Metrici Extensible System Quality Management (Metrici ESQM)

As the IT industry has developed and grown, the challenges faced by IT have changed. To address these new challenges, Metrici have developed a collection of powerful techniques for IT improvement which we call Metrici ESQM.

What problems does Metrici ESQM solve?

Metrici ESQM's primary focus is the ongoing management of the IT you already have. This is important, because all of your IT value comes from the IT you are running.

There are many aspects to managing the IT you have. You need to consider ongoing business alignment, user acceptance, business continuity, information quality, capacity, scalability, performance, information security, reliability, software quality, technology viability, upgrade policy, compliance, support arrangements, standards, testing, documentation, ease of modification, longevity, ownership, and so on. Most of the challenges you have with IT cost, risk, responsiveness and compliance have their roots in the IT you already have.

Metrici ESQM acts as a simple but powerful management framework across ALL of these aspects. It gives a single, consistent viewpoint from which you can examine all of these aspects together. It gives you new insights into your IT, shows you what improvements are required, helps you prioritise, and helps you make the business case for the investment you need.

ESQM does not replace your existing methods. ESQM does not replace project management, service delivery methods like ITIL, governance frameworks such as COBIT, or other quality management methods. What ESQM does is to take some of the things that these methods find difficult and manage them in a way that is more effective and much cheaper.

ESQM is not a complicated, expensive method. ESQM is a collection of simple techniques that focus on the areas that are not managed effectively by current IT methods. ESQM is a very powerful method, but it is also simple and low cost.

To learn more about Metrici ESQM, and to start using Metrici ESQM for free, follow the getting started trail.

The Metrici ESQM family

Metrici ESQM is a general-purpose method. To show how it can be applied to different parts of IT management, we've put together a family of related products.

• To review one or more existing IT systems, look at Metrici 360.
• To understand where the best opportunities are for cost reduction and risk reduction, look at Metrici Rapid.
• To evaluate different options in an IT selection process, look at Metrici Compare.
• For IT governance, look at Metrici System Governance.
• If you want something for free, look at Metrici Starter.

These different methods are not alternatives, but ways of applying the same core ideas to different management needs. Metrici ESQM is extensible - you can start using ESQM in one area, and gradually spread its use to other areas. You can mix and match these different products as you need.

Benefits of Metrici ESQM

For CIOs/IT Directors

• ESQM helps you reduce the costs of IT operations and support, and divert more of the IT budget to the development agenda.
• ESQM measures the value added by IT management, and helps you make the case for IT infrastructure investment.
• ESQM forms part of IT governance, complementing governance of IT processes and spend.
• ESQM guides you through the maze of possibilities during major reorganisations, such as mergers and acquisitions.

For business managers

• ESQM provides a simple view across all of IT that puts you in control of your IT spend, without drowning you in technical detail.
• ESQM highlights the small changes needed to keep your IT running smoothly, letting you postpone or even prevent expensive system replacements.

For project managers

• ESQM provides an efficient quality assurance method during IT projects, and reduces the amount of specialist resources needed to deliver a quality solution.
• ESQM provides a cost-effective framework for system evaluation and selection.

For IT operations

• ESQM provides a framework for the long-term management of IT systems, and identifies and justifies the additional investment needed to keep systems running smoothly.
• ESQM monitors the quality of outsourced systems.

For IT architecture

• ESQM communicates and enforces architectural policy.
• ESQM demonstrates the value of IT architecture both within and outside the IT organisation.

For IT audit

• ESQM provides a rigorous framework for compliance and risk management assessments, at a fraction of the cost of other methods.
• ESQM communicates and enforces compliance requirements, clearly identifying breaches and the required remediation.