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.
