My Views of ICM
by Mary Ann Nixon
There are four phone lines coming into ICM's Scottsdale office. If the first line is busy, your call rolls over to the second. If the second is busy, it rolls over to the third, etc, etc. The red lightsMy Attempt to Explain CM
Explaining CM always poses a problem for me. I attended all six courses and became certified but that does not mean that I have a clear explanation. It is difficult to explain CM to people who do not have a CM background.
I know companies that need to implement CMII but they don't know it. Or they think they are utilizing the CMII principles and are not even close.
I carry the definition of CM in my day-timer and many times I have given it to people to read; "process of managing physical items and supporting processes through documents, records and data."
Most want to know more so I explain the forms such as ECRs and ECNs. When I see that it is not registering, I explain physical item hierarchies and linkages to documents. As their eyes begin to close, I attempt to reel them back with designated users, intervention resources and effectivities.
But I still draw blank stares even though I have now made everything clear, concise and valid. For more, they should register for CMII courses.
To me, CMII is a language all by itself. The CMII principles can be applied to any business. For any two parties to discuss the principles, however, they must both know the language.
Perhaps the next time someone asks me what CM is, I will quote an expert;
"CM is an invisible force"
and see what kind of reaction that brings me. indicate which lines are busy. If you call, I am the first to answer. If I am already on the line, Rhonda will answer. Between the two of us, we take care of most of your calls.
If you call during normal office hours, you will get a real voice. If you call during the off-hours, you will probably get a recording but you might also get a real voice (if you know Vince).
Rhonda or I normally answer by the second ring if not the first. If a phone rings the third time, we might have to put you on hold for a few seconds but we try not to. If a phone does ring a fourth time, Bill or Vince are likely to answer.
I have the very pleasant task of registering people from all across the country and around the world for CMII courses. I am able to do this even though I had never heard of CM or CMII when I joined ICM in March. I attended Series 77 in Scottsdale and received CMII Certification on July 10th.
Doing my job is easy and its fun. Explaining my job to my friends is the hard part. Each of them eventually ask the same three questions;
o Who is ICM?
o What do you do there?
o What is configuration management?
Institute of Configuration Management Scottsdale, AZ 85261-5656 Tel: (480) 998-8600 Fax: (480) 998-8923 Email: info@icmhq.com