SKILLS MANAGEMENT FOR AUTONOMIC COMPUTING Although the purpose of autonomic computing is to implement self-managing systems while at the same time hiding the complexity, its purpose is not to exclude IT people entirely. The stated aim here is to reduce the need for IT staff to work on the mundane, but necessary, tasks of supporting, configuring, and maintaining the systems themselves. These are necessary tasks that can be automated. It will not be possible in the next 20 years for IT people to be eliminated entirely from managing autonomic or any other technology. Therefore those staff chosen to be responsible for the management of autonomic computing systems must acquire the necessary skills to be successful. Corporations must not neglect the very important task of developing a skills management program for autonomic computing systems. For the skills will be fundamentally different from what most IT staff have learned in the past. The following is a list of considerations that must be reviewed when developing a skills management program for autonomic computing. -
Develop and implement a total autonomic computing culture. -
Acquire the ability to accept and trust decisions presented by autonomic computing systems. -
As IT infrastructure becomes more autonomic, learn how executing a business policy will become the focus of IT management. -
Accept that the management of the business and of IT will no longer be separate, possibly conflicting, activities. -
Understand and accept that the self-configuring and self-optimizing technologies drive efficiency in running and deploying new processes and capabilities. -
Learn how the actualization of self-configuring systems speeds the deployment of new applications required to support emerging business requirements. -
Understand that workforce productivity is enhanced when the focus is on management of business processes and policies, without the need to translate these needs into actions that separately manage supporting technology. -
Realize that autonomic systems that self-manage free up IT resources to move from mundane system management tasks to working with users to solve business problems. -
Understand and accept that the aim is to deliver system-wide autonomic environments for maximum operational efficiency. Only a few years ago, when large organizations first began covering the area of skills management, it was a process reserved for the most progressive corporations. By methodically and meticulously forecasting, classifying, analyzing, and taking inventory of skills, progressive corporations could identify the urgency and volume of skills gaps, create focused training programs, and add some rational thinking to their sourcing strategies. Skills management continues to satisfy those needs, even fostering a niche market of consultants and software developers that are eager to bring order to IT Human Resource management. This is particularly important with autonomic computing. |
