How to improve your IT. Part 14 - Quotations and Change Control
IT Quotations
A series of posts on how to improve the performance of your IT
Quotations
The Best practice IT Standard is:
A quotation template that formalizes and integrates the three processes of scoping, estimating and quoting. The quote requires the scoping of hardware, software and services with prices from an IT services catalogue and/or an architecture products catalogue. The quote should have a fixed validity period.
Around 50% of business work requests disappear after a proper quotation has been prepared. Using the ‘Mandatory, Highly Desirable, Nice to Have’ technique when determining scope in conjunction with a IT services catalogue improves accuracy and rapidly speeds up the quoting process.
Sample Catalogue Listing
The official definition of an IT Services Catalogue is from ITIL and it defines it as a database or structured document with information about all IT Services that includes information about deliverables, prices, contact points, ordering and request processes.
Software
Software Distribution, Licensing, Implementation, Licensed Software, Web Developer Tools
Support and Training
FAQs, Online Help, Training Programs, Teaching and Learning, Knowledge Sharing
Networks and Connectivity
Wi-Fi, VPN, LAN, WAN, Network Monitoring
Messaging and Collaboration
Email, Instant Messaging, Mailing Lists, Calendar, File Sharing, Fax
Voice
Mobile, Telephone, Audio Conferencing, Video Teleconference, Radio
Accounts and Access
Identity Management, Guest Accounts
Cloud Services
Provisioning
Data Centre
Off-site Storage, Facility Management
Hosted Services
Web Hosting, Database, Data Storage, Backup Services, Content Management
Security
Security and Privacy Policy, Disaster Recovery, Network Monitoring
Video
Video Equipment, Television
Printing, Copy, Printer Maintenance
Infrastructure
Web Services, Wiring Services, Load Balancing, Mainframe, Servers
Hardware
Desktop PC, Laptop, Mac, Mobile Device, Server, Accessibility Resources, Tape Management
Professional Services
Strategy, Planning, Project Management, Document Management, Application Integrations, Digital Asset Management
Performance Assessment
How are quotations currently prepared?
How accurate are current quotations?
Are there scoping and estimating processes integrated to form a single quote?
Is there a standard quotation template in use?
Is there an IT services catalogue?
If there is no IT services catalogue is in use, how are hardware, software and services identified and priced?
How long is IT bound by its quotations?
Sample Tasklist
Create an IT services catalogue.
Create a standard quotations template for use across IT.
Create an umbrella quotation process to manage the activities of multiple teams involved with creating a quotation.
Create an estimating guide.
Who will prepare quotes?
Who will own the quotation process?
Change control
The Best practice IT Standard is:
A Change Advisory Board (CAB) being in place, with evidence-based change control acceptance criteria needing to be approved before a change is promoted to production. Since Change Control is the process that promotes changes into production systems with the intent of no disruption to those systems, the CAB is held accountable for any post-promotion to production systems availability issues, stability issues, integrity issues and failures.
Performance Assessment
Are Change Control and Version Control processes in use?
Are these processes documented?
What change management software is in use?
Is there a Change Advisor Board (CAB)?
If not, how is change control managed?
Are CAB acceptance criteria clearly spelt out?
Does CAB enforce its acceptance criteria and process?
Is the CAB accountable for any postproduction promotion problems?
What authority does the CAB have?
Are the CAB acceptance criteria documented and enforced?
Who is the final CAB arbitrator?
Who can override CAB?
Do the CAB acceptance criteria include items like?
a. Back-up testing completed.
b. Disaster Recovery plan updated?
c. First level Service Desk staff trained.
d. Level 2 support staff trained.
e. Interface testing completed.
f. Software licensing in place?
g. Parallel runs completed?
h. Operations procedures updated?
i. Known problems reported to Service Desk?
Are there any current change control operational issues?
What is the promotion to production update failure rate?
Is there a warranty period for production changes and releases?
How are urgent fixes managed?
Sample Tasklist
What is the level of risk of introducing errors or untested changes into the production environment?
What needs to be done to mitigate any risks?
Review the process for introducing urgent fixes.
Implement a CAB.
Review CAB submission guidelines.
Empower the CAB.