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Other ways of ITIL

"He who does not want to act when he is able to, he should not wonder if he is not able to act when he wants. " /anonymus/

Nowadays ITIL has become Aspirin for IT 

If an IT organization turns to a consultant, it is almost certain that the ITIL will be mentioned among the improving suggestions. In most cases they offer full implementation, with a promise that all of the raised problems can be solved with it .

Criticism of ITIL

What is the problem with ITIL? Nothing really, it can offer great solutions for many problems. Or is it not what you experienced?

In this case we must search the causes in the applying method of ITIL. ITIL cannot be used without localization and customization. During the implementation it cannot be a purpose to implement every ITIL functions immediately. Maturity of organization, existing team- and personal culture, and approach of the persons in organization affect significantly the order of ITIL implementation steps.

Our experience in IT Service Management after years, we think the ITIL is not enough in itself, we must examine at least 4 factors (4F): besides the processes, important factors are the existing service interface, the supporting tool set and the human factor. The 4 factors are detailed as follows:

We handle this factor another way, sure enough

It cannot be emphasized enough: mindset is the key of the successful implementation of ITIL+. That's why HumanoIT emphasizes the project communication, the surveillance and consideration of the knowledge available in the organization. It is important that every persons concerned know the aim, expected and reached results of the proje  in our client's organization,  We believe this attitude is the key to the successful project.

In order to guarantee the success of the project, our methodology focuses the activities of

  • organizing human resources (developing groups,authorization, culture of participating...),
  • resource management (organization extension or tightening, competency analysis...)
  • ability development (career, education, mentoring...)
  • knowledge management (knowledge and practise based on competency...),
  • human resource management (scaling performance, compensation...).

The factors listed above are intent on assisting the organization to perform their aim at the optimum and with the knowledge, competency and human resource factors existing in the organization.

An ITIL implementation does not get needed support from participants when the threat from modifying 'the exsisting, well-operating processes' and causing difficulties by the changes arises instead of improvement. According to HumanoIT's approach supporting and synchronizing the exsisting and evaluated as real, operating processes with ITIL are important along the same lines with ensuring the operation of new processes created or modified during the implementation of ITIL functions.

Taking into consideration the ITILv3 volumes, we survey the processes of IT services structured. We handle separately the establisment work of processes, and we implement them only the case when all of the concerned persons accepted them (both business and IT look on achievable the expectations). We focus on ensuring long-term operation of the implemented processes (e.g. they shouldn't operate only in the implementation phase and after the project closure loose their priorities due to missing resources).

We focus on ensuring the long term operation of the implemented processes (e.g. the processes should not loss their priority after project closure and operate only during the implementation due to lack of resources). We work out the controls fo the established, implemented processes and by the help of this, both (internal) service supplier and business side can monitor the result of changes. The other set of controls can be created to serve the IT security.

In life of an organization, the continuous improvement of processes cannot be held off until we reach the level that is even appropriate for the business. From this moment, the task is to stabilize the business needs and the appropriate level.

The relationship between the service supplier and orderer could be changed after implementing ITIL: the measures and expectations represented in numbers can be a source of conflicts. HumanoIT can solve this situation acting as a 'translator' between business and IT, understanding the expectations and conceptions of both sides.

Based on our philosophy, at implementing ITIL+ we also don't approach the solution possibilities from the specific products side, but from the expected functions. With this attitude, we make possible to optimize the applications implemented and have stood the test of time at our Customer; and following the maturity increase, we offer to implement the effectively needed applications for support the operation.

We must handle these factors as we transform the theory to practice. We make the components more simplier and able to transform to the practice. Simplification, rationalization and focusing to the 20-30% essence instead of 70-80% unnecessary things.

ITIL on another way

The most important expectation after ITIL implementation are the followings:

  • In general: Better service quality, availability, reliability and security.
    • But how we can measure it? If we don't measure it  how we can certify for the business that the quality of service matches with the expectation level. The solution for it is SLA-establishment. 
  • Service must be supplied according to the business', customers' and users' requirements
  • The connection between service supplier and orderer must be closer and more efficient
  • In IT projects: support the efficient implementation of future projects
  • In resource management area: even less re-plan and redundant work

In order to perform the expectation securely, the first factor is the human resource from the mentioned ones: the most important is - besides the other components of this factor, like organization, resource management, ability improvement, knowledge management, human resource management) the mindset of the project participants and the entire organization, their belief in that the ITIL+ results improvement indeed.

The root cause of that the organization does not see the goals achieved after the implementation projects is that the ITIL was not considered as an improving methodology but as the cure-all. Or they used it to conserve the exsisting processes instead of improving them. So, ITIL implementation did not result improvement but - at best - just helps to live together with the problems. In the end it is a tool for symptomatic treatment - like Aspirin.

ITIL+ philosophy

HumanoIT's phillosophy focuses on the continuous improvement. Service ability of an organization cannot be bought from outside in 100%: they must be developed inside the organization, considering the persons in organization, the exsisting processes and the toolkit for service support. In this way we can reach that the change will result with quality improvement.

 

Impossible or not?

Considering the above mentioned factors at the same time and managing them in a project inside seems to be impossible, without extending the project to an unacceptable size. Based on our experiences, we state after all: the mentioned items guarantee the success of ITIL+ project. The structured mentality, the task list divided to exact steps make the most complex project as manageable.

Claim to the change is determined in many of us. But fewer of them have the answer for the question 'how. But we can join a  methodology for it.

Other related articles, written independently from HumanoIT:

http://kaizen.freeblog.hu/tags/ITIL

Related articles:

IT Service management