Lifelong Learning - Recommended Reading (Part 1)

As a follow up to my recent discussion on the differences between being a ‘student’ and being a ‘learner’, I thought it would be useful to provide a somewhat comprehensive list of readings and source material to help those who are heading into and/or beyond the pinnacle of their ITIL learning journey—Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC). Preparing for MALC requires a deep level of commitment, beginning with a sound understanding of the five ITIL core books.    To truly be an ITIL/ITSM Expert, you should develop some complementary skills in Organizational Change Management, Business/IT Management and other ITSM frameworks and standards?

While it is unreasonable to expect a learner to complete all of these readings as part of their MALC preparation, the spirit here is to recommend a versatile business view that will serve you before, during and after you become an ITIL Expert.    The road doesn't end at MALC - lifelong learning habits will keep your knowledge and perspective fresh and well-rounded.

Even if you cannot read the entire original books, try to find a summary or an overview or even just look up information on the authors.   If you have additional recommendations, please share via comments.

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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?

The ITIL 4 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 1. 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. ...

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

This article was originally published in 2015. With the Introduction of ITIL 4, some of this best practice has changed. See ITIL 4 and the Evolving Role of Roles . Updated Definitions in ITIL 4: Process Owner: In ITIL 4, the concept of 'processes' has expanded into broader 'practices.' Consequently, the Process Owner is now often referred to as the 'Practice Owner.' This individual is accountable for the overall design, performance, integration, and improvement of a specific practice within the organization. They ensure that the practice achieves its intended outcomes and aligns with the organization's objectives. Process Manager: Now commonly known as the 'Practice Manager' in ITIL 4, this role is responsible for the day-to-day management of the practice. The Practice Manager ensures that activities are carried out as intended, manages resources assigned to the practice, and oversees the practitioners performing the work. Process Practit...

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