Security Ripcord

I would like to start off by saying, “You can’t!!” The quicker you come to grips with that the better off you will be in the long run. Politics, or perhaps Micro-Politics since I am talking about intra/inter-office politics, is just a fact of life. Everybody has an agenda whether it is to further themselves, further their family, further the company, or any number of other things. So, get over it because it is just going to happen.

Now, let me tell you how you can control politics. I’m not talking “hand of God” control. I’m talking about making it difficult for politics to adversely (because some politics are good) influence the security of your organization. The answer can be found in my previous post on Organized Security. The answer is “Document Your Processes!” Okay, that is not the full answer, but it is the start. Getting your processes written down and accepted is the first step. The thing that seems to be working the best for my team is to document a process’ flow before writing down the procedure. Understanding the actions, decisions, and touch points of a process before writing the document that details each action and decision point. Here is a simple example pertaining to a user account request. This process flow utilizes “swim lanes” to show different teams or departments.

Once you have created this flowchart it is very hard to justify a deviation from this process. It becomes even more difficult once you detail each box in your procedural documentation. Getting your management and each team or department listed in the “swim lanes” to sign off on their involvement with the process will decrease the deviation possibilities even more. And if all else fails, it will make deviations readily apparent to management and all of the teams or departments involved.

Now, this does not mean that deviations will not happen. It is a fact of life that a situation or event was not taken into consideration during the development of the process. These instances shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme. Once the event has happened and been addressed, the individuals responsible for the process should quickly run through the process to see if any documentation needs to be generated or additional actions taken. After everything has been addressed the team can conduct a lessons learn to determine if the process needs to be updated or if the deviation was just an anomaly that will rarely occur and can be addressed on a case by case basis. Of course, politics can fall into this category. But all of this, as I mentioned, makes the deviation very apparent and the extra work associated with running back through the process and evaluating the overall process should raise questions about the validity of the action.

Once everything is documented and approved there is another very important step. That step is to consistently apply the process. Lack of consistency will leave gaps in all of your processes. Lack of consistency will breed contempt for your system and provide individuals and groups the leverage they need to circumvent the process in question and possibility the other processes developed by your team.

In the end you are not going to solve politics in your organization. You and your team need to learn how to accept it as a part of doing business. Just remember, diligent documentation, repeatable processes, and consistent application will protect you as much as they can.

Go forth and do good things,

Don C. Weber

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