In my earlier articles, we explored the need for DevOps in an 21st Century Enterprise IT Estate and DevOps Value Chain for SAP Estate. This article can also be read in isolation. We will discuss Automation a key link in the Run To Optimize (R2O) value chain of DevOps.
Automation is the use of control systems for operating processes that minimize or reduce or eliminate human intervention. The quick win benefit of automation is labor reduction; however, it is also used to improve quality, improve accuracy. Although automation is not new, it is now being looked at in IT Estate like never before due to changing demand, development, and evolution patterns.
Like all automation control systems, the IT
automation approach also looks at two automation control frameworks. Namely,
Open Automation and Closed Loop (Feedback) Automation.
Open Automation is where the action is independent
of the process output. It is automation ‘execute’ an activity, and not
dependent on the output. For example, we can do a system build using a tool or
script or do a code quality check automatically.
Closed Loop (Feedback) Automation has a
feedback loop that ensures the action to give a process is dependent on the output.
It uses a reference point and can reset itself. For this reason, closed-loop (feedback)
automation is used for self-healing processes, Machine learning, and artificial
intelligence. For example, we can have a system monitor a business process and
take autonomous calls to update the underlying technical KPIs to meet a target
business KPI goals without human intervention, impacting environmental behaviors.
Automation is an Incremental evolution built on
a robust process foundation and is an evolutionary process. In an Enterprise
environment where standardization is desired, trying to apply futuristic
automation without having the right levels of foundations setup will not
sustainable. Thus, the right automation goal is to remove the repeatable/highly
repetitive/high touch point tasks and free the Highly Skilled Human Resource to
focus on Higher Value add work which we call as Up-Placement. Vision for 21st
Century Enterprise is to operate in a Multi-Modal IT Delivery model with Focus
on Shift Left on Operations and Evolve the Shift Right on Development to
increase pivot-ability of new business models.
The above figure of typecasting sieve for
automation is a simple metric to identify a roadmap for automation. It
measures the readiness or available automation solutions for a process, and the
level of human intervention. This metric should not be used for leaner
adaptation but to be used purely to classify processes within your IT Estate.
Type A and B are the low-hanging benefits that should be adapted on an
immediate basis as they have ready solutions, off-the-shelf solutions with
configuration. Type C and Type D are the ones that will need significant due
diligence and an adoption roadmap and customized solutions. Do note that this
metrics is true as of ‘today’, meaning, with the availability of more automation
options and solutions, the same process can move from D to B, or from C to A.
This is the inevitable shift.
Type
|
Describe
|
Example
|
A
|
Task that are best performed by Machines.
|
Recognizing patterns of events and executing
the relevant action
System monitoring, self-services, run book
automation, event-triggered activities, infrastructure provisioning, database
& backup management, integration
|
B
|
Task that are best performed by Machines
augmented by Human.
|
Resolution of off-pattern or complex or
unstructured events where the final decision of appropriate action lies with IT
worker.)
Transport release, batch automation, system
administration, system copy, process monitoring, data volume management,
archiving, Run book automation
|
C
|
Task which are best performed by Humans
augmented by Machines.
|
Non-patterned higher complexity tasks which
involve a human relationship, human-centric process, or self-help scenarios
where the action is taken by a human-based on analytical input from a machine.
Process Automation, custom code assessment,
upgrade impact assessments, security, business rules, mobility, analytics,
workflows, data governance, testing
|
D
|
Tasks which are best performed by Humans
alone.
|
Tasks that require an understanding of
business priorities, organizational inter-relationships and human-centric
processes
Process engineering, design thinking,
personalization, business & social collaborations, landscape
transformations, analytics modeling, business planning
|
TYPE A automation are the lowest hanging fruits and
there are standard solutions that should be adopted for automation. There is the maximum value in this space for Operations and IT stakeholders as mature off-the-shelf offerings are available. This should be the easiest to adapt, and has
immediate benefit to operations. A process study of the customer landscape and
tickets can quickly identify the cases where we can eliminate repeaters and
runners. The approach will be to adapt
to self-service and autonomous machine-driven processes.
TYPE B automation is in areas where there is mature
potential to adapt a solution that has proven mature products but key decisions
are taken by a human. Process mining needs to be done to simplify or eliminate human
dependencies. Here the automation goes hand in hand with the Best Source of help
(BSoH) that either replace human intervention or shifts the work to low-skilled
resource and relieve high-skilled resources to do more value-added work. The approach will be to build automation
strategies for manual intervention.
TYPE C automation is in areas where you may not
have off-the-shelf easy to deploy solutions, nor are there continuous human
interventions. Process mining will show them in critical business processes,
scheduled occurrences, with a high impact on value. Process Automation, Design
Thinking for User Experience and Business Process Re-engineering is to be
used. There is maximum value in this space for Business and Functional stakeholders. The approach here would be to build
a predictive model and adopt robotic process automation.
TYPE D
automation is in areas of complex process areas that require human
interventions with advanced cognitive skills and knowledge. The maturity of machines
in this area today is very low and it has high involvement in human
intervention. Although there is a high investment in this area, leading to the
concept of singularity where decisions made by machine will not be any
disadvantageous than that of human or could be better. This area is not the immediate goal for any
enterprise looking for The approach here would
be to evaluate artificial intelligence and advanced machine learnings.
Let us do a use case of TYPE A and TYPE B automation through the approach of Best Source of Help. This is a stepping stone for successful automation in an environment where you have existing users that consume the IT services through help-desk or an ITSM tool or through an ad-hoc process like email or walk up the team. Most process mining in existing landscapes shows that there is always something to improve. This use case is not going to be the pill for all ills, but a guideline around how to address it. IT Estate big or small, simple or complex, centralized or distributed will all benefit from this.
Best Source of Help for Run To Optimize (R2O)
Best Source of Help
(BSoH) is the methodology where a front end staff, say the person manning the helpdesk or the operations command center, can follow Standard Operating Process (SOP), execute
Guided Procedure (GP), Self-service Portals, and scripts to resolve problems, queries, and requests. This will also give guidance to what requests can be closed
upfront, and what needs to go to support teams. This will enhance the user
experience around how IT resolves a situation. The BSoH is not just another
Known Error Data Base, but a methodology that brings all the essence of ITIL
under one umbrella that includes autonomous self-healing, to proactive response,
faster time to resolve, integrated root cause, and creation of virtual
collaborative team rooms.
The assessment for service management
can starts with process-mining the existing tickets and process from Helpdesk
to its resolution. A good process mining will optimize in the following areas:
- Wrong
ticket forwarding – SOP will likely result in a ticket assigned to the right team, the first time. BSoH will help facilitate correct and timely resolution by identifying rightful owners for assignment.
- Ticket redirections (Multi hop)
- tickets are
redirected between many departments, leading to an unnecessarily long
solution duration, low efficiency, and the loss of money and time. BSoH will facilitate collaborative
team rooms and war rooms to get all dependent parties together for common
resolution.
- First Time close - Through clear guidelines and strict monitoring of these tickets, these cases could be reduced. Use BSoH components
of Guided Procedure (GP)
and Scripts.
- Increase Time To Resolve – Shift Left by putting the
tickets in the right queue the first time using BSoH
- Ticket Prevention – Implement Self Service workflows
which will enable users to own primary resolutions.
- Ticket
Elimination – BSoH with RCA will help enforce Root Cause and
Corrective Actions (RCCA) through mining the data. So Runners
and Repeaters will get addressed faster by quicker corrective
actions
Automation is one of the leavers in DevOps for
SAP. While we understand the need for automation, we see some deterrents in the realization of full value.
Deterrents to DevOps and continuous delivery are Legacy IT systems, old
technologies, complex system, heterogeneous integration, poor
project-management processes, unclean data, manual processes, and uncoordinated
actions by disconnected teams. Thus it is important we do treat our IT
automation with the type
casting sieve for automation for us to build a roadmap and do the required
treatments.
In my next article, we will discuss more on DevOps adaptation for SAP Estate: Extending DevSecOps to your SAP Landscape and DevSecOps - Embedded Security With Omni-Speed DevOps |
About the author:
Trijoy Saikia is an Enterprise Architect having 16+ years of
experience in IT across the chemical, natural resources vertical domain and working
experience in mills and process industry. He has worked on a complex SAP
landscape in various capacities in outsourcing, system integration, and
transformation projects. He has experience working on large multi-geography
landscape transformation related to acquisition and spin-off, including
managing integration, transition, rebadging, and handling sensitivities. He has
been in roles with accountability in Delivery, Financials, Customer
Satisfaction for Service Management and Service Delivery across SAP and non-SAP
applications. He is involved in roles across technology – design, integration,
IT transformation, technology architecture, project management, mobilizations,
and change management. He has contributed to pre-sales, solution architecting,
service management, mobilization, transformation, and delivery roles. He is involved
in building capabilities in
technology architecture. Have co-authored white papers, leads innovations and
has built capabilities in SAP Architecture, Administration, Security,
Integration and Shop-Floor Technologies. He is a Computer Engineer by education and hails from Assam in India. He has worked with
Accenture and Patni Computers Systems prior to joining
HCL in 2014. He is is a Director in SAP Service line. He can be connected at trijoy.s@hcl.com
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