{"id":5791,"date":"2022-01-18T16:19:08","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/?p=5791"},"modified":"2022-03-22T18:50:39","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T18:50:39","slug":"polic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/","title":{"rendered":"TIPS FROM A DATA CENTER MANAGER – Policies vs Processes vs Procedures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Policy, Process, and Procedure: Why You Need All Three<\/h3>\n

Written by Nate Josephs<\/h4>\n

Sr. Systems Engineer\/Data Center Manager<\/strong>
\nYou may have heard the statement \u201cHuman error is the leading cause of most data center outages.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 An effective way to minimize human error is by implementing three documents: policies<\/a>, processes<\/a>, and procedures.\u00a0 Implementing all three documents minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected, delineating the steps involved to produce the expected outcomes, and explaining in detail how to accomplish those outcomes as they relate to the data center.<\/p>\n

Most people understand policies are essentially rules.\u00a0 However, the difference between processes and procedures can become murky resulting in the two terms being used interchangeably as though they are one and the same.\u00a0 The following is the first article in a series of four regarding policies, processes, and procedures.\u00a0 In this article, I will explain the differences between these three documents and the distinct role each must play to minimize human error and ensure uptime of your data center.<\/p>\n

Policies <\/strong>are the overarching guidelines, rules, or statements of what<\/em><\/strong> outcomes, or activities are expected to occur.\u00a0 Policies provide staff, vendors, and visitors a clear understanding of what is expected of them regarding the data center. Policies do not provide details explaining how<\/em> to get something done, nor do they specifically state who<\/em> is responsible for performing those activities. \u00a0Instead, they simply state expectations. \u00a0An example of a data center policy may be \u201cA Data Center Facilities Service Request must be submitted in order for IT equipment to be installed within data center server cabinets or network racks\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n

Processes<\/strong> are high-level steps required to perform a specific output and who<\/em><\/strong> is responsible for completing each step.\u00a0 Processes ensure outputs conform to policies. \u00a0Process steps are mapped out in sequential order starting with inputs\/action, followed by intermediate deliverables, and ending with the final output\/deliverable.\u00a0 Each input\/action includes the individual, or team responsible for that action.\u00a0 Processes are often created as workflows and include symbols representing the start, subtasks (actions), who performs them, decision trees, arrows, and outputs.\u00a0 Here is an example showing a portion of an IT equipment installation process:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Procedures <\/strong>are detailed instructions explaining how <\/em><\/strong>to complete an activity.\u00a0 Procedures are critical in ensuring activities are performed consistently, efficiently, while conforming with best practices to minimize human error. \u00a0Data Center activities may include installation, decommissioning, operations and maintenance, security, incidents, emergencies, etc.\u00a0 Procedures are an invaluable resource for new employees and a great reference tool for experienced employees. \u00a0Using the IT equipment installation example above, a procedure for this task would include an in-depth explanation on how to \u201crack\u201d the equipment, install cables, and create labels.\u00a0 Pictures and diagrams may also be included to further illustrate how to install equipment.<\/p>\n

To reiterate, policies, processes, and procedures each have their own distinct role in preventing human error and ensuring data center uptime. \u00a0Policies are the guidelines and rules.\u00a0 Processes are the high-level steps required to complete a task and who is responsible for completing them.\u00a0 Procedures are detailed instructions, pictures and diagrams showing how to complete a task.\u00a0 In the next three articles, I will go into more detail on how to create effective policies, processes, and procedures.<\/p>\n

Be sure to check back here soon for the next installment in our series of Policies vs Processes vs Procedures.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Policy, Process, and Procedure: Why You Need All Three Written by Nate Josephs Sr. Systems Engineer\/Data Center Manager You may have heard the statement \u201cHuman error is the leading cause of most data center outages.\u201d\u00a0 An effective way to minimize human error is by implementing three documents: policies, processes, and procedures.\u00a0 Implementing all three documents minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected, delineating the steps involved to produce the expected outcomes, and explaining in detail how to accomplish those outcomes as they relate to the data center. Most people understand policies are essentially rules.\u00a0 However, the difference between processes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":5818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPolicies, Processes, Procedures - 2NSystems Data Center Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Implementing all three documents processes vs policies vs procedures minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Policies, Processes, Procedures - 2NSystems Data Center Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Implementing all three documents processes vs policies vs procedures minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"2NSystems Data Center Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/2NSystems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-18T16:19:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-22T18:50:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Untitled-design-21-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Celina\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Celina\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Policies, Processes, Procedures - 2NSystems Data Center Solutions","description":"Implementing all three documents processes vs policies vs procedures minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Policies, Processes, Procedures - 2NSystems Data Center Solutions","og_description":"Implementing all three documents processes vs policies vs procedures minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected.","og_url":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/","og_site_name":"2NSystems Data Center Solutions","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/2NSystems\/","article_published_time":"2022-01-18T16:19:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-03-22T18:50:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Untitled-design-21-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Celina","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Celina","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/","url":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/","name":"Policies, Processes, Procedures - 2NSystems Data Center Solutions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-01-18T16:19:08+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-22T18:50:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1a1351c59db5cc0dc393eae2ecb1fe55"},"description":"Implementing all three documents processes vs policies vs procedures minimizes risk by establishing what outcomes are expected.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/polic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TIPS FROM A DATA CENTER MANAGER – Policies vs Processes vs Procedures"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/","name":"2NSystems Data Center Solutions","description":"DESIGN YOUR DATA CENTER FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW!","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1a1351c59db5cc0dc393eae2ecb1fe55","name":"Celina","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0bd980c8ac786f3f4b80b1b0c43ab55?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c0bd980c8ac786f3f4b80b1b0c43ab55?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Celina"},"url":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/author\/celina\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5791"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5791"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5914,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5791\/revisions\/5914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2nsystems.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}