The movement to modernize IT is influencing companies to move to the cloud. Slow adopters haven’t made the switch, but many have near-term plans to make the change. Companies migrating to the cloud expect to immediately realize positive impacts, like reduced operating costs, efficiencies in connecting users across geographic locations, and transferring administrative IT responsibilities.
In reality, moving to the cloud will become exceptionally more challenging if companies do not first employ adequate methods to address IT demand with existing infrastructure. Companies should establish reliable procedures, like the following, to prioritize and manage IT demand to help mitigate risks when moving to the cloud.
Before processes can be designed to address IT demand, categories for issues and request types must be defined. Keep this simple. Companies tend to get caught up defining a complex hierarchy of issue categories that only end up being used incorrectly. The more options users have, the more likely they are to select the wrong one.
Eliminate categories for defects, bugs, improvements, new features, etc., and consider using a simplified version. Ask the following questions to determine the issue or request type:
Was it working before? (i.e. unable to connect to printer)? = Break Fix
If it wasn’t working before, is it a simple update (i.e. add a new vendor type)? = Quick Fix
Is the request for new functionality (i.e. feed financial data to reporting tool)? = Enhancement
Keeping request categories simple helps users and IT support better understand how requests should be tagged for resolution. It also provides a more accurate foundation for trend analysis and reporting.
Enhancement requests are considered planned IT demand. Companies can evaluate the scope of the enhancement, assign necessary resources for development and support, and schedule releases as far as six months down the road. Simple, right? What often happens is help desk support mis-categorizes the enhancement request, the request gets lost in the help desk ticketing system black hole, and the requester feels ignored.
The first step to managing planned IT demand is to require a business case for the requested enhancement. Again, keep it simple. This doesn’t need to be laborious, but answering the questions, “Why is the improvement necessary?” and, “How much time will it save?” will help build a business case for allocating time and resources to address the request.
IT should form a small committee and conduct weekly stand-up meetings to prioritize approved business cases and plan for upcoming enhancements. Managing planned IT demand works best with an agile methodology, and utilizing a waffle board can keep release schedules organized.
The key takeaway here is don’t send enhancement requests through a help desk ticketing system to vanish. Invest in an agile development tracking tool to help align upcoming releases with available resources.
Unplanned demand comes in two forms categorized in the previous sections as “break fix” or “quick fix.” The most common approach for managing these unplanned needs is to route them through an internal help desk system, which results in a variety of problems:
Using a better IT platform or evaluating AI tools to address break fix and quick fix items is a great alternative to the traditional help desk model. Reducing ticket backlog. Companies who employ traditional models for managing unplanned IT demand will only find these issues exacerbated when moving to the cloud. Establishing sound processes and procedures to address IT demand before moving to the cloud will ultimately enable IT organizations to focus attention on more strategic matters.
