MOPS

Background to the MOPS Methodology

The MOPS methodology was first developed in 2004 by Dennis Adams Associates Limited.

The motivation behind MOPS was a desire to produce a systematic consultancy approach which would address the needs of IT Production Managers.

Whilst a lot of work had been done by the OGC and other bodies on ITIL, the perception was that Processes and Procedures alone were not sufficient to ensure a well-run IT Production Department. In addition, there was evidence that some processes were being implemented in a non-pragmatic way, with adverse impact on the IT Production teams that had to adhere to them.

In addition, Software Houses were typically advocating Operational Tools as a means of improving the management of IT Production. However, the integration and central of focus of such tools was sometimes given lesser emphasis. Not only that, but companies often needed to have a defined Tools Strategy before they gained the real benefit from software tools.

Taking inspiration from traditional quality management initiatives, together with practical experience, it was clear that Metrics collection (or KPIs) were also a key element to effective IT Production Management. And this element was often misunderstood, or implemented as purely technical statistics, rather than being client-focused.

Another aspect of Managing IT Production that was often missing was the key use of Technology Standards, and the use of a Production Architecture team to ensure that applications were "production ready", and supportable before they were deployed into Production.

The MOPS approach has been based on practical experience of Managing IT Production.