How Do You See ITIL?

As with most things, ITIL® can be viewed from multiple perspectives. I have found that many people seem to take a polarized view of the set of best practices. They either see ITIL® from a very literal, functional and operational focus or they see ITIL® from a more figurative, conceptual and strategic perspective. The interesting thing about ITIL® is that it is both of those things and everything in between all at the same time!

After spending many years reading, thinking, teaching and using ITIL® I have found that one of its greatest benefits is its flexibility. The set of best practices can be seen from strategic, tactical and operational perspectives. In addition it is my firm belief that to be a true expert in the best practices one must be able to think at all three of those levels at the same!

Because ITIL® takes a lifecycle approach (cradle to grave for the life of a service) it operates very strategically. Because ITIL® provides a set of processes for achieving value for customers it operates at a tactical level. Because ITIL® offers a set of techniques, methods and approaches for delivering value through services and the underpinning components it operates at an operational level.

Although we might stop short of saying that ITIL® is the cure for whatever ails your organization, we can say that ITIL® can be used in many ways to solve many issues. The key is to know the best practices from a strategic, tactical and operational perspective and learn to map or apply the best practices to the situation at hand. By taking a “Keep It Simple” approach and finding the least common denominator between a given best practice and a problem our organizations face we can find the appropriate way to solve a problem.

For example if we look at each ITIL® process and recognize that they each basically map to a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle we can find that the best way to overcome challenges with a process is to ensure that they really do follow a basic path of Planning, Doing, Checking and Acting. The Deming cycle can be used in a strategic, tactical or operational context because it is simple and basic in its approach.

One of the first lessons a baseball player in the outfield learns is that when a ball is hit their first step should be away or back form the ball, not towards it. Until they can judge the distance and approach needed they should believe the ball may be hit harder than they realize. The same holds true with an ITIL® implementation. Our first step should be away from the detail and outwards towards the big picture until we have time to judge and determine the correct level of depth needed in a given situation. The hard part for many in IT is that this is counter-intuitive. Part of following best practice is learning to sometimes go against our nature until we can make the right call. If we control our natural inclinations to dive into details we will certainly be able to enjoy the benefits of a successful best practice implementation.

Comments

The Four Ps of Service Design - It’s not all about Technology

People ask me why I think that many designs and projects often fail. The most common answer is from a lack of preparation and management. Many IT organizations just think about the technology (product) implementation and fail to understand the risks of not planning for the effective and efficient use of the four Ps: People, Process, Products (services, technology and tools) and Partners (suppliers, manufacturers and vendors). A holistic approach should be adopted for all Service Design aspects and areas to ensure consistency and integration within all activities and processes across the entire IT environment, providing end to end business-related functionality and quality. (SD 2.4.2) People: Have to have proper skills and possess the necessary competencies in order to get involved in the provision of IT services. The right skills, the right knowledge, the right level of experience must be kept current and aligned to the business needs. Products: These are the technology managem

What Is A Service Offering?

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 then 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 Offe

What is the difference between Process Owner, Process Manager and Process Practitioner?

I was recently asked to clarify the roles of the Process Owner, Process Manager and Process Practitioner and wanted to share this with you. Roles and Responsibilities: Process Owner – this individual is “Accountable” for the process. They are the goto person and represent this process across the entire organization. They will ensure that the process is clearly defined, designed and documented. They will ensure that the process has a set of Policies for governance. Example: The process owner for Incident management will ensure that all of the activities to Identify, Record, Categorize, Investigate, … all the way to closing the incident are defined and documented with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, handoffs, and deliverables. An example of a policy in could be… “All Incidents must be logged”. Policies are rules that govern the process. Process Owner ensures that all Process activities, (what to do), Procedures (details on how to perform the activity) and the

Search