Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.80 2018.01.01 Takahashi Minoru

System troubles are and always have been a fact of life

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


Systems are not magic created by God,
but a combination of physical laws (technology) and human relationships (communication).
Ultimately, since both hardware and software are built by humans,
there is no such thing as a system that will run forever without a single problem.
Whether due to aging, outdated design, human errors such as miscommunication or loss of know-how,
the potential for problems continues to grow every year, no matter what kind of system it is.
Therefore, if you plan to operate a system over the long term, it is advisable to decide in advance on
in advance.


・Measures for physical damage and wear and tear
⇒ Write the manufacturer’s contact information and serial number on the hardware with a marker in case of damage,
　　and perform preventive replacements before spare parts become unavailable, etc.


・Measures against loss of know-how
⇒ Store work logs and meeting minutes, and document procedures in manuals
　　(This information, which exists only in employees’ “heads,” is lost when they leave the company)


・Speeding up root cause analysis
⇒ Is it hardware, software, the network, or a human error?
　　Develop strategies to quickly identify where the root cause of a problem is likely to lie


However, this does not mean that every system requires a perfect troubleshooting solution.
Depending on the criticality of the situation—"What would happen to the company if this system went down?"—
we recommend prioritizing risk mitigation measures accordingly.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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