The Best of CSI, Part 2

Sustainment

Originally Published on August 21, 2012

Performance (noun): The capabilities of a person, process or system, esp. when observed under particular conditions

How long can you hold your breath? How fast can you run? How long can you go without food and water? Each of these questions is tied to an understanding of your personal ability to perform. The same holds true of processes and systems. Ultimately a person, process or system can only perform to a peak or optimal level for so long. Energy wanes, process steps get skipped and system elements and components wear down or break. So how do we improve our ability to sustain peak performance? The key is to understand how the person, process or system functions, and understand its limitations and “breaking point”. Once we understand the limits and boundaries of peak performance we can implement Continual Service Improvement approaches to help improve the individual performance of a person, process or system within those limits and boundaries.

The CSI approach offers two key steps in determining just how we are going to sustain peak performance of our ITSM efforts. The first step, which asks the question “What is the Vision?” provides insight into the level of performance we seek to achieve. By aligning the business vision and the service provider vision we ensure that the entire organization sees the same expected or desired level of performance. If the service provider and the business desires are not in sync then there are different definitions and expected levels of quality, value and performance of people, processes and systems. This will lead to the business and the service provider heading in potentially vastly different directions as each tries to fulfill its own understanding of optimal performance.

The last step of the CSI approach asks the question “How do we keep the momentum going?” This step allows us to identify when our performance is potentially slipping from its optimal or peak level. Once we recognize that we potentially cannot continue to sustain the same level of performance we can use the last step of the CSI approach to possibly give us some much needed downtime by reaping the benefits of our work to that point. We can then re-invest our efforts once we have regained our energy, improved our processes or restored our systems to peak potential. It can also allow us to re-evaluate our vision and the expected or desired level of performance.

So what are some ways that you can rebuild that energy and ensure the processes and systems are working again at their peak performance?

Identify quick wins – they use less energy and show continued commitment

Clearly define roles and responsibilities – tie responsibilities to job descriptions and performance programs to help clarify the limits and boundaries of performance

Keep an ear open to your people, process and systems to detect early when these are approaching their optimal limits – then resolve performance related issues through CSI

Make sure you baseline performance – this helps you identify where performance may need improvement

Produce meaningful metrics that are tied to business goals – this helps determine whether the performance levels are in line with the vision

These are just a small handful of options and opportunities we have to ensure we can reach the greatest level of value, quality and performance for our customers through ITSM.

Four Service Characteristics

Recently I came across several articles by researchers and experts that laid out definitions and characteristics of services. ITIL provides us with a definition that can help drive the creation of value-laden services: A means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks. An area that ITIL is not so clear is in terms of service characteristics. Several researchers and experts put forth that services have four basic characteristics (IHIP): Intangibility—Services are the results of actions not things. They have no physical presence and represent a logical set of elements. One way to think of service is “work done for others.” Heterogeneity—Also known as “variability”; services are unique items because of the mechanisms used to deliver services, which is people. Because the people element adds variability, the service is variable. This holds true, especially for the value proposition—not eve...

What Is A Service Offering?

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

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