Rolling out Rational Developer is more than just purchasing the product. In order to maximize the adoption rate of the product, you need a plan, you need executive sponsorship, and you need diligence. This covers our recommended best practices, as well as example anti-patterns that people often fall into causing their adoption rate to plummet.
2. About Us: Strongback Consulting
IBM Advanced Business Partner
– Rational, WebSphere, Lotus, Information Management SVP certified
– Strongly focused on Enterprise Modernization and application lifecycle management
– Key Industries Served: Finance, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Government
– Rational Design Partner for HATS and other Rational enterprise modernization technologies
Discover us at:
http://www.strongback.us
Subscribe to our blog at
http://blog.strongbackconsulting.com
Socialize with us on Facebook & LinkedIn
http://www.facebook.com/StrongbackConsulting
http://www.linkedin.com/company/290754
5. Planning out your implementation
Establish and document the value proposition you want
– What are we licensed for?
– Who will use what product?
Gather input from all your stakeholders
– Technical team (devs), IT managers, IT Sysadmins
– Executive management (CFO, COO, CEO, VP of IT, etc)
– Your IBM Business Partner & IBM Software Rep
Create your implementation plan with checklists & milestones
– How does this hook into our desktop policies (if you have one)?
– What is our compilation, promotion, and deployment plan?
– How will this hook into our SCM / ALM?
Create a collaboration plan
– Internal Quickr site, wiki, sharepoint, etc. for FAQs, whitepapers, Redbooks, and a GLOSSARY of terms
– Define escalation communication process internally, with your BP, and with IBM
Define ROI metrics
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6. The need for executive sponsorship
These are the guys whose budgets are paying for the licenses
To get the ROI they desire, they need to be involved
They also can clear hurdles to your implementation
Only these guys can really mandate the product usage
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7. Integration with Source Code Management
Are you using version control?
– if not… are you planning to? (please say that you are for your own sake!)
Is there an Eclipse plugin available?
Does the plugin work with the version you intend to deploy?
Do you need promotion and deployment support (not just SCM, compile, & build)?
– Have you heard of Rational Team Concert by chance?
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IBM Power Systems
Integrate
Applications
Optimize
Infrastructure
Empower
People
Unify
Teams
8. Understand your licensing
Frequent rebranding & renaming over the years
– Get your vocabulary straight before you implement
Two general models:
– Authorized User: requires a license file to be applied to the developer desktop
– Floating User: requires a Rational License Key Server
– Fixed Term Licenses
Can be sold as standalone products
– Rational Developer for AIX and Linux
– Rational Developer for i
Can be sold as Packages
– RDi Java Edition (formerly POWER Tools for i)
– Rational Developer for i for SOA Construction
– etc.
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9. Getting the software
1. Get the software from IBM Passport Advantage
– Know what parts to download
download what you need, skip what you don’t
– Get with your IBM BP or Software Rep to manage access
– *Also available from your hardware vendor through AAS
2. Get the licenses from the Rational License Key Center
– Separate site, separate downloads, separate credentials
– See #1 above
Passport Advantage http://www-01.ibm.com/software/howtobuy/passportadvantage/pao_customers.htm
Rational License Key Center http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational/support/licensing/toIntraware.html
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10. Installation
Once you know what you’ve got and what your usage is, then you can
install
Single products for small teams
–Manual installation is easy
Packaged products for teams >10 people
–Manual installation becomes a major obstacle
–You must install it the same for everyone to have consistent results
–Use scripting, the Package Utility, Tivoli Endpoint Manager, or MS tools to roll
out
Don’t forget the Rational License Key Server!
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12. Customized packaging with Package Utility
Part of “Rational Enterprise Deployment”
Can combine multiple products into one
installation image
Example: RDiSOA version 8.5
– Rational Developer for i
– Rational Business Developer
– HATS
– IBM Data Studio (which is FREEEEE!!!)
– RTC Plugin
After building a package, use Installation
Manager to record response files
Run a silent (scripted) install using these
response files
Plug the installation script into your desktop
automation tooling
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13. Deploying a customized workspace
A workspace is a directory of configuration meta data, project data, and project folders
Creates a consistent experience across your development team
Why should everyone recreate the same data?
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14. Ideas for content in the customized workspace
AIX / Power users
– Set the LPEX Editor to use vi, or emacs
IBM i, AS/400, iSeries users
– Set LPEX Editor to SEU mode
Preset common user preference based on your team’s culture
Include source code examples for training session
Include training materials as projects
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15. Ideas for content in the customized workspace
Preconfigure all connections to systems & LPAR’s that they may use
– Remote Systems Explorer, connections, filters
– DB2 Connections
– Other RDBMS Systems
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Preconfigure
filters
Setup known
RDBMS
connections
ahead of time
16. In the customized workspace
Include common programming
routines as snippets
Boilerplate code can also be put
into templates
Templates work with code
assist, and the editor’s context
Snippets allow you to place
variables which you define
when you drag / drop into
source
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19. Your IDE has MORE instrumentation than most aircraft
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Don’t skimp on training!!!
20. Creating a Training Plan
Customized training is always best
–Modules should fit your team’s usage scenario
Training should start and end with SCM in mind
On site vs. remote
–On site interaction is best if possible
–Remote for geographically dispersed workers
–Consider vendors who can support remote classroom environments
Schedule your team members in advance
–plan around vacations, etc.
Have a post –training plan
–How do I on-board new members of my team?
–What happens if we have questions after training is over?20
21. Onsite mentoring: after the training
Helps to cement the knowledge
gained after training
Creates social incentive to learn to
the tool
Mentor / Consultant can help you
troubleshoot real scenarios
Use to cultivate your internal
champions and power users21
22. Team Collaboration
Setup a team site for everyone to post questions, comments, and suggestions
– IBM Quickr, Connections, Wiki, Blog, TeamRoom, Sharepoint Site, etc
– Email alone will NOT cut it!
Things to include
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23. Team Collaboration – What to include in your site
Training material (presentations &
lab exercises)
Redbooks
Bookmarks (links to helpful
websites)
Escalation matrix
Programming
guidelines, standards, etc
FAQs
Discussion forums
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24. Metrics
Define your success criteria
Make sure its measurable before and after
Snapshot those current metrics
Collect on a regular interval
Analyze and improve the process
Rinse & Repeat
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How often are floating licenses checked out?
How many people are contributing to the team room?
How many people have been to training?
Who is using System I Access to access SEU/PDM?
Examples
25. Next step: UNINSTALL your terminal emulator
As legend has it, after
his men got
ashore, Cortés burned
the ships that brought
them. He wanted his
men to understand fully
that their only option
was to win or die – there
would be no retreat.
Knowing their options
were limited now, the
Spanish army would
fight harder and with
more determination.
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27. Definition: Anti-patterns
A pattern, or series
of methods, used in
social or business
operations or
software engineering
that may be
commonly used but
is ineffective and/or
counterproductive in
practice
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28. Rollout Anti-patterns: Purchase the software and do
nothing else
This is …
A. The likelihood your users will adopt it..
B. Your return on investment..
C. Chance it won’t become shelfware..
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29. Rollout Anti-patterns: Installing on ancient PC’s
You cannot compare the IDE to the performance of a terminal emulator
Insufficient disk space – multi-gigabyte download of software eats up disk
4GB RAM minimum (because we run apps other than the IDE at the same time)
Quad core is ideal (see above)
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FACT: the cost of a faster
PC is cheaper than paying
someone to sit and wait
on a slower one to
respond
30. Rollout Anti-patterns: Letting users install it themselves
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Can you say goat rodeo??
• Different install directories
• Forgotten license files
• Different release levels
• Different patch levels
• Installed into the wrong
package group
• Insufficient access
• Insufficient disk space
31. Rollout Anti-patterns: Letting Bob the Elder teach
Programming
skills
Product
Knowledge
Adult
Education
Experience
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• Teaching requires skills beyond just product knowledge or
system knowledge – it requires presentation skills, public
speaking, humor, etc.
• Do not assume that your best RPG guy can pick it up, learn
it, and teach the rest of the staff
32. Rollout Anti-patterns: Forgetting about SCM
SCM = Source Code Management (a.k.a. version control)
ALM = Application Lifecycle Management
Copying files between libraries is NOT version control!
Users will go back to the terminal if they have to check in/out of source
–and there they will stay…and stay…and stay…
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33. About Us: Strongback Consulting
IBM Advanced Business Partner
– Rational, WebSphere, Lotus, Information Management SVP certified
– Strongly focused on Enterprise Modernization and application lifecycle management
– Key Industries Served: Finance, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Government
– Rational Design Partner for HATS and other Rational enterprise modernization technologies
Discover us at:
http://www.strongback.us
Subscribe to our blog at
http://blog.strongbackconsulting.com
Socialize with us on Facebook & LinkedIn
http://www.facebook.com/StrongbackConsulting
http://www.linkedin.com/company/290754