Re: Operational Excellence - True or False? (Feel free to explain if so inclined)

  • From: Gus Spier <gus.spier@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: sfaroult@xxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:20:28 -0400

Operational excellence is not dependant on how many database disciplines one
is steeped in; nor is it achieveable by undergoing the "right" kind of
training.

Operational excellence is a product of the personal commitment and
discipline of the individuals upon whom operations success rests ... and the
teams they lead.

Regards,
Gus
On Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 9:35 AM, Stephane Faroult <sfaroult@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> **
> Concerning 2) I loved the 2004 reference to Toyota.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%932011_Toyota_vehicle_recalls
>
> My only problem with metrics is that the human tendency is to improve for
> metrics ... Buffer hit-ratio, anyone?
>
>
>
> --
> Stephane Faroult
> RoughSea Ltd <http://www.roughsea.com/>
> Konagora <http://www.konagora.com/>
> RoughSea Channel on Youtube <http://www.youtube.com/user/roughsealtd>
>
>
>  On 07/29/2011 02:19 PM, Taylor, Chris David wrote:
>
>  2 things:****
>
> ** **
>
> 1.)    I think you are right it is relative, BUT how often do companies
> hire based on what they think they want and then realize that person is not
> meeting objectives?  A company may “think” they only need 2/3 years of
> experience only to realize that their database systems are down 10% of the
> time and that is unacceptable.  So, yes, operational excellence is relative
> based on either the explicit or implicit objectives of the organization.
> Very few companies will allow their data management systems to just “get by”
> for very long as more and more companies live and die by their data.****
>
> ** **
>
> 2.)    It seems I should have included a link to the philosophy of
> operational excellence in my original post so we might all have a common
> starting point.  That is not to say we would all end at the same
> understanding of the idea since each individual/organization would likely
> define what operational excellence is for themselves.  Here’s a Wikipedia
> entry as a starting point:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_excellence****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> *Chris Taylor*****
>
> *Sr. Oracle DBA*****
>
> Ingram Barge Company****
>
> Nashville, TN 37205****
>
> Office: 615-517-3355****
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> Cell: 615-663-1673****
>
> Email: chris.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx****
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>  ****
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> *From:* Stephane Faroult [mailto:sfaroult@xxxxxxxxxxxx<sfaroult@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]
>
> *Sent:* Friday, July 29, 2011 6:24 AM
> *To:* SUzzell@xxxxxxxxxx
> *Cc:* 'norman.dunbar.capgemini@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'; Taylor, Chris
> David; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> *Subject:* Re: Operational Excellence - True or False? (Feel free to
> explain if so inclined)****
>
> ** **
>
> I think most people on this list seem to have a somewhat exalted
> understanding of "excellence". "Excellence", like "outstanding", is a
> relative notion. And I don't believe that the bar is that high. Just go to
> any job site, and search for "Oracle expert", then count how many times it
> is followed by "2/3 years experience".
>
> For most managers, "operational excellence" mostly means "I have nothing to
> show but green indicators to my boss". Worked some years ago on a replicated
> trading system that had a hub and spoke topology, with the ability to switch
> any spoke to the hub and the hub to a special spoke that was able to become
> the hub (all in house development). Everything had been carefully scripted
> and tested, we could switch in under 15 minutes. One day, a hardware problem
> occurred. It took more than half an hour to DECIDE to switch. You might have
> thought it was a merely technical problem but it implied some minor
> configuration changes on the side of the application support people, and you
> always have some more or less functional project manager who wants to be
> seen as a "decision taker" (looks fine in a CV). When you have someone whose
> main experience of computer failure is the Blue Screen of Death, it may
> takes some time convincing him that, no, rebooting should not fix the
> problem. Just like performance issues, really - whether the switch could
> have been performed in 30 seconds (which would have really been "excellent")
> or half an hour would not have much affected the whole "we have a problem
> with the database" (since it's always the database) episode. Absolute
> technical performance may be the wrong issue in the vast majority of cases.
> And sometimes you just discover that mysteriously end-users managed to
> survive a crash of the hyper-critical system.
>
> "Operational excellence" basically means, at the middle-management level,
> OCP-grade knowledge, hardly more (upper the food chain it becomes a very
> abstract concept). If you have some decent knowledge of the basics, your
> being qualified as "excellent" is merely a matter of luck and not being
> drawn by circumstances and faulty hardware or vicious bugs out of your
> comfort zone.
>
> Of course, this isn't the official discourse. Was browsing a corporate
> website the other day and found a quote from the Global Head of Human
> Resources that was stating "We believe that a company's most valuable assets
> are its people", really an original and truly insightful thought that I was
> happy to discover. I have no idea what, in my slightly pervert mind, draw me
> to the site of the North Korean New Agency, but I found there, in a rebuke
> of a South Korean report on human rights in the North
>
> ****
>
> Man is regarded as the most valuable being in the DPRK under Korean-style
> socialist system centered on the popular masses. ****
>
> Exactly. And I assume that the DPRK thrives for operational excellence.
>
> ****
>
> --
> Stephane Faroult
> RoughSea Ltd <http://www.roughsea.com/>
> Konagora <http://www.konagora.com/>
> RoughSea Channel on Youtube <http://www.youtube.com/user/roughsealtd>****
>
>
>
>
> On 07/29/2011 12:26 PM, Uzzell, Stephan wrote: ****
>
> Norm, Norm,****
>
> ** **
>
> You can verb anything, dontcha know?****
>
> ** **
>
> To the question at hand - I think people have said it better than I could. 
> But my feeling tends to be that while many people may be able to achieve some 
> level of competence in both Oracle and SQL Server, true excellence in the 
> both of them is out of the range of us mere mortals.****
>
> ** **
>
> Just my $.02****
>
> ** **
>
> Stephan Uzzell****
>
> ** **
>
> -----Original Message-----****
>
> From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> <oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] On Behalf Of Dunbar, Norman (Capgemini)****
>
> Sent: Friday, 29 July, 2011 02:55****
>
> To: ChrisDavid.Taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx****
>
> Subject: RE: Operational Excellence - True or False? (Feel free to explain if 
> so inclined)****
>
> ** **
>
> Morning all,****
>
> ** **
>
>  ... (That is, to achieve operational excellence in regard to ****
>
> enterprise data management of large data stores managed by ****
>
> both Oracle and SQL Server, you need individuals who ****
>
> specialize in each technology).****
>
> ** **
>
> I tend to disagree, but as ever, it depends. It depends on who the****
>
> person in question actually is. If it was me, for example, then my brain****
>
> is getting far too old to remember everything I already know about****
>
> Oracle (and Firebird) to add even more to the pile with SQL Server.****
>
> ** **
>
> In fact, I recently turned down some free (And I'm a Jock living in****
>
> Yorkshire!) SQL Server training for this very reason (plus the fact that****
>
> I actually have an inbuilt hatred for SQL Server - don't ask me why, I****
>
> just do!).****
>
> ** **
>
> If, on the other hand, the person was Jonathan Lewis, then I'd expect****
>
> him to end up as a person of excellence in both disciplines. Simply****
>
> because he can (or appears to) dedicate large periods of time in****
>
> research mode testing things, investigating and learning what goes on****
>
> under the covers.****
>
> ** **
>
> Tanel Poder, I think, would also be another guru if he decided he wanted****
>
> to be. There are others, some on this list, who would also be able (in****
>
> my opinion) to take on the roles of Oracle & SQL Server DBA to a high****
>
> standard.****
>
> ** **
>
> I often wonder, when I read Tanel or Jonathan's blogs, just *how* they****
>
> find out information about the internal workings of Oracle.****
>
> ** **
>
> And I also have to add, I absolutely loathe and detest the use of****
>
> certain words as verbs when they are simply not verbs, a thing much****
>
> loved by "right on" management - "we are going to leverage ....", "we****
>
> need to architect a new ...." and this morning's one from another post,****
>
> luckily tongue in cheek, "I shall have to socialize (socialise) this in****
>
> the office" - Aaargh!****
>
> ** **
>
> Maybe I'm just a grumpy old codger? ;-)****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> Cheers,****
>
> Norm.****
>
> ** **
>
> Norman Dunbar****
>
> Contract Senior Oracle DBA****
>
> Capgemini Database Team (EA)****
>
> Internal : 7 28 2051****
>
> External : 0113 231 2051****
>
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