Tag: Greg Sanker

Fresh Links Sundae – August 3, 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!

The subject of data science receives much attention these days. Some people have used data management terms, such as business intelligence and predictive analytics, interchangeably even though they represent different disciplines. Dean Abbott talks about what similarities the two disciplines share and how they differ. Similarities and Differences Between Predictive Analytics and Business Intelligence (Data Mining and Predictive Analytics)

Neural network is a machine learning approach that is widely used in many data analytics efforts. Pete Warden offers step-by-step instructions on training your neural network. How to build and run your first deep learning network (O’Reilly Radar)

Big data and the Hadoop ecosystem are getting attention from many organizations these days. Rich Morrow outlines some of the most common surprises and challenges that new users of Hadoop run into in their early implementation period. Lessons Learned Deploying Hadoop (Global Knowledge Training Blog)

When you ask which service desk tool is the best for a particular IT organization, you will get a diverse set of opinions. Rob England outlines the essential criteria to consider when evaluating a service desk tool. What is the best ITIL service desk tool? (The IT Skeptic)

Rob Stroud and Rob England got into a discussion on the cloud-based ITSM solution. Mr. England and Mr. Stroud are two authorities I respect in the ITSM space. I thought the discussion was both interesting and educational. Is ITSM SaaS overrated? – Highlight and Is ITSM SaaS overrated? Round two – Highlight (CA Technologies)

When being asked about the tools and techniques used in their knowledge management programs, many IT organizations often just describe tools for managing and sharing documents. Stuart Rance thinks that is very limiting and offers additional ideas for enriching your knowledge management effort. Knowledge Management Is Not Just About Document Repositories (SysAid Blog)

Maturity assessment is a necessary part of ITSM improvement effort, but many organizations do not know how to conduct an effective assessment. Karen Ferris explains the challenges and pitfalls of conducting maturity assessment. ITSM Process Maturity Assessments – Handle with Care (Macanta)

A well-designed RACI chart is an effective tool for creating clarity in roles and responsibilities. Greg Sanker explains how a RACI chart can help in your ITSM effort. What’s a RACI Chart, and how to I use it? (ITSM Transition)

Fresh Links Sundae – July 20, 2014 Edition

Many organizations focus on driving analytics as a foundation for competitive advantage, but they often compromise their analytics effectiveness by not establishing a sound foundation through the process of data readiness and data cleansing. Robert Handfield discusses the critical element of Data Cleansing, which is the most time consuming and challenging of the elements. Data Cleansing as the Foundation for Supply Chain Analytics (International Institute for Analytics)

Many organizations do not assess and monitor their IT maturity level, but the maturity can be a great vehicle to get IT properly connected with the business. Andy White outlines the building blocks for improving IT maturity and effectiveness. IT Maturity: Chasing rainbows? (The ITSM Review)

A well-designed service catalog can bring a number of benefits to both the IT organization and their customers. A badly designed catalog can also make things worse for IT and everyone involved. Sarah Lahav makes suggestions on how we can put an effective service catalog in place. 5 Tips for Creating a Successful Service Catalogue (SysAid)

IT organizations are using the services model to drive IT performance based on the business value generated by the service, rather than simply technical metrics. George Mathai discusses the “market-share” approach to assess and communicate the business value of IT services. How to Make Metrics Matter (CIO Leadership Council)

Future ITSM will increasingly combine service desk and operations much more fluidly than in the past. Organizations will need to embrace the integration between ITSM and ITAM in order to be effective within the overall IT landscape. Dennis Drogseth explains why it is both beneficial and effective to grow the ITSM and ITAM disciplines together. Why IT Asset Management and IT Service Management Belong Together (The ITAM Review)

Implementing an IT improvement program using the ITIL framework brings about both changes and benefits to an organization. Gregory Tucker shows us a model of what changes and benefits can be expected and how IT can help its organization respond to the changes. The Balanced Improvement Matrix (ITSMinfo)

After receiving the training in ITIL, many highly motivated and well-intended folks head back to the office trying to implement ITIL processes. However, Greg Sanker points out that simply “implement ITIL” misses the big picture. He talks about why the ultimate goal is to maximize the business value of IT and how to get to work. The Practitioner’s Dilemma: How to Adapt ITIL (ITSM Transition)

Karen Ferris believes that everyone in IT should shadow the business because it is an effective approach for leading to real innovation and resolution to business challenges. She discusses the important elements to keep mind when crafting such collaboration program with the business. Walk A Mile in Their Shoes? Not Far Enough! (Macanta)

Fresh Links Sundae – December 1, 2013 Edition

Most would agree that it takes six months or more for knowledge workers to become sufficiently productive to produce value. In order to enable the productivity of the new workers, many organizations need to utilize efficient knowledge transfer approaches. Greg Sanker believes that a standardized service delivery approach modeled by IT Service Management frameworks like ITIL and COBIT can help. The Coming Workforce: A Case for IT Service Management (The ITSM Review)

Although the term “Shadow IT” has only appeared in the press and media in recent years, the practice has been around for a much longer period of time. David Cappuccio explains how the latest iteration of Shadow IT has grown in significance and scope to where the C-suite should start to pay attention. Shine Some Light on Shadow IT (Gartner Blogs)

Lather, Rinse and Repeat (LRR) is a well-known process with a strong tie to the shampoo products since 1990’s. To Earl Begley, LRR is a reminder to design processes that can be easily executed and deliver desired results. With that in mind, He suggests several tips that ITSM can learn from the shampoo process. Lather, rinse and repeat your process (The ITSM Review)

Many organizations conduct self-audits on software to ensure a sound assets management practice or to get prepared for third-party audits. David Foxen explains the importance of the self-audit and how to perform one in your organization. The importance of Internal Software Audits (The ITAM Review)

Even today, Michael Schrage believes that most organizations struggle to answer even the simplest 80/20 analytics questions. He also suggests that the Big Data tools and techniques will help shape the 80/20 analytics when the organization can leverage both approaches at the same time. How is Big Data Transforming Your 80/20 Analytics? (Harvard Business Review)

For many organizations or industries, conducting effective data analysis is becoming an essential activity for many managers. Thomas Redman recommends an exercise that can help managers to become more data literate and more adept at data analysis. How to Start Thinking Like a Data Scientist (Harvard Business Review)

Many BAs use diagrams to express ideas or to create simple and effective visual models, but they don’t always know what tools are available for their work. Laura Brandenburg outlines 5 diagramming tools that a BA can consider adding to his/her requirement gathering and analysis toolkit. 5 Effective Diagramming Tools You Can Afford (Bridging the Gap)

We all deal with stress and anxiety in a number of ways. Mitch Joel recommends five tools that you can deploy to manage the times when things get a little too stressed or anxious. Keep Calm And Carry On – 5 Steps To Getting Rid Of Stress And Anxiety (Six Pixels of Separation)

According to Marshall Goldsmith, part of being an effective leader is setting up systems to measure everything that matters. At the same time, he advocates that measuring the “soft” values is just as essential as tracking the hard numbers. Account for Soft-Side Values (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

The performance review process in many companies carries risks and downside. The reviews often don’t produce the intended results, either. Bob Sutton believes there are three things that an excellent performance review always should have. Three Hallmarks of Good Performance Evaluations (Work Matters)