Whether or not an organization has formally adopted a framework such as ITIL , IT service management (ITSM) practices are doomed if you fail to recognize the need for continual improvement. Capability assessments  can be used to determine how well your practices are established and improving, and they serve as a diagnostic tool for continual improvement. A capability assessment typically involves a straightforward set of activities. Plan and prepare – define the scope, objectives, and participants of the assessment. Define and organize the supporting elements of the assessment model. Conduct the assessment   – collect input through interviews, workshops, observations, or surveys and validate evidence against the defined criteria. Analyze, interpret, and report out the results   – aggregate the findings to identify the current capability level. Identify gaps, improvement opportunities, and options. Formulate prioritized recommendations for ...

Part 1 of this series explores the activities involved in planning and preparing for practice capability assessments . This blog focuses on conducting assessments.  Organizations typically use three broad types of practice capability assessments, each differing in purpose, depth, and rigor. Self-assessments – internally led, often using surveys or worksheets where practitioners rate their own practices. Helps to raise awareness of strengths and weaknesses and capture a baseline Facilitated assessments – led by a neutral internal facilitator or cross-functional team (e.g., a Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE), a process improvement team or members of a Service Management Office (SMO)) that guides stakeholders through structured discussions and consensus-based scoring exercises. Provides a shared understanding of capability across stakeholder groups Independent or formal external assessments – conducted by experienced consultants, certified assessors or acc...

Before you can chart a course toward higher capability levels, you need to know your current position. A capability assessment provides that orientation. It is the moment you unfold the map and mark, “You are here.” Capability assessments reveal not only how well individual practices are established, but how deeply they are embedded into the organization’s culture. They are not about chasing a number. They are about obtaining a clear, evidence-based understanding of where your capabilities stand. Well-scoped and well-conducted assessments shine a light on both strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps most importantly, they allow you to determine where targeted improvement will create the greatest value. Assessments transform perception into data and data into direction. Once you have gathered scored criteria, evidence, and data from across the organization, now comes the part of the assessment process where insight begins to take shape. Each of the most widely used asse...

With the introduction of ITIL 4 , some concepts have changed in ways that affect how service management assessments are performed. (1) Focusing on practices vs. processes ITIL 4 has evolved to focus on holistic practices vs. isolated processes. By definition, a practice is a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. In ITIL 4, each practice includes resources based on the four dimensions of service management. One of those dimensions is ‘ value streams and processes ’, and so while processes are still an important component of service management, they are now considered in a much more holistic context. (2) Assessing practice capability vs. maturity In 2021 AXELOS (now a part of PeopleCert) introduced the ITIL Maturity Model . Organizations can use this model to objectively and comprehensively assess their service management capabilities and the maturity of the organization’s service value system (SVS). In this...

In ITIL 4, there are four dimensions…  but at the heart lives the Service Management Trinity. In the dynamic landscape of business operations, achieving and sustaining service excellence is a complex challenge. Service management plays a pivotal role in ensuring that organizations meet and exceed customer expectations. Enter the Service Management Trinity: a holistic approach that encompasses three key pillars: People , Processes , and Technology . In this blog, we explore how these elements synergize to create a framework for unparalleled service delivery. People: The Heart of Service Management At the core of any successful service management strategy are the people who drive it. The human element is the heartbeat of service excellence, as dedicated and skilled individuals form the backbone of effective operations. This includes not only frontline service professionals but also those working behind the scenes in roles such as training, leade...

By Donna Knapp Have you ever done business with an organization that liked to brag about all the extras that it provides, but doesn’t get the basics right? To some extent, the accelerated innovation that was sparked by the pandemic fueled this need to focus on the new and shiny. And for some organizations, it is what’s needed to stand out in the crowd, or to compete, or simply to survive. But here is what we know. All the new and shiny in the world can’t make up for a poor customer experience. You cannot sacrifice quality for speed. And a perk here and there can’t overcome the lack of trust that builds up when an organization fails to get the basics right day in and day out. So, what we’ve got to do is strike a balance. A feat that is easier said than done. According to the 2022 State of CIO report, 76% of CIOs say that it’s challenging to find the right balance between business innovation and operational excellence. And yet it is exactly what organizations today need to do… C. All of ...

Written by Greg Smith , originally posted in OwlPoint News , September 14, 2021 What is the ITIL ®  Maturity Model? The ITIL Maturity Model is a tool used to objectively and comprehensively assess an organization’s service management capabilities and the maturity of the organization’s   Service Value System (SVS) . AXELOS is about to release the new ITIL Maturity Model which OwlPoint – the most tenured AXELOS Consulting Partner in the US – will use to assess clients’ service management capabilities. Why would an organization need an ITIL assessment? There are three main reasons an organization would want to have an ITIL assessment performed: To achieve a desired level of certification and/or meet contractual obligations, they must meet a pre-defined level of maturity and capability. They have undertaken a Service Management implementation or improvement initiative and need to validate the project goals have been met. They are preparing to undertake a Service Management implem...

There are some misconceptions about ITIL ® 4 and its use of the term ‘practice’ vs. ‘process’ as a component of its recently introduced service value system. One misconception is that processes aren’t important anymore. Another is that organizations think they must completely redesign their tools in order to accommodate this change. Neither is true. Let’s begin by taking a look at how ITIL 4 defines these terms. Process: a set of interrelated or interacting activities that transform inputs into outputs [to accomplish an objective]. Processes define the sequence of actions and their dependencies. Practice: a set of organizational resources designed for performing work or accomplishing an objective. Practices include resources based on the four dimensions of service management which include: organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and – wait for it – processes.   Both processes and practices focus on achi...

Value stream mapping  originated a s a   lean -management method.  Today this method along with Agile, ITSM and other LEAN practices is utilized to understand and improve the delivery of products or services for all industries.  Being able to analyze the current state for the series of events that take a product or service from concept all the way through to value realization by the customer is a powerful tool. A tool necessary for designing an efficient future state and for strategizing continual service improvement.  Below are some thoughts on how the approach to value stream mapping can be applied to service management. Getting Started: Beginning with the formal proposal or request from the customer and then documenting what takes place throughout the lifecycle is always a good starting point.  Value Stream Mapping requires a gradient approach including the following elements: ·          Define physical ...