Continual Service Improvement (CSI) and Survival

The systems, the processes, and the culture that worked for IT service providers 20 years ago will not work in today’s environment. No big news here! Most IT support staff will agree. The truth is that the same could be said for systems or methods that service providers used five years ago or even last year. The dynamic and rapid change of business requirements demands that a service provider be dynamic and continuously adapt to evolving business needs and outcomes.

When you get into your car and turn the key or push the start button, most would expect that the car is going to start. You might also expect that it has wheels, an engine, and all the elements necessary to drive this car, right? This is the same expectation that a business operation expects. When a service is provided the business expects that service is going to have all the working elements to ensure that it does what they need. The customer expects that the service is available and secure for day to day operation.

The systems, the process and the culture that worked for IT service providers 20, 10 or even five years ago is not likely to work in today’s ever-changing world. We have all realized that whatever process, service or product you deploy today is already outdated by the time it is usable. The truth is that the requirements are changing before we can ever even deploy. This creates confusion, frustration and in some cases the Project Manager does not feel enabled for success. Being over time and over budget becomes more of the norm than an anomaly.

What do all frameworks, methodologies and best practices have in common?

All of these frameworks and methods could be used and dovetailed together to provide value. Frameworks do not stand alone.

Think about:

Agile and the focus on iterative design
Lean and how to remove waste
The culture to shift left
Agile Service Management and Minimum Viable Process (MVP)
ISO/IEC 9000, 9001, or ISO/IEC 20,000 that ensures an ongoing quality/managed service system
TQM and the Deming Cycle for Plan, Do, Check, Act…

At the core of these frameworks is the idea that Continual Service Improvement is necessary to deliver value. If you are not growing, living, breathing and moving with the business than this becomes not only suggested but required for survival. Educate and Inspire!

For more information on Continual Service Improvement: https://www.itsmacademy.com/itil-csi/

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