IT Services: External View vs Internal View

In every organization the one constant is change. In operation all functions, processes, and related activities have been designed to deliver specific levels of service. These services deliver defined and agreed levels of utility and warranty while delivering an overall value to the business. The catch is this has to be done in an ever-changing environment where requirements, deliverables, and perceived value change over time. Sometimes this change can be evolutionary or can take place at a very fast pace.

This forms a conflict between maintaining the status quo and adapting to changes in the business and technological environments. One of the key roles of service operation together with processes from the other stages of the life cycle is to deal with this tension between these ever-changing priorities.

This struggle can be broken down into four general imbalances so that an IT organization can identify that they are experiencing an imbalance by leaning more towards one extreme or the other. At a high level it can provide the service provider with the opportunity to develop some guidelines on how to resolve these conflicts and move towards a best practice approach in resolving these discrepancies.

Internal IT view vs. External business view
Stability vs. Responsiveness
Service quality vs. cost
Reactive vs. proactive

The one we will focus on here is the most common conflict that IT organizations find themselves in. This is between the external business view (IT is a set of services) and the internal IT view (IT is a set of technology components).

The external view is the way services are experienced by the users and customers. They often have no concern about how the service is delivered or the technology used to deliver it. Their concerns lie with the availability of the service when I need it and does it enhance my ability to create the desired business outcomes.

The internal view is the way IT components and systems are managed by diverse and sometimes competing teams and departments who are focused on the performance and availability of their particular systems.

It is crucial that we achieve a balance between these two views. Services must be designed and delivered around customer’s needs and requirements. They must have the ability to create the desired business outcomes for the users and deliver the necessary value to the customer. At the same time, it is possible to compromise those needs and requirements by not planning and properly executing on how those services will be delivered.

For more information visit ITSM Academy's ITIL Service Operation course.

Comments

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...

Search