Aging workforce: one more argument for config/portfolio management?

The looming mass retirement of baby boomers has many HR professionals increasingly concerned. IBM has started devoting considerable attention to this, e.g. http://www-1.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/ibvstudy/bcs/a1009193?cntxt=a1005263.

This may be a marketing opportunity for various configuration management products, which could position themselves as enablers for IT succession planning. The knowledge of experienced staff needs to be captured somehow... we did a lot of this during Y2K, but didn't put it in structured formats, nor back it with maintenance processes.

-Charlie

Comments

[Adrienne Tannenbaum]

I guess we are all getting old. Despite the arguments for configuration management etc. I see a major trend toward prioritizing that which is on the web. What many do not realize is that in order to put things on the web, they must exist down on the ground first.

Since some of the "young" workforce may look up first and down later, not only is there a strong need for configuration and portfolio management of these "on their way up" items, but also a need for them to be identified consistently while they are created and maintained down on the ground.

The "aging" workforce has already been through the traumas associated with multiple unmanaged configurations so we can easily preach. But it is probably not until the exising world of unconfigured items causes pain that the arguments will be supported.