Considerations for recording and logging change requests

When it comes to Change Management one of the first activities to cover is the requirement to define just who is allowed to raise a Change Request. There is no correct answer, other than “who ever you define is permitted to raise a change”.

What can help in the definition is thinking about the levels or categories of change that could be dealt with by the process. This statement should be read with the awareness that operational change management can be dealt with by a much simpler process flow.

So in this regard, changes of major significance to the organization may be raised by more senior organization members. It may also be appropriate that such changes are accompanied by proposals that lay out the justification for the change in either financial or social terms (or both).

Another important point is that the change record itself can be continually updated throughout its lifecycle. The process flow may not show a return to the actual change request, but for example common sense would prevail that sign offs for testing on the change record cannot take place until the testing has been completed.

With regard to actual logging of change records there are a variety of mediums that can be used. Each will have its own idiosyncrasies and how they are used will have to be thought through, documented and then taught. It is vital that every change has a unique identifier – even if the change is rejected at the first review and any trigger document will need to be part of the change record to allow a more complete audit trail.

Tools that are used for change logging and tracking (especially when those tools integrate with other ITSM process areas (notably configuration management) will help to streamline and enhance overall change efficiency. It will however, be critical to control who can access such records and the tool should track who and when changes are made as part of the overall control element for change management.

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

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).

Activities of Strategy Generation

There are four defined activities for Strategy Generation, defined in the Service Strategy volume in ITIL version 3.

The concepts and ideas raised are fairly heavy - so a brief synopsis is provided here.

DEFINE THE MARKET

Understanding the opportunities available to the Service Provider is at the heart of defining the market.

The service provider gets to understand the opportunities by first understanding the customer required outcomes and then providing a service to enable that outcome.

A service will increase performance and improve outcomes; but real value comes from reduction in customer asset performance variation.

The visible element of market definition is the service catalog. A service catalog entry is a combination of customer assets and service archetypes (a combination can be one or more from either side). The term given to these combinations are Lines of Service (LOS) and they are the actual services about which agreements are made.

DEVELOP THE OFFERINGS

The market space is the main concept raised under develop the offerings. The market space is a set of opportunities for service providers to provide VALUE to a customer through the provision of one of more services.

Service providers focus on outcomes to ensure they deliver value, through utility and backed by warranty. (Summary: LOS delivers value that support outcomes and remove constraints). BUT a service can be developed without a customer – a speculative investment.

DEVELOP STRATEGIC ASSETS

Service Management is a catalyst for higher achievements, because it coordinates customer assets and service assets. This coordination in practice is the adjustment of resources and capabilities that will enable a goal to be reached.

Reaching goals is inherently valuable and is a reflection of increased service and potential performance. The value creation creates profits and surplus that can be used to justify further investments/enhancements. The confidence and trust that comes from increasing value is what will ensure that customers continue to buy.

PREPARE FOR EXECUTION

Success is not guaranteed even though a service strategy model exists. There is a requirement to think and formulate - it is not a mechanical process.

Understanding our current strategy and what works and doesn't work is the first step. Following this analysis we are able to determine the strategy objectives. Objectives are presented as solutions, specifications, needs or benefits; these benefits will also include one or more of the following information elements:
Customer tasks: What job or activity will the service actually do?
Customer outcomes: What is the desired customer outcome?
Customer constraints: What will prevent the outcome being reached and what actions can the service provider take to overcome these constraints?

Service assets must be aligned with the customer outcomes to be of any value and there is a requirement to define the CSF's (Critical Success Factors) for each service.

Understanding the CSFs is often a chance to analyze the competitive situation and even realize their own distinct competitive advantage (distinct value proposition).

Of course, there are always limited funds for developing services, which is why there must be an ability to prioritize investments. Of course, the basic rule of business applies here which is to address the needs of a good customer that are being poorly addressed.

Another basic rule of business is to continually survey the market for opportunities to expand into other market spaces. This requires a traditional SWOT analysis and can lead to significant expansion and growth.

The risks associated with expansion and growth are substantially reduced when they are dealt with as part of a service strategy associated with a market space. The least risky strategy for expansion is within existing customer portfolios and utilizing exist service assets (essentially through the provision of complementary services).

Finally, the ability to stand out from competitors when it comes to controlling existing market spaces or looking for new growth areas is a vital element. The ability to be competitive is what helps you to retain customers. Failure to meet or exceed the expected industry standard for a service will create a loss of satisfaction in customers and they will seek alternatives. Look to exceed the expected industry levels across the multiple attributes (reliability, multi-platform support, on site support, etc) of a service and you have competitive differentiation.

Request Fulfilment explained

Request fulfilment, as the name implies, deals exclusively with Service Requests.

The process is defined in the Service Operations volume of the ITIL version 3 and is associated with low risk, low cost, frequently occuring issues.

These issues can be as simple as answering "how do I?" questions, relocation of hardware, installation of approved software, low risk access requests.

The primary benefit of defining a seperate process is that it allows the incident management process to focus on actual incidents that indicate a failure in a service, rather than dealing with general questions and requests.

ITIL version 3 introduces several new models and the 'request model' concept is a way predefining procedures to manager frequently occuring service requests (the model will generally include some element of change management (typically via a pre-approved change).

Service Requests can come in a number of forms. The actual service request will detail the requestor, what is required, responsible person, date and time details and eventually closure details.

Requests can also be Requests for Change (RFCs). These will generally be used when a change to a Confguration item is requested (e.g. in a bank each group of users may be defined as a CI; changes to the membership of the group may require a formal change process, but the actual change to the group can be dealt with by a service request team).

There is a very close connection between request fulfilment and the Service Desk/Incident Management process; as calls made by end users to the Service Desk may be intially treated as incidents, but be later classified as requests (following initial questioning).

In most organizations the Service Desk staff will actually fulfil the requests - but the benefit is that requests can be 'stockpiled' and worked on as a seperate exercise, once the more critical incidents are dealt with.

What Chance Passing the Exam....?

IT professionals look to develop skills in specific areas that they believe will increase their value in the mareketplace or to their own organization.

One element of skills development includes learning that ultimately results in a test and a certificate. There are many other positive elements that come from any learning program - but testing and certification is - for many - one of the more important issues.

In the 'world' of IT Service Management tests and certification are available for ITIL, Service Quality Management and other globally accepted frameworks/methodologies.

For the Service Quality Management program there are two certification programs (SQMF - Foundation and SQMA - Advanced). The SQMF program ends in a multiple choice exam.

The ITIL certification program has, for many years, had the Managers exam as its pinnacle. Under ITIL version 3 this changes to the Diploma in IT Service Management.

The v2 Managers exams have traditionally been based around a case study and written exams. The passing rate for these exams in countries where English is not the business language is generally lower thn 30%. In countries where English is a dominant language the passing rate is typically over 50%.

This difference is too large given the fact that ITIL is ITIL no matter where you go in the world.

Exams from participants in these countries are generally sent to markers that have a strong grasp of English. Is it really a case that IT professionals do not have the skills or is it a case that the delicate use of the English language counts against them?

Perhaps the use of multiple choice exams at all levels of ITIL certification is the answer; however perhaps there needs to be an element of instructor assessment that counts towards the actual exam result - rather than leaving it entirely to a written assessment.


What chance passing the exam....?

Cross process relationships - tighter bond

While all the talk about ITIL v3 centres on the Lifecycle approach it is wise to remember that processes still form a large strata of the framework. It is also true that many of the widely documented process relationships from ITIL v2 have made the seamless transition to the latest version.

The issue that most IT folks are having is that they are getting stopped in their tracks by the lifecycle concept. Perhaps this is scaring people off, but look beyond that and the processes still exist - in fact there are more than ever.

It is true that ITIL v3 introduces many new processes, but again these are spin-offs of what was already happening..

Release and Deployment Management simply recognizes that there are two disciplines to the installation of new infrastructure and maintains its close alliance with Change and Service Asset and Configuration Management.

Service Request fulfillment neatly packages those requests that weren't incidents in the first place.

Access Management is born of Security and Availability.

Service Reporting - like its ISO 20000 cousin is just common plain good sense and refers to all processes.

and so on.....

We may have lost some elements of ITIL v2 that we had grown accustomed to, but the ability to tell logical stories that connect all the lifecycle phase processes together can still be told.

Event Management explained

When you actually study these ITIL v3 books they start to make a lot of sense. Last night I treated myself to a "getting to know Event Management" evening.

The basic premise for Event Management is "detectable and discernable" occurences where a response can be largely automated.

First point of clarity is that Event Management and Monitoring are linked but different concepts. Events can be monitored, but monitoring also includes tracking entities that are operating within normal ranges. An event

Events can be generated for configuration items, environmental conditions, software, security and standard activities (e.g. completion of a batch job).

Events need to be classified according to their significance. Events can be informational, warnings or exceptions; and it is warnings that need to be intelligently assessed as part of the Event Management process. Informational events do not require any action and exceptions may actually be inputs for the incident management process or the change management process.

Event warnings are processed by a correlation engine that contains business rules that intelligently decide upon a response.

The response - which should be automated - can include logging, generation of alert requiring human intervention or even a link to change management should the event indicate an exception (e.g. new devices detected on the network - which indicates a bypassing of the Change Management process) or an indication that intervention is required (e.g. network link is within 5% of its maximum operating capability).

The process - one of the Service Operations processes - actually makes a lot of sense when studied and properly understood.

ITIL v2 to v3 Foundation Bridging course details

Perhaps the most anticipated ITIL program is the Foundation program that will upgrade current v2 certified staff to v3.

Details have now been officially released. The course will be a one day program, WITH a 20 question, 30 minute mock exam at the end of the day. The pass mark for the exam will be 13 correct answers.

So, all those pages you've read from others who said there would be no exam were incorrect.

The 1 day program will cover the differences in v2 to v3 at an awareness level. For example the Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) is a new concept for version 3, but it covers the CMDB and Known Error data base (KEDB) which are v2 concepts. In service transition the Service V model is a new concept and must be explained in full.

Exams for the Foundation Bridging program will be available in the last week of August 2007. You will have to have passed and show evidence of your ITIL v2 Foundation certificate to attend the program.

ITIL v3; Headaches for some

Online IT Service Management tools over recent years had a simple model to follow. Map the services offered to 10 processes.

The marketing team must now be running around madly looking for ways to spin their offerings into ITIL v3 compliant status.

The whole issue of compliance when it comes to tools is something that I've had a problem with for some time.

Firstly, the lack of an "ITIL compliant" stamp on a tool must not lead to its removal from the list of potential solutions for an IT organization. Don't lose the potential ideal solution for your company by making ITIL compliance a mandatory item on your checklist.

Make it mandatory that the solution be flexible enough to be adopted to the idiosyncrasies of your organization. This way the review panel knows they are reviewing true potential solutions and not just ones that have an additional logo.

The second reason I have a problem with the whole ITIL compliance process for tools is that I wish I had thought of it!! This is of course contradictory to my first reason.

From a commercial aspect the folks who put the process together have a monopoly and from all reports they make a tidy sum for initial checks, ongoing checks, etc. You just have to applaud the foresight of such a move.

The Famous Five Run Away Together

The nice folks at OGC must have had a giggle when they choose the cover designs for all the new ITIL v3 material.

On more than one occasion a passer-by has commented on the cover design for the "Vendor pre-release briefing" - "That's marijuana!!" one rather eldery woman commented.

It was of course my civic duty to enquire about her knowledge on such a topic - however, no answer was forthcoming as she tripped off to another destination.

But then I had a look at the covers of the "Famous Five" books that are flooding the market faster than a free iPhone giveaway competition.

X-ray images of Peas and Poppies, sea shells and starfish - there is a definite hint that the team were out to have a bit of laugh in choosing the designs.

I think the term "Famous Five" is very apt for the books. Those of us lucky enough to have grown up on the stories of Enid Blyton we will fondly remember Julian, Anne, Dick, George and Timmy the dog.

Just like "Five Run Away Together" we can understand our intrepid authors looking forward to their usual holiday at George' s home and tucking into Aunt Fanny's and Joanna the cook's delicious food !!

I'm just thinking that the designers of the covers for the new material were tucking into something a little bit more powerful when the concept was discussed. At least we're talking about it, so in that regard it's a great success.

Authoring over 700 books in her career we thank our modern day Enid B. (aka Sharon Taylor) who held those rascally authors at just 5 books.

;-)

Pillaging Hordes

I am glad to see that my comments are making for useful conversation at other prominent blog sites. I am humbled.

However, comments that such as "...pillaging vendor hordes..." tend to get me a bit irate.

The comment is very rich coming from a site that is built to attract visitors interested in ITIL, where I can click on all manner of adverts and purchase merchandise and publications (does this make a web site into a pillaging vendor?).

Come on - let's drop the sour grapes about the commercial aspects of what is taking place. It's business - if the marketplace doesn't want the services offered by ALL sites offered by those working in the industry then it is they who will decide.

Best Practice Change Control System

The Best Practice Management website offers a KNOWLEDGE CENTRE.

One of the intersesting sub menus there is the CHANGE CONTROL SYSTEM.
This is a central collection point for errors, issues and challenges for all 5 core volumes of ITIL version 3 and other OGC titles.

Once you have registered you can raise issues or change requests against these OGC titles. Issues or changes could include Grammar, Printing Errors, Spelling, Observations and Requests for Change.

IT professionals need to be aware of the official path for registering issues, complaints, errors about OGC's work.

It's acronym heaven !

ITIL folk around the world must be very impressed with the entire new range of acronyms that the ITIL v3 authors have introduced.

The DSL is out, but the DML (definitive media library) is in... the UC has been banished to glossary status, but around the Service Catalog there is a whole new species of TLAs.

LOS (Lines of Service), SLP (Service Level Package), CSP (Core Service Package) and UP (User profiles) are all introduced in Service Strategy.

SLAs and OLAs remain, but now we can throw in some Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC), Service Design Package (SDP) and ISM (Information Security Management).

The KEDB (Known Error database) was there before, but not as an abbreviation and there is just a smorgasbord of SKMS (Service Knowledge Management System) and CMS (Configuration Management System). Resource capacity management is lost forever and in its place we find a slimline CCM (Component Capacity Management).

Thankfully get to keep our beloved MTBSI, MTTR and MTBF -but joining the MT family is MTRS (Mean Time to Restore Service).

My understanding of all of these new terms and concepts is a WIP, but the ROI I get will be PFS - I need a PSO !!

ATOs and EIs

As the official accreditor the APM Group must have a big say in who gets to be appointed as an Examination Institute (EI).

It is an interesting fact that the APM Group has two distinctive roles..

1. As the "official accreditor" - where it gets to lay down rules and guidelines for EIs and manage the examination question bank

and

2. as an Examination Institute - where it works with Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs).

I'm not a gambling man, but I can't see the APMG breaking it's own rules; whereas other EIs may not be so quick to tow the line.

Could this be a good enough reason to back training organizations that have aligned themselves with the APM Group?

Colin Rudd

I've been wanting to put up a note about Colin Rudd, without it seeming as if there is an ulterior motive.

There isn't...

Those lucky enough to have met and worked with Colin will appreciate that fact that this is a guy who "knows his stuff". Colin has got a pedigree as long as your arm, he's seen it all and deserves the respect that he gets in the industry.

I've met Colin on a few occasions and the guy is a gentleman.

Sharon Taylor in the forward of the ITIL v3 Service Design book said..

Service Design broadens our horizons and helps us to see a larger, more cohesive view of IT Service Management.

Fittingly, Colin as one of the principal authors of this book couldn't have been better placed to contribute to this vision for the new look at Service Design.

Colin has been involved in the industry for over 35 years - I don't know when he'll take a break from it all; but it will be a well earned rest. His son - Steve Rudd (also acknowledged in the Service Design text as a major contributor) is working with Colin. I couldn't think of a better mentor and tutor and Steve I'm sure will be a name to watch out for in the coming years.

The APM Group web site lists the details regarding the new ITIL version 3 certification program. The article explains the option for existing ITIL Managers to take a bridging course and be awarded the Diploma in Service Management.

BUT... the scheme requires 22 points of credit to be awarded the Diploma and with the ITIL v2 Managers certificate worth 15, the ITIL v2 Foundation worth 1.5 and the bridging course worth 5 points... there is 0.5 points missing.

To me it's obvious the ITIL v2 to v3 Foundation upgrade course which is worth 0.5 points is mandatory AND it should be mandatory.

Otherwise we will have a bunch of Diploma qualified Service Managers running around that don't even understand the basic processes, key principles and general concepts of ITIL v3.

Now, we just need the APM Group to make the bold step of proclaiming the Foundation upgrade is mandatory and order will be restored.

Utility, Warranty, Confusion, Mayhem

The new ITIL v3 Service Strategy book discusses a couple of interesting new concepts. The "utility" (fit for purpose) and "warranty" (fit for use) when looking at the "value creation" of a service.

To me, when I look at these terms and the surrounding text it seems to be a re-work of the Effectiveness (do the right thing - utility) and Efficiency (do things well - warranty) concepts that we’ve been familiar with under ITIL v2.

I wonder if anyone else is seeing basic concepts that we've grown used over the years reworked into something that is certainly different and potentially more confusing?

George Spalding – the new ITIL Philosopher

During one of the lighter moments of the ITIL v3 Launch in London recently, one question to the author panel was “what are one or two sentences that I can tell my boss are the benefits of ITIL v3”. As expected the majority of authors used words like “integration, alignment, value, etc. etc.”.

However, George Spalding’s answer was a classic; “You can use ITIL v3 to guide you through ITIL without consultants”.

Amidst much laughter, I felt myself wondering if he knows something the rest of us don’t !! Of course Georges answer is fine as he is employed by one of the largest IT Service Management training companies in the world – Pink Elephant. And of course, guess what Pink DON’T DO much of – you guessed it “consulting”.

I wonder if George will have an equally clever answer when he is asked about the “official” ITIL Study Guides that the OGC plan to publish for every ITIL v3 exam. Will George still think that move (which is likely to hit education vendors the hardest) is equally amusing.

We don’t know the answer to the question – but if the global vendor community had to appoint a single representative voice – then I think they could do worse than George Spalding. The man is buoyant and energetic and he calls it as he sees it.

However, it is likely that whoever is involved with the development of the official study guides would not be a great supporter of such a Vendor OrganIzation Community(E) - or as I shall formally announce it the "VOICE".

ITIL v3 Launch - an emmotional event.

The suits were out for the official ITIL v3 launch in London. The 5th June 2007 marked the start of a global tour for the intrepid and brave authors of the “new and improved” material. As always Sharon Taylor led from the front – and in a rare show of emotion there was even a small hint of a tear when the larger than life George Spalding gave an impromptu , but heart felt acknowledgement of the work that Sharon has put in over the last several years.

I don’t think there would be anyone that would argue that the effort required to get v3 off the ground is enormous. Whether v3 will fly or not remains to be seen. However, the signs are positive – especially as there will be a live, on-going feedback mechanism that everyone can contribute to.

The involvement of the ITSM community for v3 does not appear to be lip service. There are genuine efforts to retain the high degree of user contribution that has characterized this latest version of the popular framework.

Good practice, best practice - which is better ?

I overheard a recent conversation about the ITIL v3 definition of Good Practice and Best Practice.

There were comments like.. "organizations once they've attained Best Practice will move to Good Practice". I was confused... surely "Best" is better than "Good".

Then I did some reading.


Sharon Taylor in the forward of the Service Strategy book uses the term "Emergent".
She summarizes that ITIL provides "good practice structures with room for self-optimization."

and later in the same book (Service Strategy) best practices are defined as "patterns in action"... that reflect "superior outcomes".

Combine these elements and we it is plain to see that early adopter organizations that use a framework like ITIL (provided they get it right) are the "best practice" leaders... over time, others in the industry catch up, so that the best practice of a few becomes the good practice of many.

Now the challenge is for the few to set new superior limits and establish themselves as best practice leaders in their industry - while their competition stays at the expected good practice baseline.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 !!

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).

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.