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ITIL: What It Is and Why You Should Care - Part III - What are some of the difficulties of ITIL implementation?
October 30, 2007 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Certification, ITIL
ITIL: What It Is and Why You Should Care - Part III - What are some of the difficulties of ITIL implementation? (#3 in the series ITIL:What It Is and Why You Should Care)
By Eugene S. Ball, PhD, ITIL Certified Service Manager
The adoption of ITIL may not be easy or short or cheap.
One reason is that IT has not often run itself like a business. IT has a habit of operating as an indispensable group that can use resources and provide services as it sees fit. How many times have you heard the phase, “we know what our customer needs and that is what we are providing”?
IT has not been in the practice of running itself based on documented needs of the business. One place where this is clearly evident is that many organizations lack a strong change management process. In these organizations, system changes frequently have an adverse effect on the productivity of the entire organization.
The ITIL framework is about process, not organization. Most IT organizations have spent years dividing up IT resources into towers of responsibility, hardware, software, and staff. Breaking down or redefining these towers to expedite the processes within the ITIL framework and making sure that the necessary information is passed between processes may be the biggest and most difficult challenge. Because this is such a large stumbling block, it should be understood that the requirement for ITIL adoption must come from the very top of the IT organization.
The implementation of ITIL cannot be accomplished in six months. But most IT projects are expected to show major positive results or even be completed within six months. ITIL will not meet either of those milestones. ITIL milestones are measured in years rather than months.
Implementing ITIL may also require new resources. Your present technology may not be able to support the processes or inter-process communication required by ITIL. Even though the ITIL framework is about processes, that framework can only work efficiently when you have the right tools to support both the processes and the inter-process data exchange. Another difficulty is determining where to start. Two questions often asked are:
- Do we try to do everything at once?
- It is such a major undertaking, where do we start?
The answer to the first question is “no.” Trying to do everything at once is too difficult and will only increase the chance of failure. The answer to the second question depends on each individual organization. ITIL provides flexibility in approach, not requiring a specific methodology. Common advice is to look at your present processes and see which of those processes comes the closest to matching the processes describe in either the Service Support or the Service Delivery books. Begin with those processes. Try to pick one that will show a positive result quickly, so others will stay on board.
The ITIL framework will cause a major change in the way your business is being done. Changes in the business processes are always difficult.
Even though ITIL implementation can be difficult, the true value is the long-term adoption of best practices that have shown a positive return on investment. ITIL builds a stronger organization that matches the service provided to the present and future needs of the business and provides that service in a cost-effective manner. Both of these actions will improve the standing of IT within the business and improve both the competitive advantage and bottom line of the business.
Dr. Eugene Ball has 26 years of experience in the customer service industry. This experience followed 12 years of teaching and research in mathematics, computer science, and statistics at universities both in the US and abroad. During the last 26 years, he has held positions related to the customer service industry that ranged from providing direct telephone support to managing a large help desk. Dr. Ball founded Help Desk Solutions, Inc. in 1993.Working through Help Desk Solutions, he has assisted a variety of organizations in implementing or improving their customer service by improving processes and procedures and selecting, implementing, and integrating tools that support and automate these processes. These organizations have included start-up companies, county governments, higher education, and members of the Fortune 500. Dr. Ball is a regular speaker on both national and local levels on topics related to customer support. He has also published a variety of articles on subjects related to the customer service industry. Dr. Ball is one of the founders and has served as President of the North Carolina, Research Triangle, and Central Virginia local chapters of the Help Desk Institute. In 1998, and from 2002 – 2005, Dr. Ball served on the Help Desk Institute Team Excellence evaluation panel. He is a founding member of the Help Desk Institute Individual Certification Standards Committee. He is a certified HDI training partner, a certified HDI Site Auditor, and an ITIL Certified Service Manager. In addition to teaching Help Desk Institute certification, he trains and consults with clients on ITIL issues.
This article was originally published in Global Knowledge’s Business Brief e-newsletter. Global Knowledge delivers comprehensive hands-on project management, business process, and professional skills training. Visit our online Knowledge Center at www.globalknowledge.com/business for free white papers, webinars, and more.
© Copyright 2007, Global Knowledge. All rights reserved.
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