Ask Yourself Questions

Click on the questions below for details:

Do I have the proper access and appropriate login credentials for the work I
am about to do?
Access

Do I know why I'm doing this work?

Reason

Have I identified and notified all key stakeholders who will be directly and
Notifications
possibly indirectly affected by this work?

Can I prevent or control service interruption or defect introduction?

Outage
Preventions

Is this the right time to do this work?

Time

Am I trained and qualified to do this work?

Qualifications

Is all relevant documentation for this work complete, current and error-
Documentation free?

Do I have everything I need to quickly and safely restore service if

Service something goes wrong?
Restoration

Have I walked through the entire process or procedure I am about to follow?

Procedure
Have I verified/validated that I have completed all the steps in the process
or procedure, obtained proper closure and notified appropriate technology
Closure
centers, as applicable?
Ask Yourself Question #1
Do I have the proper access and appropriate login credentials for the
work I am about to do?

• Ensure you have the appropriate login credentials and access permissions for the
work you are about to perform
• Ensure you have worked with the local operations supervisor, Corporate Real Estate
(CRE) or Information Resource Management (IRM) to obtain the proper IDs required
• Arrange for hotlines/war room and/or onsite coverage as needed
• Do you have your company provided appropriate ID?
• Are you displaying the required IDs?

Back to top

Ask Yourself Question #2

Do I know why I'm doing this work?

• Ensure that you have a full understanding of the work and the reason it is more than
just a perfunctory act
• Understand the impact the work has on AT&T's network reliability, products,
services, applications, and the customers AT&T supports
• Understand the task to be performed and the proper sequence in which the work is
to be performed

If the answer to this principle is No, you do not know why you are doing this work:

• Review the document requesting the work, such as the Change Request (CR),
Application Interface Design (AID), Methods of Procedure (MOP), Trouble Ticket
(TT), Incident Ticket (INC), Action Request (AR), etc.
• Check the process documentation and applicable local procedures
• Talk with your Supervisor, Co-Workers, Engineering and SMEs

Back to top
Ask Yourself Question #3
Have I identified and notified all key stakeholders who will be directly
and possibly indirectly affected by this work?

• Notify all organizations that may be impacted, such as Technology Operations,

Technology Development, AT&T Entertainment Group, Technology Reliability
Centers (TRCs), and Advanced Technical Support (ATS), Global Technology
Operations Center (GTOC), etc.
• Identify other organizations that might be impacted by this work (e.g., Customer
Facing Operations, Provisioning, and Product Management)
• Notify internal and external customers of planned change activities.

Identify the impacted customers and internal groups by:

• Reviewing the document requesting the work, such as the Change Request (CR),
Application Interface Design (AID), Methods of Procedure (MOP), Trouble Ticket
(TT), Incident Ticket (INC), Action Request (AR), etc.
• Reviewing the asset/equipment/component database
• Checking with the originator of the document
• Checking local procedures
• Talking with your Change coordinator/requester, Supervisor, Co-Workers,
Engineering, Data Scientist and SMEs
Back to top

Ask Yourself Question #4

Can I prevent or control service interruption or defect introduction?

• Ensure all appropriate elements/processes are monitored during the work activity
• Attention to detail - follow all MOP/Specific Methods of Procedure
(SMOP)/AID/Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), implementation/execution plans
as documented
• Possess a clearly understood backout / recovery plan
• Survey the work area and make sure all appropriate safety precautions have been
taken

Back to top
Ask Yourself Question #5
Is this the right time to do this work?

• Ensure scheduled work meets AY Handbook or other maintenance/change window

requirements
• Anticipate customer impact of possible network failure and/or issues with their
products, services and applications
• Ensure conflicts have been resolved
• Perform health check prior to commencing work
• Ensure technical support resources are available
Back to top

Ask Yourself Question #6

Am I trained and qualified to do this work?

• Ensure the training you have received enables you to perform the work you will be
doing
• Perform a procedural review of the technical documentation to assure a solid
understanding of the work to be performed
• Understand the impacts to the customer associated with this change activity

What if I do not understand the work to be performed or lack the necessary training
to complete the task(s)?

• Collaborate with a change coordinator/requester, SME or peer

• Obtain the necessary training
• Talk with your supervisor for assistance and/or re-assign the work
• Stop the work (If still in doubt, stand down and do not perform the work)
Back to top
Ask Yourself Question #7
Is all relevant documentation for this work complete, current and error-
free?

• Verify you have an approved and current document (e.g.: vendor documentation,
methods and procedures).
• Read through the documentation at least once, verifying the contents, prior to
beginning the work.
• Verify that the procedure has been certified in the appropriate environment.
Back to top

Ask Yourself Question #8

Do I have everything I need to quickly and safely restore service if
something goes wrong?

• Review the change request. Ensure all required tools and components are available.
• Know who to contact in the event something goes wrong.
• Have the tools available on the job site that may be required to restore the network,
products, services, and applications
Back to top
Ask Yourself Question #9
Have I walked through the entire process or procedure I am about to
follow?

• Complete a walkthrough at the start of each shift for the work that is to be
performed and whenever personnel changes occur.
• Understand the procedures and your responsibilities.
• Ensure the procedure to be performed makes sense (sequence of steps,
completeness, testing, safety, etc.).

Consider the potential consequences of NOT walking through the procedure:

• Interruption to our network, products, services and applications

• Customer Dissatisfaction
• Damage to equipment/building
• Hours of work to trouble-shoot problems
• Lost revenue and costs of repair
• Personal injury (safety hazards)
Back to top

Ask Yourself Question #10

Have I verified/validated that I have completed all the steps in the
process or procedure, obtained proper closure and notified appropriate
technology centers, as applicable?
• Where applicable, contact the technology center and have an understanding of
what needs to be done when the work is completed
• Do I have all the tools to close the work? Do I need access to a system to do this or
do I need to call someone?
• Perform validation or post health checks
• Close out your Change Request [CR]/Trouble Ticket [TT]/Incident Ticket
[INC]/Action Request [AR], etc. with the most accurate information in a timely
manner
Back to top