Baseball and IT Management

July 1st, 2009 by David Link

Or  What Little League Baseball taught me about IT Infrastructure Operations and Management (IOM)

This was the third year that ScienceLogic sponsored a AAA Little League team and the third time proved to be the charm.  As we watched the ScienceLogic sponsored  NY Yankees team win the regular season playoff for the Mason District Virginia league it dawned on me that there are a few commonalities between what the boys and girls are learning in their “classic” American sporting event and the events that shape our field of IOM.

1) Event Management – Trying to predict if a batter who has never successfully bunted will get on base is about as easy as predicting when a hard drive will decide to stop spinning.  The best course of action is to stay on the balls of your feet and be proactive so that you can see the beautiful bunt down the 3rd base line and all-out-run to make it safely to 1st.    Lesson learned – always have a good line of sight (proactive IOM) because your prediction will occasionally be dead wrong at a very important moment in the game.

2) Application Management – It is not just the boys and girls on the team, it is also about good equipment and keeping the equipment in good working order.  One scary moment during the season involved an aggressive cut at a ball, which produced a foul ball into the catcher’s neck.  The catcher had put his helmet on, but forgot to put the dangling neck guard on and was badly hurt in that split second.  It reminded me how quickly things can go wrong without the right protective equipment and consistent use with some degree of compliance checks.  Had we had a compliance checklist for the equipment the catcher put on each inning, we could have prevented the injury.  So keep that protective IOM infrastructure in place with the appropriate investments to ensure excellent outcomes!

3) Workflow Management – The Yankees started out strong, (6-1) but in the mid season, they hit a rough patch with a couple games against the Phillies that were unexpectedly difficult.  A few curve balls and good pitching required the team to win two different games from a 5 run deficit in an all-out comeback in the 5 & 6th innings.  The only way this was possible was to change the line-up and try a few different players in new positions to generate some spirited play.   Just as IOM projects can get difficult and routines can get old, when you change things up for an inning or two, you would be amazed at the results that follow!

4) Asset Management – Little League rules require that pitchers receive 3 days rest if they pitch between 65 and 81 pitches. (this usually happens in 5 innings)  Typically you can have commitments to play games every 2 days, which requires great Resource planning and cross training of the players.   You have to develop your new pitchers so that on the days where pitchers are off for the required rest, you have a bench of developing talent that can take over.  This is so true in IOM.  Too often we find that only one subject matter expert really knows how to maximize specific IOM tools in place.  That leaves your human assets in a vulnerable position, so I am reminded that cross training resources to manage mission critical IOM applications is a MUST.

5) Service Quality – The difference between winning and losing can be ever so small.  A missed tag at home plate because the catcher doesn’t secure a difficult pitch, a foul ball turns fair and everyone is relaxed and out of position to make the play and stop the extra bases, and of course the umpire call on a strikeout can be ever so close on an important at bat.   What this adds up to in my mind is that the difference between winning and losing is so close that without the help of IOM automation tools that are tuned and working properly, it is exceedingly hard to provide impeccable service quality.  In the end, if you do your best to deploy a great team that is continually improving/cross training, and work to deliver customers a great IT experience, they will see your service quality just like superior sportsmanship – an attribute to be appreciated and thankful that you are working with the right team!

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