis Stevens gives us a run-down between Agile and Waterfall and explains what matters more is about the problem you are trying to solve. Agile vs. Waterfall [] (LeadingAgile)

In business analysis, elicitation describes the set of techniques used to discover the requirements. Laura Brandenburg outlines a number of concrete steps a business analyst can take to make sure no requirements are overlooked. 53 Tips For Discovering All the Requirements (Bridging the Gap)

Jeff Haden believes that working for a start-up is different from working for an established company. He outlines the qualities that make a excellent employee for start-up or a brand new business. 7 Qualities Every Start-up Employee Needs (Inc.com)

James Altucher lists some hard-hitting advices for running your business. Whether you agree with the entire list, I think many advices listed are actionable and applicable to many aspects of life as well. The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Starting and Running Your Own Business (Altucher Confidential)

Drawing from his personal experience, Hank Blank talks about one thing that can derail a consulting endeavor. I think Hank’s advice and James Altucher’s RULE #infinity resonate with each other. The Kryptonite of Consulting. (Thoughts on Networking, New Business & Agency Searches)

We often have the tendency to dismiss poor behavior as if we have permanent genetic flaws that can never be corrected. Marshall Goldsmith gives a personal example and advises how we can change and overcome the self-imposed limitation. Give Yourself A Chance (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

A bonus download…

David Ratcliffe used this presentation to support his talk at the recent “2nd Annual IT Service Management Leadership Forum.” It’s thought-provoking, and I highly recommend it. The 5 Most Important Leadership Qualities For ITSM (Pink Elephant)

Fresh Links Sundae – March 17, 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.

When comparing to products, partners and processes, addressing the people factor with leadership is often the most critical element of an ITSM initiative. David Ratcliffe outlines which behaviors and actions can enable a leader to generate trust, confidence and respect when interacting with others. The WHATs and HOWs Of A Great IT Service Management Leader? (Pink Elephant)

The recent decisions from Yahoo! and Best Buys on curtailing telework generated many reactions. Bob Lewis discusses his opinions about working remotely, maintaining relationships, and explains why the decision at Yahoo! was more of a fairness issue at this juncture. Yahoo! We get to work together face to face (IS Survivor Publishing)

As a tutorial to those who may be new to the ITSM subject matter, Stephen Alexander outlines three major ITSM roles, what they do, and the differences between those roles. Process Owner, Process Manager or Process Engineer (The ITSM Review)

Cloud computing, like many technology tools, cannot address all business problems. Patrick Gray lists several situations when the cloud computing might not always be the appropriate solution we need. When is the Cloud not the right tactic? (TechRepublic)

Many of the consumer/cloud technologies can be quite capable. Before building critical business processes on the consumer-grade cloud solutions, Bob Lewis suggests spending some time investigating whether the organization may need something more sophisticated than consumer-level technology can provide. Don’t let consumerization be the free lunch that eats you (InfoWorld)

In a two-part series, Niek Bartholomeus gives an in-depth look into how he apply the DevOps principles within his organization in order to support the software delivery activities. [DevOps] #1 My experience with introducing DevOps in a traditional enterprise [DevOps] #2 A closer look at introducing DevOps in a traditional enterprise (BMC Communities Blog)

While most of us live in a competitive business environment, Scott Eblin suggests five reasons why sharing expertise or cooperating with your competitors might make sense on occasions. Five Reasons Why You Should Help Your Frenemies (Eblin Group)

In a three-part series, Jim Taggart explains what is emotional intelligence (EI) is all about and how EI principles apply to leadership. Are You Emotionally Intelligent? EI–The Inner Side of Leadership: Part I Are You Open to Outcome, and Not Attached to It? Emotional Intelligence, Part Two Do You Know Who You Are? Part Three on Emotional Intelligence (ChangingWinds)

Jeff Haden believes that we all can do many things towards becoming happier. He outlines ten things we should stop doing altogether. How to Be Happier at Work: 10 Tips (Inc.com)

Many of us fail to follow through on a number of changes we promised to do. Marshall Goldsmith gives five of the most common reasons for giving up on our goals and makes suggestions on overcoming the roadblocks. The Five Reasons We Give Up (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – February 10, 2013 Edition

Blindly following the best practices can have unintended consequences. Stephen Mann advocates that metrics must be fully understood by both IT and the business before IT can be effective. “We Do A Great Job In IT, Our Metrics Dashboard Is A Sea Of Green.” Really? (Forrester Blogs)

Using a railroad operation example, Rob England explains the differences between problem management and risk management as well how changes can contribute to improvement. Service Improvement (The ITSM Review)

For an organization, there can be a number of reasons or objectives when implementing ITSM. David Ratcliffe points out that there is always a main reason or a chief objective we should identify and get it right before all others become relevant. What’s The First “Thing” You Have To Get Right In ITSM? (Pink President’s Blog)

Referring to the recent news about the batteries used on Boeing’s 787s, Glenn O’Donnell discusses why we should build our IT service like how Boeing engineers its planes. Use Boeing As A Metaphor For Service Excellence (Forrester Blogs)

With the complexity built into many of today’s IT services, Jon Hall reminds us why it is critical to fully understand your IT services so you can analyze and spot the potential risks. When critical IT suppliers fail, the impact can be severe (Evolving ITSM)

Thinking back to an earlier experience of wanting to become a ski instructor, Gianpiero Petriglieri explains what makes us who we are is often what we do with life’s surprises. Getting Stuck Can Help You Grow (INSEAD Blog)

Using a daily-questions process, Marshall Goldsmith explains how a better understanding of our own values and how we live them on a daily basis can be a powerful way to improve ourselves. Questions That Make a Difference Every Day (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Referring to Joseph Callaway’s book, “Clients First: The Two Word Miracle, “ Don Tennant discusses seven reasons from the book why practicing honesty and straight talk can enhance what we do as IT professionals. Let’s Stop Paying Lip-Service to ‘Honesty Is the Best Policy’ (From Under the Rug)

Solid leadership is often amplified by examples and actions. Jeff Haden talks about nice actions that good bosses should practice. 9 Hidden Qualities of Stellar Bosses (Inc.com)

Advocating that listener has nearly as big a responsibility as the speaker, Seth Godin explains why listening better matters and how it can also create a better speaker/listener exchange. How to listen (Seth’s Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – December 2, 2012 Edition

While many organizations may view ITSM as a simple exercise of implementing the processes in the ITIL books, Kirstie Magowan explains why “implementing” ITIL is missing the point and how not to lose the big picture. Repeat after me: “I am not IMPLEMENTING ITIL®” (The ITSM Review)

It is human nature to seek out the quick and simple solutions to business problem, and ITSM is no different. David Ratcliffe explains why IT Service Management is all about the challenge of leading and managing people. My 1, 2, 3 of ITSM: Or, What Is IT Service Management REALLY All About? (Pink Elephant)

Many organizations would like to get a much better handle on the tracking and utilization of their IT asset. Jon Hall talks about why he thinks IT Asset Management has an image problem and what we can do to address and improve the situation. Let’s work together to fix ITAM’s image problem (Evolving ITSM)

Partly spurred by Jon Hall’s insights on IT Asset Management, Stephen Mann talks about the current state of Software Asset Management effort in many organizations and presents a quick analysis. The Rise, Fall, And Rise Of Software Asset Management: It’s More Than Just A “Good Thing To Do” (Forrester Blogs)

We all had our fair share of working with ineffective managers or bosses. Bob Lewis gives two suggestions on what can leaders do to prevent or to minimize the negative effects of having ineffective managers in their organizations. An ounce of bad-boss prevention (IS Survivor Publishing)

Gamification has been a popular topic in the IT service management space lately. Martin Grobisen shares his opinion on why such reward and recognition mechanism may not be as effective as some would like to believe. Service Desk Gamification – Not the Priority (ITSM Lens)

Compelled by a recent debate on the need for service catalog, Rob England outlines his view of why service catalog is a critical foundation to any IT service provider organization. Service catalogue and service request catalogue (The IT Skeptic)

Responding to a recent LinkedIn discussion where someone advocates that incident priority should never be changed once determined, Gregory Tucker expresses his view on why the incident prioritization is much more dynamic. Changing Incident Priority and Incident Prioritization in Detail (ITSMinfo.com)

It is almost the end of 2012. Bob Sutton updates his reading list and shares them with his blog readers. 11 Books Every Leader Should Read: Updated for 2012 (Bob Sutton)

Being a parent can be a fulfilling life experience, but you don’t need to be a parent to appreciate what Rachel Martin has written for all of us to think about. 43 Life Lessons that Kids Teach Us. (finding joy)