EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK by Michelle Tackla Y2K resolutionProbably you've heard about that pesky Y2K bug--set to strike date-sensitive equipment in the year 2000. But maybe you haven't acted. "The most important first step is to develop a strategy," says the US Small Business Assoc (SBA), which suggests the following checklist for Y2K readiness: 1) Spread awareness Develop an internal standard for year 2000 readiness. " Systems are defined as ready if they can demonstrate correct management and manipulation of data involving dates, without causing an abnormally ended scenario within the system or generating incorrect values involving such dates," according to the Federal Reserve. 2) Take inventory Identify and list all of the different computer-based systems, components, service providers, and hardware that contain microchips that support your business. Each entry on your list should be ranked by how critical it is to your business. Indicate on your inventory whether the component is hardware, software, or a service. Develop an identification system to help track components. For each item on the inventory, assign a person who will be responsible for assessing that item and preparing for 2000. 3) Assess Starting with the most critical items on the inventory, determine which systems are date-sensitive and if they will fail when the century changes. Systems with an imminent "time horizon to failure, which perform forcasting or future processing" should also be assessed first. A date-sensitive system is one that manipulates or works with dates in some way, or a system that operates differently based upon the date. 4) Test the fix Testing verifies that the repaired or replaced system operates properly when the date changes and that existing business functions continue to operate as expected and that interfacing systems are not adversely affected. Computer programs and other systems--including network operating systems, vendor-supplied software, building infrastructure systems, PCs, and components with embedded microchips-- should be tested. 5) Implement Before you install your replacement or repaired system, you should develop an installation plan and contingency plans. The installation plan lists all the files and programs that need to be moved into production, and all the steps to make your changed system work. Your installation plan may include testing in production to insure that the installed systems are working as expected. Contingency plans list the possible problems that you can foresee and what steps you will take if these problems occur. For details on Y2K readiness, check out: |
Departments FundaMetls: Workholding
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