Ansible Automation for IBM Power

Uncovering gaps in IT Admin’s understanding and use of Anisble Automation technology

Surveying IT admin teams to understanding how they use Ansible automation technology and uncover opportunities to improve their experience. Follow-up interviews to dive deeper into IT admin’s pain points and needs when learning to use Ansible for Power.

Role UX Researcher
Length Q3 2023 - Q1 2024

PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Investigate IT admin’s experiences using Ansible Automation for Power, uncover pain points in the Ansible adoption experience, and provide recommendations to resolve identified issues.

PROJECT OUTCOMES

Uncovered the main pain points hindering IT admin’s adoption of Ansible for Power: skills gaps. Derived a three-part approach to upskill users in a sustainable, scalable way.

68

users from customer companies and business partners engaged throughout survey and interview research

3

Identified 3 main issues precluding Power users from fully adopting with Ansible in to their workflows

4

recommendations delivered, 3 of which have been successfully implemented (as of June 2024)

5

playbacks of research findings to relevant parties, including IBM executives and external sponsor users

RECENT LAUNCHES

Automation with Power community (launched Feb 2024)

Ansible for Power jumpstart course (launched June 2024)

Part 1 Survey research

THE PROBLEM
Ansible is a key technology in helping IT teams make the most of their limited Power-skilled employees; however, the level of adoption and engagement with Ansible for Power collections by IT admin was lacking.

Key business goal

Increase engagement with Ansible for Power collections among IT Admin at customer companies

Why does this matter?

At a high level, Power’s customers need to make the most of their limited number of Power-skilled employees. Ansible Automation is a tool that enables IT admin to reduce repetitive tasks and increase efficiency at work

METRICS & FINDINGS
Users’ interest in Ansible is not the issue. The problem is that Power-skilled IT admin do not know how to use Ansible and lack the support and resources to learn.

65

users from customer companies and business partners surveyed

62%

of respondents expressed that they desire more resources and support for using Ansible on Power (n=44)

5

User needs* uncovered

*Improved documentation was the top-reported need, closely followed by Ansible educational resources.

8

Pain point* categories identified

*3 pain point categories prioritized as the most impactful to users

SURVEY RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Identified and prioritized 3 main issues precluding IT admin use of Ansible accompanied by actionable recommendations to resolve them.

Part 2 Interview research

After completing the survey research, we decided to focus our efforts around closing users’ skills gaps by diving deeper into understanding the pain points and barriers preventing Power IT admin from becoming proficient in Ansible automation.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Understand the current Ansible for Power learning experience.
Uncover the gaps in the currently available Ansible for Power resources.
Identify the barriers keeping IT admin from learning to use Ansible effectively.

PROCESS & METHODOLOGY

Particpant recruitment
1:1 semi-structured interviews
Manual coding of qualitative data
Thematic analysis
Frequent playbacks of insights with teammates & executives

OUTCOME + IMPACT
Constructed and delivered a three-part approach to both meet user needs for resources and close skills-gaps .

8

users from 5 different customer companies interview

4

major insights extracted, accompanied by actionable recommendations

5

playbacks of research insights delivered to relevant parties, including IBM executives, RedHat teams, and end users

1

workshop facilitated with external end users and IBMers to strategize requirements for the MVP

Release 1:

Automation on Power Community

Provides members with a place to engage with IBM SMEs and fellow users, a hub for relevant resources, a channel for Q&A, and way to stay up-to-date about new releases, features, and resources.

→ Went live Feb 2024
→ Community growth of 4X member increase from week 2 - week 4 of first month
→ Growth to 175+ members within three months
→ Positive user sentiment in response to community & blog content

Release 2:

Ansible on IBM Power jumpstart course

New, instructor-led Ansible technical training with hands-on labs. Created to meet users needs around needing an introductory course led by instructors to help Ansible students stay accountable to mastering the basics.

The course incentivizes student participation with the opportunity to earn a badge.

→ Launched June 2024
→ Metrics TBD

RESULTS

Through this project, the Learning Squad has promoted a new apprach to solving users’ skills gaps within the Power organization.

* Due to confidentiality purposes and NDAs, more detailed research results and data cannot be shared at this time.

THANK YOU FOR VIEWING

Let’s stay in touch! Reach out via email if you’d like to discuss working together.