ITSM Uncovered

I found an article on line that was in many ways demonstrating a revolutionary approach to Release Management. That being a truly integrated release management proof-of-concept. Box.net, the company behind the iPad application and Cloud-based service with the same name, decided to not simply propose a solution to their client, D7 Consulting, but also to demonstrate, hands on, the benefits to their product utilizing state of the art technology by providing not just the application but the hardware to run it on: iPads. In many ways, absorbing the financial risk from the hardware implementation in the short term.

In many ways this has been my point when I say that as an ITSM Professional, I need to view myself as the subject matter expert when it comes to proposing solutions to solve real-world business problems to my businesses. That is when the true business value performed by the ITSM Professional comes into play. If you are in-tune with the business you are supporting, then why not be the technology specialist who is in a unique position to discover technology solutions to real business challenges?

I think the team at Box.net have raised the bar with Application Development and Release concepts. It is not just the "Wow" factor of a new toy, but more about what can this new device or application do to enhance or enable my business. Box.net nailed it with this one.

The word of the day boys and girls is "INVESTMENT." In the implementation of an ITSM strategy for an organization, it always seems to be that the initial strategy by technology leadership is to look at investment focused on bringing in external resources. I would argue that maybe this is not the single smartest approach. Now, I am not implying that the role of a consultant is without value or merit. What I am saying is that outsourcing the implementation of such a large shift of culture and process is not something that can fairly be dropped on a consultant or two and expect them to wave their wands as if they have an MBA from Hogwarts Institute of Technology. This is usually quite a challenging endeavor to expect someone from outside an organization to come in and change to a culture they don't necessarily understand or are not willing to embrace that change.

In my own experience I have heard rumblings within an organization of many staffers viewing ITIL as leadership's attempt at trying out the latest "buzz-word" framework or attempting to force it down the throats of the IT staff who have seen these types of initiatives fail in the past. In these types of environments, the US vs. THEM mentality combined with a lack of understanding by the organization as a whole form a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

Why is it then, that in other industries, membership into these organizations is accepted if not required. Auditors, CPAs, Lawyers, Doctors and the list could go on. But in Technology there is still the legacy belief in many organizations, more prevalent in the larger ones, that the in-house experience and knowledge pool can achieve anything that will improve the organization as a whole. After all, who knows the organization better, right? Wrong.

The problem is that as with or any organic entity which grows or evolves, it brings with it naturally that which it has learned before. If that base of knowledge is mis-management, inefficiency and dysfunction, then it will only become compounded as it grows. I call it my IT Evolutionary Theory. IT spawns out of an immediate need to conduct business, to that which grows quickly as work arounds are put in place to give the appearance of functionality. Then there is the survival mode where you begin to see the failures in technology due to a lack of awareness early on to put in place structured process designed for growth. You have now entered what I affectionately refer to as the "Wild-West." Any and everything goes in keeping the business up and running.

It is usually at this point where the business tolerance for failure reaches its limits. IT leadership is given the ultimatum to fix it, or be gone. In comes the interest Industry Frameworks! Often viewed as the silver bullet to make everything better again based on white papers, magazines or some presentation seen by senior leadership. However, as previously mentioned the organization at this point is so rooted in a culture of disorganization and inefficiency that finding anyone who actually understands how to begin to dig out of the mess is near to impossible. Leaderships answer? QUEUE THE CONSULTANTS!

Now, rewinding things a bit. What if, early on in the evolutionary chain, IT management encouraged membership in industry organizations like HDI or the ITSMf? Better yet, what if these companies spent the relatively minimal amount of funding to become corporate members, allowing staff to attended regular meetings and annual conferences? The upside is not often analyzed from the top down. What these individuals get from networking while attending monthly meetings, conferences, seminars and training events brings back into the organization a wealth of knowledge BEFORE things get too far gone. Proactive involvement from the ground up begins to take place, the culture itself evolves, far eclipsing anything a consultant can bring to the table during the "zero hour" knee-jerk make-or-break point. This is where a relatively minor investment over time in the very fabric of an organization can save a large investment to un-fluck a cluster.

Like any knowledge base, there is wealth in the sheer numbers of individuals who contribute content to it. These Industry forums are a gold-mine of information, experience and reassurance to any organization looking to improve or enhance their overall IT operation. So, note to Technology leadership... continue to provide relevant training, but more importantly, encourage and support organizational membership in external industry organizations and events. The return on THAT investment goes much farther than believing that you can manage evolution in a bubble. In most cases you already employ those "consultants" you need as you evolve. Give them the opportunity to champion growth and stability through supporting them. Who knows, they may just surprise you and save you a lot of pain and revenue in the long run.

There are mainly two core elements to technology: infrastructure and development. The deployment of these elements and understanding how they are leveraged together is key to any successful organization. Each contains various flavors of implementation that are fundamentally designed to service the business mission. Some provide competitive advantages while others are generally designed to keep the plant operating and are not unique to a specific corporate business process.

Infrastructure is the true foundation upon which all technology rides. In many ways it is not unlike the plumbing, electric, foundation and framing of a house. It is the base that technology depends on to exist. For a start-up, simply getting the business off of the ground distracts from the longer term vision for the company. A technology trap many fall into.
As with a home, designing the right infrastructure will make or break how your technology evolves to meet the business needs both in the immediate and long term. Imagine designing and building a two bedroom home for a newly married couple. It suits their immediate need in starting their new life together. But what happens four years later when they are planning on their second child? That two bedroom begins to not seem as appealing as it once did; a true problem of capacity planning.

Plan, design and build for growth. If you don’t get these right, chances are the results will be both painful as well as costly. Infrastructure however, has an image problem. The power of infrastructure lies not with what the business or end users can see, touch or experience. Because of this, it is often overlooked in terms of investment. This fault is usually what bites most businesses in the ass when system failures begin to occur.

Development on the other hand, is usually the most visible and highly touted. It is these products that ride on the users desktop and provide the entry point to business functionality needed to complete the corporate mission. Whether that development is provided internally, via large commercial software houses or 3rd party vendors, the role is clear: Deliver core business process functionality.

It is assumed, although not always the case, that developers understand the business processes and are able to work it into their design to develop effective solutions. Internal development takes that concept even further as these groups exist within the company to provide custom solutions that deliver a presumed competitive advantage within a specific industry. For those companies who can afford this option, the value is clear as it can provide an edge over competitors in the never ending fight for market share. More importantly, it comes down to control. Proprietary applications that may contain functionality based on processes developed from within an organization can leverage the business knowledge in a way that drives development into very specific directions. The disadvantage with any software application regardless of who develops it, is that like Infrastructure, when it fails, there is a direct impact to business.

In the new-world order of Technology, there is a third element to IT which, like the Infrastructure, goes relatively unnoticed until something breaks. This is not software, nor it is hardware, let’s call it what it is; People. Yes, people run the infrastructure and people write code, but then there is Jack O. All-trades. The individual who knows a lot about infrastructure and development, yet also has that special skill to be able to communicate with the customer. Jack is not a Systems Administrator, nor a C# or C++ coder. Nope, this individual knows about Command Windows, X-Terms, Consoles, Windows Scripting Host, SQL Queries, HTML and Java development, tools of the trade. Jack knows how to run IP Config on a Laptop and understand what DNS servers it is connecting to, while running a shell script to recursively remove files from at TMP directory.

More importantly, Jack knows how to explain to the customer that their computer isn’t connecting to the web because when they booted their machine up, it did not pick up a new IP address or DNS settings from the DHCP servers which might be due to a faulty Ethernet cable, port, DHCP isn’t configured or the LAN may just be down. No, Jack will simply say “Let me take a look and see what I can do to get you up and running again.” Take a second or two to run IP Config /all to check under the hood, discover that all network connections appear in order, see’s the lights on the Ethernet port flashing, confirming network connectivity; run IPConfig /release + IPConfig /renew, Ping a few hosts or websites and viola~! Turning back to the user, simply says “There you go, back up and running. If you have any more problems, please let us know and we’ll get right on it.” Jack is on his way again.

This is an example of customer service and support skills in action, leveraging the basic tools of the trade that go unrecognized as a valid technology field in it’s own right. Of course this was a very basic example which does go much deeper than that in terms of ensuring that business services and users are not impacted by infrastructure or development system failures. It is not some individual with English as a second language behind a desk reading from a script calling themselves IT Support (I’m sure I will have more to write about in that space.) I am referring to that undervalued and overlooked position on the front lines of technology, leveraged as a critical element to an effectively run technology environment. This group of individuals needs to be recognized as the not just a “IT guy/gal”, but that bridge which binds a business to its technology.

Implementing IT Service Management is like baking a cake. There is a basic recipe, but can be whipped up in any manner the pastry chef decides. Like a recipe, baking up a good batch of ITSM cupcakes requires a list of ingredients which is where frameworks like ITIL come into play.

I'm getting hungry so enough with the cupcakes... To deliver effective Service Management requires many things, but there are two that most people I have run across forget about: People and Process. The two are, to me, the fundamental basis for which any framework is based. ITIL is no exception.

The problem with ITIL is that as a framework, there are so many individual focus areas, that it becomes too easy to lose sight of the big picture or how these 'pieces' fit together in such a way that the value begins to emerge. Like a jigsaw, you don't really see this picture until the pieces begin to fall into place.

What you will find in this journey are organizations who have reached a level of self-proclaimed "ITSM nirvana" are always preaching about how great it is to be efficient and operating at a level that allows true streamlined IT Operations. Don't believe the hype. No organization that has a relatively effective ITSM instance arrived there as effortlessly as many make it sound. That is part of the problem. Like snake oil, or the miracle diet, successful implementations of ITIL components are always verbally sold as the elixir that cures whatever ails you instantly. In reality, there is much in the way of pain that needs to be endured before you find that light and enter into it.

There are no silver bullets or road maps highlighting shortcuts; just a view of what life could be like with the right process, people and tools in place. How you get there is controlled by factors that you may never have considered prior to starting your journey to enlightenment. You should never forget that there will be pain, there will be work, there will be a level of commitment that is required to make the inevitable leap of faith that is required as you begin to move in a direction that will eventually begin to add value to your organization.

Many technology departments are under fiscal pressure never seen in the industry before. This is driving the need to focus on doing more with less while sustaining a level of service to the business. HA! GOTCHA! I wanted to throw that in to raise a bit of a panic. The way to look at the whole "More with Less" phrase should not be viewed in the historical sense, meaning people are expendable. I present it as people providing MORE value with LESS noise or distractions.

Again, at the root of everything is the IT professional who is often under-utilized and under-valued because they are burdened with inefficient processes, time consuming tasks or trying to keep their heads above the water, all in an effort just to keep the plant running. This is where the true financial loss to business occurs. Why hire top tier computer science graduate, just to have them spend their days updating spreadsheets, sending email and running scripts? It is time to look to become more efficient, work smarter, not harder and challenge our technologists to drive initiative and opportunities to present to the business.

The concept of IT Service Management accompanied with the ITIL Framework elicits many different responses from all levels of the organization. From the Management side, the general focus question is "What will it cost me?" From Middle Management it is; "How will I allocate resources?" and to the man or woman on the front lines it is "What are you thinking!?" The latter is always the voice that is often missed in communicating the benefits to the organization.

There is plenty of talk targeting the implementation of ITSM or ITIL revolving around defining business requirement to drive IT Services. Processes and steps to providing these services in the most efficient and cost effective manner is not always addressed. Even with the best intention of proactive management of IT environments to predict and support future business growth or potential weak points, communicating that is often an uphill battle day one.

These are all very valid points in delivering a true Service Management environment to any business. In order to achieve this, one area is consistently overlooked; the role of the individual. This can be attributed to the fact that unlike processes or tools, it is extremely difficult to discover, identify and document. It is the intangible element.

Processes can be defined, people can't. Many implementers, whether internal to an organization or brought in from the outside to consult on what needs to occur to improve IT Service to the Business are very versed in the tactics needed to implement any of the areas of IT Service Management. The challenge is convincing the individual that what is being proposed can inevitably make their lives easier.

Communication needs to be tailored to the hands-on audience, much in the same light as you would with Management or even Middle-Management. There is a benefit that needs to be explained to gain buy-in. Explaining the monetary benefits and ROI to senior Management is only one piece of the puzzle. Determining the most effective methods of resource management and reporting to Middle Management is also part of the critical path. Understanding and communicating the true benefit to the individuals who are tied up with daily projects, firefighting or disgruntled users must not be approached as an afterthought.
The term "Grass-Roots" is often thrown around in various seminars and case studies but there are living, breathing people who comprise this Grass-Roots element that are vital to the success in moving forward with any attempt to become a high performance organization. True leaders realize this; successful programs are ones that focus on all levels of the organization.

So what is the key? Some believe that a complete buy-in and enforcement from Senior Management by default, forces the organization to comply. This is not to say that Senior Management buy-in and commitment is not important, but to get to the goal faster, having a motivated, mobilized workforce behind the effort will accomplish tasks and milestones more effectively if the troops are made to feel as if they are part of the solution on delivering the end product.

The truth of the matter is, everyone has their processes. Some good, some bad and some definitely ugly. Nevertheless, they are processes that people put time and effort into developing to make their own contribution to the organization better. Discounting these efforts by pushing new unfamiliar process framework from the top down is not necessarily the right approach. The fact is, that people take pride in their work and are resistant to anything new or mis-branded to make their job seem inefficient.

Then there is the concern about Job security. Many only see a program on Process Improvement, standardization and enhancements, coupled with terms like improved resource management as buzz words to cut head-count. If you are in the position of deploying an IT Service Management Agenda across your organization you have to take into account the human side of the deployment and recognize what is not always being spoken.

It is critical that you provide comfort in the new processes as much as you do selling the need to enhance them. Ignoring the on-the-ground concerns in any implementation of process improvement will only result delays and push back as walls are put up in sub-conscious efforts to protect the domain of the individual. Then you have a nasty mutiny to deal with.

When defining the roles of those charged with driving these new process initiatives, give some thought to the soft-skills side of the communication process. Simply being good at translating the ITIL Framework or Service Management process in general terms is not good enough.
Being able to "dumb-down" ITIL-Speak in a way that can convey benefit and value to be digested by the organization is critical. It takes time and understanding of who you are dealing with, but this is time well spent in terms of moving the program ahead. It is always easier to form an alliance up front than to tear down walls later.

Technology is evolving. By its very nature, technology is an industry that is full of processes that are dependent on other processes. Whether you are writing code where sub-routines are dependent on other sub-routines or setting up a network where IP Addresses are depending on Routing Tables there is always a need for order and process. This is no different in the world of IT Service.

The shift towards viewing IT as a business service has introduced the concept of IT Service Management. This is a time when Technologists at all levels are exploring various methods of operating as a process driven organization. Frameworks or methodologies such as Service Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) are becoming all the rage. What is also occurring in the environment is that individuals who for years have performed the fire-fighting roles of IT Service are now being recruited to fill structured roles within a process driven environment.

For the most part this is a great career opportunity for the individual who thrives on providing quality service to their clients, however not all members of the Service community are in it for the sake of providing quality service. These individuals who were not suited for Service as a career to begin with, will more than likely not be suited for operating in a more structured environment designed to align technology with business goals.