ITSM Professor

Many are surprised to learn that ITSM practices ARE compatible with their DevOps pipelines and even more important that they are a critical element in order to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency and the value that is expected. Those that are struggling with silos us vs. them blame games, or roadblocks and impediments for change and test, are shocked to learn how accelerated, modernized ITSM practices can enable their outcomes! 
Topics and discussion from a recent ITSM for DevOps class were exciting as practitioners, managers, and leaders discovered together how It is possible to streamline and even automate their ITSM processes and practices so that people don’t even realize that they are executing ITSM processes.
We don’t need to change “what” needs to be accomplished. Policy, Governance, and Compliance are a reality. In order to achieve true value and business outcomes service providers must change the way that they think. A change in thinking provokes a change in how we do work. …

According to ITIL 4 best practice, Service Continuity focuses on events that would impede business operations so drastically that it would be considered a disaster. Other events that have a less significant impact to the business might be considered as an incident to be managed through the Incident Management Practice or the Major Incident Management Practice.
This means that there are different levels of importance and that the distinction between what is a normal incident, major incident or one that might require disaster recovery must be predefined and agreed upon. Documentation then must include clear thresholds and triggers to provoke the appropriate response and recovery into action without delay and additional risk. 
There is no question that your organization is increasingly dependent on services that are tech-enabled. The need for resilient solutions are critical to success. A combination of business planning as well as being proactive with security, incident and problem manage…

To Understand Why and Why NOW, I will use some of the “Guiding Principles” that are the golden chords steaming through all practices defined in ITIL 4. These guiding principles are themes throughout the concepts and precepts that were discussed in a recent ITIL 4 Foundation certification class. Practitioners and thought leaders gathered together from all over the world to discuss and learn more about ITIL 4 best practices There are seven guiding principles discussed in ITIL 4. I will begin with these three to answer the question: Why and Why Now?

Focus on Value
ITIL 4 is a holistic approach for managing value. Based on the Service Value System and the integration of dimensions that tie together practices, ITIL 4 enables speed to value for all service providers. Value is the results of all of our people, practices, and technology. Value is what we deliver. ITIL 4 stresses the need to co-create value with all stakeholders none more important than with the customer. If we are going to succ…

For every system that is utilized to provide a service, there are four dimensions of service management. If we are to think and work holistically that means that every practice, and every aspect of service management for services need to be considered in light of these four dimensions.
Organizations and People
The aspects of the organization and people dimension are all related to the creation, delivery and improvement of services. To improve these aspects, everyone in an organization must understand its objectives and how they contribute to those objectives. It is not uncommon to see organizations restructuring in an effort to reap the benefits of Agile, Lean and DevOps practices. Organizations are increasingly forming cross-functional teams or product teams in an effort to break down silos and enable more effective collaboration. None of this can be accomplished without understanding how powerful the culture is in terms of its influence on organizations and individuals. Focus here m…

The ITIL4 Best Practice Guidance defines a “Service Offering” as a description of one or more services designed to address the needs of a target customer or group.As a service provider, we can’t stop there!We must know what the contracts of our service offering are and be able to put them into context as required by the customer.
Let’s explore the three elements that comprise a Service Offering.
A “Service Offering” may include:Goods, Access to Resources, and Service Actions
Goods – When we think of “Goods” within a service offering these are the items where ownership is transferred to the consumer and the consumer takes responsibility for the future use of these goods. Example of goods that are being provided in the offering – If this is a hotel service than toiletries or chocolates are yours to take with you.You the consumer own these and they are yours to take with you. Note: Goods may not always be provided for every Service Offering. Example of no goods in offering - When a consumer …