Protecting Our Information Technology Capability

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Protecting Our Information Technology Capability
Addressing the Critical Challenges of Continuity
Management in Corrections Information Systems
Joe Hessmiller, Director, CAI Texas
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The Challenge

• That knowledge and wisdom are not preserved by
  organizations is not a testament to the
  difficulty of their harvesting and transfer, but
  rather to the organizational failure to encourage
  their preservation.
• Beazley, Boenisch, Harden,
• Continuity Management, 2002

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Types of Knowledge

• Explicit Knowledge Knowledge which is laid out
  in official procedures, steps and standards.
• Tacit Knowledge Knowledge which is stored in
  the heads of employees. Knowledge that leaves
  the organization when the employee leaves.

According to the Delphi Group, a consulting
company specializing in the emerging technologies
of knowledge management and e-learning, about 70
of an organizations knowledge resides solely
in the minds of its employees, which leaves
approximately 30 percent in externalized
forms. - Beazly, Boenisch, Harden, Continuity
Management
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Types of Knowledge to Protect
Applications Often Have Unique Maintenance And
Support Processes
Application
Application
Application
Application
Process
Process
Process
Process
Some Applications Even Have Personal Support
Processes
Application
P5
P3
Pn
P2
P4
P1
P1
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Solution Transfer, Transition, Transform

• Phase One Capture Critical Application Knowledge
• Understand Your Risk
• Protect Your Investment Knowledge Capture
• Phase Two Implement Improved Support Processes
• Identify Best Practices for Application Support
• Pilot Best Practices Methods and Tools
• Phase Three Develop Process Management
  Transformation
• Transform Internal Support Environment

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Solution Transfer, Transition, Transform

• Phase One Capture Critical Application
  Knowledge
• Understand Your Risk
• Protect Your Investment Knowledge Capture
• Phase Two Implement Improved Support Processes
• Identify Best Practices for Application Support
• Pilot Best Practices Methods and Tools
• Phase Three Develop Process Management
  Transformation
• Transform Internal Support Environment

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Assessing Your Knowledge Documentation Situation
Quality
Low Quality
High Quality
High Value Low Value
Urgent Need to Improve
Periodic Review Recommended
Value
Minimal Review Required
Review and Improve as Time Permits
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Assessing Your Knowledge Documentation Situation

• Quality of Content Is the Documentation
  Suitable for Use?
• Ownership Identified, Understood Supported
• Readability Clarity and Simplicity
• Accuracy Technical Accuracy
• Format Organization
• Accessibility Ease of Use
• Currency How Up to Date
• Ease of Update Revision and Distribution of
  Updates
• Effectiveness Including Examples, etc.
• Accountability Is it Used?
• Thoroughness Includes All Relevant Information

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Assessing Your Knowledge Documentation Situation

• Value of Content to Your Agency
• Critical Nature of the Process
• Frequency of Use
• Number of Users
• Variety of Users
• Impact of Non-Use or Loss

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Phase One Capture Critical Application Knowledge

• Conduct Knowledge Continuity Assessment
• Determine Objectives and Scope of Continuity
  Management Initiative
• Establish Coordination Responsibility for
  Implementing Continuity Management
• Plan the Continuity Management Implementation
• Create Methodology to Harvest and Transfer
  Critical Application Knowledge
• Transfer the Knowledge

Beazly, Boenisch, Harden, Continuity Management,
2000
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Phase One Capture Critical Application Knowledge

• Conduct Knowledge Continuity Assessment
• Determine Objectives and Scope of Continuity
  Management Initiative
• Establish Coordination Responsibility for
  Implementing Continuity Management
• Plan the Continuity Management Implementation
• Create Methodology to Harvest and Transfer
  Critical Application Knowledge
• Transfer the Knowledge

Beazly, Boenisch, Harden, Continuity Management,
2000
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Understand Your Risk The Knowledge Continuity
Assessment

• Calculate Annual Turnover Statistics
• Calculate Retirement Eligibility Statistics
• Determine Which Job Classifications Warrant
  Participation in Continuity Management (and To
  What Degree)
• Determine the Extent of Knowledge Continuity or
  Discontinuity Between Incumbent and Successor
  Employees
• Generate a Knowledge-Loss Damage Assessment
• Identify Areas Where Continuity Management Can Be
  Linked to Knowledge Management Systems
• Assess the Extent to Which the Organizational
  Culture Values Knowledge and Knowledge Sharing

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Where Does Your Critical Application Information
Reside?
Institutionalized
Documented, Current, Available To all
IT Staff
Owned by IT Staff Members
Contractor
Owned by Contractor Personnel
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Assessing Your Knowledge Situation App Area
Prioritization
Quality
Low Quality
High Quality
i WCC
High Value Low Value
i GRP
i CVR
Urgent Need to Improve
Periodic Review Recommended
i DEN
i JFH
i MMC
Value
Minimal Review Required
Review and Improve as Time Permits
i GOV
i ARP
i WTA
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Protect Your Investment Knowledge Capture

• Application Knowledge Transfer and Exchange
• Structured Document Repositories
• Discussion Databases
• Pointers to Expertise

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Knowledge Repository
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Knowledge Repository Home Page
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KR Process Description
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KR System Function
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KR Application Design
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KR Critical Programs
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KR Problem Resolution
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KR - Contacts
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KR Backup and Recovery
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Solution Transfer, Transition, Transform

• Phase One Capture Critical Application Knowledge
• Understand Your Risk
• Protect Your Investment Knowledge Capture
• Phase Two Implement Improved Support Processes
• Identify Best Practices for Application Support
• Pilot Best Practices Methods and Tools
• Phase Three Develop Process Management
  Transformation
• Transform Internal Support Environment

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Transforming Support Doing the Right Work and
Doing it Well
Effectiveness

Excel
Strong
Efficiency
Do Work Well
Weak
Strong
Do The Right Work
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Phase Two Implement Improved Support Processes

• Conduct Maintenance and Support Process Knowledge
  Assessment
• Determine Objectives and Scope of Process
  Improvement Initiative
• Establish Coordination Responsibility for
  Implementing Process Improvement
• Plan the Process Improvement Implementation
• Develop Methodology to Maintain and Support
  Applications
• Pilot Improved Methods and Toolsets

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Process Improvement Focusing On Doing the Work
Right
Continuous Improvement
Standard Process
Managing with Metrics

• QC Checklists enforces Best Practices
• Work/Rework Breakdown Analysis
• Elimination of Repetitive Calls and Problems

• Enables Consistency in Estimating
• Provides Common Baseline for Measuring Performance

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Process Improvement Focusing On Doing the Right
Work
Optimization
Visibility
Control
TIME / EVENT
ANALYSIS
Total Hours 614
Total Hours 179
Admin 47
Work Request 192
Rework Hours 9
Incidents 229
Work Hours 170

• Manage all Support Events Time, Root Cause,
  Frequency, etc.
• Graphic Display of Work Completed on-Time In
  Budget
• Customer Satisfaction Feedback for All Work
  Completed Within IT

• Rework Tracking and Problem Trend Analysis
• Tools Used to Analyze Trends and Root Cause
  Analysis

• Capture Technical and Business Information
• Make Available for Reference
• Foundation of Transformation
• Analyze Trends and Events

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Knowledge Management Automation Support

• Performance Support and Data Analysis
• Support Execution of Operational Activities
• Support Resolution of Operational Problems
• Support Data-to-Knowledge Conversion
• Data Mining
• Decision Support

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Solution Transfer, Transition, Transform

• Phase One Capture Critical Application Knowledge
• Understand Your Risk
• Protect Your Investment Knowledge Capture
• Phase Two Implement Improved Support Processes
• Identify Best Practices for Application Support
• Pilot Best Practices Methods and Tools
• Phase Three Develop Process Management
  Transformation
• Transform Internal Support Environment

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Phase Three Develop Process Management
Transformation

• Assess Pilot Results
• Determine Objectives and Scope of Process
  Management Transformation Initiative
• Establish Coordination Responsibility for
  Implementing Process Management Transformation
• Plan the Process Management Transformation
  Implementation
• Implement Process Management Transformation

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Next Steps

• Short Term Action Plan
• Understand Your Exposure to Attrition
• Perform Risk Analysis Relative to Agency Mission
• Protect Your Investment through Knowledge Capture

• Intermediate Term Strategy and Plan
• Identify Best Practices for Application
  Maintenance and Support
• Conduct a Pilot

• Long Term Strategy and Plan
• Transform Support Environment Efficient,
  Effective, Improving Support
• Internal Staff Focused on Agency Mission
• External Staff Augment Internal Staff Using Same
  Methodology

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Resources
Continuity Management Beazley, Boenisch,
Harden, 2002
Lost Knowledge David W. DeLong, 2005

• If We Only Knew What We Know
• Carla ODell and C. Jackson Grayson, 1998

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Excellent IT Reference Sitewww.itmpi.org
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Closing
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in
every difficulty. A realist sees both and plans
accordingly.