| Over the last few years I have facilitated several | | | | This builds some reality into the PoPs and maturity |
| Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) | | | | levels thinking by dislodging IT from a position of |
| work sessions within the oil and gas and utility | | | | working in isolation. |
| industries. The challenge was to build consensus | | | | Build a business case and program plan that can be |
| through identifying what is important, making | | | | activated by your people. At this point you are seeking |
| recommendations and decisions and establish direction | | | | clear recommendations and improvement objectives |
| that would enable the IT organization to improve | | | | (what), benefit realization (why), tactical needs (how) |
| processes and services offered to their customers. | | | | and time frame (when) for which to move your |
| The following article briefly outlines a number of | | | | organization forward with your ITSM program. This is |
| lessons learned that came from our experiences. | | | | the foundation for your ITSM program business case |
| An ITSM Work Session should provide the foundation | | | | and charter that will be divided into project and |
| for your organization to create the blueprint to propel | | | | operational requirements. You will need a solid |
| IT services and business value forward. In establishing | | | | approved business case and charter to enable you to |
| an ITSM initiative the following key groups must be | | | | navigate the challenges that will unfold on your journey |
| involved: | | | | and to clearly articulate the streams of work to be |
| Strategic: CIO and Directors to establish strategic | | | | completed. There needs to be an executive team or |
| intent, vision and enterprise objectives | | | | steering committee assigned to provide clear strategic |
| Tactical: Directors and Managers to establish | | | | guidance. When forming and using a steering |
| improvement objectives, priorities and program charter | | | | committee, their mandate must be strategic and clear. |
| Operational: Managers and Key Stake-holders to | | | | Tactical task-based reporting can be left to the project |
| establish solution, roadmap, business case and project | | | | management teams and their need for task-based |
| charters. | | | | results and status meetings. |
| Fundamental to any ITSM session when engaging | | | | Recognize that ITSM is not an IT tool solution. From a |
| these groups is to develop a clear problem definition, | | | | business perspective, IT needs to stop chasing tool |
| defined and approved by the executives or senior | | | | solutions, and "flavor-of-the-month quick fixes." |
| steering committee. This is an area which IT often falls | | | | Ultimately, the ITSM program is a business |
| short. The lack of a clear problem definition negatively | | | | organizational change program that seeks to align IT |
| impacts the tactical and operational levels of the | | | | with the business objectives and requirements, |
| organization and limits the ability to move forward. | | | | improve processes and change culture in an effort to |
| When working with your teams, build an understanding | | | | control or decrease costs, increase productivity and |
| of all the work that is taking place in the IT department | | | | contribute to the bottom-line. ITSM programs need to |
| right now and how it fits within the ITSM support and | | | | be effectively operationalized. Therefore change |
| delivery relationship models. Discussion, training and | | | | management and communication must be at the |
| clarity will be required to ensure your people | | | | forefront. |
| understand the ITSM relationship and delivery model. | | | | Work with your teams to have them answer "WIIFM" |
| By engaging people in a defined work exercise, your | | | | and "WIIFT" questions (what is in it for me and what is |
| teams can map out and see how their work aligns | | | | in it for them). Ensure you established the fears, |
| with your ITSM program requirements. This is effective | | | | uncertainties and doubts (FUDs). Be prepared to have |
| in establishing leadership and team buy-in. | | | | a long FUDs list. These will need to be acknowledged |
| Establish a clear understanding of your points of pain | | | | and managed within the context of the ITSM program |
| (PoPs) and the IT maturity. PoPs can be established | | | | and the change management and communications |
| through focused brainstorming sessions. Once | | | | plan. Use your teams and people to establish a |
| collected, your PoPs should be looked at from an | | | | communication plan that takes into consideration your |
| organizational and process maturity perspective. This is | | | | target audience and communication needs. Every |
| often missed as IT has a habit of looking only at | | | | organization has an approach to communications that |
| processes and tools to solve problems. Align your | | | | may or may not align with their corporate culture. |
| PoPs with the industry maturity model standards | | | | Prepare a clear communications strategy and follow it. |
| (non-existence, chaos, reactive, proactive, service, | | | | The information in this article is based on feedback |
| value). It is important that the content be translated into | | | | obtained during facilitated ITSM work sessions and the |
| a service management maturity grid and aligned with | | | | work of dedicated IT professionals. Efforts focused on |
| the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) | | | | consideration for the strategic, tactical and operational |
| process categories. Work to obtain various IT teams, | | | | requirements. Ultimately the goal was to improve IT. It |
| customers and business representatives' perspective | | | | can be done. Good luck. |
| on the ITSM organizational and process maturity levels. | | | | BraveWorld Inc. |