Just looking
at the two parts of the world where I spend most of my time, the USA and
Europe, it has been a funny old year.
In the US,
the presidential election has returned a leader who has, to date, sat outside
the established political system. Next
year the USA will be led by someone who is totally new to his role, rather than
have someone who has come through the traditional route of minor political
roles leading to national leadership.
In Europe, the
British referendum concluded in a vote to leave the European Union (EU), or
‘Brexit’ as this process has now become known.
Although a British decision, the ramifications of Brexit will be felt
across Europe, something that has already started. The impact will be potentially more
far-reaching once the withdrawal of the UK has been negotiated and eventually
happens.
Where does
all this fit with Capacity Management?
Well, both geographies have taken a huge step into the unknown. America has its first businessman with little
conventional political background as leader.
The EU will see the first fully-fledged member state depart from its
ranks, which have been steadily expanding to date. Any step into the unknown like this has
risks. What will happen? Will people be happy with the decisions they
have taken? Will the changes that come
bring more prosperity, more equality or less? How will the all-important financial markets react, with their dislike
of uncertainty? How will we cope if what
unfolds differs from what we anticipate?
One of the
hardest aspects of Capacity Management is handling questions like these:
questions for which there is no precedent, no experience on which judgements
can be based or from which measurements can be taken. For Capacity Managers this manifests itself
in being expected to plan for acceptable service levels through major changes
such as a new business venture bringing a need to support an application
different to any others currently supported or an external change in user
behaviour meaning knowledge of past system usage has no value in anticipating
future needs.
This is where
the good Capacity Manager really earns his corn. If we have things we can measure and use as a
basis for prediction, if we have similar situations in the past on which we can
base judgements, the job is always easier.
It’s more of a science at such times.
‘Guesstimating’
the totally new is more of an art.
Having a Capacity Manager who has, or has access to, a broad range of
experience, perhaps both within his business and in the world outside, will
help. This suggests a level of maturity
and experience that needs to be built up over time, a mind that is willing to
challenge obvious perceptions and test boundaries others might feel unlikely to
be hit. An open mind, a lateral thinker,
someone willing to test assumptions others feel are not worth the time. If you’re recruiting a Capacity Manager, you
might want to think about how you test for these capabilities, rather than
focus on traditional areas such as technical know-how. For Capacity Managers, you might want to get
examples of these skills on your CV – an employer who appreciates the need for
them might be a better employer for a Capacity Manager than one who does not.
As for next
year – well, no predictions from me. Ask
a good Capacity Manager instead….
Thank you to
everyone who has interacted with Metron throughout 2016.
My compliments of the season to you all.
Andrew Smith
CEO
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