6-Apr-04

                                                                                                                                    David C. Johnson

EDS Process Tracker

 

·        Web of screens with decision abilities to link between screens

·        Screens can be in user’s native language, but the paths (links) are language-independent (same process used by all employees in multiple languages)

·        User can fix the problem, or system can email someone (dynamic to user’s time zone and geography) to make personal contact

o      Email to 2nd level would include a log of what the user did when

·        Should implement automatic notification and authorization

o      e.g. Approval chains for security authorization, hardware and/or software configuration changes

·        Must be easily changed but under configuration control

o      GUI would be nice to have for “You are Here” and changes

o      need test environment to experiment with new versions (test must look substantially different from production!)

o      need promotion and authorization to release to “production” (this might use its own authorization chains!)

·        Enforces (and documents) a process

o      logs document instances of a process (who changed what and when – useful for audits and Sequence of Events Monitoring)

o      logs also show times for steps within a process and total process time

o      can generate 6-Sigma metrics automatically

·        Facilitates rapid change to business processes

o      better than a static document, which is always out of date

o      more permanent than “how-to” notes or just word of mouth

o      self-documenting and highly visible processes (easy to show to ISO, CMMI,  Malcolm Baldridge and other inspections)

·        Captures knowledge of employees who

o      are out of the office (sick, vacation, etc.)

o      will be retiring or leaving soon

·        Ideal for processes that are only occasionally used

·        Valuable for training new employees

o      can “see” the train of thought

·        Same software (engine) would serve many applications:

o      traditional help desk

o      troubleshooting (on-call, root cause determination, fault isolation)

o      Security Authorization

o      performance reviews and pay changes

·        Software could be used by many EDS applications AND could be sold to external customers