IT Policies & Procedures
Don't have IT policies and procedures? Don't worry.
Many organizations approach projects – particularly IT Service Management initiatives – with great enthusiasm. When successful, the benefits are immediate and teams are anxious to move on to the next challenge. The problem is projects are not complete until the paperwork is done. Recognizing this important aspect is frequently overlooked, or even avoided due to the sheer magnitude of the effort required, Plexent built this service directly into our itDNA model.
We've simplified IT policies, procedures and standards
And while many organizations may have high-level scoping guides, itDNA offers unprecedented granularity at both the Element and sub-Element levels, providing obvious differentiation from seemingly similar offerings. The ability to show our customers detailed content built on ISO Standards within each of the 12 Disciplines is where the richness of our intellectual property really proves its value.
Often these engagements are included as part of some other service, such as a Security Assessment, however, Plexent has been called in for the specific purpose of creating IT policies and procedures libraries for large organizations. As with all our services, a clearly defined scope is important for providing deliverables that meet or exceed the customer's expectations. Goals must be clearly established and include reference to any applicable standards, laws or regulations that must be taken into account.
Effective IT policies and procedures without the headache
Because these deliverables consist primarily of the written word, understanding the target audience's perspective and level of sophistication is absolutely critical to producing living documents that will be used and improved over time. Usability therefore figures prominently into the final design of the documents.
Plexent's mechanism to capture the necessary information and provide structure for a standard look and feel coupled with the incorporation of the organization's style provides a familiar quality for users that aids in quick acceptance. Examples of sections addressed in our standard content include:
- Purpose
- Description
- Scope
- Version Control and Revision History
Modifying the rich content yields example documents for the organization to review and approve prior to publishing. What follows next depends largely on the specifics of the particular engagement, i.e., is this service a follow on or stand alone and do IT policies and procedures currently exist in any form. Starting from scratch may involve extensive discovery to obtain the goals, rules, and general guidance for polices and the specific tasks and techniques for procedures.
The simplest way to handle IT paperwork
Once the modified content has been approved and the information gathered, the actual process of creating the IT policy or procedure is straightforward, as is publishing them to binders, archives, or on the web. Electronic versions allow you to search by keyword and can be provided in a format to support online maintenance. To ensure the lasting value of your investment, we provide document management training. As the original deliverables are revised, changed or superseded, your organization can take advantage of the history and current version fields within the documentations to ensure your staff has the best information available.
