vPivot

I have updated my VMware Proficiency Ladder (VPL) with more detail.  I also received great comments on the previous article and several emails with more recommendations.  I think the ladder framework is complete.  My next step will be to provide tests against entries in the ladder and recommendations for climbing to higher levels.

The VPL has four levels with two designations at the “expert level”.  There are two optional specializations at “advanced” and above.  First, the levels:

1. Proficient: has the basic understanding of VMware virtualization needed to work as a virtual infrastructure (VI) administrator.
2. Advanced: an experienced VI administrator.  Capable of administering larger environments.
3. Expert: an exceptional administrator.  Likely only the top 5-10% of today’s VI administrators qualify for this.
4. Architect: has VMware skills needed to lead a moderate or larger VMware deployment.

At any level, a person should be able to describe, install, configure, and demonstrate the features or products at that level and the ones above it.  The definition of a successful description or demonstration is at the discretion of the reviewer, who could be a peer, a manager, or an individual under self-review.  I hope to provide objective metrics for this eventually.  At the ‘expert’ and ‘architect’ levels, additional skills allow for optional specialization in desktop or cloud.

An expert can be designated as either an “administrator” or “evangelist”.  The former represents someone that can demonstrate product or feature optimization, troubleshooting, and diagnosis.  The latter is attached so someone that can describe a product’s or feature’s position in the competitive landscape and its interaction with third-party tools.  An evangelist would also be expected to create and deliver compelling presentations on the same.

Lastly, should someone become either an expert-administrator or expert-evangelist, the final and highest level is architect.  That honor requires demonstrated designer capabilities, such as requirements analysis, design workshop leadership, system design, and design defense.

The ladder provides a progression from top to bottom.  Climbing the latter requires demonstrating the install/config/demo/describe requirement for every item at that level.  At the expert level, only one of the administer/evangelize columns needs to be complete.  But those additional tasks must be completed for every item on the table to earn that designation.  The possible titles are therefore:

• Proficient
• Advanced (optionally appended with +Desktop and/or +Cloud)
• Expert – Administrator (optionally appended with +Desktop and/or +Cloud)
• Expert – Evangelist (optionally appended with +Desktop and/or +Cloud)
• Architect

Here is my working list of features and products I think that we as a community should be testing ourselves against. Click for a larger version.  You will notice that this is not an exhaustive list of all of VMware’s products.  But I think it will work with 90% of VMware’s customers.  Do you agree?

(*) VMware has not promised the release of these features/products. But should they do so I would put them at these places in the ladder.

I again ask for your comments.  My next step is prescribing training activities to help technical people move up the ladder.  More to come.