As we progress through the 4-R service approach, let’s recap the first two stages:

Realize – This is all about creating a service model capable of identifying and vetting out service issues that require response.  The key factors here are the definition ofnormal state (and thus anything outside of that is abnormal), measurement of the current state in a live or near-live capacity, and alerting on real events.

Respond – Stage two of the approach is the first externally facing stage and focuses on event handling, communication, and planning.  Momentum and visible action are key in this stage.

Stage three is the Remediate stage.  Here, we first take action on the event itself, executing on the plan from the Respond stage.  While momentum and visibility are important here, tracking success toward the end goal trumps all other efforts.   Within Remediate, the following three concepts are critical:

Advance – the positioning of resources, execution on the Respond plan, and addressing of known issues

Complete – Reporting of plan execution, evaluation and addressing of unknown or open issues

Validate – confirmation that all critical path items have been addressed and preparation for return to Normal State

Visually, this looks like:

Advancement sets the tempo for the execution of the Respond plan.  Provisioning of any resources required to carry out the plan initiates the process.  For efficiency and effectiveness, any required resources should be identified and positioned.  Traditionally resources are thought of as people, tools, software, etc.  But include in this any 3rd party support required by proactively opening up tickets with providers, identifying access to potential necessary parts and supplies, and coordinating any customer resources that are required for success.  When ready, execute on the Respond plan, following the defined order and tasks to address the known issues.  You should address known issues first (which shows momentum), and leave room in the plan to address unknown issues or discovered complexities.

Completion of the known issues should be a gate within the Remediate stage.  To continue to provide visible action, report on how these issues were addressed.  This information can be used to keep the customer in tune with both the progress and the effort being taken on their behalf.  Under Complete you should also look to uncover any remaining or outstanding issues that may not have been visible during the Realize stage (Part 1) and, thus, not included in the Respond stage (Part 2).

Remediation should conclude with a validation phase.  This is both for internal due diligence and for customer knowledge transfer.  It is not enough to state that all tasks in the plan, and any identified contingency issues, have been addressed.  You should go through a confirmation process, and report the results to all involved parties (internal and external).  As a last step under Remediate, prepare for both the customer and your organization to return to the Normal State as it is defined in the Realize stage.

With Remediate completed, you can now begin any after-event analysis and system or process change.  The customer should be fully aware of the success of the campaign.  Recover comes next, as the last stage in the 4-R approach.