IT performance data is the information that shows how well your IT systems and services are delivering value to your customers, users, and stakeholders. It can help you identify problems, optimize resources, improve quality, and achieve your goals. But how can you use IT performance data to improve your IT operations management? Here are some tips to help you get started.
The first step is to define what you want to measure and why. You need to align your performance metrics with your business objectives, customer expectations, and IT best practices. You also need to consider the availability, reliability, accuracy, and relevance of the data sources. Some examples of performance metrics are availability, response time, throughput, error rate, utilization, and satisfaction.
Depending on the project's goal and state, we use different performance metrics. For productive and stable solutions, we look at the trend for number of users, returning users, heavy adopters. Also the tickets opened by users to report bugs are a good indicator over the stability of the solution. However, even if the solution is adopted and stable, we also use qualitative feedback to gauge the value for the users. For solutions that are not so stable, and still in development or in refinement, I am looking at how well the new solution is viewed compared to the current solution. If the benefit is not very strong, it will be hard to convince users to change and adopt the new solution.
The next step is to collect and analyze your performance data using appropriate tools and methods. You need to ensure that your data collection is consistent, timely, and secure. You also need to apply statistical and analytical techniques to identify patterns, trends, anomalies, and root causes. Some examples of tools and methods are monitoring systems, dashboards, reports, charts, graphs, and histograms.
We are using data provided by reporting solutions built-in the system. If the data is not enough, the company's data warehouse is the go-to solution. That is because the engineers there already made the work to combine data from different systems to report it as a whole.
The third step is to communicate and visualize your performance data to your stakeholders and users. You need to present your data in a clear, concise, and compelling way. You also need to use visual aids such as charts, graphs, maps, and heatmaps to highlight the key insights and recommendations. Some examples of visual aids are Google Charts , Tableau , Power BI , and Grafana .
The fourth step is to act on your performance data to improve your IT operations management. You need to prioritize and implement the actions that will have the most impact on your performance goals. You also need to track and measure the results of your actions and adjust them as needed. Some examples of actions are resolving issues, optimizing resources, enhancing quality, and innovating solutions.
We have good experience analyzing performance data using Microsoft's Azure logs and PowerBI tool. We can identify which solutions are used and should not be (such as old PoCs that are replaced with new ones), we also identify the users with professional licenses that are not using the IT tools at all, hence, we can cancel their license.
The fifth step is to review and refine your performance data to ensure its validity and value. You need to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your data collection, analysis, communication, and action processes. You also need to update and improve your performance metrics, tools, methods, and visual aids as your business and IT environment changes. Some examples of review and refine activities are feedback surveys, audits, benchmarks, and reviews.
The sixth step is to learn and grow from your performance data to continuously improve your IT operations management. You need to capture and share the lessons learned and best practices from your performance data initiatives. You also need to foster a culture of learning and improvement among your IT staff and stakeholders. Some examples of learning and growth activities are training sessions, workshops, webinars, and blogs.