Adapt or disappear: Change management

Business is the path we all follow. It constantly throws us up, down, left and right, and just when you think that there is only a straight road ahead of you, a loop appears. Whether it's the highs caused by technological innovation or the subtle turbulence of consumer preferences, change keeps us constantly moving. Without them, our story of trade and industry would be as boring as driving to the nearest store.

Naturally, one can try to ignore change. However, it is the companies that treat change as persona non grata that end up sitting alone in a corner. The real effects will be felt by those who invite changes to dance, anticipate them and take action in time.

Why do they change so much?

Small and large companies play with change. Just when you think you're the next big thing, change will pat you on the shoulder and say, “Not so fast.” It could be a technological breakthrough that makes your hottest product look like yesterday's dinner or a sudden change in the market that leaves your sales strategy on ice. Change doesn't knock; it just comes.

The importance of keeping up with change cannot be overestimated. Changes represent critical turning points where companies can either seize new opportunities for growth and differentiation, or risk becoming irrelevant.

The ability to adapt to change is what distinguishes market leaders from the rest. This involves early recognition of the winds of change and the appropriate adjustment of the sails. For example, a company following a trend toward sustainability may change its product lines and operating practices to align with environmental values. In this way, they will capture a growing segment of environmentally conscious consumers.

Companies have no real choice here. From social media and improving customer service with chatbots or CRM systems to automating production processes — companies need to respond to change and change in order to thrive. Change management is currently one of the basic requirements of the market.

Risks related to technological progress

Sometimes the appeal of a new technology can hide the risks associated with its use. As a wise man once said, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Software error minefield

While enjoying new solutions, one should not forget about the risks arising from software flaws, which can lead to system failures, data loss or malfunctioning of business processes.

Imagine a scenario where what seemed like a minor software update triggers a cascade of system failures throughout the company. Suddenly, the digital infrastructure is crumbling to dust. Data integrity is compromised and the flow of operations you rely on is disrupted. Consequences? Loss of revenue, loss of customer confidence and tarnished brand reputation.

Operational errors

We need to be careful not only for software glitches. Equally dangerous can be the human element - operational errors. Errors such as misuse of systems or incompetent management of systems by employees can also lead to serious problems such as inadvertent disclosure of confidential information, misinterpretation of data or loss of operational efficiency.

Consider a well-intentioned employee who, due to lack of proper training, is allowed to leak confidential customer data. The consequences of such a violation can be different - from legal repercussions to irreparable damage to customer relationships.

Addressing risk through change management

As you can see, it is crucial for companies not only to implement new technologies as quickly as possible, but also to ensure that employees are properly trained to operate them. Implementing appropriate procedures to prevent and respond to software errors is essential. Regular testing, performance monitoring, and rapid response to detected issues are key strategies to minimize risk. This helps protect operations from potential losses and guarantees business continuity, even in unexpected situations. How to do it?

ITIL and maturity models and change management

Incorporating ITIL and maturity models into organizational practices offers a structured path through change management and adaptation to technological change. This structure emphasizes systematic progress through defined stages of maturity, reflecting the structured progress found in educational systems.

In an accident type, it's hard to find another word as accurate as 'maturity'. Just as the education of an individual goes through stages - from kindergarten to higher education - so does the maturity of the organization's processes.

The structure of ITIL includes five basic steps:

• Initial - At this stage, the processes are chaotic, unpredictable and strongly depend on the individual competence and commitment of employees. There is a lack of awareness of the need for process management, and actions are mainly based on spontaneous reactions to current events.
• Repetitive - The company begins to notice some regularity in the results achieved. Although the processes are still not formally documented, master-student practice allows knowledge to be transmitted and a certain level of regularity to be maintained.
• Defined − At this level, the organization establishes standards and procedures that allow processes to be understood and managed in a systematic manner. It is the stage in which the processes become organized and predictable, and their management begins to produce the expected results.
• Managed - This stage is characterized by the management of processes based on specific performance measures. The organization uses tools such as dashboards to monitor and optimize processes, which allows you to consciously direct actions and achieve better results.
• Optimized - At this highest level, the organization is constantly striving to improve its processes. Business strategy and process management are fully integrated, and continuous process optimization is part of the organizational culture, promoting innovation and efficiency.

DBPLUS PERFORMANCE MONITOR - Change management and optimization in context

DBPLUS PERFORMANCE MONITOR expands the theory USEFUL. In addition to helping you navigate the five stages of IT service management, it also integrates the historical context. This enables customers to accurately understand and analyze past events, allowing them to make informed decisions about their IT service management strategy.

Given the broader historical context, DBPLUS provides a better understanding of changes over time, facilitating deeper insights into potential improvements or necessary adjustments.

Take, for example, this case

To demonstrate the effectiveness of DBPLUS Performance Monitor, consider a customer case where a new SQL query showed inconsistent execution times, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, which made it unpredictable.

First question: Identification and analysis of the problem

• Access the “SQL Details” page to enter the hash value of a specific query.
• A 30-day period was selected for comprehensive data analysis.
• Performance data was grouped by system snapshots taken every 15 minutes to observe the behavior of the query over time.

Second question: Visualization of the problem

• Switched to the “Chart” tab to compare different execution plans.
• The presence of gray columns indicating the days off work, during which the query was not executed, was noted.
• A “chimeric” initial plan and a subsequent optimized plan were identified, highlighting variability in performance.

Third query: Indication and elimination of the cause

• The “Explain Plan” tab was used to directly compare slow and fast execution plans.
• Significant differences were noted in the indexes used by slow and fast queries, especially in terms of “Cardinality” and “Columns”.

After the outline was created, the execution time became stable and faster, showing a significant improvement. This scenario was analyzed using DBPLUS tools, focusing on query performance over the past 30 days and examining different execution plans. Comparing these plans, key differences were identified, especially in the indices that indicated the cause of the instability and led to the optimization of the query performance.