|
Term |
Definition/Description |
|
Program/Project
Management
. |
The systematic execution of a System Development Life
Cycle (SDLC) for a release or projects that have significant impact on an
organization’s service delivery. This
procedure oversees the SDLC execution; thus, it relies heavily on defined
procedure activities and acceptance criteria for inputs and outputs
Note: Every unit within SDLC interacts with Program/Project Management.
Every release of new and enhanced features and functionality
requires the commitment and effort from all departments. |
| Project
Manager |
The
focal point throughout a project who ensures that the responsible party
has completed with quality and comply with defined acceptance criteria.
The Project
Manager also acts as the conduit for communicating the progress of
the project and decisions made throughout the process to the Project Sponsor,
Contracting
Organization, and the Performing
Organization. |
| Program
Management |
Addresses
oversight for a group of projects. Program
Managers shoulder the responsible for the successful completion of
program objectives by supporting and developing project staff.
Reporting at this level provides Executive
Management with the information necessary to make informed
decisions and execute actions that optimize benefits to the organization.
|
|
Program
Manager |
The
tactical manager who facilitates, monitors and communicates the progress
and issues in implementing the strategic objectives of an approved
program. The Program
Manager works cross-functionally to develop the blueprint that
integrates multiple release deliverables that enhance the program’s
portfolio.
|
|
PMO |
The
PMO is the organization
that consolidates all project plans and reports the status to executive
management. Impacts from
individual projects can be seen from an organizational perspective and
responded to rapidly. The PMO is where project and
program standards, procedures, policies and reporting are established.
|
|
Business
Gate |
defined
milestone in a project lifecycle when specific requirements must be met in
order to make or validate business decisions relating to the project.
|
|
Lock-Down |
The
milestone in a project schedule achieved when agreement exists between the
Performing Organizations and the Contracting Organizations for the
delivery of a defined project scope of work within a defined schedule at a
defined cost.
|
|
Management
Phase Review |
An
event associated with selected business gates where specific decisions
concerning the project are made by appropriate levels of management.
Deviations in deliverables or timeframe are handled by convening
the Gate 6 Review Board. This group will make any decisions concerning scope,
cost, and schedule tradeoffs. These
business gates are:
-
G-11:
Project Strategy Lock-Down
-
G-10:
Requirements Scope Lock-Down
-
G-6:
Project Lock-Down
-
G-4:
Begin Validation
-
G-2:
Begin FOA
-
G-0:
General Availability
|
|
SDLC Business Gates |
The foundation is Program/Project Management in the SDLC Business Gates. This Systems
Development Life Cycle (SDLC) begins at project initiation and moves
through deployment to the production environment. |
|
Phase |
A
collection of logically related project activities, usually culminating in
the completion of a major deliverable. The conclusion of a project phase
is generally marked by a review of both key deliverables and project
performance in order to determine if the project should continue into its
next phase as defined or with modifications or be terminated and to detect
and correct errors cost effectively.
|
|
Program |
A
defined set of projects containing common dependencies, and/or resources
and/or objectives overseen by a Program Manager |
|
Project |
A
temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service. A
project has a defined scope of work (unique product or service), a time
constraint within which the project objectives must be completed
(temporary) and a cost constraint. In the context of SDLC, a project may be one of:
- an
individual feature
- a
collection of features making a release
- a
collection of product releases making up a portfolio
- a
new product development
|
|
System
Development Life Cycle (SDLC) |
A
predictable series of phases through which a new information system
progresses from conception to implementation.
All of the activities involved with creating and operating an
information system, from the planning phase and/or the initial concept to
the point at which the system is installed in a production environment.
The major phases are Release Planning, Definition (Requirements and
Specifications), Development, Test (Validation), and Deployment.
|
|
Role |
Responsibility |
|
Operations
Center Control
|
The Operations Control Center (OCC) provides first level monitoring of all SDLC production and Beta services.
These responsibilities include monitoring the health of the web
servers, databases, mail and chat facilities, content feeds and Exodus
provided services
|
|
Systems
Engineering
|
System
Engineering is responsible for identifying, building and improving
site-monitoring tools. Tools
are delivered following a formal turnover that includes source code,
documentation, and training. System
Engineering provides ongoing support to the OCC.
|
|
Operations
Staff
|
Each
individual in the Operations Department provides second tier monitoring
of the production and beta environments.
|
|
Engineering
Staff
|
Third
tier monitoring of the production and beta environments is provided by
staff in all other areas of the Engineering Department, outside
Operations.
|
|
Technical
Support
|
Technical
Support is the primary point of contact for customers and partners. They
provide first level, and sometimes second level, support to customers
and partners.
|
|
Content
|
The
Product Department area that makes changes to site content. Site content
is defined as inclusive of content, ad servicing and objects. The
Content area executes and monitors site content changes and communicates
changes to site content to OCC for site logging/tracking purposes.
|
|
Exodus
|
Exodus is the “ping, power and pipe” for SDLC. Their services
cover applications, hardware, communications and the environment where
the server farms are located. Exodus
communicates directly with the OCC when issues arise.
-
Systems
Engineering – Need to be more involved in the use of tool they
developed and used in day-to-day ops monitoring.
-
Exodus
– Exodus provides network monitoring and port mirroring sniffer
monitoring of the production servers.
Issues or failures above the ten server threshold are
reported to the OCC
-
Release
Engineering – The OCC turns off and on access to areas of the
server farm for Release Engineering when a push is being executed.
OCC coordinates with Quality Assurance to determine on how a push
will impact the site. Also,
Qualification Function and Emergency Push Procedures provide the
process that the OCC, Release Engineering and Quality Assurance
follow prior to and immediately after an emergency push.
The OCC may delay a release due to current traffic and/or
active incident under problem management control.
|
|
Technical
Support
|
Respond
to customer report site issues and perform damage control, as needed.
|
|
Gate/Activity |
Description |
|
Click Image to Enlarge
|
|
Site
Monitoring
|
The
OCC executes a number of activities to ensure that site health is
maintained and/or issue identified as they emerge to maintain site
presence and availability. These
activities are spread across the spectrum of service delivery mechanisms
that support the site. OCC’s
first tier monitoring is augmented at all times by Operations Staff,
second tier, and Engineering Department Staff in general, third tier,
monitoring of the site.
|
|
Technical
Support
|
Technical
Support and the Content area of Product augment the OCC monitoring
activities through the normal execution of their daily responsibilities.
|
|
OCC
|
The OCC monitors the
following site services using the listed tools to measure the health of
the site, and collaboration with other areas to monitor and communicate
site conditions.
|
|
OCC
|
The
OCC monitors the web servers using tools and verifying page views.
This is accomplished by on demand and scheduled activities as
well as monitoring tools reporting facilities.
|
|
OCC
|
On
demand OCC makes sure pages are being served from a server.
|
|
OCC
|
On
a defined schedule look at every machine.
|
|
OCC
|
Reporting
tools monitor web servers and perform automated load balancing and/or
monitoring. Automatic
paging, NetOps mail box and monitored alias mailbox notifications are
triggered whenever site measurements exceed the predetermined threshold.
|
|
OCC
|
Content
replication to all servers is reactively monitored when problems are
reported by Technical
Support. The OCC
will verify the image on the master server then systemically check tiers
within the server farm to determine the segment or part of farm not
being updated (broken images). Once
the scope of the issue is determined content replication to the
identified segment or part of the farm will be executed.
|
|
OCC
|
The
OCC and Technical Support causally surfs the site to monitor feed
content for freshness (i.e., current date).
The Content function in Product also in monitors feeds both in
conjunction with their content changes and as part of ensuring site
currency.
Content
Feed issues are addressed either proactively or reactively.
Proactively, the OCC monitors feed vendors for connectivity;
except those using satellite communications.
Reactively, internal and external customers monitor feeds and
notify Technical Support when failures occur.
In many instances content partners notify their Account
Representative who notifies Technical Support or OCC.
|
|
OCC
|
A
tool that parses logs and uses scripts to identify errors and CPU
performance conditions performs database monitoring.
OCC views the identified data to determine if intervention is
necessary. Specific areas
are monitored at a five-minute delay, they are:
-
database
connections
-
replication
queues
|
|
OCC
|
Database Administrators (DBA) manually
monitor databases keys, extents, table space growth (size and physical
space) ensuring timely intervention and maintenance.
|
|
OCC
|
OCC monitors the service
and audits the ports using an automated detection and reporting system.
|
|
Click Image to Enlarge
|
|
OCC
|
Site
resources are the collective of customer e-mail, web mail
and others. The monitor is configured to “ping” the resource’s
web site. Failures are
reported via page and email to both NetOps and specified alias
mailboxes.
Site
resources are also self monitored by the service. E-mail notifications are sent to NetOps when site resource
issues are identified.
|
|
OCC
|
OCC
monitor port 80 (HTTP ping) to see if active.
Users also e-mail Technical Support when issues or failures
occur. Receipt user
notification is generally delayed notification.
OCC verifies port 80 active when ever an issue or failure is
reported.
|
|
Exodus
|
Exodus
provides network monitoring and port mirroring sniffer monitoring of the
production and beta servers. Issues
or failures above the ten server threshold are reported to the OCC.
|
|
OCC
and Release Engineering
|
The
OCC turns off and on access to areas of the server farm for Release
Engineering when a push is being executed. OCC coordinates with Quality
Assurance to determine on how a push will impact the site. Also, Quality Function and Emergency Push Procedures
provide the process that the OCC, Release Engineering and Quality
Assurance follow prior to and immediately after an emergency push. The OCC may delay a release due to current traffic and/or
active incident under problem management control.
|
|
OCC
and System Engineering
|
Provides
support for OCC and System Engineering including the tools to ensure
optimal use in day-to-day operations monitoring.
|
|
OCC
and Configuration Management
|
Configuration
Management addresses the set-up of the platform, network and software
components for a release. It
also addresses the controlled change and update of the development, QA,
FOA/Beta, staging and production environments.
|
|
OCC
and Technical Support
|
Respond
to customer report site issues and perform damage control, as needed.
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