Skip to main content

Deployments Failing? What about STRATEGY?

Image
By

A lot of organizations today are focusing on improving their time to market and also looking at tactical ways to be able to deliver services without causing massive "All Hands on Deck" outages.  How can we deliver quality services faster at the least amount of cost?

 Varied methods such as Agile, Lean, Six Sigma and other service management process activities and methods have been attempted.  Why are we missing the mark?  Why does the business not see the type of returns that are touted?  Perhaps if there was more of a focus on the strategy, or at least as much time and effort as is put forth in the tactical and operation space, we would see better results.   Is it time to shift the focus?

 Having a clear strategy will help your organization to be able to link tactical plans and operational activities to outcomes that are critical to customers and to the business as a whole.  With clear strategic initiatives, governance and best practice principles, the service provider could be contributing to the value (and not just the cost) of the organization.  Best practice for service management defines how having a “strategic” view and plan could allow the IT Service Provider to:
  • Have a clear understanding of what types and levels of service will make its customers successful and then organize itself optimally to deliver and support those services. This is achieved through a process of defining strategies and services, ensuring a consistent, repeatable approach to defining how value will be built and delivered that is accessible to all stakeholders. 
  • Respond quickly and effectively to changes in the business environment ensuring increased competitive advantage. Understanding that business requirements are dynamic is key! 
  • Support the creation and maintenance of a portfolio of quantified services that will enable the business to achieve positive return on its investment in services. We are not just talking service catalog but full on Service Portfolio Management which is broader in scope and includes the Business Service Catalog. Emphasis is on “quantified” services. 
  • Facilitate functional and transparent communication between the customer and the service provider so that both have a consistent understanding of what is required and how it will be delivered. 
  • Provide the means for the service provider to organize itself so that it can provide services in an efficient and effective manner. 
  • Giving clear strategic direction is essential in order to scope the effort in every other functional area.  If service providers continue to focus on tools and automation or to focus on approaches without a heavy focus on strategy we are likely to miss the mark.
For more information:
Read ITIL Best Practice - a high level overview from the owners of ITIL  
            
View ITSM Academy's ITIL Service Strategy Training and Certification
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Four Service Characteristics

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Is A Service Offering?

By
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.      ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

By
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...
Post a Comment
Read more