Process Maturity – How do I measure it?

In order to manage and control processes and services, they have to be monitored and measured. The design of the measurement methods and metrics used to measure process are critical to success and might even be the most crucial element. In practice we tend to see Critical Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators defined in the process documentation but is anything being done with those?

We not only need to define the metrics for measuring the process but also must ensure that the design and implementation of the process also includes a system for ongoing monitoring, reporting and most important action for continual improvement of the process. Without it the process is destined to fail.

Process designers must assert caution and use wisdom when defining the metrics and measurements for the process. Careful consideration must be given to how these measurements are going to affect and change the behavior of the practitioners and stakeholders that produce or receive value from this process. Rest assured that measuring the process will affect people and we must ensure the outcome is one that is conducive to success. Selecting only measurements that encourage progression towards meeting business objectives or desired behavioral change should be selected.

The process design ensures that we have the capability to improve the process over time. Think about it. Is a process ever perfect? Is the demand from the business ever static in today’s world? The emphasis should be on the quality, speed, and cost in order to meet the dynamic needs of the business and the outcomes of the products and services that service provider delivers. Therefore, measurement methods and metrics should reflect these requirements and be designed to measure the ability of processes to them. Be careful though. The process measurements selected need to be appropriate for the capability and maturity of the processes being measured. Immature processes are not capable of supporting complex measurement methods. ITIL describes four types of metrics that can be used to measure the capability and performance of processes. You might find these helpful.

Progress - Milestones and deliverables in the capability of the process
Compliance - Compliance of the process to governance requirements, regulatory requirements and compliance of people to the use of the process
Effectiveness - The accuracy and correctness of the process and its ability to deliver the ‘right result’
Efficiency - The productivity of the process, its speed, throughput and resource utilization. Measurements and metrics should develop and change as the maturity and capability of a process develops. Initially, with immature processes the

Be cautious with these, the first two levels of metrics should be used to measure the progress and compliance of the process initially. You should ensure that the process is consistent and being followed. As the process maturity develops, effectiveness and efficiency metrics can be added with an understanding that progress and compliance are still paramount.

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

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