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Shifting Sands - Minimum Viable – What is it Really?

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For high performing IT providers, the sands are shifting. If you are getting certified in ITIL 4, DevOps, or Agile Service Management you hear that we have to “Think BIG and ACT small!”. Minimum Viable Products and Minimum Viable Processes (MVP) are on the move. Historically, IT organizations delivered products and processes into production with huge batch runs or the big bang approach. This method is fraught with issues, escalations, and constant firefighting. These large releases are tightly managed, governed from the highest levels, and require participation from all parts of the organization. The days of large batch runs that take months to create and war rooms staffed 24×7 for weeks before and after the release, have given way to small incremental deployments.

In comes Minimum Viable Products/Processes: 
High performing organizations know that deployments that deliver value to the consumer fast are required. The idea is not to stage, stage, stage until you have a huge batch big …
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ITIL 4 Service Value System and DevOps

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The Service Value System (SVS) and Service Value Chain as indicated in ITIL 4 Best Practices give you the big picture macro view that should be the start of every DevOps Pipeline. Without it, you could get swept into the undercurrent and potentially focus too much effort or misdirect resources towards the tech and automation aspects of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). 

Components of the SVS include The ITIL4 Guiding Principles, Governance, The Service Value Chain, Practices, and Continual Improvement!

A Service Value Chain andValue Stream Mapping (VSM) exercise provides all stakeholders with a high-level view of the end-to-end steps required for your DevOps Pipeline. Applying the concept of “Systems Thinking” to the overall CI/CD Pipeline is critical but without including the information/data and flow of work we truly miss the mark. This is where LEAN Principles and VSM are helpful. 
Notice that there are 3 main areas in this value stream that include informatio…
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Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) – Tick Tock!

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It is a new day! The world of IT has changed from solely provisioning technology and services to actually being integral in the fulfillment of all business operations. It is time for staff and leaders to learn, get certified, evolve and most importantly to move forward with XLAs. As the climate of business operation changes it makes sense (or should make sense) that the way we measure and fulfill the provisioning of services must evolve to meet new challenges. This does not mean that SLAs are gone and XLAs are taking over. They can co-exist!
Traditional Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are sometimes rigid and can be restrictive in a world where the ability to shift and change with dynamic business needs are prevalent. Many of you can relate to those organizations that are meeting and exceeding SLAs only to find Customer Satisfaction (C-Sat) Scores are tanking. Internally the staff celebrate while the organization loses market share!

There is still a place for SLAs in the world and t…
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ITIL 4 vs. 'The Source'​

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Part of ITIL 4’s value proposition is that it embraces newer ways of working, such as Agile, Lean and DevOps.

I was recently asked whether there was a compelling argument for individuals to go to ITIL for information about these approaches, vs. going to ‘the source’. Here’s my answer and I’d love to hear yours.

3) What source? Yes. There is a massive amount of information available about these topics. There are many ‘definitive’ sources of knowledge. For lifelong learners such as myself, these sources are a joy. They can also be overwhelming and at times a challenge to apply. A search for information about Lean, for example, may take you down a manufacturing route which then requires translation. Looking to learn more about Agile? Which method? Scrum, SAFe, extreme programming … you get the point.

2) The source is evolving. As an example, DevOps practitioners often pride themselves in the fact that there is no definitive body of knowledge; rather, there is an evolving collective …
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ITIL 4 – High Velocity IT (HVIT)

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There are high performing organizations in the world that are exceeding speed to value, safety, and reliability expectations and they are provisioning co-created services fast. 

Not there?! That is ok, you are not alone. I think that we all agree that we must at least be on that journey. Service providers should be capable of generating and sustaining relentless improvement with high velocity for the conversion of demand to consumer value.

The ITIL 4 High Velocity IT (HVIT) certification course explores the ways in which digital organizations function in high-velocity environments. We must move fast, and we have to do the right things fast. Velocity not only refers to speed but also to direction! Understanding these operating models helps practitioners, leaders, and organizations to improve and succeed.

The ITIL 4 High Velocity ITmodule and certification course incorporate known and working practices that focus on the rapid delivery of products and services such as Agile, Lean, Cloud…
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ITIL 4 - Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV)

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Think slow and hard about that statement; Drive Stakeholder Value! Sometimes we see and use terminology so much that the power of the statement gets lost. This is one we must hear and ignite if we have any hope of meeting the evolving door of consumer requirements. 

The Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV) certification course is available within the ITIL 4 Managing Professional stream of certification. 

Therefore, DSV is also a module and one of the focus areas in the Managing Professional Transition (MPT) class. 
Confused? Take a look at this graphic:
ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition is a course that provides ITIL Experts or those that have at least 17 ITIL v3 credits a fast-track way to obtain the ITIL Managing Professional certification. This course excerpts key concepts from ITIL 4 Foundation and from each of the four Managing Professional modules.
The Managing Professional stream of certification courses targets IT practitioners working within technology and digital teams across b…
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ITIL 4 - Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI)

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Every successful organization in the world must strive to create a “learning and improving” culture that permeates all areas of operation. 

The ITIL 4 Qualification Scheme has two main streams for advanced learning and certification:
The ITIL Managing Professional,The ITIL Strategic Leader
Direct, Plan and Improve is so critical it has become the universal module, that stars as a key component of both, ITIL Managing Professional and ITIL Strategic Leader streams. 
The ITIL 4 Direct, Plan and Improve (DPI) training and certification course provides individuals with the real-world skills necessary to create a learning and improving IT organization. This class will focus on working holistically and aligns with principles from AGILE, LEAN and Continuous Delivery optimization. Leaders, practitioners, and all service management professionals understand that strategy is key and will walk away with a strong and effective basis for strategic direction.

Learners acquire an understandi…
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