Environments Management Process Document Template Page: 9 of 11
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PROCESS OWNER:
KEYWORDS
EM – Environments Management
TEAM - Environments Management
CMDB – Configuration Management Database
Environments – Refer to Test Environments only
SLA in hours – Refer to working hours (09.00hrs to 17.30hrs)
DISTRIBUTION:
Document Change History
Version / Doc Number / Modifications / Date / AuthorV0.1
V0.2
V1.0 / Released version.
Contents
1 Purpose 3
2 Scope 4
3 Related Documents 6
4 Tools to be used 6
5 Inputs to process 6
6 Outputs from process 6
7 Process defined in both diagrammatic and textual form 7
7.1 Process Diagram for all Environment Requests 7
7.2 Process Description 7
8 Responsibilities 8
9 Measurements to be taken 10
10 Training 10
11 Feedback 10
12 Appendix 12
1 Purpose
Figure1 (Amend as necessary)
2 Scope
<List all applications covered>
The environments to be provided will cover test phases to include User Acceptance, Development, Systems Integration, Proof of Concept and all manner of functional and non-functional testing based on the given requirements.
The EM team will be responsible for ensuring that an environment is delivered to a project at the current production level of software (including databases, code levels and operating systems) or based on a given requirement.
The EM team then receives the environment back from the project after its use; the environment is decommissioned and maintained at the current production level i.e. all production changes are applied before its next use.
A request to be allocated a test environment, or for a code upgrade or for a new environment to be built will be instigated by the Project Manager which will be assigned to the EM team who will then ensure that a new environment is built, the upgrade is carried out or an existing environment is assigned. For all test environments the EM team will ensure before officially handing over an environment that the necessary pipe cleaning tests have been completed either by the relevant support team or test teams.
All environments handed over to the project team will be accompanied by an electronic handover sheet see example as an appendix which will state the environment name, server name, code version level, database, data, all interfaces etc.
The EM team will capture all environments booking in the Test Environments Booking System (TEBS) to include start and end dates and serve as a single source of consolidated information on all test environments to include interfaces and connectivity at any given time.
The Projects will be responsible for providing their own test data or for any anonimising of production data that may be required. For all requests for live sensitive data in a test environment, the EM team will ensure that the Projects follow the necessary procedures as regulated by the company’s security policy before such a request is met.
All requests for rebooting servers, system date and time changes must be raised with the EM team via the help desk call logging system who will co-ordinate and manage any such activity to ensure that other projects are not disrupted since multiple environments are hosted on the same servers.
The EM team will meet regularly with the Project Managers, Administrators etc to ensure that any booking conflicts are resolved and that the requirements for test environments are adequately planned for and subsequently met. Also a forward planning schedule will be kept to proactively plan for any future test environment requirements.
For large test environment requirements mainly around creating or building a large number of test environments rather urgently and for support reasons there may be a need to second technical resources from the support teams into the EM team to ensure that an adequate level of service is provided.
Our primary customer or client will be the project teams and utilising resources from the various support teams as necessary in providing an end to end environments management service.
3 Related Documents
Title / Document reference4 Tools to be used
The EM team and its stake holders will utilise the following tools in providing an environments management service;
1) Test Environments Booking System
2) Help Desk Call Logging Tool
5 Inputs to process
Inputs / Document Reference / Source Process6 Outputs from process
Outputs / Pathways Reference / Destination ProcessHandover Document / TBC / Testing Strategy
7 Process defined in both diagrammatic and textual form
7.1 Process Diagram for all Environment Requests (Amend as necessary)
7.2 Process Description (Please amend as necessary, this is only a guide)
Action Ref ID / Description /1.0 / Submit Phase
1.1 / · A request for an environment is instigated or raised via the relevant call management tool and assigned to the EM team.
1.2 / · The request is reviewed for correctness and validated via phone calls or by email
1.3 / · If there is no existing environment to satisfy the requirement. The EM team will negotiate with the architecture (for all new hardware procurement) and support teams to determine a time scale that such a requirement can be met, continuously managing the expectation of the project, providing them with updates as necessary.
1.4 / · If the requirement can be met with existing environments or requests for code upgrades the agreed SLA in the next section will be adhered to.
1.5 / · If there are any details that are required from the Software Configuration Team these are requested, provided and passed on to the support team who will be carrying out the requested upgrade or installation.
2.0 / Build Phase
2.1 / · VMS Team undertake any tasks that are required to complete a build
2.2 / · DB Team undertake any tasks that are required to complete a build
2.3 / · Software Configuration/CMS Team undertake any tasks that are required to complete a build
2.4 / · Networks Team undertake any tasks that are required to complete a build
2.5 / · Application Support Team under take any tasks that are required to complete a build.
3.0 / Sanity Check Phase
3.1 / · Application Support Team and VMS Support Teams undertake sanity check tests prior to handing over the environment to the EM team who will hand it back to the Project accompanied by an electronic handover sheet.
3.2 / · Development or Test Teams undertake their own sanity check tests prior to formally accepting the environment from the EM team.
4.0 / Decommission Phase
4.1 / · Environment is decommissioned and cleaned down (where appropriate) prior to be handed back to the EM team.
8 Responsibilities
Role / Responsibilities /Development/Test Teams
Environment Management
Senior Management Forum
CM Team
Application Support Team
VMS Support Team
DB Team
CMS Team
Networks Team
9 Measurements to be taken
Metrics Collected / Purpose / Collection Responsibility / Storage / AnalysisResponsibility / Reporting Responsibility
Environment requests
raised per month / To establish the number of requests raised over any given period / EM Team / TBC / EM Team / EM Team
Requests completed within the SLA or not
per month. / To highlight any process improvements that may be required to achieve close to 100% SLA adherence. / EM Team / TBC / EM Team / EM Team
10 Training
Training and guidance in the use of the above mentioned tools and the underlying above processes will be required for all relevant personnel both for the EM personnel and their stakeholders as may be necessary.
11 Feedback
In order to ensure the processes are continually meeting the specified requirements and all inputs and outputs are being considered and incorporated into the procedure there should be an annual review that is aimed at complementing any IT Audit findings that may be undertaken with the IT Department.
The annual review should take the form of a formal workshop with all major users (including those inputting and receiving outputs from the process) where they run through the process identifying any improvements that can be made.
This review will take place during May each year with any recommendation or changes being incorporated into this process document and versioned controlled via the front page document history. This will allow any improvements time to bed before IT Audit review of the process that is conducted every January.
Over and above the annual review any failures in this process should be quickly identified to Environment Management and investigated. If there is a need to change the process then this should be completed in the same way as the annual review.
Finally as these processes are relatively new they wiil be reviewed in the first three months of its implementation.
Appendix A
Environment Handover Notice for a single Environment
Environment Name: <Env1>
Application: <ApplicationTEM
Testing environment: UAT or DEV etc
Database/s
Application Name / Server_Type / Server_nameDatabase Server / Sever1
Database Server / Server2
Database Server / Server 3
Application / Version/Upgrade / Date
UserName / Password / User_description / User_Type
Data Set
Change_made / Date / DetailsInterfaces
<Define other interfaced applications or environments>
Document reference number:
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