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Got Checklists?

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The_Exchange_Team
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Feb 02, 2009

Did you notice the checklists in the blog post "Should You Virtualize Your Exchange 2007 SP1 Environment?" Did you think those were a pretty handy thing to have? Turns out you're on to something.

Recently, the New York Times reported that researchers found surgical teams made fewer mistakes when they used a checklist: "A checklist for surgical teams that includes steps as basic as having the doctors and nurses introduce themselves can significantly lower the number of deaths and complications."

If checklists work so well for one group of professionals (who, let's face it, have a lot on the line when it comes to not making mistakes), maybe they'd work for others. Do you use checklists to help administer your Exchange org? We supplied some checklists in Exchange 2007, like the Planning Checklist and the Operations Checklists. We're working on docs for the next release of Exchange and got to wondering: What checklists would help you with your job?

 

- Alison Hirsch

Updated Jul 01, 2019
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  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 20, 2009
    Checklist are a really cool addition, when it comes to Microsoft technology, as it makes things much easier for already user friendly technologies.

  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 17, 2009
    Checklists are a great idea. No matter how closely you work with PSS, someone somewhere always forgets that one point which can leave a can of worms open to gather.

    I will say, why not make this list while developing that particular component. For ex, you could get the autodiscover engineers or PSS tech leads to write articles for checklist. Same goes for other components. This way, far lesser calls to PSS and sundries while planning and deploying the product.
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 10, 2009
    Adding to BB's idea, there should be a feature similar to GP's RSOP's wizard for Exchange production changes (for those poor souls who can't afford a Test Environment - me included)
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 09, 2009
    The Exchange 2003 Deployment tools provided such a checklist for installation.  I remember Microsoft bragging about how this would reduce installation errors and confusion, and rightfully so. This is hardly new.



    The US government has a National Checklist Program for IT Security practices (http://nvd.nist.gov/ncp.cfm).



    Checklists have many benefits for the administrator. They instill confidence in processes, they help identify potential errors or 'blind spots' and provide assurance for management. But there is a stigma with checklists, as though they were for people who do not know what they are doing or "people fear checklists because they see them as dehumanizing. Maybe that's because people associate them with the exhaustive lists that let random teenagers successfully run fast-food chains." [1]



    While they are helpful, are they authoritative?  IT is full of 'exceptions'.



    [1] Heath, Dan and Chip, September 11, 2008, http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/123/heroic-checklist.html


  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 07, 2009
    Wizards should be able circumvent the need for most checklists. How bout lots of built-in and "create your own" Wizards!
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 06, 2009
    How about checklists that map Exchange necessities to the Microsoft Operations Framework instead of an Ad Hoc approach...  What people have already mentioned fit into Framework Layers and it provides a model of what checklists are needed!  It would make MOF more readily actionable for most Exchange environments.   It would save me time justifying a managed approach to messaging to management!  
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 06, 2009
    A checklist for each Exchange Server cluster solution (CCR, SCC, SCR), both local and geo flavors would be good...
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 05, 2009
    now,we are helping customer to deploy Hosted Exchange,it's so complexity.
    i think we need three types of checklists about Exchange,the first is Planning Checklist,the second is Deployment Checklist,the third is Maintan Checklist.
    for example,in Deployment Checklist,Does all the domainname are ready?Internet IPs?Disk spaces?and so on.
    the checklist is the best pratice,it's very helpful,as you know，if one step of config that we forgot,the troubleshooting is very very difficult
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 04, 2009
    Hi,
    a checklist for CAS deployments would be good.
    (covering autodiscover, reverse proxy, pop3s, imaps, especially certificates)

    Also, checklists for CCR/SRC failovers and especially failbacks would be helpful.
  • Deleted's avatar
    Deleted
    Feb 04, 2009
    Fellow checklist fans: Thanks for the ideas! Really appreciate it, and keep them coming. And, Lukas, appreciate the caution about usability.