20131028 btug.be - biztalk operations

Top 10 pitfalls with BizTalk-projectsThe role of the support organisation

for a succesful project

28-10-2013, BTUG.be

Top 10 pitfalls with BizTalk-projects

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Lex Hegt9 year BizTalk-experience

Administrator Developer

MCTS BizTalk ServerBizTalk360 Product SpecialistActive in the BizTalk community

Member of the board of the Dutch BizTalk User Group

Initiator and co-founder of theBelgian BizTalk User Group

Founder of BizTalk Events http://www.biztalkevents.com

Developer of BizTalk Message Decompressor BizTalk Processing Monitor

Blogs http://biztalkia.blogspot.com http://www.biztalkadminsblogging.com

TechNet Wiki http://social.technet.microsoft.com

28-10-2013 Top 10 pitfalls with BizTalk-projects

Introduction

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• Learn of mistakes of others!

• Multiple angles: Project Administration

• Goal of this presentation : Offer a check list for a succesful BizTalk-project

Why talk about pitfalls?


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Classification of Administrators 10 pitfalls Key Takeaways Questions

Agenda


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Classification of Administrators

Discipline Platform BizTalk Application

System Administrators Good Poor Poor

Technical Application Administrators Basics Good Basics

Functional Administrators Poor Poor Good


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Bingo!


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Pitfall 1: Not enough BizTalk-knowledge at Administration

Master Secret Key


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Characteristic:For System Administrators BizTalk is a black box

Risc:Unsufficient qualified engineers are responsible for maintaining the core business, with possibly bad consequences

Improvement:Start learning BizTalk before the project starts

Pitfall 1: Not enough BizTalk-knowledge at Administration


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Pitfall 2: Unsufficiently addressed responsibilities


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Characteristics:Who does BizTalk administration?Are all tasks and roles addressed?

Risc:The continuity of the business process cannot be guaranteed

Improvement:Make decent arrangements, settle it!


Pitfall 2: Unsufficiently addressed responsibilities

11 28-10-2013 Top 10 pitfalls with BizTalk-projects

Pitfall 3: Project budget vs Administration costs

66%

20%14%

IT Portfolio Spending

RunSustain existing products and

services

GrowImprove existing

products and services

TransformIntroduce new products and

services

Source: Gartner 2011 IT Metrics Spending and Staffing Survey

The Business Challenge

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Characteristics:Only focussed on the project budgetProject is scoped too narrow

Risc: Higher administration costs Less innovation budget in the future

Improvement:Involve TCO of the entire lifecycle while determining the deliverables


Pitfall 3: Project budget vs Administration costs


Pitfall 4: Just Happy Flow in the project

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Charateristics:Very limited added value of BizTalkMuch manual labor

Accumulation of incidents Lack of process knowledge at administration Lead time analysis/solution is high

Risc:Due to unsufficient (functional) safety nets, the pressure at the BizTalk administrators increases and the business process becomes interrupted

Improvement:By bringing together the process owners and the administrators, you can start investigating how alternate flows could be handled


Pitfall 4: Just Happy Flow in the project


Pitfall 5: No non-functional requirements


Pitfall 5: No non-functional requirements

Characteristics:Bad performanceBad configurabilityBad traceability

Risc: Interruptions of the business process Solution does not meet the requirements of the business

Improvement:Determine which non-functionals are relevant and arrange it!


Pitfall 6: No Service Level Agreements for availability


Pitfall 6: No Service Level Agreements for availability

Characteristics:No arrangements for availabilityUnclear availability of connected partners

Risc: Interruptions of the business process

Improvement:Arrange that the availability demands are clear to all stakeholders


Pitfall 7: ‘Over the wall’-principle

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Characteristics:Late transfer from project to administratorsNo formal acceptance, under protest in administration

Risc: Administrators could not intervene No feeling of responsibility from administration perspective

Improvement:Early involvement of the support organisation leads to commitment and prevents time consuming conflicts


Pitfall 7: ‘Over the wall’-principle


Pitfall 8: Innovativeness versus conservatism

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Characteristics:Project wants to innovateAdministration is conservative

Risc:Time consuming conflicts and/or longer lead time as a result of orientation of new technologies by the administrators

Improvement:Involve administration for commitment and early adoption of new technologies


Pitfall 8: Innovativeness versus conservatism


Pitfall 9: BizTalk is a stranger for Administrators



See: http://biztalkia.blogspot.nl/2012/05/biztalk-message-based-routing-why-is-my.html

Most simple BizTalk message routing-scenario:17 potential problems!

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Characteristics:Administrators are reserved on touching BizTalk

Risc:Total lack of BizTalk administration

Improvement:Arrange connection to the current administration processesMake BizTalk administration transparant by using for example BizTalk360



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Characteristics:Living in good confidenceLack of communicaton

Risc:Stop of the business flowImprovement:•Improve comm. Between user organisation and Support•Impact analyses


Pitfall 10: Lack of sharing changes


Pitfall 10: Software Asset & Patch Management?

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Characteristics:Software Assurance under usedLack of Patch Management-strategy

Risc:Unsupported environmentMaximum Best Effort-support in case of major incidents

Improvement:Make it an administration processCommunication between IT and license manager


Pitfall 10: Software Asset & Patch Management?

See: http://www.microsoft.com/nl-nl/licenties/software-assurance.aspx

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•Look at the entire picture: Project + Administration•Create commitment by early involvement of Support•Make sure BizTalk becames embraced within the entire organisation


Key Takeaways


Bingo!

Questions?

@AxonOlympus

Axon Olympus

Facebook.com/AxonOlympus

0800-AXONOLYMPUS

20131028 btug.be - biztalk operations

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