Handbook of Local Area Networks, 1998 Edition:LAN Management Click Here! Search the site:   ITLibrary ITKnowledge EXPERT SEARCH Programming Languages Databases Security Web Services Network Services Middleware Components Operating Systems User Interfaces Groupware & Collaboration Content Management Productivity Applications Hardware Fun & Games EarthWeb sites Crossnodes Datamation Developer.com DICE EarthWeb.com EarthWeb Direct ERP Hub Gamelan GoCertify.com HTMLGoodies Intranet Journal IT Knowledge IT Library JavaGoodies JARS JavaScripts.com open source IT RoadCoders Y2K Info Previous Table of Contents Next GUIDELINES The 80/20 Rule. An old cliche, that 80% of a job is accomplished using 20% of the available resources, but that the remaining 20% of the job takes 80% of the resources, is true. Resources have to be allocated to satisfy close to 100% of the requirements but there are never enough resources to accomplish everything. The organization’s management has to agree that some customers will not receive every service they request. Management should help decide who those customers will be. The Rate of Change Is Not Constant. The rate of technological change changes. The shift from typewriters and calculators to the mainframe-minicomputer-terminal environment required decades. It took several years before standalone PCs were accepted as part of the business IS environment, less time to move to networked high-performance workstations and microcomputers. Mobile, pen-based, and multimedia systems are on the market and are being put into business service only 10 to 20 months after these systems came into existence. An organization and its IS or LAN department should be structured in such a way that it can readily adapt to these changes. Adapting to New Systems. The selection of a system is the concluding step of a process that begins with an RFP, then moves on to vendor comparisons and evaluations, questionnaires, results, decision and probability matrices, and more. The staff has to learn every chosen product. Learning is an integral part of the job, and providing training is one of the two most important aspects of support in a rapidly changing technological environment. (Keeping customers satisfied is the other.) It is essential that all technical staff maintain their capacity for and interest in learning. The problems created when staff resist new systems out of fear of the new or lack of self-confidence (as opposed to an intelligent understanding of the alternatives) cannot be overstated. PROCESSES The difference between reactive and proactive processes is timing. If an activity is performed before it is needed, it is proactive. If it is done when or after it is needed, it is a reactive response. Proactive responses are preferable, primarily because the manager often has more time to think, plan, evaluate, compare, and test. Reacting usually has to be done quickly. In the early stages of a department’s redevelopment, most of a manager’s actions are reactive. Repair and replacement is the order of the day. Stocking parts, calling technical support lines, and dealing with sales reps take up a lot of the manager’s time. Redesign, standardization, and control take place during the intervals. New products should conform to the standards the manager has introduced, and that the customers have agreed to. Only after the environment has stabilized does the shift take place from primarily reactive to more proactive. Expansion, enhancements, new facilities, and connectivity changes take place over time, and are part of and a result of monitoring, management, planning, and testing. But it takes time and understanding to evaluate, test, purchase, install, and configure monitoring and management facilities. This time is earned by the manager as problems are reacted to and resolved more quickly. The sign that a network department has become stable is that repair and replacement become proactive. Repairs become part of normal maintenance, not a matter of troubleshooting a faulty network. Replacement is then a maintenance function based on equipment life cycles, and not hardware failures. At this point statistically significant graphs can be developed to chart calls to the help desk. Then the manager can round out staffing functions, sizes, and distributions. CUSTOMERS The manager of a technology department has to understand the customers. These considerations should include the following information: •  Who are the customers? •  What do they do and how do they do it? •  Who are their customers and how do the manager’s customers relate to the customers for the company’s products? •  What facilities and services do the customers have? •  What do the customers need, what do they want, what do they think they want, and what do they say they want? Directly or indirectly, these customers pay the bills. They often justify the existence of a technology department. They should be allies, not enemies. They should participate in all the decisions that affect them. Whether the mechanism is called a customer group, a systems council, or a quality circle, they need to be fully involved. All support staff should understand this and be prepared to interact constructively with the department’s customers. It is often best to hold regular meetings with key representatives from all customer departments (service calls are not regular meetings) to discuss persistent problems, new requirements, present new technologies available, and air any other topics the customers may have on their minds. It is also a good idea for the manager to regularly (once per quarter) and individually meet with the key customer representatives for feedback on the staff and level of service, new ideas, and just to stay aware of the market. One of the responsibilities of a technology group is to be aware of, and present to the appropriate business unit, technologies for solving new and changing business needs. Graphics packages, the ability to do presentations, and demonstrations are therefore also tools of the technology group. It is a good idea to have the staff participate in these activities. It keeps them involved in change and reinforces the group’s customer orientation. Previous Table of Contents Next Use of this site is subject certain Terms & Conditions. Copyright (c) 1996-1999 EarthWeb, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Please read our privacy policy for details.