Data Visualization: Free WiFi Hotspot Locations in New York City

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to play with some fun data visualization tools. I must say of the ones I tried, I enjoyed working with Tableau Public the most! I created a simple visualization for the wireless hotspots in various New York city zipcodes. The dataset is among the several available on the New York City Open Data. It took me less than one hour to build a fun and simple visualization of the city's zipcodes with free (and fee-based) Wi-Fi hotspot locations. It is an interactive visualization. Please click on the graphic map below to be taken to the site. Give it a try and leave your  comments below.

New York City WiFi Hotspot Locations Data Visualization

I am currently using data visualization tools to create dashboards for my clients that helps them visualize their massive data in a simple, interactive, and cost effective way. Recently on the Forrester blogs, there was an article, "The Changing Landscape of Data Visualization Requires a Radical Approach" by John Brand, where he outlines the five triggers that might be contributing to this change. They are listed as:
1) Increasing volumes of data
2) Complex data relationships
3) Need for interactivity with data
4)Gamification (fun, playful and engaging simulations of boring data)
5)Cognitive computing (expression of data in compelling new ways)

Your can read the complete article on Forrester Blogs, a link is included above.

Do you currently use any data visualization tools in your organization? Which one do you use and what is the primary purpose? I would love to hear about it! Leave your responses in the comments section below.

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5 Aspects of a Holistic Service Design in IT Service Management

This is probably not the first time you have heard the word 'holistic'.  Have you pondered over the thought of what is the actual meaning of the word holistic and why it is used so much in the IT world these days? Well, this blog post will help shed some light on this topic. Miriam's Webster Dictionary defines holistic as : relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.

Holistic medicine concerns with approaching treatment to the whole body rather than just treating the symptoms of an existing condition. Similarly, when approaching service design, we must take a complete, big picture perspective of the overall service that is being designed. It should not be done in isolation, the impact on the entire service, its management, tools, systems and architectures, other supporting processes and metrics should also be considered. 

A holistic approach to Service Design takes into consideration the 5 key aspects within all its process activities. It ensures that consistency and integration within all IT activities and processes are achieved both in function and quality.

The 5 key aspects to a holistic approach in service design are:

1) Gathering Service requirements for new and/or changed services: Requirements for new or changed services can be elicited through requirements analysis or extracted from an organization's service portfolio. Each requirement needs to be carefully evaluated, documented and agreed upon, so that the design document can be constructed.  This design document can then be compared to the strategy and constraints of the IT's service strategy to ensure that it is conforming to existing policies. Also, it must ensure that the new or changed service is easily integrated with the existing services and other underpinning services that support it.

2) Leveraging Information management tools like service portfolio and service catalog: The existing management tools must be closely evaluated to ensure that they are capable of supporting the new or changed service. Some of the key management systems in a service oriented organization are its service portfolio and catalog. These reside within the Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) and contain details on the design of the service, technology architectures and measurement methods & metrics.

3)Integration with Enterprise technology architectures and management architectures: Any new or changed service needs to be aligned with the organization's existing technology and management architecture to remain consistent and to ensure that the service is operable within the constraints of the existing architecture. If not, then either the architectures would need to be updated or the service's design would require modification to be successful.

4)Discovery of the processes required: As with any new or changed service, there is impact to roles, responsibilities and skills of individuals involved. Existing processes need to be reviewed to ensure that the new or changed process is not creating a major impact on how they function. If it is, steps need to be taken to educate personnel in their changing roles and processes need to be updated to accomodate for the new or updated service. This includes all service management processes, not just the one process in question.

5) Measurement metrics and methods: This is an often overlooked aspect when new or changed services are introduced. Existing measurements methods and metrics need to be reviewed and updated so that the new or changed service can be accurately measured and tracked. This might not be required if the change to an existing service is minor or does not impact the measurement metrics.

Considering the above 5 key aspects during the service design phase ensures that the new or changed service is integrated into the existing environment consistently and with minimal impact to the user.  ITIL's foundational principle is about IT as a service organization focusing on the business processes it supports and the value that the business receives or realizes as a result of its service. Hence, as a result of this model, the impact of technology on the business and how a business change may impact IT can both be predicted and measured. Adoption of a holistic approach to service design ensures that all aspects of the organization are considered and included within all new or changed services. 

Do you currently practice a holistic approach to service design in your organization or have an example of an approach that has worked for you in your organization? I would love to hear it! Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

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Career Management: 5 Helpful Tips to Successfully Negotiate in a Tough Job Market

Back in December 2011, I was invited by Disability.gov to contribute as a guest blogger to their Career Connection Series, Ask the Expert. I developed an article that offered tips on how to successfully negotiate in a tough job market. This was almost a year ago. The current employment market as we know it is changing. There are new models being created and born almost every day. Below is a link to the original article as it appreared on Disability.gov. Did you find the article helpful? Please leave your comments below.

Career Connection Series: 5 Helpful Tips to Successfully Negotiate in a Tough Job Market

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Tool Resource: Continual Service Improvement ITIL (CSI) Tracker

One of more frequent questions I get asked from my clients who are an ITIL shop is if there are recommendations for a good CSI Register tool. After having done some research on the internet and checking in with a few offerings, and I have concluded that though there are some flavors of home grown CSI Tracker tools in some organizations, there is not a tool in the market yet that supports this process. Some of my clients use a basic Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to track their CSIs, some others use their intranet, and some maintain a paper based form.

Hence, I decided to develop a very simple, crisp, straightforward Continual Service Improvement ITIL CSI Tracker tool that any individual or organization can utilize easily right out of the box. I am pleased to announce CSI Tracker Tool from Bluefrog Technologies LLC. It is one of the first official commercial product offerings and is currently in beta 1.0.

If you are a CSI Manager, or an organization that currently following the ITIL guidelines for Service Management, I invite you to give CSI Tracker tool a test drive. I would love to hear your feedback and see how the product can be further improved. Please leave your comments below.

To access CSI Tracker Tool, please follow the link below.





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Test your ITIL Knowledge with a fun Crossword Puzzle

I created this fun crossword puzzle on ProProf Brain Games! You can create a free account and play or create your own games.  I created a crossword puzzle game to test your ITIL knowledge! I found it quite fun and easy  to create. I invite you to give it a try and leave me note below if you enjoyed it.

I used Articulate to publish it to my website. It is not track-able, as it is a flat html file. Have fun!

Play the ITIL Crossword Puzzle

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Video: Do you find yourself using any of these overused phrases sometimes?

As a Project Manager, do find yourself using some of these phrases ? For me, it had to be... "Hi, who's on the call?" , "I think we might have some scope creep here" , "Has the SOW been signed yet?", & "Lets take this offline". What are some of yours? Share below.

 

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ITIL v3 Foundations Certification Study Group Forming

Beginning next week, I will be starting a 4 day online instructor led ITIL v3 Foundations course through Pink Elephant. At the end of this class, I plan on completing my ITIL v3 Foundations exam. Then, in August, I will be completing the ITIL Intermediate Service Design certification course in Scottsdale, AZ.  I know there is a growing need for ITIL professionals and for individuals with PMP & ITIL credentials.
So, if you are a PMP looking to get your ITIL certification, consider joining my study group that is starting in August. I will be facilitating this group and help you acheive your ITIL v3 Foundations certification.  The goal is to get your ITIL v3 Foundations certificate by August 30th 2012. If this is something you want to venture into this summer, please leave a comment below or send me an email.

We will meet online twice a week to review study material and discuss your questions. This is completely FREE and maximum study group size is 10.  More details will be provided to the participants as we get closer to the start date.

Questions? Contact me or leave me a comment below.

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