Many of us who have been involved with Capacity Management for some time have experienced the situation of not being able to recreate past work. We built a plan and then six months later, have a need to measure progress against predictions. The only problem is that we can’t recreate the original results. I have spent hours trying to figure out what went wrong with my calculations, only to find out that I had changed my process to create the report, missed a parameter or two and used a different reporting tool against someone else’s data. After being embarrassed a time or two, I took steps to avoid those mistakes.

Well now you don’t have to worry about those reporting and data disconnects. There is an ITIL Version 3 concept, called a Capacity Management Information System or CMIS, which can make life easier for all of us by helping to prevent problems such as these. An upgrade to the previous ITIL Capacity Management Database (CDB), the CMIS not only stores a wide variety of infrastructure usage and performance data, it includes a set of reporting tools. The CMIS is the book of record for all Capacity Management usage and performance data so no questioning who collected what data and how. A common reporting tool means you don’t have to worry about different reporting algorithms or distribution methodologies which can skew results. Operating with a consistent set of reporting tools and synchronized data, you will get the same answer every time, even if it’s six months from now.

Want to know more? Read our new CMIS white paper or contact your friendly TeamQuest representative to find out how TeamQuest’s implementation of a CMIS can help you maintain consistency and uniformity in your reporting.

Until the next post,

Ron

I’m sure many of you are gearing up for your travels to Louisville for itSMF USA Fusion 10. Get ready to plug in and rock the house! We all know everything changes, and with the flood disaster that changed the venue from Nashville, it seems that Fusion 10 will be the perfect setting to dig into all of the new and exciting changes in the wonderful world of ITSM.

As you are heading to the great state of Kentucky, I thought we could give you a little reading material for the trip. TeamQuest is inviting you to see how you can Join the Journey to capacity management maturity. Lower costs, improve service quality and increase IT productivity by moving to more mature Capacity Management tools and processes.

What level is your organization? Chaotic, Reactive, Proactive, Service, or Value? Let us know:

Most businesses today are in Reactive or Proactive stages. To take the next step and reach the Service stage, homogeneous monitoring across heterogeneous platforms and technologies in combination with predictive modeling becomes crucial. This also prepares you for the ultimate level, the Value stage.

For more information, we invite you to visit teamquest.com or you will have the opportunity at itSMF Fusion 10 to talk one-on-one with a TeamQuest capacity management professional by stopping by booth 1921.

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, we’ll be tweeting updates throughout the event.

We look forward to talking with you!

One of the more common complaints I hear is the issue of conflicting reports. Two different people using different tools to report against data from the same time period arrive at different answers. The situation drives senior management crazy and makes them question the credibility of both parties.

The problem? The people probably use different reporting tools against independently collected data, probably with different collection parameters. Some data may be averaged over the entire collection period where others may be an accumulation of 30-second data points within that same collection period. One may be using a statistical analysis program, the other a spreadsheet.

The solution? Perhaps a Capacity Management Information System (CMIS) is the answer. It is a database or databases containing all capacity management information, including service level and business statistics. All data in the CMIS is synchronized so collection parameters and periods are consistent across the enterprise. The CMIS also has a reporting element to ensure that two different people reporting on the same data with the same parameters will arrive at the same results every time.

Want more information? Watch this blog for the announcement of my upcoming white paper on the subject.

Until the next post

Ron