May 24, 2017

If you’ve ever wondered what exactly Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) is, then let me help you understand, by answering some of the questions I often get asked in our ITIL® courses.

ITIL® is a framework that can be put into place in your organisation’s IT service structure. It is popular because it is:

• Vendor neutral – IT service management practices are applicable to any IT organisation
• Non-Prescriptive – It offers robust practices to fit into your organisation
• Best-Practice – It includes thought and leadership ideas of the world’s best in-class service providers

Put all of this together and we get a specialised set of organisational capability for providing value to customers in the form of services.

So, what is IT in relation to a business/organisation?

IT has become a utility. Like the expectation of water to flow from a tap, or light when we switch on a lamp, we expect an email to be sent when we hit the send button. Thus, IT has today become the utility of business, and as such businesses expect it to behave accordingly.

You may be thinking that your current service desk still works, so why do you need ITIL®?

Each organisation is different and in our ITIL® courses, we run through each business' needs more specifically, buy just to give you an idea – ITIL® gives you a standard framework to apply within your organisation, which is recognised in the industry.

If we don’t have ITIL®, then what do we have?

Generally, you will have an estimation of best practice, with no guidance or processes to ensure it is working

How can we implement ITIL® into our organisation?

You can start off by borrowing the CSA model from the continual service improvement module.

What is the vision? Business vision, mission, goals and objectives.

Where are we now? Base line assessments.

Where do we want to be? Measurable targets (This is the gap analysis of where we are now and where we want to be).

How do we get there? Service and process improvements.

How do we get the momentum going? It’s important to keep the momentum going and you can do this by using the guidance in the ITIL® framework:

• Service strategy – The Service Strategy phase of the service lifecycle provides guidance on how to design, develop, and implement IT service management.  From here you will understand how service strategies may be developed to attain business distinction in the marketplace.  Service Strategy lifecycle is used to determine target markets and how to set itself apart from its competitors. The organisation’s management team will understand the costs and risks associated with their service portfolios and can efficiently use this information in their operational decision-making.
• Service Design – The Service Design phase provides guidance on how to design and develop services and the associated IT service management processes required to support the service strategies already developed. Here IT professionals and business leaders learn how to design the service plans such that customer concerns are dealt with in an efficient manner.
• Service Transition – The Service Transition phase provides guidance to IT professionals and their business associates on how to manage changes in a productive manner. The guidance explains how to efficiently and effectively transition new and changed services into operations without disrupting other services or processes.
• Service Operation – The Service Operation phase provides guidance on the day-to-day aspects of business operations. This is where the rubber hits the road. The key is for the IT department to keep things running smoothly, reliably, efficiently and cost-effectively. All the activities and processes here ensure that services are delivered to customers at the agreed upon levels with minimal disruptions.  Service operation is where value is realised for both the customer and the service provider.
• Continual Service Improvement – The Continual Service Improvement phase provides guidance for looking at development and improvement. There is always room for development and improvement in IT services. Continually assessing is how you understand where improvements need to be made.

If you'd like to know more about how you can implement and use ITIL® in your organisation, you can watch the replay of our webinar, ITIL® is Not a Four Letter Word.