Documentation…. Got any?
Lets talk about what documentation for your technology environment is. If you don’t have good documentation, then you are being held hostage by your technology people. All too often we talk to business owners and managers who are afraid to make a change because the techies are the only ones who know whats going on with the systems.
From a system level its, whats the function of each server, who does it serve, what data is on it (or were is it), who maintains it, what is the maintenance cycles (software and hardware). Its need to be ALL the information about that system, in a binder, with a lable. Ohhh, and its a living document that should be updated EVERY TIME something is done to the system. You are keeping server log sheet right?
Think you desktop environment escaped that, nope. Not that you need to document each system, but you need to have a baseline of what each desktop in your environment needs to have on it. Office with Outlooks (version), Firefox (set book marks), Adobe Acrobat (version), then in the document state which roles (not people) are ’special’. Accounting get access to Quickbooks; Engineering gets access to AutoCAD.
Lets take this to one more level, is the Business documented at a transactional level. I’m talking about how do you process an order to cash? How do you go from opportunity to order? What is the procurement, inventory and make process? This is on a different level, but going through this Business Blueprinting process as an owner/manager can find efficiencies and standardize how you do business. That leads to efficiencies and in both people process and automation in your systems not to mention easier training and back fill.
If you don’t have documentation for your technology systems or business, make 2009 the year to start the process and commit to maintaining it.
Karl Weir
Director of Consulting, Globalquest Solutions Inc.
Tags: Technology Today
