Friday, December 9, 2016

Why study ITIL

Many IT professionals would be working in their profiles with many years of experience without any proper guidance. This would result in following processes and procedures that suits best for their organization. But having a guideline on how things can be improved using few best practices is really advantageous.
IT companies use a lot of technologies for their products, but their main goal and aim is to manage that technology effectively to provide excellent services to their customers. ITIL fits these needs successfully, as it is a set of processes on how to manage the services effectively for the benefit of both the business and the customer. It has become foundation knowledge for every person in spite of any role or job that they perform in their company. Knowledge about service management and delivery has become essential for success of any project. Many companies even would mention ITIL certification as mandatory for their job profiles.
ITIL uses many best practices which can be implemented in any area irrespective of the technology used by the company. It is very versatile and flexible and can be adapted by any organization to suit their needs. If ITIL is implemented effectively in an organization, we can definitely see the benefits. There has been research stating that many international companies have benefitted by using the ITIL framework.
In an ever changing market, organizations need to adapt faster and keep up with the market competition. ITIL provides a better way to do that and also provides improvement in quality of services.
ITIL foundation has been considered as a mandatory knowledge for all IT professionals including project managers. ITIL service lifecycle deals with different aspects of service strategy, service design, service operation and service transition, which are all the major aspects of any project lifecycle.
Studying ITIL ensures that a professional is aware of the different stages involved in an IT lifecycle and what are the best practices to follow for increasing the productivity, reducing the cost and improving the quality of the service.
There are different levels in ITIL certifications such as Foundation level, Intermediate level, Management level, Expert level and Master level. Based on the job profile, one can pursue the different levels of certifications. The Foundation level provides you with basic insights into Lifecycle and the processes involved.
Listed below are few benefits of studying ITIL:
1.       Globally recognized certification: ITIL is globally recognized certification and hence helps in career growth.
2.       Common terminology: Many organizations might be using the ITIL processes but may not use the correct terminology. ITIL provides them with a common baseline for using same terminology which is beneficial for all.
3.       Increase in productivity: ITIL describes many best practices and implementing them in the job would increase the productivity of the individual and of the company.
4.       Increased Customer satisfaction: By following the practices suggested in ITIL, one can effectively improve the quality of service provided to the customer and knowledge on the processes provides better customer satisfaction.
Service providers that use ITIL processes and practices would have a competitive edge as people understand the processes and models provided by ITIL to effectively implement in their project. Managing the technology effectively to deliver the desired results to customer has become increasingly important for all the organizations to provide that extra edge to stand out from other service providers.

Most of the companies realize that a good service delivery and management is utmost necessary for building trust with the customer and hence are ready to adopt the best practices for the same. ITIL has become extremely popular and organizations are finding it easy to mould it accordingly to their needs.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

No business small or big can survive without a proper customer support. Issues do arise due to some technical faults, application issues or due to customer ignorance. For sustaining customers and improving customer satisfaction, support is always necessary. This is where Helpdesk comes into picture.

I have experience in my previous company, where the team was doing a wonderful job producing successful projects and completing them as per the deadlines, but the client was not happy. The reason was that, there were no helpdesk personnel to support them with their issues. The team responded to customers whenever they found time from their busy schedule of development and management. There wasn’t a dedicated team to assist the client with their issues. Management realized that the success of the project not only lies in delivering software projects on time, but also in supporting the client, when required, to maintain the relationship. Without customer support, you cannot retain a client.

IT sector is booming and most of the individuals want a career in the IT industry and Helpdesk is considered as the entry level for such a rewarding career. Most of the individuals, who have progressed to Project Managers started as helpdesk technicians. Even experienced candidates, when they form a part of the new project or industry which they are not aware of, they are initially put into support team as they can understand the functionality quickly. Even a Business analyst can understand the problems faced in a business by looking at the defects log raised by the helpdesk team and analyze on the priority of the issues based on the frequency of the occurrence.
There are a variety of Helpdesk jobs such as hardware support or technical support, software or application support.  Few jobs are Call center representative, Helpdesk personnel, Application support specialist, Level L1 and L2 support to name a few. Their skills range from knowledge about the technology they are working in apart from the soft skills.

Companies provide training to helpdesk personnel in many fields such as
  • ·         Call handling process
  • ·         Tools specific to that industry
  • ·         Dealing with frustrated customers
  • ·         Communication skills over phone
  • ·         Email communication
  • ·         Support process of handling tickets

These are few skills that organizations train personnel in.  Helpdesk specialists still need the ability to solve problems and handle situations based on the customer response and so on.
 While these are the soft skills that a helpdesk personnel is expected to have, there are few technical skills which will increase your chances of landing a job.  Some courses which prepares an individual to handle issues faced in helpdesk support include:
  
  • Ø  Configuration of software
  •   Ø  Network fundamentals
  •   Ø  Troubleshooting
  •   Ø  Installing upgrades

There are also certifications which helps a helpdesk professional to grow in their career. Few of them are CompTIA A+ , CompTIA Network+ and Microsoft Certified IT professionals. To build your career as a new employee or as an experienced professional these certifications add value to your resume and will improve your skills and knowledge. You can also connect with a lot of Microsoft Certified professionals once you have completed the certificate which will help you enhance your knowledge about the subject.  Few colleges have mandated the CompTIA A+ certification in their course which is a computer troubleshooting certificate. Many companies prefer people with such certifications which are globally recognized and are considered as a basis for entry level of a helpdesk job.


After few years of experience, helpdesk personnel can move into any other role in the organization as he would have gained knowledge about the domain in which the company works and has knowledge on how the processes are handled and how to handle customers.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Why I chose Logitrain for ITIL Training

With growing complexity of IT architecture and landscape managing IT systems and process poses a major problem to any organisation. Thus there is a need to have a standard framework for organisation to manage their existing process also be prepared to have a seamless transition to ongoing change.
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is one the standard practice model that help organisation manage and align their IT process to best in class practice model.
An organisation can adopt standard set for service strategy, transition, operation clubbed with best practice model.

Preparation for any exam is essential for candidate to ensure they understand the basic concepts and structure of the exam. While preparation without expert help can be tricky it also created a nervousness in the mind of aspiring exam seeker. Hence an expert help is definitely suggested to ensure one can clear exam in very first attempt
While multiple organisation across Australia offer online and classroom training for ITIL. One should be looking to join Logitrain. My recommendation is based on below reasoning 
1.       Australia wide presence – Logitrain has centre across Sydney and Melbourne where most of IT companies are located
2.       Expert coaching – the staff has immense industry experience and through professional
3.       Practice exam – emphasis is given to practice test it ensure one is not nervous on final day of exam
4.       Scenario based learning – class room training emphasis on scenario based learning to ensure one can easily align the ITIL practice to the organisational need
5.       Flexibility – classroom training is available over weekdays and weekends to ensure one can study while still in job
6.       Competitive pricing – the pricing structure is very competitive
7.       Understanding of industry needs – the Logitrain team continuously update there curriculum  and classroom teaching techniques to modern practice
8.        Understand Migrant needs well – Staff does understand the needs and difficulty a migrating face in Australia and are very helpful
9.       Infrastructure : there is enough IT asset and practice material for self-study which is provided for the Logitrain faculty
10.   Roadmap – one can discuss their certification roadmap as ITIL has many module starting from beginner/foundation to Practitioner.
Other salient feature of Logitrain
Mission: To help individual enhance their skills and competencies to help them get a suitable job
Goal: Provide quality training with seasoned professional to help one stay ahead of competitions
Experienced Instructors: Faculty staff is professionals with good IT experience. And hold certification in CISCO, Microsoft, Cloud IT service management (ITSM)

Flexible Schedule: Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
What is studied in Logitrain for ITIL?
1.       Details of Service strategy that an organisation needs to standardise its IT practice
2.       Service design : Banking industry was taken as reference sector to understand the importance of Service catalogue, system availability management, capacity parameters, Security and partner/supplier management
3.       Service transition : How large organisation transition from its build to run department
4.       Service Operation; How an High Priority incident is managed in Bank where system availability is paramount of its customer
5.       Role of Service desk or Level 1 team , practical issues faced for them and how to handle stress and difficulty situation
6.       How to document a incident or case
7.       How to use various ticketing application used widely for Australian companies
Some of online search on Logitrain gave me below which made my decision more firm:
Candidate 1:  Professional organisation, highly recommended. I did my CISCO certificate and was able to get full support
Candidate 2: Instructor led training was very useful for me to clear my ITIL exam within record time

Google rating of organisation was 4.8 out of 5

Monday, August 29, 2016

The Main Point You didn't Find out In Scrum Master Training

This piece of information originally related to my industry experience, in industry lot of Scrum team work differently and produced different results. Many Scrum teams work and produced too much effective results but many others teams didn't complete their goals.
Everybody associated was qualified, very enthusiastic and every of these had worked together properly on past jobs.
I started thinking and research about all the successful and not successful scrum team. I assign some same type of projects in different team and said them to develop these projects via Scrum development model.

Reasons of Successful Scrum Team
·         This scrum team work and operated very efficiently.
·         Team respect each other and their works.
·         Scrum Master extra ordinary efficient.
·         Scrum Master have the team management skills.
·         Scrum master efficiently handled disruptions and disagreements.
·         Scrum Master has good working relation with others team members.
·         They had become a close team over the past six sprints.

Reason of Unsuccessful Team
·         This Scrum team had lot of disagreements each other.
·         Scrum Master not capable to handle the team.
·         Scrum Master have very poor management skills.
·         This team change their team members day by day.
·         Scrum Master has less knowledge of group development.
·         Scrum Master not follow the standard.

Note:
Scrum is an agile methodology its necessary to done agile certification before started working on this.

Therefore, when you, like a supervisor, want your Scrum teams to thrive, be sure your ScrumMasters receive leadership coaching, coaching and mentoring so that they know how to work with folks in groups. They must come to be comfortable with carefully shifting the customers with the groups throughout the phases of group advancement as promptly as is possible. Or else, you could possibly grow to be discouraged because of to the lack of outcomes from your groups.

Friday, August 19, 2016

What is Agile?

Agile methodology is one of the hot topics in Software development. But what exactly is Agile?
Simply put it is different way of software development. Waterfall software development life-cycle has been traditional software development methodology. However waterfall software development life-cycle has many drawbacks. Projects developed using this methodology take too long to develop and tend to fail too often. This is because Waterfall software development is a linear and rigid approach.  In Waterfall method all the requirements has to be confirmed at the start, all the code has to be finished before it can be tested.
A small group of people came together and put forward Agile manifesto. The Agile manifesto values Communication over following processes, Working software over documentation, Customer Cooperation over Requirements approval. Agile puts more importance on flexibility with change over following a plan. Due to its flexibility and excess use in industry training institute start agile certification for spread the knowledge of agile in all over the industry.
Agile places importance on

User Involvement

Agile places greatest importance on involving users on every stage of Software development life-cycle. If it is not practical to have direct user involved every step of the development. However at least some user representative should be there.

Development Team must be able to make decisions

Software development team should be complete unit responsible for End to end solution delivery. If a decision needs to be made they should have some senior representatives who can make that decision.

Requirements can change but time limit does not

The goal of the agile is to be flexible with the requirements. However at the same time it is responsible in delivering solution in fixed time frame. So change in requirements should be able to fit in existing time frame.

Requirements can be Bare minimum

Agile recognizes that the requirements are always evolving. So it is possible that at the start of Agile projects the requirements are bare minimum.

Develop small release and repeat

The Agile focuses on delivering small changes that can be put in production in short amount of time without major impacts rather than complete overhaul of the system.

Frequent delivery is important

Agile is fast moving method so frequently delivering small changes to the system is important. Small changes are easier to manage and develop and they can be deployed with very little or no impact to existing system

Complete each change before moving on

An agile sprint should deliver the results it was intended to deliver. Each sprint has definition of “DONE” defined at the start and Agile sprint should make sure that the “DONE” Status is achieved

Deliver Minimal Viable product

Agile focuses on delivering changes that are most important and vital to project success. This ensures that project delivery can be done with less cost with greater rate of return

Testing should be done at each step

Agile places importance on testing. Testing should be done as early and as often as possible. Testing make sure any potential issues are recognized and fixed early in the project

Cooperation is important

Agile relies heavily of cooperation between team members. So that the team as a whole can achieve the goal.

 

Monday, August 8, 2016

What is PRINCE2

Definition

PRINCE2 is an acronym for Projects IN Controlled Environment. This is a process based project management methodology used by UK government and private sectors worldwide. PRINCE2 has set of best practice recommendations for project management. PRINCE2 is heavily process driven. It gives guidance on various states of project such as start, middle and end.  It gives guidance on managing the project throughout its lifecycle. It has recommendations for different processes and methods for management. It involves producing various artefact through all stages of projects.

History

PRINCE2 framework is based on PRINCE methodology created in 1989. The framework was collectively formed by more than 150 European companies in 1996. PRINCE and PRINCE2 is recognised worldwide and effective project management methodology.

Benefits

PRINCE2 framework provides set of best practice guidelines for project management. Corporations can able to manage projects more effectively using this methodology.
Organisations using PRINCE2 methodology are able to deliver quality projects which are managed and controlled consistently and effectively. They are able to track the projects actual progress against the estimated timeline. They are able to predict expected project benefits with greater accuracy.
Project managers are able to divide projects into smaller sections which can be managed and controlled easily. They are able to reduce the project overheads, remove the resource contention and are able to mitigate project risk at greater extent.
PRINCE2 provides set of guidelines which can be commonly adapted across the industry. PRINCE2 provides Managers and project Managers organised approach to control the start, middle and end of the project lifecycle. Project managers are able to conduct regular reviews and track project progress against project plan. Project managers are able to measure projects intended outcome and estimate the business benefits.
PRINCE2 list the stages of the process. It gives guides on artefacts to produce during these stages. It gives you various tools and resources to manage the project effectively.

PRINCE2 Certifications

PRINCE2 has various PRINCE2 certification level geared for different levels of project management.

PRICE2 Foundation

PRICE2 Foundation gives basic overview of PRICE2 methodology. This is a good starting point for individuals who want to pursue a career in project management.

PRINCE2 Practitioner

PRINCE2 Practitioner is geared towards project managers who are already working in PRINCE2 Project. This courseware gives in depth knowledge of PRINCE2 methodology.
Both of these certificates are available in online or instructor led format.

PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner

Individuals can choose to undertake both Foundation and Practitioner courses together.

PRICE2 Re-Registration


Individuals with either PRINCE2 Foundation or Practitioner certificate need to pass re-registration certificate within 5 years.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Secrets of Successful Project Mangers

Being a successful project manager is essential for the IT sector. The way in which to become a successful project manager is to undertake the Prince 2 certification in project management. This certification is the best way to learn how to become successful in this area. It is best practice and will enhance your career and get projects completed in an effective and efficient manner. The certification allows a prospective or current manager to follow guidelines, rules and protocols that will help you and your organisation complete projects on time and to the best of quality.

The Prince 2 certification will also add weight to your resume as it shows to employers that you have the intellectual tools to implement a project management strategy that works. This certification is also world recognised so you can apply it in any country and any organisation. To an employer, the undertaking of the Prince 2 certification shows that you are willing to take time to better equip yourself to improve your organisation and your skills and knowledge in project management. With this certification you have the knowledge that will be used to better improve the organisation in project management. Thus, you will become an asset to a company and your skills and knowledge will be essential.

The benefit of the Prince 2 certification is that it can be adapted to all types of projects. It has the ability to review progress and to learn from mistakes made during the process. This means that the certification has flexibility and will be vital to improving project management and to becoming a successful project manager.


Hence, it is vital that in order to become a successful project manager, it is essential to attain the Prince 2 certification that has a multi-pronged affect. It will enhance you as a successful project manager, increase employability and create better results for your organisation.