About optimization of IT processes, management of services and destruction of stereotypes

Lyashenko Alexander, director of the department of information resources and technologies of the National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine:

What requirements to contractors on IT projects are created at the National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine?

First of all, this existence of the corresponding experience of projects implementation and high level of employee competence. The ability and desire of the contractor to select technical solution, optimal for us, in terms of economy, functionality and reliability is also very important. The large role is played by reputation of the company in the market, capability fully to fulfill the undertaken obligations. Presently reliability of the partner is one of key factors of conducting successful business. In addition, it is always easier and more pleasant to work with the company which has flexibility. Capability of the partner is also important to make a compromise and not to approach the obligations only from formality. In projects problems, unmarked on start, which, anyway, need to be solved often emerge. In such cases the success of the project depends on flexibility of the company and its capability to adapt under new conditions.

We cooperate with the companies which work at the market not one day, but our experience allows to have a quite good idea of all participants of this market and their opportunities. If to speak about specific profile projects, then we can not know in full all information on competences of the company of this area. In that case, we carry out the detailed analysis and we look at accomplishment of real projects by those employees which are in the company. There can be a situation when the company in the past executed a number of high-profile and successful projects in a certain sphere, but that command already dispersed. Formally the company has experience of accomplishment of such projects, but really to do it there is nobody. The reverse situation is possible too: the unknown young company can have a brilliant team of contractors who as well as possible implement the project. We always estimate technology solvency of project implementation and, depending on a specific situation, we can give preference to young perspective team.

Beginning of cooperation with SI BIS company: what factors became key when choosing integrator?

Neftegaz Ukrainy is state company which has requirements to the choice of the partner defined, established by the law. Therefore we cannot select the contractor only because we with him each other sympathize, and should do it only for the objective reasons. All above described selection criteria lay down in the tender documentation in the form of qualification and other requirements to all participants. That company which in the best way conforms to all requirements of tender becomes the contractor in the project. Everything is simple and transparent.

As a result of open tenderings on Service Desk system implementation among all applicants the SI BIS company proposed the most interesting and profitable solution therefore we came to the actual signing of the contract.

Having necessary information on professionalism of the company, its experience of accomplishment of difficult projects, existence of competences and also flexibility and mobility, we had no bases to doubt successful project implementation

When the decision on the organization of customer support department what premises and tasks were was made?

Our project portfolio does not arise just like that under the budget. Last year the role of IT in our company and its basic functions was formulated. The task of department of information resources and technologies in the National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine consists in ensuring activity and development of the company, providing high-quality IT services on the basis of advanced technologies. We also defined the main activities using which we are going to carry out this task. Among these directions: optimization of IT processes, implementation of automated systems and business applications and also updating of IT infrastructure. Within each of these directions a certain project portfolio formed. I.e. decomposition of a role of IT in activities was executed, in each of which main objectives and tasks proceeding from which, in turn, projects formed were selected. Such scheme is approved and works in our company. The project on implementation of Service Desk arose from need of formalization of IT services and support function of our IT infrastructure. The decision on implementation of tools which allow to manage these processes effectively was made. The project became complex as we needed to make setting of all processes that they happened not situationally, and is system and also to ensure functioning of the tools executing support and process management. Thus, as result of these purposes and tasks, the project on Service Desk implementation appeared. We defined the platform of this solution, looking narrowly at products from different suppliers. Not only possibilities of products, and and existence of a local competent command capable in a short time to provide necessary result were an important factor in this choice. Our purpose it was not simple to receive the software product which we will infinitely finish, and to start the solution capable at once to carry out all our tasks.

Within the project there was an inspection and setting of processes. Work was bilateral: on the one hand it was necessary to consider features of organizational structure, the staff list, industry nuances of business of the company; and with another – to adhere to the general practice which describes standard provisions. The methodological base which we complemented with our specific requirements was developed.

As there took place implementation process of the project: stages, terms, contingencies?

The first stage conducted examination of our IT infrastructure and the corresponding processes. After that development of the technical specifications, system architecture in terms of software and process environment followed. Then the SI BIS company made installation of a basic configuration and the subsequent its setup according to technical specifications after which introduction of primary information, testing and input of a system in commercial operation took place.

At first a system was tested directly in a project team, and at the first stages of commissioning we involved resources of IT department which carried out work in an old system and duplicated it in new. All users continued to work at this stage in old the front system. At the same time, of course, load of operators as they duplicated all appeals to Service Desk increased. About two weeks the staff of department of IT worked in the test mode for search of errors in a system and adaptation to working conditions in a new system. It allowed to endure without serious consequences changes in operational activity and to get used quickly to accomplishment of formal procedures: registration of incidents and requests, marks of course of execution, description and closing of requests, etc.

Also user training to work in Service Desk was provided. On the expiration of the period of testing we disconnected the front system, and all personnel were already ready to work in a new system. Implementation of all project before complete commissioning took half a year.

As for contingencies, in any project there are always some unforeseen difficulties as at a stage of planning there are only purposes and tasks, and some assumptions and restrictions form. But when case reaches already implementation of specific process, there is a set of nuances, both organizational, and technology. Very often in such situations it is necessary to make a compromise. For this purpose it is necessary to be able to find a compromise solution and to be ready to accept it.

Exactly here capability of the contractor emerges to be flexible, in terms of methodology everything can be right, but in terms of real use of a system, work can be inconvenient and not effective. In addition, often there are problems connected only with a fabrication cycle – for example, the banal procedure of a multilayer setup of patches can introduce a system in an unstable status. In that case it is necessary to open cases of vendors for exact determination of the reason of incorrect system operation or its failure. In heterogeneous infrastructures there can be cross-platform errors. In this case it is necessary to look for the reason not in work of the separate systems, and in their compatibility. All this can delay operational system implementation considerably.

But, in this project, the SI BIS company sustained all terms of the master plan, despite some re-plannings. In our case it was very important as the requirement for terms was one of the main when choosing the contractor. The deadline of project implementation could not be postponed under no circumstances. Moreover, after drawing up the agreement, the master plan, and the project charter, and even after the beginning of works priorities in the company in terms of a project portfolio changed a little. On the termination of this project it was necessary to begin a row new therefore it was necessary to cut down terms of implementation of a support service of Service Desk several. To the contractor on behalf of SI BIS the condition that the project needs to be handed over a month earlier in spite of the fact that initial terms were quite tough was laid down. This requirement was observed, and we handed over the project before primary plan.

What result is available today? What processes on this project should be executed in the future?

At the moment we completely started management of service requests, problem management and asset management. There is an additional tuning of processes of management of configurations, changes and the service layers. On it the pilot project will be complete finally. There is a certain vision of development of this project in the future, but we want to complete all existing processes for more accurate formation of our requirements. For this purpose, we will consciously take a timeout for three-four months as thinking of the person is not discrete, and it cannot instantly change is a continuous process. In process of accomplishment of this project at our people idea of work, their approach to accomplishment of routine tasks changed. The pause is necessary in order that people could doosmyslit new processes in the quiet mode, be beyond the stereotypes and consciously accept new opportunities. Most of people does not love changes and uncertainty therefore it is necessary to help them to get used, accept changes and to get rid of uncertainty by method of obtaining new knowledge.

What result can achieve thanks to asset management implementation?

Asset management is first of all, establishing order in infrastructure, a clear understanding of the available resources and the analyst of the opportunities in the automatic mode, without attraction of human resources. Sometimes it is very important to obtain information on a detailed request instantly. Thanks to it, decision making process, capacity planning, the budget and upgrade considerably becomes simpler. Also it helps to avoid bottlenecks in infrastructure at implementation of new information systems. Asset management allows to have various characteristic of all resources which are available at the enterprise and to constantly analyze their status. In addition, there is a problem of relocations of offices and movement of the equipment. Asset management allows to carry out quickly inventory, to bring order on the new place and to lift a story about where that stood on former squares. It very much unloads IT personnel and saves them from a set of routine paper work thanks to what it is better focused on the direct functions. Due to the moving the department of IT can drop out of the primary operational activity for a month and more that leads to significant losses for the organization. Asset management considerably helps to get rid of these losses. For the Chief information officer accomplishment of the orchestration of all infrastructure kills in such convenient way all headache and releases working hours for the solution of other tasks.

Denis Krivov, ITPartner talked