Microsoft Frameworks Integrated Glossary
March 4, 2004
The Microsoft Integrated Glossary contains terms for:
MSF - Microsoft Solutions Framework
MOF - Microsoft Operations Framework
MSPMO - Project Management Office
N - Onarrative A type of scenario that incorporates a day-in-the-life story in the language of the user.network administration A MOF service management function in the operating quadrant. It employs the process of maintaining communications systems, links, and accompanying data-processing procedures, in accordance with the requirements and preconditions arising from their use and the characteristics of the network components.network topology An infrastructure map that indicates hardware locations and interconnections.noneffort-driven task A task whose duration is independent of the number of resources assigned to complete it.norm An idea held by members of a group that can be expressed in the form of a rule and specifies what members are expected to do in given circumstances.normalization The administration of technical specifications for products, working methods, and so on, by an official, independent authority. Application of these standard specifications is not mandatory.object An encapsulation of an entity (data) and its corresponding services (functions) as a way of organizing them.objectives What an organization wants to achieve in the long term. They usually are linked with goals. See also goals.OLA See operating level agreement.OLO See operating level objective.operating level agreement An internal agreement between two or more IT entities that defines the responsibilities of all participating parties. An operating level agreement (OLA) binds these parties to provide a particular service (or service component, such as hardware, software, and so on) of a specific agreed-upon quality and quantity, and constrains the demands users may place upon the service (or service component) to those agreed-upon limits defined by the contract.operating level objective An agreed-upon, measurable service metric target between two or more IT entities, applied to the services provided to those entities and described in an operating level agreement.operating quadrant The second quadrant in the MOF process model It encompasses the day-to-day activities of an IT organization. Its activities ensure the smooth operation of the operations environment. Examples of these day-to-day activities include:
System administration
Batch processing
Backup procedures
Security
Directory services
operating system The basic software that runs on a computer system and allows application software to function.operational consequence In the MOF risk model, a description of the way in which the condition would affect the IT environment. The mode of failure typically influences the operational consequence.operational level agreement Internal agreements between departments and/or suppliers of an IT organization that allow service level agreement commitments to be fulfilled. operations The on-going (day-to-day) activities IT personnel perform on IT environment components to run and manage the information technology system and support the business organization. These activities emphasize execution and are particularly evident in the MOF operating quadrant.operations review The management review within the MOF operating quadrant. The primary goal of the operations review is to assess the effectiveness of internal operating processes and procedures and make improvements as appropriate. This evaluation is focused on internal processes and procedures utilized to meet service level requirements and in turn how those activities can be improved. The operations review assists in the retention of the corporate knowledge. It is crucial that, as the operations staff gains experience with a process, system, or application, it documents this experience and retains it in the corporate knowledge base. The operations reviews can be both release based and time based.operations role One of six roles in the MOF team model. It includes skilled specialists who focus on technology areas and production-systems tasks necessary to run the business on a daily basis. Enterprise operations roles include dedicated specialties such as messaging, telecommunications, networking, and database administration.opportunity management A formalized process for identifying, qualifying, managing, bidding, and evaluating project opportunities for IT projects.optimization Making a process as fully functional or effective as possible given the circumstances or inputs at present.optimize One of three key concepts in the Microsoft approach to managing project trade-offs. In the trade-off matrix, optimizing costs and resources means seeking their lowest possible allocation (a minimum-cost strategy). optimizing quadrant The fourth quadrant in the MOF process model. It evaluates the operational functionality of an IT organization. The goal of this quadrant is to manage costs while continuously improving the level of services. The optimizing quadrant addresses two specific elements of operations:
Business service reliability
Cost
The objective of this quadrant is the optimization of cost, performance, capacity, and availability in the delivery of IT services. The optimizing quadrant includes the service management functions to manage costs while maintaining or improving service levels. This includes review of outages/incidents, examination of cost structures, staff assessments, availability, and performance analysis as well as capacity forecasting.ORB Opportunity review board. A panel convened to review project opportunities and provide recommendations for opportunity management (for example, whether to pursue resources).
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