Keep IT Neat: The Perfect Blend Of Policies, Processes, Procedures, and Presentations

By Scott Stacher

“Keep IT Neat,” your literary vessel of unparalleled guidance, sets sail as the ultimate compass for you, the IT analyst, yearning to commandeer the ship of success through turbulent waters of policies, processes, procedures, and presentations. Picture your journey as a thrilling adventure, akin to a seasoned pirate captain navigating treacherous currents. The book serves as your trusty compass, leading you through the intricacies of defining, creating, documenting, and presenting policies, processes, and procedures with the precision of a pirate plotting a course for hidden treasures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cypris Media
• Release date: Mar 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224870769

Scott Stacher

Scott is a seasoned project management professional and covert wordsmith with thirty-five years of industry expertise spanning aerospace, passenger rail, utilities, and more. Outside the conference room, Scott dons the cloak of a ghostwriter, anonymously crafting tales that traverse the realms of sci-fi. A master of the written word, Scott recently moved from fiction to non-fiction, publishing a series of Information Technology titles under their own name for the first time.In the literary shadows, Scott weaves narratives with a hint of mystery and humor, offering readers a glimpse into the unknown. In the business world, Scott navigates the complexities of worldwide systems deployments. With experience across several industries and multiple literary works under various pen names, Scott is a unique blend of experience, expertise, and literary finesse, tackling conventional business challenges in the office while exploring fantasy worlds full of adventure and mysteries within your imagination.

Book preview

Keep IT Neat

The Perfect Blend Of Policies, Processes, Procedures, and Presentations

By

Scott Stacher

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. No part of this literary work may be used or reproduced without written permission.

Portions of the cover art have been derived from works in the public domain or copyright-free works.

Copyright Cypris Media LCC 2024

eBook ISBN: 9798224870769

Paperback ISBN: 9798881150235

Table of Contents

About this Book

Navigating Terms

Part I - Beacon Beach

Part II - Flowchart Fjord

Part III - Procedural Protocols

Part IV - Presentation Pirates

Keep IT Neat

Glossary

About The Author

About this Book

Welcome to the IT mixology lounge, where you become the maestro in crafting the perfect blend of Policies, Processes, Procedures, and Presentations. In this expertly curated guide, each chapter is a meticulously crafted cocktail, shaken and stirred to perfection, delivering a delightful journey for you, the IT analyst eager to savor success.

Keep IT Neat, your literary vessel of unparalleled guidance, sets sail as the ultimate compass for you, the IT analyst, yearning to commandeer the ship of success through turbulent waters of policies, processes, procedures, and presentations. Picture your journey as a thrilling adventure, akin to a seasoned pirate captain navigating treacherous currents. The book serves as your trusty compass, leading you through the intricacies of defining, creating, documenting, and presenting policies, processes, and procedures with the precision of a pirate plotting a course for hidden treasures.

Before setting sail, you scrub the deck, brushing up on the basics and proving your proficiency in Navigating Terms. Then, before your perilous quest, you will gather at Beacon Beach and visit a bustling tavern where former Captains of Industry gather to concoct a potent potion of policies and then distill the blend of regulations and requirements into an elegant process elixir.

With a firm deck under your feet, you, the analysts, programmers, and project managers, immerse yourself in the essence of IT operations. Your maiden voyage to Flowchart Fjord will plot the processes that chart your course to untold treasures and through procedures that, like a strong and steady sea breeze unfolding the sails of a pirate ship, will carry your ship’s crew safely through the tumultuous seas of documentation. After that, it’s time to review Procedural Protocols for the Poop Deck and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) the deck to ensure the ship’s safety nets are secure in case the seas get rough.

As dawn breaks on the final leg of your voyage, the Presentation Pirates transform your speedy and stable buccaneer into a grand galleon, ready to face the high seas of stakeholder communication. With an audience ale in hand, you, our seasoned analyst, will learn to rig your presentations to captivate your audience, like the wind filling the sails of a four-masted schooner or a captain concocting a message to inspire their crew before embarking on a daring quest.

Keep IT Neat unfolds like a richly woven pirate’s tale, promising you a bounty of knowledge and skill, brave enough to embark on this thrilling IT adventure. Get ready to hoist the sails and navigate the seas of IT excellence!

Navigating Terms

Gather ‘round, landlubbers, as we navigate the uncharted waters of Navigating Terms! Today, we’ll stir up a potent potion of policies, processes, and procedures, the secret ingredients in the IT governance cocktail.

Imagine your IT ship as a high-seas bar, whipping up digital delights for thirsty patrons. Policies are the house rules, the bartender’s code that keeps everything running smoothly. These pronouncements set the bar’s vibe and define its purpose, just like the bartender’s instructions, ensuring everyone contributes to a lively yet well-mannered atmosphere. They’re the garnishes on your cocktail glass, adding a touch of flair and reminding everyone of the expected experience.

Next, let’s muddle in some processes, the intricate recipes for creating your IT concoctions. These processes are the mixology manuals guiding your bartenders through the complexities of crafting delicious drinks. They’re the step-by-step instructions, ensuring each drink is a masterpiece, much like the recipes bartenders follow to avoid serving watery grog. Think of processes as the cocktail shakers, ensuring every step is followed to achieve the perfect blend.

As we pour our knowledge further, the procedures emerge as the daily rituals of your digital bartenders. These procedures are like the tried-and-true methods of a seasoned bartender - essential yet often overlooked. They outline the precise measurements for each ingredient, ensuring every drink is consistent and delightful. Procedures are the bar spoon, meticulously measuring each splash, and ensuring all bartenders follow the same recipe. They define the lines on the crew’s cocktail blueprint and the boundaries they shouldn’t overstep.

Policies provide overarching guidance, processes ensure consistent results, and procedures detail the specific tasks of the crew. While policies set the rules of engagement, processes plot the course, and procedures outline the daily tasks that keep the bar buzzing with satisfied patrons.

So, as you navigate the IT seas, remember: policies define the house rules, processes plot the perfect concoction, and procedures ensure every drink is a smooth sail!

+ Client vs. Customer

As I commented in IT Project Management on the Rocks, there is a difference between a customer and a client. I’ve seen these terms used interchangeably, but they are not. The relationship and the type of products or services involved typically define the distinction between a client and a customer. Most of the time, as an Analyst or Project Manager, you will work closely with a Project Owner or Project Sponsor who is a ‘Client,’ not a ‘Customer.’ A client relationship tends to be more ongoing, continuous, and collaborative, characterized by collaboration, communication, and a deeper understanding of the shared objective.

On the other hand, a customer is a consumer of the end product and does not have an immediate or direct influence on the project’s lifecycle, requirements, timeline, or budget; a client can and does. A customer relationship is usually transactional and focused on purchasing goods or services. Also, the relationship is typically temporary and focuses on bartering for pre-existing products or services.

The same confusion can also apply to the term stakeholder. In my previous works, I used the term stakeholder to refer to a member of senior management sponsoring an effort. A stakeholder in that context is the project’s backer, like an investor who might have a financial stake in a bar or a ship. In the context of Policies, Processes, and Procedures, it can be argued that stakeholders are not only the policy’s sponsor or designated authority; the employees and team members enforcing a policy or impacted by the related processes or performing the procedures also have a stake in making these efforts successful.

Part I - Beacon Beach

As an analyst, you understand the importance of crafting clear and effective policies and the secret ingredients that keep your organization running smoothly, like a skilled bartender who meticulously measures each component to create a perfectly balanced cocktail.

First, you understand the crucial role of clear documentation. Like a bartender wouldn’t rely on cryptic scribbles, your policies must be transparently written, leaving no room for misinterpretation. This clarity is vital for compliance, ensuring everyone on the team knows and follows the rules consistently. Think of it as the ice in your drink - keeping everything transparent and preventing unwanted surprises.

Furthermore, clear policies foster organizational transparency, like in a well-lit pub where everyone is welcome to see the ingredients and understand how each drink is crafted. This open approach builds trust and empowers your team to navigate their responsibilities confidently. Think of it as adding a zest of honesty to your cocktail, embuing a refreshing touch of clarity and trust.

Now, let’s talk about aligning your policies with the bigger picture: your organizational goals. Like every good bar has a signature drink, your policies should reflect your broader aspirations. It would be best to have consistency across all policies, ensuring they all work together like a well-balanced cocktail. As the best taverns insist on using only the finest, freshest ingredients throughout your menu - your policies should be of the same standard, ensuring every aspect of your organization operates in sync.

Finally, don’t forget to link your policies to your strategic objectives, the ultimate treasures you seek on your organizational voyage. As a skilled navigator charts a course towards a specific destination, your policies must guide you toward your long-term goals. Think of them as the rum in your punch, providing the strength and flavor propelling you to success.

+ Reality Check, On The Rocks

Throughout this literary endeavor, I will repeatedly refer to a single requirement: Privileged Log Monitoring (PLM)

The use of privileged authorities must be monitored to detect and investigate unusual activity.

A corporate committee’s interpretation of an unclearly defined pseudo-requirement spawned a policy, then a manual process followed by an automated process and the creation procedures for every impacted platform, system, or department, which were logically followed by auditing guidelines and artifact collection and retention.

This single-sentence requirement was initially spawned by a report from the FFIEC and OCC that said the Company did not effectively monitor privileged users’ activities. While I can not confirm, it appears the noted deficiency arose from a document entitled Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment (2005, updated 2011, 2016), which encouraged (but did not require) risk-based monitoring, including scrutinizing users’ activities with higher-level access without detailing what the term scrutinizing entailed.

So, based on a recommendation from a document published years before by a different government agency, a joint committee of two other agencies determined a principal government contractor was out of compliance with a requirement that did not formally exist until five to eleven years later.

ARGH Matey… this is how requirements create policies that spawn processes requiring procedures and presentations to explain who, what, when, where, why, and how… while justifying a project manager’s three-month employment contract stretching for nine years.

1. Lines In The Sand

As an analyst, you should know the various external and internal factors that influence policy creation, just like the ever-changing currents that shape a sailor’s journey. Here’s an exploration of some of the diverse ingredients that blend to create a potent policy cocktail:

Government regulations:

These