It is imperative that lessons learned from each IT room migration event, especially rehearsals, are passed to future IT room migration events therefore formalization of the lessons learned process is a key activity.
Lesson Learned
A lesson learned is knowledge or understanding gained by experience. The experience may be positive, as in a successful rehearsal or IT room migration, or negative, as in a mishap or failure. A lesson must be significant in that it has a real or assumed impact on operations; valid in that is factually and technically correct; and applicable in that it identifies a specific design, process, or decision that reduces or eliminates the potential for failures and mishaps, or reinforces a positive result.
Tasks
- Collate lessons learned from all parties.
- Perform lessons learned review.
- Modify runbooks from lessons learned including validated timings.
- Document and publish lessons learned findings and recommendations.
Hints and tips
- Actually do something with the lessons learned, don’t just write them down!
- Changes and improvements may be in many diverse areas: communications, documentation, plan timings, etc.
- Factor in the time to apply the lessons learned in the planning materials and run-up activities to the next event.
- Be aware that not every lesson can be learned during a migration event rehearsal, the only thing that got rehearsed was the roll-back plan. Therefore anticipate and project what will happen when the ‘go live’ route is followed.
Activity output