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ITSM and the Consummate Gardener

The Consummate Gardener

 
There are times in IT Service Management that seem to be like dry cold spells.  Times when the funding is dry, the resources are lean and to all but the consummate gardener might appear to be nonproductive in the way of moving forward.  The consummate gardener will find something to put on the schedule in the bitter cold of January, something like garden planning, tool maintenance, or alphabetizing the seed packets. Perhaps browsing seed catalogs and more to ensure they are prepared for the next season. Why?  They have a vision!  The crop, the wonderful fruit of their labor realized.
 
Back to the Basics
Like the gardener there are areas of ITSM Best Practice that a service provider can continually be preparing for and improving.  When times are lean and dry as well as when they are not.  With all the terms, the technology, the latest and greatest buzz lets pause and step back; back to the basics.  For the gardener that is the seed, the soil and the tools that will be needed to ensure their vision.
People:  (Seed)
Consistent thought effort and preparation for how to invoke the culture required for strategic initiatives has to begin with a focus on people.  Who? What? Where? How? When will you need executive management involved in the near future for aspires that are on the horizon?  The consummate gardener in ITSM will be reading up on relationship management, stakeholder communication, and perhaps investigating to find out what communication plans and awareness campaigns are working in other areas that they can leverage from.  They will be engaged in and encouraging change champions that will create fertile ground for the upcoming seed that will soon be planted.  
Process:  (Soil)
The crop will not bring in itself.  Like the gardener the service provider will need to think of who, what where when how the ground is to be fertilized, tilled, planted and sowed to ensure a fruitful crop.  For ITSM it might be things like what governance boards will be required?  Not only what policy will be needed to govern ITSM processes but what activities and procedures will I need?  The gardener here will be preparing for documentation, knowledge management and perhaps begin with what templates might help.   The consummate gardener has a listening ear for conversations that make evident where existing process and activities are broken.  Listening, reading gathering and preparing while constantly keeping the vision of the full crop in mind while fertilizing the soil.  When the time is right the consummate gardener will be prepared to instigate the projects required with appropriate buy in and support and watch their vision play out.
Technology (Tools)
Success for many gardeners comes from having the best tools available.  The consummate gardener is aware that determining the crop, getting prime seed, building relationships and getting the best suppliers for just the right seed will trump the tools and automation that they might be fortunate enough to have.  Bad seed when planted in unprepared soil will not result in the best crop regardless of what tools or automation the gardener uses.
The consummate gardeners in ITSM will take advantage of every season prioritizing their thoughts and efforts with a clear vision of the crop.  They understand that the seed and the soil are utmost to their success and will prioritize to ensure that the tools they use are in support of those.  Let’s get back to the basics: The seed, the soil and the tools.  The planting does not begin in spring and the crop will not bring in itself.  We need a consummate gardener who understands that the heart the vision and the effort in the bitter cold of January will bring forth the ultimate fruitful crops all in their season.

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