Wednesday, May 30, 2007

People are in !!!

At last there is a recognition that People are in!!..

Yes - ITIL v3 finally gives full status to the fact that "people" make it all happen in the Service Management space.

People are now considered one of the "Four P's" in the Service Design volume of ITIL v3.

1. People
2. Process
3. Products (Technology)
4. Partners (Suppliers)

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

I read an interesting article from an "industry expert"... the thrust of the message was that ITIL v3 was (and I quote)


"It's not as highly different as some people seem to think."

I have a fundamental problem with such statements when the person making it has no traceable link to any involvement with the development of the new version.

... with the launch date of May 30th upon us it will take the people that fully understand v2 to study and compare v3.

So check the credentials of the people making the statements regarding the difference. I have access to true practitioners (folks who work with this stuff every day). They are reporting some major differences in the approach, style, wording and general "look and feel".

However, I am not in a position to make bold statements until a full study and analysis.

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Monday, May 28, 2007

Where will we be in 12 months time..?

It's 24 hours until the official launch of ITIL v3... is this a bit like the Year 2000... everyone expecting fireworks and mayhem, confusion, crashing systems and general destruction on an unprecedented scale... but what actually happened.. NOT MUCH.

The most disruption for Y2K was caused when all the IT folks had to miss the parties; even when they knew nothing would happen!

One thing is for sure, the launch of ITIL v3 does not have folks camping out overnight so as to get the first copies. This is not X-Box !

What will the cynical bloggers be writing about in 12 months. Will it be the demise of ITIL, because of what seemed like a good idea at the time (but actually turns out to be a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it)… OR will we be applauding ourselves as an industry for having the foresight to see that ITIL v3 was an upgrade that we just had to have.

I simply don’t know, no-one does and don’t believe a word from anyone who says that they know which way the pendulum will swing. The market place will decide and the marketplace is a fickle beast when it comes to changing something that we’ve all grown comfortable with.

Vendors of course will be pushing everyone down the upgrade path; however, this upgrade may in fact be just what organizations need in order to save their cash being spent on what they perceive as “big-cost, small value” projects.

The upgrade may be the justification for decisions against adoption of ITIL that has changed in such a big way; opting for a framework with built in longevity – aka ISO 20000.

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Friday, May 25, 2007

Just one small letter TELLS the whole story !!!

Isn't it funny when you find the actual evidence of what everyone has been talking about - but no one has been able to actually identify.

There has been enough blogs and articles written over the past several months to stretch the full length of the itSMF member list regarding the "commercialization" of ITIL with the new Version 3.

Note: the spelling of commercialization is a realization (another "z") that organizations (one more "z") based in the USA are keen to read material that is written is US English - not UK English.

In fact, some will say that the real blocker for ITIL shooting to fame in the USA is due to the perception, based on fact, that ITIL is a British invention - so it won't be accepted.

Your intrepid reporter has an interesting comment. The new version of ITIL is written in US English. Organizations, realize, recognize, specialization.... Catalogue reamins with a "ue", but both spellings are common in the US.

Would others have noticed this small - but enormous change !! I think that it was meant to sneak under the radar, but the smallest of changes can often have the greatest consequence (positive or negative).

So, there we have it, for all those original British authors it seems that another treasure of the British Isles is to be Americanized !!

Will this simple last letter of the (American :-) Alphabet be the real key for acceptance in the United States.?

Will the OGC be renamed as the Office of Governor of California in the US versions, will there actually be a UK English version, a US English version, an Australian English version, etc. ?

I don't know, but I will be waiting with baited breath to unwrap my new books and find the answer.

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

itSMF to develop their own materials !!

Brian Jennings, big wig chief of the itSMF International community announced today, at the first itSMF Taiwan (one day) conference the news that itSMF are going to develop their own intellectual property.

Brian stated that in order to make the itSMF all that it should be, their needed to be additional funds... how does your intrepid reporter know this... easy, I was there and I took notes!

So in the space of a few short months we have moved from a vendor neutral, non-profit organization for Service Management professionals to join, to one that is openly looking to make profit.

And the itSMF has a captive market for selling its own material !! Every member - corporate and individual supplies all their details as part of thei registration process. I wonder if there is a tick box on the application form regarding the deilvery of sales material?? :-)

Is this another jab at the vendor community that has supported itSMF over the years, with sponsorship dollars OR is it a sweetheart deal between the itSMF and some "choosen few" vendors.

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5th June 2007 - Who will be on the invite list ?

June 5th 2007, London - looms as a 'red letter' day for the "ITILites" amongst us.

The "offical launch" of the framework version 3. Bit like the Olympics, with the official publication date being set at the 30th May.

Who will be on the invite list? Well for one, your intrepid ITSMer will be there and will be able to rub shoulders with the rich and infamous of the ITIL world.

Stay tuned for a full briefing. However, I have heard tell that there are speeches from OGC (expected), TSO (expected), APMG (interesting, but not unexpected)..... notice who is missing from this list - Exin and ISEB.

It seems that not all Examination Institutes are created equal... it obviously pays to have won the OGC contract for Managing the ITIL certification scheme.,,, you get invited to all the good parties (just like the Oscars).

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Who will want ITIL v2 learning?

The Examination Institutes (APMG, Exin, ISEB) are happy to tell the public that v2 exams will co-exist with the new v3 exams for some time (up to 12 months).

Begs the question - who will want them?

Two schools of thought; but I believe both can be countered with a logical argument....

1. Consultants who need to get some ITIL Qualifications in order to apply for positions. Forget it, go for v3 - with Version 3 knowledge you'll be a shoe-in for any v2 work as well.

2. Organizations that have already invested heavily in v2 certification. Forget it, v2 exams will not be available in the future - bite the bullet and start investing in v3 certification and all those bridging courses that the vendors will offer.

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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Confusion reigns on certification

The impending upgrade of ITIL (r) v2 to version 3 is going to create a lot of debate and questions regarding the change in content.

However, let's not forget all those that have worked hard to earn ITIL certification in Foundation, Practitioner or Managers level programs.

There is a lot of misinformation about changes to the certification scheme. The one certainty is that there will be change. The Foundation level program is expected to stay roughly the same - pitching a common understanding in the fundamentals of ITIL.

However, the upper levels of certification may head along the Six Sigma path. With classroom components, but an element of "real world" proof of practice required.

Questions are coming in thick and fast about new programs, bridging courses and validity of v2 certification. We really need to see the Examination institutes put out some definitive answers to these questions and concerns rather than the stock standard answer "we are currently reviewing the system and will provide more information".

People want dates, not flimsy excuses.

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Saturday, May 19, 2007

Grapevine Newsflash - no ITIL v3 CDs

For those that were looking forward to their new set of shiny ITIL v3 CDs - you'd better wish for something else.

Inside sources make it clear that there will be no CDs of version 3. Instead you can purchase a PDF file for the same price as the books OR you can pay a very slightly smaller fee and get access to the books online for a 12 month period.

Interesting that the subscription is for 12 months.... there is the best sign yet that ITIL has become a great way to make some money for the owners !!

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ITIL v3 Early starters

The printers are running hot, with the anticipated release of ITIL v3.

ITIL is a trademark protected concept belonging to the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the United Kingdom.

Training vendors are busy preparing their new ITIL education programs. Bridging programs are expected to be the big ticket item in the first several months. The accredited training companies already have pre-release material that they are using to prepare the programs.

This is how you will be able to tell the "grey market" trainers from the others. Only accredited companies have the material; so if you're training says "no material yet - so we can't offer the course" - you know that they are not accredited by one of the three Examiniation Insitutes (APMG, Exin or ISEB).

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May 30th 2007 - LAUNCH DATE !!!

Those among us old enough to remember the release of ITIL version 2 are eagerly anticipating the release of ITIL version 3.

Why?

Because of the chance to look for inconsistencies, errors, and flaws in the logic. And they are bound to be there....

Your ITSMER will be at the official launch of ITIL v3 coming up in London. The venue is near London Bridge - so lets hope that the structure remains intact (the bridge and the new version of ITIL).

INSIDE TIP: stop listening to all the chat about ITIL v2 being basically the same as v3. WRONG!.. huge differences and your blogger knows this from one on the "inside". The insider is sworn to secrecy; but they do report significant changes.

This begs the question - will the new version be globally accepted? The answer - "let's see in about 12 months". No one knows what the uptake is, but imagine you are a senior IT Executive that 12 months ago decided to pump a heap of investment into ITIL. How do you think it would look if you went to the board to ask for more money as the stuff you've done is now outdated.

Yes - outdated. No secret there; it's all over ITIL v3.. it will REPLACE v2 as a framework - could be some serious issues in that one.

Stay tuned - it's going to be a heck of a ride.

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Welcome to ITSM View

Welcome to the first entry on the first day of ITSM View, a log dedicated to all matters related to IT Service management.

During the coming months and years every aspect of ITSM will be explored, uncovered, and reported. ITIL, MOF, ISO 20000, every aspect, discipline and approach will be investigated and commented upon.

We hope that you will stick around, and in particular, comment upon the articles presented.

ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark, and a Registered Community Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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