MindTree uses a six-phase approach to all new infrastructure management and support engagements. We avoid a ‘Big Bang’ approach, thereby minimizing the risks of transition and ensuring flawless execution readiness for steady-state support. IT operations are critical for business revenue generation; operational transitions must be carried out with extreme care in planning and execution.





MindTree’s six-part, phased approach involves:

Portfolio Analysis

This phase begins with identifying an experienced transition manager. The entire IT landscape is studied to baseline existing servers, operating environments, databases, applications, DR/BCP strategy, and more. The study will cover all processes that are fundamental to successful delivery of IT application operations and production support, including:

• user-group demographics
• vendor partners
• currency of support agreements for various versions of hardware and software installed
• current support operations and team composition, roles and responsibilities
• historical support issue data
• call volumes
• CRM tools
• monitoring, system and network management tools
• change and configuration management processes

Transition Planning

This phase involves developing transition and steady-state team size requirements. Plans for on-boarding team members with requisite skills, reviews of existing/pre-developed knowledge transition plans, and fine tuning KA/KT plans follow. Initial support and risk plans are also developed, leading to the next phase.

Knowledge Acquisition

In this phase, MindTree will assemble the seed or core team, lead by a project manager and/or track leads. This team will then kick-start knowledge build-up through classroom sessions led by subject-matter experts (SMEs), self-study from available documentation, observation of daily/weekly management sessions, business overviews, and study of critical business applications and their alignment to the business. IT infrastructure (servers, network diagrams, monitoring equipment, and databases) and various processes are then put in place and documented. Effectiveness is evaluated through daily/weekly management calls, involving call/ticket tracking, incident and problem management, and change management.

During this process, we also develop a ‘Train the Trainer’ model, to optimize transition overlaps. MindTree co-defines the interoperable processes of the OneShore™ support team, the metrics to be captured, and the reports that demonstrate service delivery excellence and business benefits. We also establish the remote infrastructure setup requirement and execution plan.

Remote Infrastructure Setup

Running parallel with knowledge acquisition, this phase establishes the routing of telephone calls originating from enterprise IT application user groups to our delivery center in Bangalore. We also establish connectivity for CRM tools, set up team access to supported environments like production, staging, and testing, and bring on board additional support engineers. The entire team will then undergo soft-skills refresher training, reiterating e-mail etiquette, communication plans, and call/ticket management processes as needed. The entire setup is tested thoroughly to identify gaps.

Shadow Support and Assisted/Parallel Support

During this important phase, each team member observes one-on-one call registration, handling, incident recording, knowledge base utilization, escalation, CRM work flow, and problem identification and management, by working alongside incumbent team members. Members of the new team will then start working independently, handling simple tickets at first, and working up to more complex ones. Process application knowledge is built, and hands-on application and infrastructure know-how is acquired. Data is then collected to help evaluate service levels and areas for improvement. Plans are put together to improve data quality and service-level adherence by initiating quality monitoring and remediation actions, generating all internal planner reports, conducting internal reviews to measure service delivery effectiveness, and initiating process improvement strategies. Further gap analyses are performed based on live experiences.

Steady State Production Support

At the start of this phase, service-level objectives are reviewed, finalized, and agreed upon. Full-fledged floor operations and quality control will start with planned shifts. Ongoing process improvement programs, reports, reviews, and training programs will be initiated to enable smooth execution of support operations. During this phase our teams are also regularly involved in identifying opportunities and executing incremental steps aimed at improving performance and capacity utilization, while reducing repetitive incidents for higher availability and improved reliability.