ITSM View

ISO 20000 update

2008-06-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was reading about the new ISO 20000 Foundation course that is being
offered by the ISEB (Information Systems Examination Board), a
department of the British Computer Society (BCS).

The ISO 20000 course from ISEB includes a comment that the three day ISEB ISO 20000 course is not a substitute for the itSMF 3 day Consultant course.

What is clear is that the consumer has another choice for ISO 20000 certification. What is also clear is that EXIN still has the most comprehensive ISO 20000 certification path AND they have their ISO 20000 exam available at Prometric (which itSMF and ISEB do not).

Competition is healthy in this market and from an initial start where there was only one option, IT folk now have a choice of three (for the record I am ISO 20000 Consultant certified).

ITIL Complementary Guidance - status update

2008-06-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

When ITIL v3 was still in its infancy we learnt about the 3 aspects. The Core, the Web and the Complementary Guidance.

The complementary guidance being targetted towards ITSM practices in specific business sectors and technologies.

Has anyone seen any evidence of this? I haven't and the only mention I have seen seems to indicate that we'll simply get to see old titles with a new cover.

Perhaps that is reasonable given that a lot of what is in ITIL v3 is also material that already existed as part of v2 (but noone ever read).

I will stand corrected on this point, but I have not seen anything that delivers any Complementary guidance, only the standard marketing messages about what it is and how good it will be.

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

Just when you thought it was safe.... New ITIL exams

2008-06-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

The latest set of draft syllabus for the ITIL v3 Intermediate courses have been published by APMG.

You may have heard that the Intermediate courses which encompass the five Service Lifecycle, four Service Capability and Managing Across the Lifecycle courses will be released in two waves.

Wave 1 - October 1st 2008 sees exams available to the public for Service Transition, Service Operation, Release, Control and Validation, Operational Support and Analysis and Service Offerings and Agreements.

Having seen the syllabi I can report that there are some changes from the draft syllabi that were produced several weeks ago. The most notable and probably of greatest interest is the exam format in all of the courses.

8 multiple choice questions !

So you are thinking that can't be too bad; but if you consider that the exam is 90 minutes long you get the idea that these are not simple questions.

In fact the questions are scenario based, each with 4 possible answers and (get this) there are varying degrees of "correctness" for each of the 4 answers. Correct, no longer is one question right and the others wrong. Now there is a really right one that is worth 5 marks, a not quite so right one that is worth 3 marks, a answer that earns 1 mark and a "distracter" worth 0.

Love it or hate it, the pass mark for the exam is 65% or 26 marks out of a possible 40 marks. You can earn yourself a distinction by getting 30 marks (75%).

So that is the breaking news on the new exam format for ITIL v3 Intermediate courses.

Personally, the format does not appeal to me. Having a gradient scoring system is very subjective. In real life there are multiple ways to achieve a result, so in this regard it makes sense to have different "correct" answers. However, my view of what is the right way to deal with a situation will be different from someone else and the choice is dependant on many more factors than can be documented in an exam (e.g. emotions, experiences).

Back to the Future: Flexibility slowly degrading

2008-05-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

For those in the know the rules established by Exin and ISEB regarding the numbers of students that could sit in on a classroom course where in the vincinity of 16 for a Foundation and 12 for a Managers.

I will grant you that while all ATOs had access to the same creed, they were more like "guidelines" (my Pirates of the Caribbean reference).

APMG came along and those rules/guidelines disappeared. I personally spoke out against the move, as I felt having the guidelines in place ensured candidates wouldn't end up learning ITIL in a lecture theatre of 200 people.

However, it appeared that APMG didn't really take that into account. Until now.

In a 180 degree the ITIL Qualifications Board has reintroduced the studnet to teacher ratio. The ratio applies to courses at the Intermediate level (Lifecycle, Capability and Managing Across the Lifecycle) - and the magic ratio is 12:1.

12 students requires 1 teacher.
13 students requires 2 teachers... !!!!

This is where I get perplexed at the lack of common sense.
You add an entire additional resource for one student??.. not only is that NOT good teaching practice, it isn't good business practice.

Where my children went to school there wasn't a full time resource to help out with the class. There were staggered support arrangements based on the class size and any special requirements of the children.

Why not adopt some guidelines that I suggested several years ago that adds teaching resource, following a similar patter, in a sliding scale.

For example, 13 students requires, 1 full time on site resource and 10 hours of a remote resource. 14 students requires 1 full time on site resource and 15 hours of remote support. And so on and so on until for example 18 students requires two full time on site resources.

Perhaps that was too hard to work out !! Has anyone at the Board looked at their childrens schooling system and thought that the concept is essentially the same - just different content.

The 12:1 ratio does come with a small dose of "flexibility". If an ATO wants to run a course with more than 12 students (at the Intermediate level) you need to seek express permission from the Examination Institute that certified the ATO.

On the flip side of this minor oversight the wording in the release clearly states "An additional trainer will be required for classes over 12 students". My point here is APMG are now doing what I felt they should have done all along. Make some decisions and put some rules in place.

There is way too much "open for interpreation" in this entire industry and it only serves to frustrate and confuse.

For those who are keen of mind, I can see your next question already... "How will the APMG and the Exam Institutes police this 12:1 ratio?".

Easy answer - I would say that eventually they will move back towards the model that Exin and ISEB had working successfully, and start to have signed assessment forms or perhaps targetted interviews to those who take the exams, regarding the numbers of studnets and teachers.

The APMG also need to advise the general public about the ratio. The Public then need to see proof that an ATO has got the appropriate permissions if a course has more than 12 students and only one instructor.

Another telling factor is that many ATOs have taken advantage of the defined affiliate program. The margins in play with affiliates are tight and now all of a sudden you throw in a second resource for +12 courses and the margins disappear altogether.

Then less reputable companies start to pick up the slack, as they flaunt the regulation. Perhaps to comply they will "qualify" inadequate instructors who will literally sit in a corner during a +12 course and add no value, not even be introduced as an instructor.

Then we need to see the Exam Institutes making more and more frequent visits to the field to conduct course audits - but who tells the EIs when they are running their courses. Noone, so then APMG may decree that all courses have to be registered...

Oh - can't you just see the tangled web starting to get more and more constrictive as we slowly disappear beneath a growing pile of regulations and "guidelines".

Let's put our faith in the hands of the learned Examination Board who will also spot the risks and potential risks and adopt some of the OGCs M_o_R to manage the situation.

ITIL Intermediate and ITIL v3 Exam Dates

2008-05-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Finally some news from APMG about the new naming and timing of programs for ITIL v3.

In summary, the Service Lifecycle, Service Capability and Managing Across the Lifecycle are now collectively the ITIL Intermediate programs. The qualification earned for 22 credits is to stay as the ITIL Expert, but the new Advanced level program will be known as the ITIL Masters.

Confusing - perhaps to start with - but please let's not change it again !!

Now the timing.

Training organizations will again get early access, but for the general public here are some key dates when exams will be available.

October 1, 2008

Service Lifecycle Modules
Service Transition
Service Operation

Service Capability Modules:
Service Offerings & Agreements
Operational Support & Analysis
Release, Control & Validation

January 1, 2009

Service Lifecycle Modules:
Service Strategy
Service Design
Continual Service Improvement
Managing Across the Lifecycle

Service Capability Modules:
Planning, Protection & Optimization

So there you have it. October then January. It would appear that while the wait continues at least there is some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Notional Charging Question

2008-05-21T22:11:00.001-07:00

One of my past students asks..

My company is going to implement the SLA for our internal customer and I'm assigned to be the project leader. I planned to value our IT services by "Charging", not actually to charge the customer but this is a good way (from my point of view) to let customer know the "VALUE" of the IT services. I try to find the "COST" of the service and use the cost as my charge base. However, in my company (maybe for most companies), a lot of components are not dedicate for one service, for example; Several services run on the same server, several services run on the same networking...etc.

I want to ask for your help on the following;
1. Am I doing right? Using the cost as the charging base. Because I
thought the cost might be the easiest way letting customer understand
the VALUE (what we have paid) for the services.
2. Do you have any practice for the cost model for the service? or do
you have any practice for the charging?
3. Any suggestion/comment/practice for the cost? charging? SLA?

Any advice out there ?

What is taking so long? v3 next level

2008-05-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

We are expecting a news release today regarding ITIL v3 and the next levels of certifcation - Service Lifecycle and Service Capability.

The Examination Board need to have a look at their own overall processes as the current levels of communication and action are leaving many major organizations dis-illusioned about the value of the entire certification scheme.

It has been almost 12 months since the publication of ITIL v3 and we are still officially only have ITIL v3 Foundation and two Bridging courses. People are waiting to get on with the career path development and this basic fact seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Let's hope todays news release brings some happy relief to all of us.

ISO 20000 set to take over ITIL ?

2008-04-10T01:38:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-04-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-03-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

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.

ISO 20000 Foundation - now online

2008-02-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

Exin have moved up the stakes in the battle for domination of the ISO 20000 qualification market.

Exin have created a very neat ISO 20000 track of qualifications, starting with the ISO 20000 Foundation exam. The best news is that the exam will be available at Prometric and Vue Pearson testing centres.

Self learning packages can be used to cover the topics in the syllabus. These topics are the definitions and principles of service quality management, the position of ISO 20000 against other frameworks, along with the history of ISO 20000.

The syllabus for ISO 20000 Foundation also looks at how a Quality Management System is defined and built as well as an analysis of the ISO 20000 standard itself.

Could this be the start of the big challenge to ITIL v3? Perhaps it is, but I believe that ITIL and ISO 20000 will continue to co-exist. They have to - if one tries to defeat the other it will simply create support from those who wish to see options.

What to do this year for ITIL training?

2008-01-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

The reality in the ITIL Training world for us is that throughout 2008 there are two equally viable choices concerning ITIL Education.

Choice 1 – Follow predominant v2 track, with view to upgrade later.
Choice 2 – Follow predominant v3 track.

The only way I can see that you can assist clients make the right choice is to ask a relatively simple question.

What is the current level of maturity within the IT department towards process driven service delivery?
Based on the answers to this question you can steer the client towards a solution.

Answer a) “huh what is process driven Service Delivery?” – head for v2
Answer b) “We’ve heard of it and begun some initial work” – head for v2
Answer c) “We’ve had staff trained and have some of the v2 processes in place already” – head for v2
Answer d) “We’ve been working v2 for some time now and have seen some tangible benefits” – head for v3
Answer e) “We are mature in our adoption of ITIL and are looking for the next step in our drive for improvement” – head for v3

What is the news on ITIL Exams?

2008-01-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

It's been many months since APMG took over the reins of managing all the ITIL certification. What is the latest on their progress and performance?

By all reports things are going "ok" !
On a scale where OK sits halfway between awful and awesome it isn't a glowing report, but it could have been worse.

On the down side... exam certificates are taking weeks (if not months) to distribute. While this may not seem to be a major issue to the official accreditor, it has a lot to do with the way they are perceived in the marketplace. "Exin and ISEB managed to get certificates issued within a week of results. Why is it taking APMG so long?".

To be fair we need to remind ourselves that APMG wears two hats in this whole ITIL certification game. One is their role as an Examination Institute (EI). Like Exin, ISEB, Loyalist and others; EIs compete for the business of Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs). The other hat is the role of the "Official Accreditor".

As the official accreditor APMG has all EIs under their control with regards to exams, syllabi and general guidelines on how ITIL courses should be administered.

The issue with exam certificates rests with APMG the EI.

Also on the downside, there is too much indecision in the way that course syllabi are released. There are no fixed and firm dates and there is still no decision on withdrawl of older ITIL v2 exams. Such indecision causes confusion in the marketplace.

This is an issue that rests with APMG as the official accreditor.

However, I like to balance. On the sunny side, the industry is in a state of perpetual flux right now and any attempt to lock things into place requires involvement, sign-off and acceptance by so many parties; it's like juggling light beams.

APMG is doing everything in its power to keep everyone happy; perhaps this is the problem and they need to upset a few to get progress for the community at large.

Still questions on ITIL v3 certification

2008-01-09T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am still getting questions about the ITIL v3 certification scheme. Here is the latest set of questions I got and the associated answers.

1. I would like to find out if the Manager’s is a certificate or the Diploma?
If there is any Diploma in this ITIL course let me know which one.

2. I have also learnt about the ITIL Expert, please elaborate what it is all about.

ITIL Managers, Diploma and Expert are all synonymous with the highest level qualification in ITIL.

The ITIL version 2 top level qualification is (and was always) referred to as “ITIL Managers”.

When ITIL v3 was published there was a lot of planning done by the APM Group regarding the new certification structure. Foundation level still remains as the entry level and pre-requisite for more training, then comes the Service Lifecycle and Service Capability programs, finally the top level examinable qualification (Managing Across the Lifecycle).

The plan was that if you were successful at all the examinable courses and once you had passed sufficient exams, you would automatically qualify for the ITIL DIPLOMA in IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT.

However, after a few months the DIPLOMA name was dropped and it is now referred to as “ITIL EXPERT”.
Remembering there is no exam to be receive the ITIL Expert certification, you have to qualify for it.

3. There was also what is called Practitioner Exam and Manager’s Exams. Does Practitioner’s exam still exist?

The ITIL v2 Managers exams and ITIL v2 Practitioner exams still exist and are likely to until APM Group decide that they are to be withdrawn. At this stage there are no plans to withdraw these exams until at least the end of 2008.

In ITIL v3 the Practitioner exams level is effectively replaced by four Service Capability courses and five Service Lifecycle courses.

4. I have also learnt of the Managers Exam V3 Bridge. In other words, are Managers V3 Exams available or not?

If you are ITIL v2 Managers certified or you have sufficient credit points earned from ITIL v2 Practitioner courses, then you can in fact take the ITIL v2 Managers Bridge course and exam. At the time of writing the exam is only available to Accredited Training Organizations, but it is expected the exams will be publicly available in the next few months.

What is confusing for some....

2007-12-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

I read a short blog entry earlier today. The writer, who I now respect a little bit less than I did before, was clearing up something that they had been confused about.

The ITIL v3 certification scheme does not require you to earn all points at the middle layer (service capability and service lifecycle) from the one category of courses.

That is you can mix and match which courses you take from either of the two main areas. There will be some guidelines but essentially it is up to you on how you select which programs you follow.

Will ITIL exams at Prometric make a difference?

2007-12-20T01:14:00.000-08:00

With the recent announcement of the ITIL v3 Foundation exam being available at Prometric and Vue Pearson test centres, it will be interesting to see if this becomes the catalyst for wide spread ITIL v3 adoption.

No one can argue that ITIL v3 has had anything more than a lukewarm reception from the global community. Perhaps the new framework, combined with an entirely new approach to the management of the certification scheme was too much to handle.

Now that exams are available on a global scale it is expected that more and more individuals will take up the v3 option. With a ground swell of consultants adding ITIL v3 to their resumes it is only a matter of time before it infiltrates into the wider community.

ITIL v3 Foundation Exam at Prometric and VUE Pearson

2007-12-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

Exin have come to the party and the world now has easy access to the ITIL v3 Foundation certificate, via Prometric and Vue Pearson testing centres.

The move to offer the exams via Prometric and Vue is a very good step for the take up of ITIL v3, as more and more people will now utilize self-study options to learn about ITIL v3 safe in the knowledge that the exam is easy to access.

To take the ITIL Foundation exam at Prometric, simply go to their website, find your location, select EXIN as the provider and choose ITIL v3 Foundation from the list of available exams.

Directions for Prometric

The cost is a very affordable US$150 and when combined with a Self Study package the new ITIL v3 Foundation becomes a very affordable qualification.

New ITIL v3 Foundation released

2007-12-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

It was expected and it is now a reality.

The new (interim) ITIL v3 Foundation syllabus has been released by the APM Group (the official ITIL Accreditor).

The talk was that elements from both the Service Strategy and Continual Service Improvement stages were going to be removed. They have; but it is not what you would term radical change.

There are, to say the least, minor elements that have been removed (including discussions about "value to the business" and specific concepts like Service Provider, but I don't think it will be considered anything major.

The problem is that it even the minor changes represent quite a bit of work for Accredited Training Organzations (ATOs). The good ATOs have developed material that interweave the differnt parts of the Foundaiton syllabus. They spent many hours taking the original syllabus and breaking it down, before re-building it into a cohesive story.

Now, these same ATOs have to disengage elements of the course and advise all their trainers of changes. Remember, it isn't a case of changing a few slides. There is the course outlines, support notes, revision guides, etc. that have to be updated.

Provided that the people who put the syllabus together learn from the exercise, then it isn't really an issue. But with 10 more ITIL v3 courses coming in the next few months, this is not an exercise that needs to be repeated !!

The Russians used a pencil !!

2007-12-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

The story goes that at the height of the space race there were many operational issues that had to be dealt with regarding space travel and working in a gravity free world.

One such issue related to making notes and recordings on various readings, observations, etc.

The Americans spent countless hours and huge amounts of money to develop a "space pen" that would use specially designed "minature pumps" to force the ink towards the nib of the pen.

The Russians used pencils !!

Remember it's a story not the truth,; but as they say "why let the truth stand in the way of a good story?".

My point is that ITIL v3 seems to have been designed using complex concepts when perhaps simple ones would have been equally - if not more - effective. My most recent area of study in the Service Strategy text relates to the Service Portfolio Management activities of Define, Analyze, Approve and Charter.

The specific section in the book is not large, but it takes a long time to come to fully appreciate the point being made. You will eventually get it like I did and it is good stuff, but I wish the authors may have thought about a pencil, rather than a space age pen - I want my weekends back !

Managing Across the Lifecycle syllabus

2007-12-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

APMG, the official accreditor for all ITIL and Prince2 certifications have released the first draft syllabus for the "capstone" course - Managing Across the Lifecycle.

The course, is looking like it will be a 28 contact hour course, with 50% of the contact hours being devoted to practical exercises and assignments.

All the new ITIL v3 course syllabi & exams are based around a "Blooms Taxonomy" Level. Blooms Taxonomy is a system created to help educators plot a progressive path for education. The levels move from basic knowledge and comprehension (Blooms level 1 & 2) through application and analysis (Blooms 3 & 4) and on to synthesis and evaluation (Levels 5 & 6).

The Managing across the Lifecycle will most likely be pitched at Blooms Level 5 (although the current syllabus indicates Level 4).

The exam for the Managing Across the Lifecycle is set to follow the Service Lifecycle and Service Capability programs with a "gradient style scoring system" for complex multiple choice questions. The exam looks set to have a duration of 90 minutes and will most likely have 20 questions.

Like all exams the final test is supervised and will be closed book. The prerequiste for the Managing Across the Lifecycle course will be a ITIL v3 Foundation level certificate (either straight v3 or the v2 + the v2 to v3 upgrade) and 15 credit points earned at the Service Lifecycle/Service Capability layer.

It is too early to discuss the actual contents of the syllabus as it is subject to change. Current opinion is that the program will be a fitting test of competency for those that want to fully appreciate the intricacies of ITIL v3 including risk management, managing strategic change and the associated organizational challenges.

ITIL v3 Foundation Syllabus to change

2007-12-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

APMG have listened and will make changes to the course syllabus that describes the learning requirements for the ITIL v3 Foundation course.

All along they could have been told that heavy emphasis on Service Strategy was not a clever move and it is incredible that the examination panel responsible for the development couldn't see that.

Perhaps it was an ego boost for the exam panel to create a complex syllabus that they understood; but they failed the test of understanding the audience of interest for the course.

The word is that the new syllabus will have far less material on Service Strategy and Continual Service Improvement and more on the core processes. It is anticipated that the new syllabus will be available to ATOs by the end of calendar year 2007.

At least they listened, but let's hope that we don't face a similar situation again.

The first 6 months of ITIL v3

2007-12-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's been over 6 months since the release of ITIL v3 (officially launched on 5th June 2007) and it seems like the framework is here to stay.

There was initial outcry at the complexity and definite rumblings from the training vendors who knew that the Foundation level study was too complex (rumblings which APMG have listened to).

However, those that predicted the fall of ITIL will perhaps have to wait for ITIL v4 to try again. It is true that there has not been a flood of interest or uptake in ITIL 3, but it's enough to show that it remains a viable methodology for infrastructure management.

Certainly in Asia the interest is exploding; perhaps even faster than in the West. However, all the global signs are positive that, while many organizations will stick with v2, enough companies are investigating how to incorporate the language and processes of v3.

My only one fear is that the behemoth that is HP decides to wade in and create/buy the market and link everything to their own service management tool offering - but that is the subject of another blog.

The Service Strategy Fire Triangle

2007-12-04T15:31:00.000-08:00

Credit is given to Accenture in the ITIL v3 Service Strategy volume for defining the three factors that distinguish high performance service providers.

Accenture - and let's face it, as an organization these guys know a thing or two - correctly postulated that most vendors battle for supremacy on a single point of differentiation.

They (Accenture) claim that this is a flawed approach and that to fight the good fight required a balanced approach. They maintain that the three elements required to achieve competitive advantage is via:

1. Market focus and position
Understanding the market space that you are interested in and the subsequent outcomes that customers in that space are seeking.

2. Performance anatomy
A dissection of the service provider to ensure that their cultural beliefs and internal value systems match what they are trying to portray to the outside world.

3. Distinctive capabilities
Quite often a simple approach that is unique is the best solution, although many vendors aim for complex solutions in the hope that this will impress customers or potential customers.

The points that Accenture raise, reminded me of a time in shcool when we learnt about the fire triangle. Take away any element of the triangle (fuel, heat, oxygen) and you will extinguish the fire. The three elements listed above can be thought of in the same way.

Failure to consider all three elements will result in wasted efforts and ultimately poor sales.