Published: itSMF Australia Bulletin February 2004 as commentary column:

"In My Opinion - Karen Ferris Speaks Out"

New Year Resolutions!

Are you a sheep or a monkey?

© 2004 Karen Ferris

Welcome to 2004 - the year of the Monkey! Apparently children born in a year of the Monkey like to keep busy and are often successful in the things they do. They have lots of common sense.  Unlike those born in 2003 – a year of the Sheep – apparently they can lack a sense of direction.

Seems to me that we have lots of sheep and not enough monkeys involved in the implementation of IT Service Management! Maybe that sounds a little harsh (and maybe I am still recovering from too much Christmas cheer!) but it is a fact that I see organisations repeatedly making the same mistakes.

So lets make some New Year resolutions to ensure that we are successful and achieve what is required to provide “quality IT services – quality that is matched to business needs”.[1]

I suggest the following 10 resolutions but they are by no means comprehensive or in any priority order.

1.      Ensure that there is accountability and commitment within the organisation. I have seen organisations spend millions of dollars on the design of processes and the acquisition of supporting tools only to fail at the point of implementation. The main reason for this is the lack of commitment to actually make it happen. It is the implementation of new processes that brings about the change and organisational structure and working practices are likely to be impacted. There will be resistance from within the organisation and the going might get tough. The organisation needs commitment and someone accountable for making it happen. It needs a Jean-Luc Picard at the helm to utter the words “Make it so”.

2.      Do not attempt a big bang! Too much change is a dangerous thing and prone to failure. Focus on those processes that are causing the greatest pain to the organisation. Do not discard those things that are working well for the organisation. Direct effort and resources at those things that will bring the biggest benefit and get them right first before moving on to the next initiative. Start the project with an assessment to determine the priorities.

3.      Determine the baseline. Organisations often embark on their IT Service Management implementation and have no real evidence that they are recognising a return on their investment. Measure the current level of service and customer satisfaction in order to answer the “Where are we now?” question. Only then will you be able to demonstrate an improvement in service. This is key when attempting to justify future expenditure for further IT Service Management projects. For example, if I can demonstrate that the recent investment in implementing ITIL within the Service Desk has brought organisational benefit, I am more likely to secure financial backing for the implementation of Change or Configuration Management.

4.      Do not let Service Level Management be the first thing you do if you do not have some of the other IT Service Management processes in place. As we know, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a “written agreement between an IT Service Provider and the IT Customer(s), defining the key service targets and responsibilities of both parties”.[2] If you don’t have some other processes in place so that you can measure the level of service, what key service targets are you going to include in the SLA? Some organisations put their fingers in the air and pluck some targets out of nowhere. No wonder those fingers get burnt!

5.      The old adage “people, processes then tools”. It has been said so many times before that it shouldn’t even warrant a mention. Organisations still fall into the trap of purchasing a tool and then implementing the processes over the top. They wonder why they end-up “shoe-horning” the organisation into a particular way of working that really does not meet organisation or business needs. The process that works for the organisation needs to be defined first and the appropriate tools obtained to support that process. Remember that ITIL is not prescriptive and has to be adopted and adapted to each individual organisation. Therefore, all because a vendor says that their product is ITIL compliant does not mean that it is necessarily going to suit your organisation.

6.      Get help! Don’t attempt to go it alone – it will be a long, hard and lonely journey. Get involved with user groups and forums like the itSMF. Learn from others so that you don’t make the same mistakes that others have experienced. Engage IT Service Management / ITIL consultants to provide services such as assessments, process design, tool selection, training and implementation activities. This can save a lot of time and heartache. Use consultants who can demonstrate that they have in-depth experience of IT Service Management and ITIL within a number of organisations. Accreditation alone is not enough. If their credentials check-out they should bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to your organisation saving you both time and money.

7.      Don’t under-estimate the need for ITIL training through-out the organisation. IT Service Management will not work if only a small core of people understand the methodology and start talking about CMDBs, Known Errors and Service Catalogues. They may as well be speaking a foreign language and no-one else in the organisation will have any idea what it is that is being attempted. Early on in the project implement a training plan. Identify everyone in the organisation and the role that they play in IT Service Management. Determine the appropriate level of training they require. Some may only need an awareness seminar where others may require a management course. Training should be an on-going activity. The plan should also address other training required to make IT Service Management a success including customer service skills and any necessary technical skills.

8.      Be prepared to invest. Do not underestimate the cost of an IT Service Management implementation. I have seen organisations embark on an implementation with great enthusiasm only to baulk when they realise the cost that will be incurred. The cost of doing it has to be weighed against the cost of not doing it. There are real-life examples now of organisations who have seen real financial returns on their investment in IT Service Management and ITIL.

9.      Communicate, communicate, communicate!!! Make it totally clear:

a) what the change is and why it is being done, and

b) how it is going to be achieved, and what impact it will have on the organisation and it’s people.

If you don't make it clear and communicate effectively and efficiently, people will not know what is happening. If they don't understand, or know what is happening, how can they become involved? Communication should be a constant activity not a one-off event.

10.   And finally, plan ahead. Don’t be a sheep child with a lack of a sense of direction. Take plenty of time to plan before embarking on the project. Poor planning has been the downfall for many organisations who have rushed into an IT Service Management project without really knowing: what it is they want to achieve; how they are going to do it; recognising the dependencies; knowing the resources, time and costs involved; appointing process owners; determining the organisational change requirements and so on.

So, have a wonderful 2004. I look forward to meeting a lot of successful monkeys throughout the year ahead!

Karen Ferris is an independent IT Service Management consultant and can be contacted via www.kmfadvance.com