ISO 20000 set to take over ITIL ?

It is a question; not a statement.

However, it is a question that should get some of the fine brains that are ITIL entrenched talking. There has been a fair degree of dissatisfaction with the changes to the certification scheme that have been introduced with ITIL v3.

Perhaps this is what has prompted Exin to develop an entire track of certification based on ISO 20000. The first course and exam (ISO 20000 Foundation) is now filtering into the marketplace.

To give an indication of the seriousness that Exin is putting into ISO 20000 it is undertaken the relatively expensive step of listing the exam at Prometric test centres. Self study options are also available for the ISO 20000 Foundation, another indicator that the entire community is starting to look at this ITIL alternative.

What's in a name.... this is getting annoying!

Word on the grapevine is that the naming of the ITIL Expert level (formerly known as ITIL Diploma) is still up for debate.

I doubt that OGC appointed the APM group to run the ITIL certification scheme if they thought that they couldn't make decisions that are as trivial as what to call a particular certification level.

The arguement that different names mean different things in different countries is just silly. Exin and ISEB ran the scheme and had the ITIL Masters as the top level name for years.

Each country will make their own translations...

ITIL Diploma was fine...
ITIL Expert is FINE.... I would say, please just leave it as it is.. There are enough changes let's have some stability.

ITIL and the English Language

It is reported that English is the hardest language to learn. It is easy to see why when you spend so much time teaching the vagaries of our articulate enunciation!!

I have to say, ITIL doesn't help. All authors (to the best of my knowledge) speak excellent English - I would have to say - too well!! English is my first (and only) language, but even I struggle with some of the concepts raised.

The nuances of words used create confusion and ultimately a lack of true understanding. Without true understanding it is impossible to appreciate the value of ITIL v3.

BUT - the value is there and I for one will continue to "spread the word" - albeit using far simpler words.

Time to remove Basel II?

Most service management professionals hold up Basel II as an example in the financial sector of a specialized framework designed to ensure clean and open governance.

However, it may be time to take Basel II off the powerpoint. A recent report in the Financial Times (Feb 28, 2008) explained in simple terms that Basel II may be the cause of recent financial turmoil.

Financial institutions (banks and other lending bodies) take risks. The simple fact is that when you give money to someone, there is a part of you that expects you won't get it back!

In a financial sense the amount of risk you're prepared to take will determine how much you will lend someone and then how much you will want them to pay (the interes rate). These decisions are reached through the application of risk models.

When you are a large bank you will have stricter regulations imposed upon you, even to the point where a "regulator" (Government or government appointed watchdog) will tell you what type of risk model you should be using.

Under the Basel I this system worked, but then large banks and financial institutions started to develop sophisticated risk models that were seen as superior to the ones they had to use.

So under Basel II regulators gave the green light for these organizations to start to use their own models. The problem begins here.

The risk models are used to calculate how much money should be held in reserve in case there is a major issue with the people who have been lent money. This is a protection mechanism for shareholders.

However, banks do not want to hold a lot of money in reserve - idle cash returns no profits. So these large banks - using their own models, and under the rules allowed by Basel II started to lend out more and more. They also lent the money to people who may not have qualified under the Basel I model - the subprime market.

The banks all made fundamental errors in judgement - they were optimistic about peoples ability to repay.

They got it wrong!

The moral of the story - "beware of good ideas that encourage unwanted behaviors!"

ISO 20000 Foundation steps into the ring

The recently created series of programs and certifications in ISO 20000 may be the most serious contender to the dominance of the ITIL Framework we've ever seen.

Why? - Because IS0 20000 - like ITIL - is vendor neutral, platform and organizational size neutral. It is also certainly much easier to read, than the current 5 volumes that comprise ITIL v3.

If it was a contest by weight, the ITIL still wins, but in a contest of simple language ISO 20000 has it hands down.

The question has to be asked. Did the authors of ITIL go too far in their revamp of ITIL v3? Was the leap from the process approach to the lifecycle approach too big for most organizations?

Either way, ITIL v3 remains a dominant force and one that is unlikely to be toppled, but in a world of fair competition it is good to see at least one player take up the battle.