SERVICESERVICEttaallkk The Journal of the it Service Management Forum

IN THIS ISSUE G Another Record-Breaking G Our 3 Regular Series on: G Our Popular Chairman Conference & Exhibition — Ask the Experts Bids Farewell Initial Reports Inside — Infrastructure Technologies G PLUS… all the usual features — IT Physician Heal Thyself G Most Recent Members Survey covering itSMF and IoSM events Reinforces Optimism G Neil McBride Looks At: and information, industry news, in the Future Actor Network Theory and gossip December 2003 £3.00 Issue No. 64 Chief Executive Officer’s Remarks SERVICEtalk nd so another outstandingly successful UK is the Journal of the IT Service conference is behind us. Record numbers of Management Forum (itSMF) Adelegates and exhibitors combined with an What is the itSMF? entertaining and informative set of speakers to make it The IT Service Management Forum Ltd. arguably the best ever. From the stimulating opening by (itSMF) is the only internationally Nigel Barlow through to the inspiring closure from Sahar recognised and independent organisation Hashemi, speakers were consistently well received. dedicated to IT Service Management. It is a As always, much hard work went into making the event not-for-profit organisation, wholly owned and principally operated by its membership. a success – both from the volunteers on the committee The itSMF is a major influence on, and and the office staff in Webbs Court – and many delegates have written to offer their contributor to, Industry “Best Practice” thanks in recognition of this. Even as the final tidying up is happening – collating the and Standards worldwide, working in feedback, writing reviews, etc – work on next year’s event has started. A debrief partnership with the OGC (the UK with the hotel was held before leaving Brighton and the first internal review was Government advisory body), the British held the following day! Standards Institution (BSI), the Distributed With other chapters holding equally successful events throughout the year, Management Task Force (DMTF), the Information Systems Examination Board almost all enjoying significant growth, and the expansion of the international (ISEB) and the Examination Institute of the community, it is clear that not only is Service Management truly of global Netherlands (EXIN). importance but also that itSMF fulfils a vital role in helping organisations implement The aims of the itSMF sustainable solutions. G To develop and promote industry best The continuing explosive growth puts a great deal of strain on both the UK and practice in service management International organisations. It was therefore most heartening to receive a healthy G To engender professionalism within batch of new volunteers to serve on the various UK committees and management service management personnel board. The Council of Members meeting on 4 December will elect the new G To provide a vehicle for helping members improve service performance Management Board, who will then work closely with the professional staff in G To provide members with a relevant Reading to drive the organisation forward and provide increasing value to the forum in which to exchange information membership. and share experiences with their peers Equally, a most productive International meeting decided upon a streamlined on both sides of the industry management structure and set many wheels in motion for the future direction of What services do we offer? the global organisation. Among the services we offer are: Both locally and globally, itSMF is becoming recognised and acknowledged as a key G opportunity to participate in setting player and we are forming strategic partnerships and alliances with many other best practice; organisations. These will enable us to offer new and improved services to the G reduced entry to seminars/exhibitions; G discounts on book sales; membership, while also giving us the chance to influence and contribute to ongoing G products/services catalogues; best practice and standards development. G consultancy; We can be rightly proud of all the achievements so far, but greater challenges and G regional discussion groups; even greater rewards lie ahead. If you think that you would like to contribute G reference sites. somehow, it’s not too late. Simply contact the office if you’d like to volunteer your services. As we say, ad nauseam, it’s YOUR organisation. SERVICEtalk Aidan All communications to: itSMF, Webbs Court, 8 Holmes Road, Earley, Contents Reading RG6 7BH Tel: 0118 926 0888 Fax: 0870 706 1531 Uncertainty Reinforces Optimism for Recovery ...... 3 Email: [email protected] IT Physician Heal Thyself (5) ...... 7 Editor: Malcolm Button International News ...... 11 Produced & Printed by: Ask the Experts ...... 12 Graham Burn Productions Regional Round Up ...... 18 The Atrium, 17 Selworthy, 2003 Conference, Exhibition & Awards Round Up...... 19 Furzton, Milton Keynes MK4 1HA BS15000 Certification ...... 27 Tel/Fax: 01908 526219 New itSMF Members ...... 30 Email: [email protected] Institute of IT Service Management Logo ...... 30 IoSM Latest Members List ...... 32 Distribution: Direct Logistics Ltd The views expressed in SERVICEtalk do not necessarily Is It Safe? (Seminar Report) ...... 32 reflect those of the Editor or the itSMF. 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2 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December DAVID BARKER Uncertainty Reinforces Qube Holdings Ltd Optimism for Recovery OR Optimism versus Terrorism: Who’s Winning?

here’s an old adage, often quoted, bath unseen since the battle of the a convenient piece of public relations. that states, “an optimist is someone Somme. But most people didn’t seem How is this ‘improved customer service’ Twho thinks that the future is unduly concerned. being measured? Customers may well like uncertain”. For itSMF members surveyed The contrast in the press was really what’s being done in the name of ‘service’ this year that statement certainly seems to quite interesting, front page alarm bells but how is that being demonstrated in hold a good deal of truth. If you’ve been was being toned down on the inside business terms? following the series of updated reports pages by feature writers offering travel So, when it came to our June survey, as published in SERVICEtalk you’ll recall tips on how to ensure that our holiday well as continuing to monitor the that we conducted the first of four surveys plans weren’t disrupted by the goings- reactions to Iraq and terrorism, we were amongst a random selection of on in Iraq. Some finance sections were particularly keen to see how the SERVICEtalk readers in February. This even advising investors how to catch measurement of service improvement was followed by additional surveys in April, the bounce when it was all over. was being carried out. June and August. In each case we talked to What we concluded at the time, and I By June, a total of 300 professionals 100 IT professionals embracing a cross- think quite correctly, is that change in from 281 companies had taken part in section of managers, technicians and the business environment is recognised the survey. The profile of those surveyed support staff. In all 400 individuals took as constant and inevitable. In many ways in June was broadly representative of the part representing some 374 companies it doesn’t matter whether that change survey as a whole with 46% IT Managers, and organisations. comes from technology or from the 27% IT Technical personnel and 27% IT The leading question in all four surveys pressure of world events it can be very, Service personnel. focused on the situation in Iraq and the very hard to predict the impact it might There was certainly no question that threat posed by national and international have. In an ideal world the business important new investment was taking terrorism in a post September 11 world. community will always want the place across all disciplines. The combined How had their organisation responded, we comfort of a stable economic and total for the surveys conducted up to asked? How had world events affected political environment in which to plan and including June showed 69% of their plans for Service Management and invest. However, as recent companies reporting significant new initiatives? experience suggests, the challenges that deployments in the last 12 months. The At the same time we were also keen to can, and do, appear are the ‘real world’ main driver? To improve customer see what were the most common reasons of the marketplace and must simply be service. A total of 55% of respondents for implementing Service Management accommodated as part of the greater quoted this factor as their main reason changes. And, on a broader note, how plan for growth and development. The for new investment. The top areas for would any changes affect their planned companies that see world events as new deployment were Change activity in the next 12 months. speed bumps, obstacles capable of Management, Service Desk Management slowing but not halting progress, rather and Incident Management. However, Terrorism Without than roadblocks are the ones to watch. Problem Management and Service The ‘Terror’ Continuity/Disaster Recovery were also In February the debate was still raging Is ‘Customer Service’ Just A strongly represented. over whether we should or shouldn’t Convenient ‘Catch-All’? The split between how funds were invade Iraq in search of those illusive If terrorism and Iraq weren’t driving apportioned between exploiting (to weapons of mass destruction, so we might change, what was? According to improve performance) and protection (to have expected a certain amount of panic SERVICEtalk readers in the February minimise system failure) was also (or at least concern) amongst those that and May surveys, 60 % of all new significant. In February’s survey the we interviewed. Let’s face it, pre-war there deployments were designed to increase exploiting/protection split for the last was a lot of scare mongering going on, customer service. Change Management, twelve months was estimated at 60%/ international opinion was divided on the Service Desk, Incident Management, 40%, by May that had shifted to 56%/44%. need for a war, and the tabloids were Problem Management, Disaster/ By June only a couple of percentage looking for fully paid-up members of al- Continuity, Service Level and points separated the two figures at 51%/ Qa’eda lurking around every corner. Configuration Management took the 49%. So, when the results of our first two top slots for new deployments. Looking ahead to the next twelve surveys showed that only 5% of There can be no argument that ‘to months, the total projections reflected a respondents attributed new initiatives to increase customer service’ is a noble 53% /47% split of funds between the threat of terrorism or concerns over and worthwhile objective. It’s right up exploiting and protection. So, on the basis Iraq, were we surprised? Well, yes… and there with sharing, caring, recycling and of that information, it appears that the then again… no. There was, of course, the helping little old ladies to cross the need to protect systems from potential possibility of a low-level domestic terrorist road. But it can also be a very handy breakdown is commanding a healthy attack, and at least one Sunday paper was ‘catch-all’ phrase and, as such, needs to share of resources. But the urgency to

warning that a war could lead to a century be scrutinised carefully for any signs measure ‘improved customer service’ L of unrest in the Middle East and a blood that it’s not merely being trotted out as seems less certain.

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 3 4 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December Measuring Success: Is There Who’s Planning For An look ahead and examine the new A Credibility Gap? Economic Upturn? deployments in the next twelve months: Of those companies who volunteered By the time of our August survey, it was where is future investment focused? information on the measurement criteria not only the summer temperatures that Given that 89% of those surveyed in for their proposed changes, 44% were high but house prices, according to August said that they would initiate new reported that they did not have clearly the Halifax house prices were also way deployments or continue to invest in defined and agreed measures in place. up. In fact, during August it was reported current projects over the next twelve This, in itself, is perhaps not surprising, that house prices were running at almost months it’s a fair assumption that considering that many changes are being double their historic 20-year average. confidence and optimism are being rolled out according to a strategy that The sun also shone on the FTSE 100 financially supported. Where’s the money seeks to maximise the cost/reward ratio: index which closed around 4,200 for the going? Service Level, Configuration the more immediate the payback the first time since August last year. The index Management and Change Management greater the enthusiasm for change. But has now risen 7.6% since the start of the are the top three activities with 73% of the question remains, how are the results year. Yet despite the optimism that these respondents in August giving this as their and benefits being evaluated? figures would indicate for the UK primary reason for new activity in the Overall, 82% of companies reported economy, could we really say that year to come. having some measurement criteria in everything was on the up? The IMF for It’s not entirely clear from the survey place, with 63% claiming that these one had taken a more cautious view and where funds for new investment are measures were clearly defined and slashed its forecast of UK growth from coming from, 70% of respondents agreed. That said, 32% reported that their 2% to 1.8% this year, and from 2.5% to claimed not to sure about the source. measures were ‘general and unspecific’. 2.3% for 2004. However, it seems reasonable that if we’d There is, of course, perhaps a feeling In the August survey, new deployments asked Financial Directors they’d have that a ‘one thing at a time’ approach is a because of fears over terrorism and been quick to point out that with reasonable position to adopt when breaches of security dropped to zero in interest rates at an historic low, funds for funding is either tight or undetermined. all areas except Capacity Management new investment are readily to hand. However, it’s hard to escape the fact that (2.8%) and Release Management (2.4%). It Indeed, the latest financial reports in the measurements that are ‘general and appears that any initial fears over press seem to point strongly to a surge unspecific’ are always going to be reactive terrorism have been satisfactorily dealt in business investment, particularly for rather that proactive in addressing the with leaving resources free to focus on equipment and software, which rose to myriad of issues surrounding the quest other areas of business development. If 8.2% in late August, its fastest rise in for ‘improved customer service’. we compare the August results with the three years. For more enlightened companies it total (of all four surveys) what’s does seem, however, that the ITIL model immediately apparent is that there has Optimism: The Best and the standards and ideals of ITIL/Best been an increase in new deployments in Investment for Growth Practice are increasingly setting the every area, and that increase is What our four surveys show is that the agenda for change. In particular, significantly above the average. For attitudes of IT Service Management companies are looking to the ITIL model example, new Service Desk activities companies have moved from a position of and comparing it with the standards and were reported by 63% of respondents in some initial nervousness about Iraq and specifications they are currently using. In August against an average of 41.8%. the threat of terrorism to one of other words, ITIL is fast becoming the Incident Management also showed a accepting that there is only so much they benchmark (if it isn’t already) for marked increase at 59% against a can do. After checking the robustness of evaluating performance and expectations. reported average of 33.3%. their systems and infrastructure, their Education is also playing a valuable role And so the pattern continues: Change focus must be on business development. in influencing change. Those who have Management 58% in August against an Doing nothing is not an option. attended ITIL/Best Practice seminars and average of 41%; Configuration New investment is strong and growing, training courses have been quick to Management 44% in August against an and what’s driving that change is the appreciate the advantages of robust and average of 29.3%; Service Level quest for ‘improved customer services’. widely recognised criteria for measuring Management 48% in August compared Measuring the quality of that standards and service across the multi- with 27.7% for the total. When improvement is mixed, but influencing disciplined IT industry. Their ‘enthusiasm’ respondents were asked what their the model of change is ITIL and that’s and ready acceptance of ITIL/Best reasons were for the increased activities certainly something that the itSMF can Practice does, however, seem to be the overwhelming response was…. take a lot of credit for promoting. routed in the culture of the companies you’ve guessed it – ‘improved customer In the August press one business and organisations for which they work. service’ and to ‘motivate, retain, and journalist was quoted as saying, “The In some organisations change is a increase the productivity of staff’. recovery is everywhere but in the stimulating challenge, in others, The logic of both these reasons is easy statistics.” But we’d all agree, I think, that particularly those in non-commercial to appreciate, if the economic climate is even though the graph of the FTSE index areas, change is far more of a struggle. It on the up then the competition for new has more ups and downs than a saw might well be that for some organisations business will certainly be lively and blade the general trend is still ever the degree to which they fall short of companies who are better positioned to upward and the teeth are sharp. their customers’ expected service levels offer superior customer service, and While it may be prudent to be cautious is the measurement that drives them retain and motivate the support staff to about a false dawn for economic rather than the quest to establish new deliver it, are clearly going to be in pole recovery we should, on balance, be very levels that exceed their customers’ position. optimistic in the short and medium expectations. To test that theory we only need to term. I

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 5 6 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December JOHN GIBERT IT Physician Heal Thyself (5) Southcourt ‘Building Bridges and Breaking Boundaries’ This is the fifth in a series of seven articles that support the theme of this year’s UK itSMF conference on building bridges and breaking boundaries. The UPF Support Dimension Summary of the Previous Articles UPF encourages a common way of managing these activities Previous articles have introduced the idea of a Unifying across the Governance Framework and across all Value Chains Process Framework that aligns the domains and frameworks and puts them into the ‘Support Dimension’. across IT and into the business, joining the best practices from the individual frameworks so that processes are truly ‘end to Common Problem and Issue Management end’ with the business. Let’s explore the support dimension by starting with two They explained that UPF is made up of four dimensions. questions: Previous articles have explained the two dimensions of the G Who has problems? core UPF processes that interact with one another: the G Where is best practice for dealing with problems applied ‘Governance Framework and Domains’ and the ‘Value Chain in a business /IT process framework? Framework and Domains’. The answer to the first question is that problems are Figure 1 provides an overall picture of the UPF. experienced and dealt with in many places in the Governance Framework: G Strategic problems are dealt with in the process of developing business and IT strategy in the Directional part of Governance. G Tactical problems are experienced and dealt with in programmes and projects in the Development part of Governance. G And of course, there are operational problems dealt with in the Delivery part of Governance. And then if we consider which Value Chains are impacted by problems, we experience: G Customer problems, Market Competition problems, Product problems, Service problems, Technology problems, People problems, Process problems, Supplier problems, and the bottom line – Financial problems. One problem tends to have an effect higher up the value chain and also affects the bottom line. The Purpose of this Article So the answer to who has problems is – everybody in all The purpose of this, the fifth article, is to explain the Support aspects and at all levels of work and management. and Dimension of the Unified Process Framework . everybody needs a process for resolving them. The Support Dimension simplifies the Core Governance So now the second question: Where is best practice for and Value Chain dimensions, by removing common activities dealing with problems? and putting them in one place, in the Support Dimension. Clearly we could develop problem management processes ‘everywhere’ and that is one of the challenges of a unified Health Warning approach to management. An advanced warning to all ITIL proponents: the following may The many frameworks used by different business and IT appear to propose that the core of ITIL IT Service professionals, tend to have their own approaches to problem Management be removed from IT Service Management and management. The result is that everybody has different ways made generally applicable to the business, as UPF Support of handling problems. Processes. These different ways involve different terms for the same This is indeed the case because IT Service Management thing and the same terms with different meanings. The does not own the Support Processes. They are needed by the meaning of ‘Problem’ in ITIL does not translate into a single business for use across the business as well as in IT. corresponding term in PRINCE2. ITIL has applied these processes to aspects of IT activity but So when people come together from different governance they are equally applicable to (and may already be in practice or value chain disciplines they have a problem dealing with for business processes that span the Governance Framework problems! and the business and IT Value Chains. Many companies train people in the skill of handling All parts of the business have to manage: problems. Problem handling is part of most quality initiatives, G Risks including Six Sigma. People trained in both ITIL and Six Sigma G Issues do not know which way to turn when it comes to managing G Change problems! G Objectives So wouldn’t it be nice to have one generic method; one G Performance process with one set of terms used by everybody in the G Demand, Capacity and Availability business and IT to manage problems? L G Business Configuration Management And the challenge of process terminology diversity does not

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 7 just lie with Problems but with Opportunities, Risks, Issues, management and ownership of the risks can be transferred Errors, Incidents, Features, Off Specifications and Faults. In left and right across the governance framework and up and UPF we group them all together under the title ‘Issue down the value chain to the optimum area for management Management’. consideration and action. So let’s step back and look at this broad area of process. Is There is not enough space in these articles to explore the there any reason why we should have different approaches, detail of the individual processes that make up the support processes, practices and terminology for doing the same kind domain – but the concept is hopefully clear – that is of of thing in different aspects of the business? providing a common management approach and a language The answer is clearly no! adopted by all, across business and IT when doing the same Accordingly, UPF has simplified the governance and value thing. chain domains by extracting these common processes and put Objectives and Performance Management deals with them into the Support Dimension, so that they support the management objectives and targets including SLAs, providing a Core processes in a unified manner. common approach across the Governance framework from With UPF the intention is to have a complete and unified Strategic Objectives to Development and Operational set of Issue Management processes, based upon the best Objectives and the feedback performance loops. practices from all the business and IT frameworks with a Related objectives are set at all levels within the enterprise common consistent language across IT and into the business. and with an effective Governance Framework the objectives are aligned. Common Risk Management The ‘Development Objectives’ are driven from the So in the same way, once an enterprise has decided that ‘Directional Objectives’ as are the ‘Delivery Objectives’. corporate risk, market risk, project risk and operational risk The best practice is to have a common approach to are all looking for a best practical approach to managing risk, Objectives and Performance Management – be it based upon then a common risk management approach can be taken and the ‘Balanced Score Card’ or simply on ‘Management By elaborated upon. Objectives’. The diagram at the top of this page reflects a compre- At an operational level, ‘Delivery Objectives’ are typically hensive list of risk management actions that can be taken to transformed into SLAs for the service value chains and OLAs manage the most complex to the simplest risk. There is no for the capability value chains. space to explain the diagram, so please ponder it for a couple Demand and Supply Management involves the use of of minutes. common processes for capacity and availability that link Looking at the diagram on the next page (figure 3), once the Value Chain Domains. there is a common approach to risk management, then From the diagram overleaf (figure 4): L

8 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December A great big “THANK YOU” from all at CEC Europe to those we have served in 2003

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SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 9 Change affects all the value chains and impacts other value chains. A change in process needs similar attention to a change in technology: What’s the risk? What is impacted in the same and dependent value chains? What’s the justification? When is it best to do it? How do you test it?, and so on. So Change Management is not an IT domain but a business domain and typically IT change needs to be aligned with business change – change in business process being enabled by change in technology together. Finally Business Configuration Management, when we change something, what is that thing that we change? In IT we use the term Configuration Item for the things we change that are subject to IT Change Management. If we look at Configuration Management in business technology 1. Demand for capacity and availability is defined top down functions like manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and and Supplied bottom up the Value Chain . buildings, then we find that configuration management is a 2. With Demand and Supply Management, capacity is common discipline used for managing the components in managed via a common planning and control process those capabilities that like IT components are also used to across the Governance framework so that Delivery is deliver service. given the Plan and Forecasts from Direction and the Business Configuration Management is not just about Actuals are fed back from Delivery to Direction. managing technology components but it is also about managing all the business components that make up all the value chains. It is also about managing the relationships between them across the value chains. Business Configuration Management is used to manage and link: Markets to Customers; to Business Products to Business Services; to Business Processes involved in delivery; to IT Services and to IT Applications and IT Infrastructure. Configuration Management then is about ensuring that we manage our value chain records of business components in a common manner. So in summary, the UPF Support Processes are business wide, they support the Governance Framework and Value Chains and they should reflect the overall best practice taken from frameworks like ITIL, PRINCE and Six Sigma.

The Way Forward The sixth article will cover the final UPF From an IT viewpoint this ensures that Information dimension, the ‘Enabling Dimension’, explaining how the basic Technology has the power and resilience to provide the processes for Work Management, Resource Management and capacity and availability of IT services to support the required Knowledge Management enable the Core and Support business processing volumes up the value chain. processes to be performed in a common manner. Change and Configuration Management is the final The final article will show how IT can move forward from support area that we will be looking at. being individual domain/ framework driven and how IT can We all need to manage change. Change affects all aspects of improve, in a very pragmatic manner, the interfaces between the governance framework, change in business direction, its existing frameworks like ITIL and PRINCE2, to integrate changes in what is being developed in projects, changes in them practically into one Business–IT aligned ‘Unified Process delivery. They all need managing and benefit from a common Framework’. I approach. For more information on UPF, contact [email protected]

10 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December International News There has been much activity on the international guests’ presence to stage a International front over recent months. “birds of a feather” session exploring all the various initiatives around the world. Conferences Next on the circuit is the German The USA conference in St Louis saw a Conference in Munich on 9 & 10 significant increase in numbers from the December. Jutta Blessin (Germany), David previous year (see photograph below). As Cannon (US), Brian Jennings always, user presentations demonstrating New Chapters (Australia), Ian Lawson (South Africa) real life deployments saw the highest 3 November saw the latest addition to and Ivor Macfarlane (UK). The attendances and best appraisals. One of the growing community with the launch executive board will be supported by the liveliest sessions was the certificate event of the Romanian Chapter. CEO, Aidan Lawes and COO, Johan panel session, where many views were Despite a truck drivers’ strike causing Scheepstra (CEO, Netherlands). aired. traffic chaos and preventing some Among the first tasks the board will delegates from tackle is reviewing the current business reaching the venue, plan and particularly the ongoing funding over 80 attendees model for the organisation. were present to hear Further progress has been made on sessions from Aidan establishing committees with a global Lawes, CEO, plus perspective including marketing, other local and qualifications and publications. overseas speakers. Coverage from local TV stations and press ensured that the chapter launched with a suitable fanfare. By the time this goes to press, the Portuguese The Danish Chapter held their first Chapter will have launched on 27 annual conference in Copenhagen on 27/ November. Several UK speakers are The international board in relaxed mode 28 October. Over 80 delegates attended joining the local hosts for a seminar and to hear a range of presentations from press interviews in Lisbon. International Publications local and overseas speakers. Meanwhile interest continues to grow, The first real formal meeting of the The 7th Netherlands Congress was with significant activities (and the strong International publications sub-committee held in Maastricht. Approximately 500 expectation that all will have chapters up was held during the UK conference, with delegates joined a full-house of and running in the next 6 months or so) representation from many chapters. The exhibitors for a very successful event. As happening in the following countries: meeting agreed their terms of reference most sessions were naturally delivered in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, and many of the working practices that Dutch, SERVICTalk’s intrepid reporter Italy, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, they will follow. was unable to garner much detail on the Singapore, Spain and Venezuela. In The hard work that has gone into content. But conversation with delegates addition, inquiries have come in from getting this committee up and running indicated a generally favourable reception Argentina, Croatia, Greece, the Gulf should bear considerable fruit for all for what seems to have been a tightly States, the Lebanon, Luxembourg, chapters, with a consistent and coherent focused event. Russia and Slovenia. set of publications bearing the itSMF The 12th UK Conference is covered International branding, while still leaving in detail on pages 19 to 26. International Board Meeting room for locally branded publications Some 250 delegates attended the An intense but successful meeting in that add to the understanding and Canadian Conference in Montreal. A Montreal on 14-15 November saw implementation of generic best practice strong international representation was significant progress in the formalising of in that market. present, guaranteed by the holding of the key documents, processes and policies. The committee will take on International Board Meeting immediately Not least among these was the move to responsibility for several projects prior to the event. The event was kicked a more streamlined mode of operation at currently being run independently by off by a lively if muted (due to laryngitis) an international level, with the formation different chapters and will become the motivational session from Rick Butts of an executive board that will meet focal point for all future developments. and rounded off with a rousing and more frequently than the full board and Having operated so far with a amusing knowledge management session drive many of the strategic initiatives temporary chairman, one of the first from Nick Bontis. In between, the forward. actions will be to hold formal elections typical conference mix of real-life stories The new International chairman for the chairmanship of the committee. and future-gazing, provided much food (and thus chairman of the executive This will be done electronically to allow for thought for the delegates. In addition, board) is Denis Doyle from Canada. The all chapters to vote. Results will be the hosts took advantage of the other executive board members are: published as soon as they are counted. I

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 11 Ask the Experts

Leading industry figures respond to questions received in the itSMF office

Question 1 performed plus ensuring the appropriate specified the Service Desk. The reason Which ITIL discipline level of service is provided in line with being that this is a function in its own do you think best covers the SLA’s are covered by Capacity right. Hence information could be Database Management and Management provided to the service desk with regard Administration? Availability Management Ensuring to the databases, so one could imply that that the database is available when there is coverage here, however I have Answer 1-1 required, as defined in SLAs, is clearly deliberately tried to emphasis my answer Tony Price part of the Availability process from a process perspective. PinkRoccade Ltd IT Service Continuity Ensuring that I think questions like this arise because Database Management and databases can be recovered in the event there is still much confusion about Administration are functions / roles of a disaster process / roles / functions and a lack of within IT. ITIL disciplines are Incident Management Responding to awareness that ITIL can and does apply predominantly process oriented. Hence incidents related to databases across the majority of functions/ roles potentially all of the ITIL processes could Problem Management Resolving within IT. I also think it would be come into play for this function. For problems associated with the database incorrect to say that one ITIL process is example but by no means complete: Change Management Making changes more relevant that the other, as an Service Level Management The to databases answer to this question, as everyone activities within the function could play a Release Management Ensuring the adopts and adapts ITIL differently to fit part in the delivery of an SLA or OLA database software is control, licence, at their own personal environments. Financial Management As the function the appropriate release level is part of the cost of providing the IT Configuration Management Control Answer 1-2 service, then this process is relevant of configuration items for example the Ivor Evans Capacity Management Many of the physical databases DIYmonde Solutions administration / house keeping activities You may notice that I have not It seems to me that this is a little like

12 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December saying ‘which ITIL discipline best covers Change Management. What, availability are to be sustained. ‘operations’ or ‘application development’ if any, is the link between and of course the answer is that they all PSA and Availability Answer 2-2 do. Database Management is a function Management and how should Ivor Evans within IT and, as such, is a contributor to PSA be described with DIYmonde Solutions and a recipient of the activities of every respect to ITIL? The best description of ‘Projected IT Service Management process. It Service Availability’ (not ‘projected contributes to resolving service failures Answer 2-1 schedule availability’) can be found in the and permanently removing root causes; it Richard Griffiths Dictionary of IT Service Management considers other people’s changes to the Fox IT Terms, Acronyms and Abbreviations, live environment and proposes changes Production of a Projected Service which is available from the itSMF of its own; it may be party to discussions Availability (PSA) is the responsibility of bookstore. It is ‘A document used in on service level quality and availability Change Management with input from Change Management to outline the effect of and will have an input into capacity Service Level Management (SLM) and Changes on the levels of availability defined calculations. There is no function within Availability Management. A PSA should be in the Service Level Agreements (SLAs). This IT Service Management that is not readily accessible and can range in document is linked to the Forward Schedule touched by the IT Service Management sophistication from an excel spreadsheet of Change (FSC)’. In its turn, the Forward processes and Database Management and to a graphic display via an internet or Schedule of Change is described as ‘A Administration is no exception. intranet server. schedule that contains details of all the There is a close link with the Forward Changes approved for implementation and Answer 1-3 Schedule of Change (FSC) – a PSA will their proposed implementation dates. It Richard Stone map the predicted service impact of should be agreed with Customers, Service Fox IT future planned changes against each Level Management, the Service Desk and If you consider the management and service. Availability Management. Once agreed, the administration of databases as a function For example, four hours of planned Service Desk would communicate to the that is carried out within IT, then all the mainframe maintenance between 02-00 Users any planned or additional downtime ITIL processes apply, don’t they? For and 06-00 on Sunday in three weeks time arising from implementing the Changes (cf. example managing and administering a will appear on the FSC, the PSA will Projected Service Availability).’ Projected database requires capacity management indicate the impact on each service in Service Availability will be affected, among expertise at the resource and service Service Level Agreement (SLA) terms, other events, by any changes which level, and information will be required ie Service A has a four hour outage, impact on previously scheduled service from those administering the database Service B is not impacted as it is not (or service component) maintenance that feeds into the overall capacity plan. available at this time or Service C can activities and there is therefore a strong There will be availability considerations: work offline for the period. SLM will be link between PSA, Availability is the database available when it is able to assess potential disruption Management, Change Management and required; are the confidentiality, integrity through analysis of the likely number of Service Level Management. and availability requirements of the users impacted, negotiate as appropriate information within the database been and with the Service Desk communicate Answer 2-3 considered? Again, this should be carried to the customer / user community. Colin Rudd out in accordance with, and feed Availability Management will use PSA itEMS Ltd information into, the Availability Plan. information as an important input and I am assuming that the PSA you are Database management and should be involved in agreeing the future referring to is the Projected Service administration may have to be carried periods of unavailability. The skills, Availability as detailed within the new out according to an operational level toolsets and methodologies of Availability ITIL Service Support book. Within the agreement, as the database itself may be Management will be utilised to maximise Service Support book the PSA is stated part of one or more services offered to future availability and minimise service as containing: “details of Changes to agreed customers, themselves subject to an SLA. impact. For example, Availability SLAs and service availability because of the Changes to the database should be Management will work closely with SLM currently planned FSC.” carried out according to the and third party suppliers to match A better definition would be: “a diary of organisation’s Change Management unavoidable unavailability with periods of the projected service downtime required to process, and any problems identified with low user activity and with Change support the implementation of authorised use of the database and its own Management to ensure outages are changes, currently contained within the infrastructure should be recorded minimised and efficiently used, ie changes agreed FSC.” according to Problem Management. bundled and concurrent (subject to risk The PSA was introduced in the rewrite And so on and so forth. assessment). to increase the “proactiveness” of the To sum up, Database Administration is The PSA will highlight future periods Change Management process and to an infrastructure focussed IT function and areas for Availability Management to increase the integration with both the that, like all the other infrastructure focus on. It is the role of Availability business and other Service Management functions, has a role to play in all IT Management to balance the need processes, as illustrated in the diagram Service Management processes. for planned maintenance (to prevent overleaf. future unscheduled unavailability) against The workflow surrounding the PSA as loss of service. Mirroring, for example, illustrated above, shows the CAB takes Question 2 could allow for continuous service, but in as inputs the list of Requests for Change PSA (projected schedule its absence, the proactive management of (RFCs) for consideration, the current availability) is referred to in maintenance is key if high levels of Forward Schedule of Change (FSC) and M

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 13 14 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December Answer 3-1 Dave Ward IBM For me, there are three phases to this, all really driven by Service Levels, a) Questions about the steady state service: G How good are we…? G How well does the service meet your needs? b) Questions about failing service and our ability to recover after an incident or problem G How well do we recover? G Do we keep you informed of progress? G How often have you been impacted…? G For how long were you impacted? G What was the cost to you of the outage? c) Questions about the ability to change the current PSA. The CAB will conduct The responsibility for producing the i.e. introduce new requests or their business and assess the urgency, PSA should be clearly agreed within the services through Change Management impact, risk and resources required for organisation. In practice it doesn’t matter G How well do we introduce your each of the RFCs on its list. Once this who produces it as long as someone is new services? review has been completed for each RFC, given ownership and includes all areas. G Do we deliver new services when each will be authorised, deferred or The PSA should be made readily available we say we will? rejected. All authorised RFCs will be for anyone to access it and display its G Have we ever disrupted your added in turn to the FSC and an updated content. I have seen it produced in service subsequent to introducing FSC will be produced and circulated. different organisations, by Change a change? Once the FSC has been finally revised Management, Availability Management or and agreed, the PSA can be produced by SLM. examining all RFCs within the FSC that The ideal location for the FSC and PSA need service downtime, as part of their is on an Intranet site accessible by Answer 3-2 implementation. This is why it is so everyone. However, what is important is Dave Edwards essential that anybody impacted by that changes (RFCs) requiring service Solutions downtime is included within the CAB downtime should be scheduled for I’m probably not the right person to be when the impact of the RFCs is assessed implementation outside of agreed service answering this as I need a lot of and they are scheduled for hours, wherever possible. This can only convincing as to the value and validity of implementation. This would principally be done where the person responsible such surveys but as usual I can’t resist! involve Customers and Users, together has access to the contents of all SLAs. If One area to ask questions on would be with representatives from Availability this cannot be achieved for any reason, ‘How was it for you’. In other words how Management, Service Level Management then RFCs should be scheduled for did the process users find the use of the (SLM) and the Service Desk. The FSC will implementation during agreed “change process: be updated iteratively as each RFC on slots” or “maintenance slots”. Failing this G Is it better than what they used the list is authorised. The updated version they should be scheduled during times of before? of the FSC will then contain an minimal business impact, often during G Do they find the processes implementation schedule and date for unsociable hours. bureaucratic? every authorised RFC. G Are the processes helpful? The updated PSA can then be A process should be like a child’s slide: produced by looking at each RFC for a small amount of effort (climbing the incurring downtime and produce a diary steps or filling out an RFC), everything of “scheduled downtime” for all services. Question 3 then happens automatically. Once the PSA has been produced and We are in the process of If this isn’t the case and people are agreed, then proactive communication optimising our Incident, bypassing the process then you need to can take place from the Service Desk to Problem and Change find out why the process isn’t working each Customer and User group impacted processes and want to for them. by service downtime. The PSA can then conduct a customer survey On the principle that it is always best be used as input to the next CAB on the service culture to involve people then ask them what meeting to also ensure that RFCs are regarding these processes. ideas they have for improving the scheduled in such a way as to What questions should I be process. synchronise their implementation, in asking and how can I map As to mapping them back to the order to minimise service downtime, the answers back to the process then why not have a section in avoiding the “hole in the road” syndrome. processes? the survey for each process. M

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 15 Answer 3-3 improvement is possible for a particular and change management processes. Shirley Lacy aspect it is usually better not to ask the Specific customer survey for ConnectSphere question. feedback on optimisation of When planning a customer survey it is Terminology Incident, Problem and Change important to consider: Terminology is an issue when asking for Management G Who will you survey? customer feedback. Often this will A customer survey on the service G How will you survey – hardcopy, depend on other terms used within the culture for the Incident, Problem and electronic, telephone based (this will organisation. Typical issues are: Change Management processes should affect the number/type of questions G The ITIL distinction between the cover various aspects. Achieving a balance you ask) Incident and Problem management of questions is important e.g. ask G What questions to ask and how to processes and terms may not be questions on time/speed, quality, cost. achieve a balance of questions? understood by many users and There are also softer aspects such as the G How will you analyse the results and customers. service provider’s understanding of the take action? G Users may not distinguish between customer/business need, ability to listen, Many customers will base their service requests and change requests. attitude of staff, communication and assessment of the Incident, Problem and They often think of these as ‘big’ or feedback. Change Management processes on their ‘little’ changes. The questions should measure aspects subjective perception, often based on G When asking about ‘handling of that are expected to improve from the recent experiences and job function. At changes’ users may have difficulty customer’s perspective. Including the start of any survey, it is important to distinguishing between project additional control questions will help to establish basic information about the changes and service/infrastructure/ ensure there is no deterioration in other respondent and ask what services the operational changes. Some users may aspects of the process. For example if the person uses. Depending on how the even think of contract changes if they time to resolve problems is quicker then sample was selected, you may find that are in the purchasing department. the quality of problem, solving may be the respondent has never used one or Asking questions as part of an worse, resulting in an overall satisfaction more of these processes. Any survey overall customer satisfaction survey that is worse. Mapping the customer’s should be logical from the customer’s General questions for Incident, Problem response back to the specific processes perspective – it can be confusing and and Change Management in telephone is difficult as we are dealing with frustrating otherwise. It is a good idea to based customer satisfaction surveys that perceptions. It very much depends on the do a pilot on a number of customers. we have successfully used are: respondent’s understanding of a phrase It is useful in any survey to establish G Call/incident handling (use call as well or term that will depend on the local whether the aspect has improved, stayed as incident as many people do not circumstances, recent experience of the the same or worse. This question can be understand incident – or use the respondent and their involvement in the asked for any of the questions and is a common term in your organisation) process. good indicator over time of the rate of G Attitude of staff The mapping shown in the table below improvement for a subjective response. G Speed of problem solving provides some insight into the mapping The results of customer surveys should G Quality of problem solving and difficulties. I G be discussed with the customer, an action Handling of changes If you want to either to add your views to the above or plan agreed and input to the service This often gives a general indication of to join out panel of Experts, then contact: improvement programme. If no action or improvements in the incident, problem John McDermott at the Reading office.

Process/question Mapping back to the process (or not as the case may be) Service Desk/Incident Management G Speed of logging a call Time to complete incident logging G Speed of response Time to respond to the user G Ability to ‘fix first time’ If incidents are fixed at the first contact point the user will normally be happier. G Feedback on progress Frequency and quality of feedback for incidents that are not ‘fixed first time’ G Attitude of staff May have improved if staff have been trained e.g. in customer service G Overall satisfaction This will usually provide feedback on the service desk and incident management Problem Management G Speed of problem solving Usually perceived to be the time from logging to having a full resolution (of the incident and/ or problem) G Quality of problem solving Were there many attempts or visits to resolve the problem, When the problem was resolved were other problems created? G Overall satisfaction with the process This will usually provide feedback on the overall perception of incident and problem management, especially where users do not see a separation. Change Management G Understanding of the business need for change If the requirements are not understood then the service provider may provide the wrong solution – related to quality of change. Customers are often frustrated by a lack of understanding and this may be a good control question. G Feedback on change Does the process inform the originator at the right time with the right information e.g. on receipt or approval/rejection of the change. G Speed of making changes Perception of the time from logging to completion of the change. G Quality of changes made Is it what the customer wanted in the first place? If not, the service provider will have wasted time, effort and money doing the wrong thing. G Cost of change Often an emotional subject that may be worth monitoring – it may affect perception of the other aspects. G Overall satisfaction with the process This may provide feedback on the overall perception of any change management process in IT e.g. project changes and service changes.

16 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 17 Regional Round Up

London & South East saying “Configuration Management needs to the whole process from identification to Report by John Byles, Service be scoped, planned and agreed between all resolution. Manager, Xansa parties, Business, IT and where appropriate Linda Buckland of the Inland I had received a number of emails in the Suppliers, this includes the level to which CI’s Revenue gave us a recap on the past informing me of itSMF events but are defined” and “Sponsorship for the organisational structure within IT and the idea of attending an event had either implementation of Configuration where problem management sits in been scuppered by work commitments Management must also receive backing from relation. Linda also pointed out that or hadn’t really appealed to me. It had, by senior management.” although ITIL is not a perfect fit with the which I now know was a total The theme of business awareness of IT IR, they have realised that ITIL is flexible, misconception, conjured up a picture of followed us to the next discussion topic, and can help the IR to improve their what can be best described as, a group of “Availability Management.” John Efford of processes. Changes that have been made process orientated train spotters sitting newly branded Abbey walked us through so far include having one PM group in a room eschewing over flow diagrams. their implementation of AM, in some managing multiple systems as well as When in reality it was a broad selection ways this showed us a reversal of the having standard impact levels and of IT professionals similar to me, no experiences previously discussed contractual measure across systems. corduroy trousers or anoraks in sight, all regarding Configuration Management. IT Mike Jay from Hewlett-Packard there to openly discuss and share their also needs to take into account business presented “Winning Hands – The organisations ITIL experiences. needs, and when dealing with a public management of change”. Mike introduced MC for the day was Ken Goff, newly company this means the customer. us to a startling statistic discovered by his appointed chair for the London and Abbey’s case study was very informative company that 3 out of 4 large change South East Region with the first and as a result the implementation of AM projects do not produce the desired presentation by Geoff Evans, Partners increased customer services. results. The reasons for this were varied in IT and Bob Lawley from Steria. It was quite apt at this point, having but pointed to one thing – the ‘People’ Geoff walked us through an ITIL succumbed to a cold, that I said my good part of the equation had not been fully implementation delivered with a byes before the last presentation “Are we considered. People had not been involved packaged solution in a matter of months protected from Virus attacks” and feeling in the change process (‘done to’ not from a supplier’s perspective. Bob then somewhat guilty about leaving ‘with’); they didn’t know why the change took the stage and walked us through volunteered to write this article. I will was happening and feared the impact of the process from a customer’s pers- definitely attend further events and new processes and technologies to their pective, little did he know that when he would encourage others to do so, but current job. sat down he would be the envy of most leave your anorak at home. Finally Steve Boronski of Stoke-on- of the audience – full ITIL in what was it Trent City Council explained that 3 months!!!, but as he fully admitted it Midlands & East Anglia change needed to be enabled or progress was a greenfield site. Report by Lynn Jackson, stops. He walked through the Seven Caffeine levels replenished it was time LJ Training Ltd Steps of Stagnation (“we’ve never done it for the next item on the agenda “User Jim Davies, Midlands & East Anglia itSMF that way before”…) and the top 8 errors Forum Debate – How do we do Regional Chairman welcomed members of change (“declaring Victory too soon”…), Configuration Management”. The debate to the National Blood Service offices in before showing us the consequences of began, people shifted uneasily in their Birmingham. John McDermott gave us such actions. Steve presented an eight- seats, the atmosphere was tense, you an itSMF update mentioning the new stage process to enable change in a pro- could have cut it with a spreadsheet… complementary books in the ITIL stable active manner with such suggestions as OK, Ken introduced “Configuration and the addition of pocket guides “create a sense of urgency”, “develop and Management”. A large number of hands translations in Korean, Spanish, French communicate the vision” and shot up at the chance to ask the first and Portuguese. Continuing Professional “consolidate and create MORE change”. question… “To what level do you define Development with its relevance to the With the presentations over, John configurable items?” the remaining hands Institute of Service Management was also McDermott of itSMF spoke about the were lowered, were they going to ask the touched upon. conference in November and how to same question! This was immediately The first half of the day was a progress create and present white papers for followed by “Why does the business see this report for problem management inclusion on the itSMF website. as just an asset register?” Ken composed implementation from the previous April’s Jim concluded the meeting with a the baying crowd and opened up the meeting. Sati Bhogal of Coors request for presentations for the next floor for audience responses. The Brewers reviewed the goals of problem Regional Meeting entitled “Implementing overwhelming consensus was that there management for his company and how Best Practice” and thanked the National must be agreement between the business far away they still were from those goals. Blood Service for hosting today’s event. and IT on exactly what a configuration He revealed that they are still on target (Following an appeal, several delegates management database (CMDB) was going to revise all support teams fault codes by did donate the odd pint or two!). to provide. the end of year. On the question “does it The next Regional meeting will be held The key message, taking all responses work?” Sati concluded “yes”, however at the Norwich Union offices in Norwich into account, could be summed up by some more work is required to underpin on 21 January, 2004. I

18 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 2003 Conference & Exhibition Breaking Boundaries Building Bridges

A Critique their public debut to polished Neil Reynolds professionals, though all (or at National Blood Service least all the ones I saw) had Recurring themes of many of this year’s something worthwhile to say and conference presentations were provided a few nuggets to take “expectations” and “perceptions”, so away. One such person exposing here are some of mine. The opinions are himself to such a large audience purely personal, though I did of course for the first time was a colleague get a flavour of other people’s views of mine from the National Blood during chats between sessions, over Service, Alan Daly, and “the boy lunch, dinner and in the bar. This was my done good” as they say. His fourth itSMF conference, so while I’m not message about customer quite at the veteran stage, I do have satisfaction was clear and so is the found most useful and it saved me a lot experience of three previous events to subtext: if he can do it, so can you. You of time – by checking my emails during compare with. don’t have to be a professional speaker breaks, there were a lot less to come The Hilton influence is now more to make a presentation, and there’s a slot back to. obvious at the Metropole. I’ve previously waiting for you on next year’s conference Not all the new initiatives were quite felt that it was a Hilton in name only, but programme. With five streams to select as successful. The floor direction symbols the hotel now seems firmly integrated from this year there was certainly plenty were a great idea but got very tatty into the group and standards have risen. of choice; something for everyone in fact, quickly as people trampled over them; Staff are more attentive and courteous perhaps too much for some. I made it perhaps they could be attached to the and some renovation has taken place somewhat easier for myself by deciding walls next year? since last year. With such a big, old to stick to hearing about the experiences As we’ve come to expect, the food and building that must be a never-ending task of fellow practitioners, so I gave the entertainment were very good indeed and there’s plenty still to do, but it’s “Vendor Views” stream a miss. and Fox IT deserve a special mention for certainly moving in the right direction. I did though visit virtually all of the the quiz, which was great fun. “We Wuz Initial impressions of the itSMF exhibition stands, which were well laid Robbed” of course, and something pecul- registration procedure were good too. out and a lot of thought, planning and iar must have happened to the marking! Well organised, quick and what a expense had gone into them. Some were My wife enjoyed the Partner Programme magnificent bag – the best ever, and full particularly eye catching and of course I too, though I do wonder what more is of goodies as well. On to the formal couldn’t resist having a go in the Formula left in the Brighton area that hasn’t been opening and a superb keynote address by 1 race simulation. I can only say that covered in previous events. Nigel Barlow – so good that I bought the never having sat in The conference ended as it had begun, book! Not too sure about the overall such a car before, it with an excellent keynote speech, this conference theme though – it was as if was my failure to lie time by Sahar Hashemi who founded the organising committee couldn’t decide sufficiently flat and Coffee Republic. I drink very little coffee between two proposals, “Breaking ensure my feet myself but the talk certainly was Boundaries, Building Bridges” and “Stability touched the pedals stimulating. in a Changing World” and decided to keep properly that accounted for my abysmal All in all, a very enjoyable conference them both. Or maybe three, since the showing – so bad in fact that I felt that provided both business and pleasure backdrop was a picture of the world held compelled to apologise to the guy in just the right mix. I understand the in a pair of cupped hands. This looks running the simulation! attendance was a new high, both at the great on the cover of the ring-binder and Whoever came up with the idea to conference and even more so at the the CD. On the stage, however, the provide a selection of packed sandwiches, itSMF AGM on the Monday evening. I’m thumbs had to be moved back to make cakes and fruit for lunch should be sure that the vast majority of delegates room for the screen, with the result that heartily congratulated – it was a gained from it and will be back next year. it looked very unnatural – the hands masterstroke. Last year there were huge I am equally certain that their expect- wouldn’t have been able to hold anything queues for lunch, with despite being ations will have risen as a result, and to in that position. Drop The World I Want taken in the exhibition area, left little help ensure they are met I have some to Get Off perhaps? The World Is Slipping time to visit the stands. Eating “on the ideas for yet further improvement which Away maybe? And who has thumbnails hoof” was a vast improvement, allowing I’ll pass on to the committee, who I feel that square? The twinkling stars though time to be maximised. Extending the sure will give them serious consideration. were wonderful, and enhanced the exhibition to the third morning was good My thanks and congratulations to every- professionalism of the event. from the delegates’ point of view too. I’d one involved in the organisation, not least As is usual, session speakers ranged particularly like to thank A1e for the the itSMF secretariat at Reading, and from enthusiastic “amateurs” making provision of the Internet Café which I here’s to an even better one next year.

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 19 Feedback from Ian Scholes, Energis: Conference attendees… May I pass on my thanks to you all for what Ken Goff, Prudential: I think has been the most successful Annual What a great event… well done to Conference ever. My colleagues and I were everyone. extremely impressed with the organisation, Barclay Rae, e2e Customer the array of events and presentations, and Services: even extra special touches such as the Royal Just to say thanks to all from e2e for an Marine band on the first day. I am sure you enjoyable and useful conference as ever. are looking back yourselves thinking what a good job you’ve done, and you deserve to pat yourselves on the back. Excellent event, extremely productive and informative, and I’ll definitely be back next year.

Heather Stebbings, i-Core: Tina Madden, IBM, Student of the Just a quick thank you to you, the team, Year: everyone really, who helped make my first The itSMF Conference is a wonderful conference a memorable occasion! opportunity to meet new like-minded people Nigel Mear, Cable & Wireless: in the area of Service Management; and also This was my first time at the conference and I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable three days and an excellent conference. Nick Needham, Aseriti: I thought I should convey my thanks and congratulations to you and the rest of the team for the excellent coordination and planning of this year’s conference. Phil Montanaro, EDS: Another fantastic conference: well done to you all. I was yet again pleasantly surprised with the quality and variety of the presentations. to get to know much better some people Carl Helling, Digitalfuel: whose names you might know already. There I wanted to send a quick note to thank you was a great community spirit – everyone was all for a very enjoyable and memorable friendly and approachable across the whole 2003 conference. scope of delegates, organisers, speakers, Steve Boronski, Stoke Council: exhibitors and head honchos. The Could you please pass my appreciation on to motivational speakers were truly... Paulette McKillop, IBM Software everyone involved in the Conference, your motivating! Sessions covered a wealth of Group Speakers Bureau: whole team must have performed at their topics and were invaluable for highlighting I just want to take a minute to thank you for peak to achieve such a successful event. the key features of new advances, vendor inviting Sandy Carter to speak at your itSMF Many thanks for a great three days. offerings and the fundamental building Brighton event. Sandy was very pleased with Alan Daly, National Blood Service: blocks of IT Service Management. Definitely the event and the opportunity. Thanks for a great conference. a must for future years’ diaries.

Tina Madden Gala Dinner at the itSMF 12th Annual five for IBM, she felt it was time to Service Management Conference and Exhibition at the achieve a professional qualification as Candidate of the Year Metropole Hotel, Brighton (see evidence of the knowledge and Elspeth Wales, BCS photograph oon the centre pages – 22- experience she has acquired. IBM For service management professional 23). This award is given each year to the encouraged her endeavour since the Tina Madden being awarded the accolade candidate who obtains the overall highest company is in the throes of an initiative of itSMF Student of the Year in this mark, for a single sitting, in the ISEB to certify the skills of its key personnel, summer’s ISEB Service Management Service Management qualification. providing them with support and funding examinations was a tremendously Tina’s road to success began at the to do so. rewarding achievement reflecting the start of this year, when she decided to Tina is a Process Implementation hard work she put into the process. study for the Service Management Manager at IBM which involves Her success culminated on 11 qualification because, having worked in implementing and improving processes November when she was presented with the field of processes and IT service which span the scope of service delivery her award and £200 prize during the management for several years, the last to clients in the Strategic Outsourcing

20 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December business of IBM Global Services. Through training provider PinkRoccade, selected by IBM, Tina enrolled on the Service Management qualification in early 2003 and went on to take the Service Support course in March followed by the Service Delivery course in May, the two papers that make up the certification. The exams took place in July. “The courses were very intensive. Each day was a mixture of factual learning, interactive group exercises and learning in the evening ready for mock questions the following morning and after the courses I kept up revision on a regular basis until the exams” said Tina. Prior to taking the Service Management qualification Tina had gained the prerequisite ISEB Foundation course in 2001. The structured training and revision aids provided by Pink Roccade proved invaluable to Tina and following the Service Support course in March she felt it would be in her best interests to keep up the momentum of revision so that she did not forget what she had already learned. “Between March and May I started revising for a couple of hours once a week. After the second course in May obviously the amount of material doubled so I increased revision to at least twice a week. I felt like I was back at school or university. There is a lot to learn, plus thinking about how this relates to your experience, or thinking laterally about how you would present it from a manager’s view takes time so I’m glad I kept it up but it took a lot of willpower,” said Tina. Such was her commitment that she even revised while holidaying in Spain, putting her time on a sun lounger to good use! “I was glad I did it because I think there is so much information to try and learn in just a short amount of time,” she added. All too soon came the examinations. She recalled that the exams were hard but she expected them to be. The questions weren’t nasty but did stretch her ability to think beyond the obvious, from a manager’s viewpoint and required candidates to pull together many different facts from a range of disciplines and combine them into an answer from a managerial perspective, she said. Exams over, Tina then had to endure an eight week wait for her results. The results are usually released after six weeks but Tina had to wait an extra two until she had returned from holiday. “The wait was agonising. While on holiday, I tried to forget about it but all the way home during an eight hour overnight flight I was imagining the worst.” Her worries were unfounded. “I was amazed with the marks themselves I’d spent all those weeks praying I’d at least passed and here I was with a distinction. When I was called to say I’d won the Student of the Year award I was very, very pleased. Then when I was told it was possibly the highest mark ever I was speechless. I was amazed and was so pleased because I had put so much effort into it and it was a great reflection on my skills, it’s brilliant.” At a practical level this qualification helps in her job “enormously” giving a benchmark of skills to colleagues and clients. It has also given her a thorough foundation of best practices with which to optimise delivery to clients in addition to learning a number of management level skills such as writing a good management report which she found to be extremely valuable.

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 21 Awards Ceremo

The 2003 itSMF awards saw the biggest entry yet for the various categor

INNOVATION Exel plc for their Olympus programme – an innovative and integrated approach linking experiental learning with a massive culture change programme reaching to the very top of the STUDENT O company and embedded as part of the company ethos. Awarded to the candid The award was presented by marks in the ISEB Ser Ivor Evans, Honorary President of itSMF. the winner was Dr Tin with one of the highes award was presented b of the ISEB Service

SERVICE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Jane Seeley of Exel plc. For her leadership of the Olympus programme (see Innovation Award). This is the first time 2 awards have gone to the same company in one year. This award was also sponsored by the Marval Group so Don Page again had the privilege of presenting it.

22 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December ony – Winners ries, providing the judges with a challenging task in selecting the winners.

PROJECT OF THE YEAR Oxford University Press. A comprehensive service improvement programme with a novel and professional entry including a diary from the project manager’s viewpoint. OF THE YEAR This award was sponsored by the Marval Group and date gaining the highest presented by Don Page. rvice Manager’s exam, na Madden from IBM, st totals on record. The by Maggie Kneller, chair Management Board. THE PAUL RAPPAPORT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SERVICE MANAGEMENT Paul’s widow, Joan, presented this award to Colin Meaden of South Staffs Health Authority. Colin was cited for his contributions to the itSMF itself, the leading effort he made in establishing the Institute of Service Management as well as his championing of Service Management in his own organisation and the wider NHS.

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 23 Conference 2003 Workshop the affordability offered by offshore The solution – In Terms of Results / Conclusions development, many companies are seeing Processes Peter Wheatcroft, Partners-in-IT a dramatic increase in the number of Out of the workshop session, another 30 This article feeds back projects now being brought into service. or so focused on the session which the results from an As none of these projects are themselves looked at how the Process side of IT energetic workshop of funding infrastructure growth or needs to support the very rapid and the same name held capability but are of such size and complex service environment created by on 11 November at duration that some companies can afford multiple systems initiatives. There was a the annual itSMF to deliver 40 projects a year instead of strong feeling here that the core IT team conference in Brighton 10, it can be seen that infrastructure – the technicians – actually enjoy fire as well as deriving instability is an inevitable result. This fighting and the hero culture, because some conclusions. This needs a response by the people best they become the heroes and are workshop was different in a couple of placed to own both the ‘new age’ IT therefore regarded as indispensable. They ways, one it covered a double customer interface and the solution to give process a bad name and themselves presentation session and secondly it was robust management of the service regard process as a dirty word, which split in to 3-areas all relating to the title infrastructure – the IT Services relates back to the earlier point about theme. As the workshop leader I was Department. Which means you! addressing the cultural aspect of a asked to comment, so here it is… The sections below describe the services change programme before The workshop was entitled “Building findings from this workshop and amplify getting down to implementing something real business cases for Service the examples which showed how 30% – like ITIL. Management”. It has long been an 75% ROI can, and have, been achieved. Another concern was to ensure that a issue in the IT industry that Systems plan to sell the service management Development is seen as the function The solution – In Terms of Culture solution to everyone concerned was which adds value to the business, Out of the 75 delegates attending, over created and this could take the form of a whereas Service Delivery is the poor 30 focused on the session which looked ‘game’ involving staff taking on different relation. In many cases, Service Delivery at how the People side of IT needs to roles within a simulated organisation. is not only ignored but is actively change to support the ‘new age’ These games can be sourced from a referred to as a ‘necessary evil’ and then customer interface and how that number of suppliers and are designed to outsourced. But why have we allowed customer proposition should be tackled. highlight the issues which arise when a this to occur and what can be done to Interestingly, whilst the facts and figures ‘best practice’ service management redress the situation? presented weren’t challenged in terms of solution is not at the heart of the their validity, it was very revealing to find organisation. Background out how many companies found the Another offering on this subject was There were 75 delegates at the justification and achievement of ‘first the recommendation to ‘pilot’ a process conference workshop that addressed the choice’ employer status hard to justify to and demonstrate the benefits before theme of building business cases to justify their management. There was some rolling the full 12 ITIL process set across expenditure on IT service management. scepticism about staff reaction to ‘best the organisation and to use ‘champions’ This workshop ran by defining the practice’ mechanisms such as regular to nurture adoption by all the relevant environment within which IT Services satisfaction surveys; how it was possible stakeholders. One concern raised was operated and why this had changed in to maintain an adequate training where KPI’s (Key Performance the last few years, both technically and allocation within a busy annual schedule Indicators) might be used to relate pay culturally. The impact of this change on plus how to manage the interface with and personal development to the the new IT user – which is increasingly Systems Development. There was also performance of the organisation, a similar becoming the man in the street – was some active debate around the means by point raised in the cultural session as explored and why adherence to which customer satisfaction was well. However, a strong empathy towards conventional Service Level Agreements achieved, both in terms of the the replacement of SLA’s with higher and methodologies may no longer work. mechanisms used and the standards by order business metrics was felt and this The service challenge is a simple one – which satisfaction should be measured – balances out the concern about pay/ how do customers react to IT service with topics such as MOT (Moments of performance linkage by relating what IT quality today when compared to 5 years Truth) and training methodologies playing people are paid to the business results ago – and why? an increasingly important role. they achieve. There was some interesting debate High ‘first time fix’ rates being a false The response around the design of user facing systems indicator was another concern Project development expenditure in the to comply, say, with the new Disability expressed. Whilst ‘first time fix’ rates are UK has largely flattened out and the era Discrimination Act where disabled staff an important focus for the service desk, of ‘big bang’ systems is now one of fond already in an IT organisation could find this may be masking an ineffective memory rather than forward planning. they have an enhanced role in ensuring problem management capability who Now taking the place of flagship core compliance. These aspects all serve to should be removing the root causes of systems is a series of smaller, shorter explain why, of the three sessions, the recurring faults and thus avoid the need running projects that are designed to cultural realignment of a services for repetitive fault resolution by the realise incremental ROI (Return on function – both internally and in service analysts. Investment) and which, by their nature, managing the customer – is going to be cannot take development of the harder to address than the issues The solution – In Terms of supporting infrastructure into their surrounding the more objective choice of Technology scope. And when this is compounded by process and technologies. The remaining delegates were interested

24 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December in discussing how Technology could help them in solving the service conundrum. The debate in this session examined the issues of writing business cases for new applications that affected shared servers, or for growth business cases that are part of the infrastructure expansion and are therefore written by IT and reconciled with the business. This raised the age-old solution of single server, multiple systems that was the province of the mainframe era but which is now back in the limelight as a result of recent server consolidation exercises – and the Capacity Planning process that is needed as a result. There was some interest in the building of relationships between IT Services and the business based on why this would be necessary – and is the sponsoring business likely to co-operate? Again, this was a fascinating insight into A typical conference scene how much work IT Services need to invest in relationship building, to address these were and where they could be ways to improve future sessions of this an area where Systems Development sourced from and the users present were type. Our thanks go to the facilitation have been operating for years. Ways of very interested in this aspect and how it and support teams who made sure we getting better Customer input on IT could be used to improve overall had three projectors and screens in the satisfaction surveys so that the results infrastructure uptime. This was especially same room at the same time, and also to are a true reflection on how other so for the 52% of websites in the UK not Terry Wingrave and Andy Richardson departments feel about IT were explored currently proactively managed by the IT from Partners in IT who helped me to with a true delineation between Services function. run the session – to time and quality! and Development competencies. This was The bottom line is that making especially so if the questions were Conclusion improvements to service delivery carefully phrased to make it obvious Overall, the workshop was very well capability is more about cultural change which aspect of the overall IT received and everyone who participated and process alignment than it is about competency was being rated buy the thought it was a lively and interactive technology, tools and products. Whilst answers. event. The format of breaking into three this was the belief at the outset, the Another technology issue was about separate focus areas within one session workshop participants eloquently the availability of end-to-end was a new one but based on the amplified for us why this was so. management tools that could address all feedback received, is one that could be Editors note: If you attended this presentation and the elements in a service delivery chain. used again – we hope to progress this would like to add to Peter’s conclusion or There was limited understanding of what with the itSMF Conference ESC including comment further send us an email.

Winners of the Raffle Prizes: itSMF Memory Stick: Alan McCarthy, PinkRoccade Fox IT Hotel Package: Barry Mobbs, DEFRA e2e Customer Services Cuddly Ape: Diane Davies, DEFRA Hilton Brighton Metropole Bed & Breakfast for 2: Lorraine Stonelake PinkRoccade iPAC: Aidan Lawes, itSMF Axios Systems Ltd Healthcheck Voucher: Steve Scott, Cogent DSN Ltd Axios Systems Ltd Polar Bear: Caroline Phillips Ball, Threadneedle Asset Management The unclaimed prizes follow. These are being held at the itSMF office. Contact Maxine on 0118 926 0888 to claim your prize: Pink 76-80 BMC – Screwdriver set Orange 16-20 Karyfi Consulting – Bottle of Glenfiddich Whisky Pink 496-500 Remedy T-shirt, mousemat and phone holder Pink 386-390 Axios Systems Ltd – Bottle of Single highland malt Orange 126-130 Centennial – Bottle of Laurent Perrier The itSMF Stand at the Exhibition

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 25 The Partners Programme Palace from Victoria in 1850 and introduction to the English Wine Centre, Bob Fishleigh & Pam Forster restoration “commenced”. Serious work which was established in 1972 to provide Tuesday 11 November dawned grey and however began in 1982, lasting some ten visitors with the opportunity to taste a cold, but did not dampen the spirits of years and costing over £10 million. The range of English wine from different the Partners who had opted to go “out original programme to reinstate the vineyards and winemakers. We then on the town”. The coach arrived at the interior decorative schemes approved by embarked on what was billed as a light hotel doorstep at 10.30, the passengers George IV in the early 1820s still hearted but informative tasting of a range “clocked in” and we were off to our first continues. of English Wines as well as organic drinks destination just five minutes away. The Banqueting Room remains one of - about 10 wines and juices mainly from the most magnificent interiors in the around this part of the South East. The Brighton Royal Pavilion Pavilion. Its imaginative and bold design For the tasting we were each issued A Brief History was the work of Robert Jones, a little- with a glass and a ‘spittoon’ (a beer mug We were introduced to our excellent known but extremely talented artist who in the middle of the table). Such, however, guide and ushered into a private lecture began work for the Prince Regent in was the wont of the participating tasters, room, where we were given a half-hour 1815. that your writers have to report, the presentation entitled ‘Farmhouse to One of George IV’s great passions was spittoon wasn’t used much (as far as we Palace: the Development of the Royal music. Appropriately the second can remember that is)! Of the wines Pavilion’. The presentation also covered extension in Nash’s scheme was the tasted there were English Whites, Rosés the history of the town, which during the Music Room. In this extraordinary and Reds to sample. These were followed Pavilion’s development became a interior, lit by nine lotus-shaped by a Kir, a Sparkling Lemon Refresher and fashionable health spa. The wealthy chandeliers, the King’s own band Local Apple Juice to finish. travelled from London, by fast coach to entertained guests with selections from We were then given the opportunity “take the waters” which meant not only Handel or Italian opera. Tragically this to explore the Centre while the staff bathing in the sea, but drinking a splendid room was severely damaged by prepared lunch. Naturally by now we recommended “cure-all” made up of sea fire in 1975, although all but one of the were in just the right frame of mind to water, milk and dead wood lice! original wall paintings survived. After a visit the shop! The shop was particularly During the presentation, and at the decade of intensive work, restoration interesting because, apart from selling the eleventh hour, we joined in the act of was completed including a reproduction wines we had already tasted, there was remembrance and observed the 2-minute of the original hand-knotted and fitted quite a wide range of other wines silence. Axminster carpet. Restoration was barely available – even the facility to design your completed when the hurricane of own Wine Label! Chateau Chez Nous, Then a Tour October 1987 dislodged a stone ball on anybody? We were then given a very interesting top of one of the minarets, which then Finally therefore, back to Walton’s Barn, tour of the Pavilion and visited most of fell through the newly restored ceiling laden with our purchases, to partake of a the ground floor rooms and some of the and embedded itself in the newly laid typical Sussex Ploughman’s Lunch of upstairs quarters. The Pavilion, was carpet. After further works by the Regional Cheeses, Homemade Soda developed from a farm house which had Pavilion conservation team the room has Bread, Local Sausages, Salad and Hot attracted the Prince Regent’s eye. He now been restored to the original New Potatoes ending with tea or coffee. personally supervised its transformation scheme. Everything was well prepared, well into a spectacularly opulent palace over presented and we all had that ‘at home’ some 35 years. Today it appears to be in a Followed by Refreshments (and the feeling, not only at lunch, but also during permanent state of restoration, but in Gift Shop!) the whole of the visit. Nothing to do spite of some internal scaffold work Having had our fill of the magnificence of with the wine you understand. there was a tremendous amount to see, all the rooms on the ground floor we almost too much to take in during one were ushered upstairs to partake of tea Back to Base… visit. The tour lasted about an hour and and biscuits in the Queen Adelaide …and More Food and Drink! took in the magnificent Banqueting Hall, Tearoom – most welcome!. By now time However, time marches on, and all too the kitchens, the reception areas, was pressing, but not pressing enough to soon we said farewell to downtown corridors and the fantastic Music Room. overcome the temptation of the Gift Alfriston, (st)rolled back to the coach for Sadly, after the death of George IV, Shop – oh dear! Suffice it to say, we did the return journey to Brighton by the Queen Victoria came to the throne, and, eventually get all the troops back on the Sea, the Conference Centre and, guess disliking the Pavilion intensely, ordered coach, which, by the way, was parked on what: the Gala Dinner! everything to be stripped out and sent to double yellow lines with the engine Was it too much for weary partners? Buckingham Palace! The Pavilion has a running! Well we did consider asking if the fascinating history and we thought the programme next year could be extended following snippets would whet the Next Stop – The Wine Centre by a day to enable Partners to have a full reader’s appetite! The next phase of the day out was about 2 days worth just like the delegates: but In 1787 Henry Holland extended the to commence: our destination, the on reflection we decided that might be original farmhouse into a neo-classical English Wine Centre at Alfriston, about taking things a bit too far (only joking)! building known as the Marine Pavilion. half an hour’s drive out of Brighton. So we thought we would just restrict our From 1815-1823 John Nash used the On arrival we were met by a most comments to “Thank you itSMF for looking new cast iron technology to transform charming host who ushered us into after us so well”. the Marine Pavilion into the Indian style Walton’s Old Barn where tables were P.S. We only lost one partner, but don’t building, with its domes and minarets, laid for our wine tasting and lunch. We worry Steve we didn’t let on that it was that exists today. The town purchased the were first, however, given a fascinating your idea. I

26 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December BS15000 Certification IAN WHYTE This is a synopsis of a presentation given at the itSMF 2003 Conference

BS150001 and ITIL2 quality standard for IT Service improve their effectiveness What is the relationship between Management. It is widely recognised G Effective business continuity BS15000 and ITIL? throughout the world and becoming a management and meeting legal Well, one thing that’s been addressed business requirement in the same way as requirements for risk management is that there is no debate about how to ISO9000, for example in invitations to For example in the Finance sector the pronounce ‘BS15000’, unlike ITIL, tender BS15000 certification will be introduction in 2006 of the Basel II variously pronounced ITT’L, Eye-TIL or accepted as evidence of an organisation’s agreement requires financial even I-T-I-L! commitment to best practice in their IT organisations to put aside a proportion ITIL provides proven best practice services. of their assets, the proportion depending processes and guidelines which can be So, BS15000 certification provides hard on their assessed risks. This will affect adapted to suit our particular business. evidence that quality of IT Service over 30,000 banks in 110 countries. However at the end of the day these are Management is being taken seriously in an BS15000 certification may be an accepted really only recommendations and it is organisation. Adopting ITIL is fine and factor in demonstrating that risks are not practical to make a pass/fail decision gets you a long way down the road but it being properly managed and therefore against them – indeed that is the reason is not the whole answer. less has to be put on deposit. Even a 1% BS15000 was developed. For example, before we had BS15000 reduction in the requirement could mean BS15000 has close links with ITIL and an organisation we’re thinking about massive amounts of money to these specifies a level of quality which can be buying services from could claim to be organisations. audited. It is aimed at service provider ITIL compliant but we had no real way of Another benefit would be that it sets a organisations and each process has some assessing that claim. We could talk to significant milestone for an IT mandatory requirements and an them and we’ll find that their sales guys Department, as achieving certification is objective which puts these in context. are using the right buzzwords, we can something which could take quite a lot of The service provider organisation must even get a statement from them that a time and effort, and successful outcome comply with the process requirements at certain percentage of their staff have ITIL of the audit is sure to be a worthy cause a level that is appropriate for the qualifications, but what they won’t tell us for celebration. organisation. An example could be a is that they don’t actually do Release or Also staff morale will improve if they capacity plan which would have a level of Capacity management or whatever. are working in a high-quality detail and complexity appropriate to that Without us actually going in there and environment, and of course it helps to service provider’s organisation. virtually doing our own audit we had no enforce process compliance generally There is a concordat between BSI, way of knowing the degree to which they because people will be operating under itSMF and OGC which formalises the were ‘compliant’. the prospect of being audited and any relationships and in part it states “…all Now, of course, if they are able to instances of non-compliance are sure to parties agree that it is important that produce a Certificate of BS15000 be highlighted and could lead to the industry should not be confused by the Compliance issued by an organisation certification being withdrawn – at least publication of two sets of documentation that is a Registered Certification Body that’s what we can say to the people who from two different but authoritative sources under the Certification Scheme managed try to circumvent the processes! and that their publications should align and by itSMF then we can have a much greater Auditors have a great knack of homing in cross-refer. The intention is that both sets of degree of confidence in their ability. on the areas we would least like them to publications form parts of the same logical The principal benefit of BS15000 see! structure. As a consequence the ITIL books Certification is that it demonstrates that and the BSI publications on service an organisation has established a high management have been integrated…..” standard of IT Service Management The Scope of Certification In terms of certification it would be processes and is therefore delivering Certification is aimed at organisations right to think of ITIL as being a route to managed services in a systematic, which provide a Service Management certify the competence of an individual controlled and cost-effective manner. operation, whether that is to internal and BS15000 as being aimed at certifying Some of the other benefits which would customers or external customers, or a a service provider’s processes. accrue are: combination of both. BS15000 Certification means that an G Effective managed services that meet Certification is the process of assessing organisation has proved that it is customer and business requirements an organisation against the requirements deploying best practice processes G Market advantage through having of the standard. If the organisation is effectively, because an external evaluation Certification associated with itSMF successful then they are issued with a against the whole formal standard has G Cost reduction through optimised Certificate of Compliance. been carried out by an itSMF registered structures and processes This will contain a scoping statement independent audit organisation. G Clear and focused documentation that defines the scope of the audit and G Staff with a good understanding of the certificate. This may show that it is Why Should I Consider their service management not the whole service provider Adopting BS15000? responsibilities organisation which is compliant but only L BS15000 is now the industry-accepted G Regular evaluation of the processes to the part for which service management

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 27 28 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December processes are directly relevant. For gives us confidence that the audit is significant value and a degree of example only the outsourcing division of carried out to the same consistently high independence. Ultimately, a mix is a large company, or perhaps the service standard as all other BS15000 audits, and probably the best answer. management processes at a particular is genuinely aimed at establishing the true Remember though that the location or indeed only the parts of an position without any considerations of organisation giving consultancy advice organisation which are involved in generating other business because it is cannot be the same organisation which servicing a particular customer. being carried out by a wholly you have appointed as your RCB, as to It’s worth pointing out here that independent organisation with no vested avoid conflicts of interest RCBs are not certification is not appropriate for a interest in the outcome. permitted to provide consultancy advice consultancy organisation which gives best At the time of the Conference we had in the area in which they would then go practice advice. A consultancy two RCBs on board and there were on to certify! organisation may have BS15000 several others in the pipeline. The first Certification for its own internal IT two are Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and department and although that would tell KPMG Audit plc, and their details, along The Certification Audit us something about the culture, it does with any others who become registered, Next we should confirm the scope of the not tell us anything about the abilities of can be found on the website at audit and the terms of reference. the consultants as the certification www.bs15000certification.com. Typically, the certification process will doesn’t cover that area! then involve: It is true that some certifying bodies G A plan – dates, timescales, locations have a consultancy division but these BS15000 Is Not Just etc must operate at arm’s length from the For the UK G Offsite analysis of the BS15000 auditing division of the organisation. This Although BS15000 is currently a British process documentation. is a basic requirement in law and of the standard, the certification process can be G On site audit usually a mixture of itSMF Certification scheme. itSMF only applied anywhere in the world and a non- formal interviews with staff and accept applications from organisations UK or multi-national service provider informal ‘show-me’ checks. which are themselves accredited by their organisation may be audited against the G Analysis of the information gathered national standards body, which in the UK standard. All the RCBs offer an and issue of the BS15000 audit report would mean the organisation is international service and will be happy to G And of course if successful, a BS15000 accredited by UKAS and their auditor audit against the standard anywhere. certificate! independence is guaranteed by this The itSMF certification committee are If unsuccessful, details will be given of accreditation. intending to offer worldwide auditor the areas of non-compliance which training in 2004 as well as that already require to be addressed to comply with offered in the UK. To help facilitate the the standard. Registered international dimension itSMF are actively It may be possible at this stage to agree Certification Bodies seeking the involvement of the local a re-audit in one month, three months Audit organisations seeking Registration itSMF chapters across the world in etc depending on the scale of the non- apply to itSMF, and provided they meet managing the scheme in their local areas compliance. The re-audit will usually only the registration criteria, itSMF will to help with this roll out and also in focus on the areas of non-compliance to register them as Registered Certification lobbying their respective national make sure they have been fixed and are Bodies (RCBs) and grant them standards bodies to adopt the standard. now compliant. permission to use the itSMF’s BS15000 itSMF are hopeful that the standard will scheme logo on the certificates they also be adopted as an international award following a successful audit, in turn standard in 2 years. After Certification giving the certified organisations the right After we’ve got our Certification and to use the logo on letterheads, etc. once the hangovers have cleared from The RCBs operate totally Main Steps the celebration, our organisation is independently of any consultancy To Certification subject to surveillance audits for the next organisation, and their auditors have First you will need to appoint a three years (at least once a year) with a been specifically trained in IT Service Certification Body as your BS15000 full reassessment on the third Management. Under some circumstances auditors, and will probably want to anniversary. the RCB may bring in a subject expert to appoint an internal BS15000 co- So in summary, itSMF have invested supplement the specialised knowledge. ordinator. heavily in getting the standard and the It is the itSMF’s intention that RCBs It is advisable to carry out a pre-audit Certification Scheme in place, we now should add value to the organisation review to get information on where any have the RCBs in place, the being audited. A BS 15000 audit under areas for improvement may exist. This documentation is available from the itSMF the itSMF scheme is not just a routine review can be done internally (maybe bookshop or BSI – now it’s over to you formal audit but will also add value using the BS15000 Self Assessment to start getting certified! I because the audit is conducted by people workbook) or by an external Footnotes competent in this area who will make organisation which offers a gap analysis 1 Although referred to in this article as BS15000 for ease of reading, the standard actually consists observations and report on them. This service. There are obvious benefits from of two parts. These are BS 15000-1:2002 which is also helps to maintain the quality and each approach, such as an internal the Specification for Service Management, and BS credibility of the certification. auditor will know his way around and 15000-2:2003, the Code of Practice. The standard And why should we use an itSMF RCB? quite probably also know the areas most is the copyright of the British Standards Institute An independent audit carried out under in need of an audit, but the experience of (BSI). 2 ITIL is a registered trademark of the Office of the auspices of the Certification Scheme an external organisation can add Government Commerce (OGC).

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 29 New itSMF Members Individual Sole Trader Corporate 5 (cont.) Donald Wilson (Fife Acute Hospitals) Jeremy Harrington (Wemsys Ltd) University of Leeds Debbie Bennett (MJS Consulting) Sergio Hrabinsk (Xelerre) Sussex Police Andrew Walton (The Co-operative Group) William Smart (Clanard) Digidata Alvaro Santamaria (Visiontech Group) Clive Strawford Data Systems and Solutions Flachra Woodman (Loyalty Management) (More and More Investments) Ernst & Young John Murphy (Trinity College) Mark Bryne (Bryne Executive Solutions) FGI Ltd Debbie Bennett (MJS Consulting) Roy Ohanlon (Serova it Services) SCC PLC Andrew Walton (The Co-operative Group) Paul Brownell (Brand-Rex) The Big Food Group Alvaro Santamaria (Visiontech Group Andino) Jeremy Harrington (Wemsys) Freeserve.com Paul Watson (Unisys) Sergio Hrabinsk (Xelere) Helen Houghton (Applied Biosystems) William Smart (Clanard) Julia Lambert (Imago QA) James Gibson (Gibson IT Limited) Corporate 10 Simon Saunders (Churchill Management Ltd) John Groom (WGC) Essex Police Lucy Coates (Hampshire Constabulary) John Stephenson (Kingscroft Associates) Motakwa Enterprise Steve Scott (Cogent-DSN Ltd) Debbie Bondi Jackson (Convergys Emea Ltd) Cheshire Datasystems Limited John Stephenson (Kingscroft Associates) Geoff Wyeth SHL Group Ltd John Davies (Magnox Electronic) (Service Management Consultants) Fukuzui Moir (Nippon Sogo Systems) Ben Torriero (No.44 Limited) Corporate 50 Vaughan Andrews (Hanston Tech Partners) John Bakker (Lattitude30 Ltd) Companies House Richard White (DNV) Ronnie Cole (Nuffield Hospitals) Alex Sefke (SITA) Corporate 5 Vendor 5 Ian Cutler (Abbott Labortories) Siemens DTIT Interlink Software Services David Cowie (Koch Supply and Training) Dublin City Council Cogitek SRL Neil Scotting Cogitek SRL Volvo Information Technology Jo Pearman (Thames Valley Police) Virgin Atlantic Airways Enable Technologies Paul Hart Autodesk Sarl Northgate Information Solutions Andrew Parraco (Bank of Bermuda) Jarvis plc Westergaard CSM Elif Demirors (Bilgi Grubu Ltd) Defra Prokom Software S.A Nelson Garcinuno (DMR Consulting) Halfords Sandra Fagan (Adm Milling Limited) Siemens DITT Kirsty McCallum (Wincanton PLC) Virgin Atlantic Airways Vendor 50 Matthew Watkins (Leeds Mental Health Trust) Audit Commission Centrix Networking

CHRIS LITTLEWOOD Institute of IT Service Senior Consultant Xansa Education & Training CPD Council Member Management Logo Institute of IT Service Management or a while now the Council of the simple. The applicant wishing to use the Institute of Service Management logo should hold a status within the F(the Institute) has been Institute but needs to apply for a licence considering a request by a number of to use the logo. For companies there individuals and organisations wishing to would need to be a demonstration that use the Institute’s Logo. In these the ethics of the Institute. The Institute is either they were sponsors of their circumstances individuals or willing to collaborate with organisations employees in terms of application to the organisations would like to display the that employ members, who operate in Institute but also that they had a number Institute logo as part of their marketing the IT Service Management field, and of employees who had applied to the and sales materials. The issues are who share similar motives. This can be Institute and gained membership at the summarised in the following questions achieved by applying good practice within varying levels. The organisation would and their answers: their organisation and to help others do need to apply for a logo licence. Do we wish the logo to be used by the same by providing quality Service Will there be any safeguards? individuals and companies? Management solutions, services or Yes there will be safeguards. The Institute The Institute provides many benefits and products to their clients, and through has a policy document which sets out the use of the logo could be seen as a benefit promotion of further improvements. circumstances under which the logo can to anyone who holds a status of fellow, As one element of such a collaboration, be used. It also covers the conditions member, practitioner, student or mutual respect and mutual support, the within which this will be granted and also associate with the institute. This could Institute will consider applications by under what circumstances the logo also be classed as a benefit to an such parties who wish to use the permissions would be revoked. organisation, in that the Institute would Institute logo in association with their Are there advantages for the recognise a level of commitment from an own name, brand, trademark or other Institute? organisation to a code of conduct and distinctive device. The Institute acknowledges that How will this work?

also to the professional nature, approved use of the Institute logo by L continuous professional development and With individuals the use of the logo is others creates an opportunity for the

30 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 31 Institute to enhance its visibility in the A paragraph of approximately 80-100 words consultancy organisation should have at least market place. Vendor organisations will describing your offering, detailing specifically 25% of their employees who are ITSM be expected to promote the Institute why you wish to reference the Institute and trainers or ITSM consultants (respectively) whenever appropriate, and thus help the the intended use of the Institute logo. The being Institute members. Institute to increase its membership and Institute reserves the right to recommend A file containing your product or company grow the member services and benefits. editorial change to your text, or to return it logo or other chosen device(s) in GIF format, This, in turn, should benefit the to you for editing, whether for length, clarity, with a maximum size of 120 x 120 pixels employing organisation. positioning vis-a-vis the Institute, or other and no animation. If an individual or an organisation reason. Details on the numbers of your A standard URL of where to link the Institute wishes to apply what do they need employees who are members of the Institute web site to your web site description. For to supply? and their grades. The application form example, . The minimum information that is requires you to name a minimum number of Then apply to: required in the application form or such employees specifically. A user The Institute of Service Management, supplied when applying for use of the organisation should have at least one Webbs Court, 8 Holmes Road, Earley, logo will be: Institute member employed, and a training or Reading, RG6 7BH The Institute of Service Management Latest Members List

Name Organisation Membership Name Organisation Membership Status Status Michael Alves Bluewater Services UK Practitioner Sean Lewis Sysop Member Graham Barnett Fujitsu Consulting Member Christopher Jayne Barrand Aserti Member Littlewood Xansa Member Ronald Beales PinkRoccade Group UK Fellow Vernon Lloyd Fox IT Fellow David Bingham Fujitsu Consulting Fellow Ivor MacFarlane IT Service Improvement Fellow Adrian Brown PinkRoccade Group UK Member George Martin Concorde Solutions Practitioner Michael Brown GlaxoSmithKline Member Colin Meaden South Staffordshire Andrew Busby Superdrug Stores Plc Associate Healthcare NHS Trust Fellow Finbar Callan Spring IT Training Member Nigel Mear Cable & Wireless Member Paul Cutress Royal Bank of Scotland Member Philip Montanaro EDS Fellow James Davies Tradetown Member Trevor Morley English Heritage Member Graham Dawson Fujitsu Consulting Member Gerry Mos NHS Information Auth. Member Margaret Dingwall Scottish Power Group Practitioner Nicholas Needham Aseriti Member Paul Eatwell Fujitsu Consulting Member Jonathan Peacock Evolution Consulting David Forster MOD DCSA Member Group Plc Practitioner Gerard Gough Fujitsu Consulting Member Anthony Price PinkRoccade Group UK Fellow Michael Holderness National Grid Transco Practitioner Colin Rudd IT Enterprise Alan Holmes Rural Payments Agency Practitioner Management Services Fellow Stephen Jack IBM Member Simon Shelley-Price Schlumberger Sema Practitioner Lynn Jackson LJ Training Practitioner Lawrence Spriggs World Class International Practitioner Gary Ladds Exel Member Alan Stevens Independent Consultant Associate Aidan Lawes itSMF Fellow Bridget Veitch Xansa Member Brian Lee Fujitsu Consulting Member Christine Welsh Fujitsu Services Member

TOBY STEVENS, IBM Is It Safe? & REBECCA HERITY, RS Components IT Security Management and experiences alongside the promotion any ITIL book translated into any Seminar of the only recently published NEW language if required, many are already out he Institute of Directors, London itSMF IT Security Management there! A BS15000 overview with played host to the Is It Safe? IT pocketbook a companion to the IT promotion of self-accreditations and the TSecurity Management Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The day was membership scheme of the Institute of Seminar on a sunny yet blustery 7 also to act as a friendly forum to Service Management (ISM) October. A small intrigued group of network amongst others, take back www.iosm.com offered a well-bodied delegates spanning a wide diversity of questions and perhaps solutions to our introduction and helped to ask the companies graced the presence of the relevant companies to strive to improve questions, can you do the job but need seminar speakers, but we all had one what we have today. to prove it? Show someone you can? thing in mind, ‘Is It Safe? Are We Safe? John McDermott and Tony Brough www.bs15000certification.com what is Am I Safe?’. introduced the day and gave an update on stopping you, only yourself? The agenda of the day was to news from the itSMF, highlighting its Barclay Rae – e2e Customer Services introduce and raise awareness of IT growth internationally, the new book headed the seminar with a presentation, Security Management, “Is It Safe?”. To “The Business Perspective” becoming “Getting to the Heart of Security Issues”. spread the itSMF and ITIL word, benefits available in April with the ability to have Barclay introduced IT security issues, IT

32 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December security with service management and use an application security testing service to presented a proven, rigorous and future strategies from a business identify areas of risk… or let your customers effective process to find a product viewpoint. Security should be thought of and business partners find the problem? You suitable for your organisation’s needs. as both physical and electronic and we’re decide?“ The presentation identified the only as secure as our weakest point! John Alcock, Management Consultant importance of understanding the IT risks Barclay stated that, for businesses to from Fujitsu Services topped the and how they can affect the business. expand, there must be an element of risk morning’s talks with a presentation on Also, to capture true requirements and taking. With real systems and users doing “Security with Enterprise Management”. It exploit process links as well as exper- business, IT security issues must maintain encompassed three main areas: security ience from all IT service management and the integrity, confidentiality and objectives; the basics being processes, ITIL BS15000 disciplines to improve and availability of the business. IT security procedures and controls; and to look at ensure best practise. It was highlighted must be balanced with convenience and the case for security with enterprise that in 38 iterations the method has availability with any new policy or management by evaluating the positives, never been found to be ineffective and procedures being communicated negatives and the risks involved. It was identified the better option was nearly effectively to the business, organisation explained how Enterprise Management always 90% cheaper than the previous and staff to ensure success. can help and identified what needs to be chosen solution. The methodology Did you know… “49% write down done to deploy it safely and that it can be identifies the best option for a business passwords, an average user has 21 safe provided you understand and to achieve their goals, based on the passwords some have 70! 66% gave their manage the risks. stated requirements. The process proves password away!” Sources SANS/FBI/NTA. John looked at the security objectives integrity, shows you have done your Single sign on (SSO)! is this a user- in Information Systems that uphold the homework and presents a winner. Martin friendly solution? Is it cost justified? principals of Integrity, Confidentiality, stated, “I have never known a decision Strong passwords – could it be physical, Availability (the traditional three) and maker to go for the non-proven option just fingerprint, optical? What ever the Legality. These principals are achieved by because they like the look of it! They’re option/solution, to look towards the implementing good processes, helpful interested in the effect on the business and bigger picture it must be scalable and be procedures and affective technical market share, not because it looks good!” able to be migrated to advance with the controls. The processes, procedures and Afternoon tea led on to Graham business needs, strategy and controls work together to deter, prevent, Barnett of Fujitsu Consulting who requirements. detect, contain and recover. It is concluded the guest speakers by Morning coffee enabled delegates to important to get the correct balance of promoting the new itSMF IT Security reflect and view the relevant promotional each measure. He stated, the efforts and Management pocketbook of which stands and network amongst themselves. costs involved in implementing security Graham was the editor. He summarised Bob Bartlett – Managing Director from controls must not outweigh the benefits some key messages and themes running SIM/SQS followed with a presentation gained by preventing security related throughout the subject, highlighted the entitled, “WEB Application Security Testing – incidents! How does your business fair in importance of process with the ITIL – IT A NEW Testing Frontier”. Bob outlined how that arena? Security Management process model and the technologies used to design and After a hearty buffet lunch John enforced the message that process is develop web applications have created Gibert of Southcourt introduced the important for security management as new types of application security afternoon sessions with “Security Risk and agreed with by the ITIL Security vulnerabilities that can be easily exploited Datacentre Consolidation”. John’s Management book, ISO17799/BS7799 by internal and external hackers. “The fact presentation utilised a case study of a and BS15000. that the application layer is situated behind company whose plans were to All delegates were convinced the day firewalls does not perhaps ensure that it is consolidate their datacentre. It had been successful and left more the most secure environment.” A statement highlighted how to manage residual risk knowledgeable. In essence… All six presented set the scene. “Mike Harris, and ask the questions: What is the value speakers spoke of IT Security manager of Ernst & Young’s advanced of safety? Which or what is the main Management in various guises, different security centre in Dublin, said that hackers safety concern and how to invest in this techniques, facts, examples and scenarios have shifted their attention to Web safety? John spoke of balancing the risk all of which enforced the need for good Applications after finding that other systems with the cost of securing against that risk. IT security, the supporting technology such as firewalls have become more secure.” Business is all about taking risks he said, and the importance of managing these It was identified that the application managing that risk effectively and taking technologies. The common thread layer can be open and liable to potential into account any legality issues and throughout was process, to help guide risk. Bob highlighted 13 possible risks and reputation are all keys to success. By and to fundamentally aid the control of expanded on how each could be used effectively managing and identifying IT security. You would never just leave against us. The good news is: All of the 13 different risks, a strategy can be born to the house without locking the door? mentioned security risks can be detected provide the correct solution. As Would you? So why leave an unattended with testing, most is non-destructive but mentioned before, we must look towards workstation alone without locking the should still be done carefully! A testing the bigger picture; anything we do must screen first or leaving your server room strategy must be identified and enforced. be scalable and be able to be migrated to open!! And that is only the physical stuff!! Bob offered the analogy of an egg, tough advance with the business needs, strategy IT Security Management is the required on the outside, vulnerable on the inside! and requirements. Is your datacentre process. The itSMF IT Security The job now is to strengthen security strategy safe? Go on ask yourself!! Management pocketbook is widely precautions inside to a level that still Martin Tate from IT Evaluation Ltd available and adds to the IT Service enables the business to deliver and followed and presented “How to Select Management collection, to support ITIL identify risk areas – application security Your New Security Management System”. IT Security Management and best testing can be an efficient means. A You are considering a new security practice – go on take a look. question to take away if nothing else is: management system – such as firewall, IT Security Management – Is it “How would you identify your application access control or threat monitoring. Safe? Are you thinking about it? security risks? Employ the services of an However, you are unsure how to select Make sure you take an interest in ethical hacker, acquire or develop your own an off the shelf product. Drawing on 36 your assets before someone else tool set for the many potential areas of risk, ICT procurement projects, Martin does! I

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34 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December NEIL McBRIDE Getting Buy-In to ITIL: IT Service Management Research Group Ideas from Actor De Montfort University Network Theory

ne of the major problems with Actor Network Theory (ANT). This the standards. Each actor will be an getting ITIL adopted is theory arose from French sociologists’ intermediary between other actors. Opersuading people that it’s in efforts to understand how scientific Actors are not limited to humans, but their interests to adopt ITIL. IT managers theories spread within scientific may include the texts which define ITIL, have to be persuaded of the importance communities, become embedded in the groupings within the organisation and of ITIL. Executives have to be persuaded community and are then taken for external organisations such as itSMF. Both to invest in IT service management granted as a basis for further scientific human and non-human actors have improvements. Staff have to be persuaded progress. interests and properties which need to that it’s worth attending courses and Latour (1987)1 showed that scientific be aligned for the technology to be taking exams. theories are not simply rational, objective successfully adopted within a network. The adoption of best practice such as and external to the scientists who use ITIL and BS15000 standards involves the them, but are socially constructed, and redefining of organisational behaviour, the become established through social Translation and Inscription changing of practices and the building of interactions within networks of people. The interests of the actors within our different attitudes and cultures. This is no The social process is then just as ITIL network may vary widely. easy task and we need all the help we can important as the laboratory work in Establishing technology requires the get. establishing the legitimacy of a theory. aligning of the interests of actors within The problems in ITIL adoption are not The use of ANT quickly extended to the network. As the interests of actors that different from the problems of providing explanations of how within the network are aligned, the getting new technology adopted. What technology is accepted within network becomes stable and the causes people to start using mobile communities and organisations. Here technology is then firmly established. telephones, or e-mail, or booking theatre we’ll examine some of the concepts of ANT suggests that the aligning of the tickets on the Internet. What caused VHS ANT see how they might help us develop interests of actors in the network to become standard and not Betamax? networks of support for ITIL in our involves the translation of those interests Nor is the process that different from organisations and embed ITIL in the into a common interest in adopting and the one by which scientific theories or organisational structures and processes. using the standards. In other words, we concepts are adopted. How does have to show why the adoption of ITIL is Newton’s Laws, Einstein’s Theory of in the interests of stakeholders within Relativity or the structure of DNA Networks the organisation and why their interests become accepted? ANT considers the process of standards can be met by the adoption of ITIL. This The answer to such questions lies as acceptance as one of developing a social translation is achieved in the network much in the social sphere as the technical network of people, standards and through common definitions, meaning sphere. Whatever the quality of the systems. These networks grow as new and inscriptions attached to the IT service theory, the technology or the IT service members, or actors are added when standards. Inscription or definition of its standards, the acceptance of those their interests are aligned to, or shown properties, usefulness or desirability may theories and standards and their to be similar to the rest of the network. be used to support the translation of embedding in the organisational fabric is The actor network must grow to reach a interests. a social phenomenon. critical mass and then reach a state of We answer the questions concerning The process of embedding ITIL within stability. If the network remains unstable, what’s in it for them? Why is it in their the organisation is, therefore, one of it can disappear as quickly as it emerges, interests to support ITIL? How are their establishing social acceptance, of taking with it the IT service standards interests met by the implementation of developing social networks in which which then becomes obsolete and not ITIL? people’s interests are similar and the taken notice of. These socio-technical message of ITIL becomes part of networks are dynamic, growing and everybody’s mindset. The social shrinking as new actors are added or Enrolment perception of the ITIL, the prevalence of removed. Within the network there is The process of alignment of actors’ messages such as ‘everybody’s using it’, then a constant reinforcing of the ITIL interests with the actor network occurs and the presence of a critical mass of message. as actors enrol others into the network. practitioners will determine its success. As actors are enrolled, the network As people take a positive view of ITIL becomes larger, more established and the within IT service management, they begin Actors use of the technology more common. to adopt the procedures as part of their ANT focuses on the stakeholders, or The successful embedding of ITIL work and everyday lives and they actors, within the socio-technical requires that a large actor network recommend its use to colleagues. network and how they are involved in emerges such that there are sufficient Such ideas have been developed in shaping the form and the social spread of actors to justify its adoption. If people L

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 35 ignore ITIL and start to do their own customers. The following suggests some good enrolment strategies. This may thing or develop service practices prescriptive steps you might undertake involve challenging the stakeholders’ incompatible with ITIL then, if sufficient to get that acceptance and to promote current assumptions, and opening people reject ITIL, it will fail. Again it’s up ITIL adoption. existing black boxes in order to to ITIL practitioners to show others the 1. Identify Actors. Who do we need to promote their replacement with new benefits of the standards, how ITIL meets talk to about ITIL? What are their standards and practice. Lock-in to their needs and how its adoption is in roles? What are their interests in current technology and ways of doing their interest. This is a social process ITIL? What power do they have to things will act as an inhibitor to the involving talking, meetings, presentations determine the success or failure of adoption of new technology and and social interaction outside the formal ITIL adoption? standards. The right economic model work practices. ITIL adoption won’t 2. Investigate Actors. Look at their involving costs and benefits will be occur if we just sit in our offices. interests, attitudes, relationships, roles, required. Enrolment strategies must power and influence and involvement address attitudes, power and politics. in the IT in the organisation. Looking The aim is to promote lock-in, in Irreversibility at interests involves an examination which ITIL becomes socially In order for stability to be established so of the stakeholders’ rational, acceptable within the organisation, that ITIL becomes part of organisational organisational and individual interests. has a positive social construction practice, the notion of irreversibility must Rational interests concern their placed on it and becomes socially be established. At some point the use of logical interests and the objective embedded as the default means of IT ITIL processes becomes an essential and view they take of ITIL. Organisational service management among the standard part of IT service practice in the interests concern their political and stakeholders. Through enrolment organisation. A point must be reached social interests arising from their job strategies, both customer and where the standards are so well used and roles in the organisation. Individual provider expectations will be defined. embedded in the organisation that the interests concern personal interests, Where ITIL is successfully embedded effort of undoing them and stopping for example, status, career progress in the organisation expectations are using them is so great as to be and job security. defined by ITIL procedures and impossible. 3. Identify Actor Interactions. What activities and hence easily agreed The move to ITIL adoption has then are the relationships between between the IT service providers and become irreversible. This is how technical stakeholders in terms of extent of the organisational customers. standards become adopted. Once TCP/IP communication, power, trust, resource has become embedded as the Internet control and influence? What are the standard protocol, its use is irreversible links between actors? Who talks to Conclusion however difficult or awkward it is. whom? Actor Network Theory suggests, quite Through a social process, the standard 4. Follow the Actors. What are their rightly, that standards adoption is not a has been adopted and established as an perceptions of IT, IT services and just a technical process of writing the irreversible part of the social and ITIL? What messages, emails, and texts procedures and getting people trained. It technical fabric. In essence we reach a currently circulate amongst the is primarily a social process by which point where we can’t imagine actors? The complexity of the actor groups of people come to share interests organisational practice without ITIL. network can then be assessed. This and adopt similar attitudes. If we’re to get will have an influence on strategies for ITIL accepted in our organisations, it is aligning the actor-network with the these social processes that must be Black Boxes desired outcomes. addressed first. This requires that we Once ITIL standards are adopted by the 5. Design Inscriptions. Inscriptions move in all the organisation’s social actor network they become difficult to which will support the alignment of networks, connecting socially with senior reverse. Hence users become locked into actors’ interests in the network need management, shop floor staff and the actor network and its standards. to be developed, taking into account technical staff. It requires that the social The IT service standards become a not only the interests of the actors, links between IT services and the rest of black box. The standards are then treated but also the organisational context. the organisation are strong enough that as part of everyday life, embedded in Previous exposure to ITIL, together actor networks can be established and organisational activity and taken-for- with the history, culture and politics the message of ITIL transmitted so that granted. Only input and output matters. of IT in the organisation may have a people are enrolled into an ITIL network. The standards are then accepted without significant effect on the development Their interests must be shown to be questioning their rationale, or of the network though the attitudes aligned with the interests of the ITIL considering whether they represent the and values which have been laid down network. They must see that ITIL will best way to do things. within the social groups. Inscriptions help them achieve their objectives. will include both the messages and Without this social connection all marketing associated with the ITIL manner of memos, manuals, training Applying Actor Network and with and the services provided by package and service catalogues will be of Theory to ITIL Adoption IT. limited value. In the end you might be By considering what these concepts 6. Design Enrolment Strategies. In better off down on the tennis courts might mean for ITIL adoption in our addition to understanding the spending time with you user manager organisation we can generate some ideas stakeholders and designing the before you write the next SLA. I for how to get ITIL accepted and messages and services around the IT Reference: embedded in organisational practice, service function, the establishing of a 1Latour,B. (1987) Science in Action Open University both by the IT service provides and the stable actor network will require Press.

36 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 37 SHIRALEE Real Time Infrastructure RAWSTHORNE-HOUGHTON & JON FORD Technologies: Sun Microsystems Shifting the Boundaries of Service Support

Shifting Boundaries of service being notice by the end-user. In the previous articles, we looked at the This will prevent a call being initiated to arrival of Real Time Infrastructure (RTI) the service desk. Technologies – systems that can self- The controlling policies encoded in the configure, self-manage and self-optimise- technology allows the system dynamically such as those being provided by SunTM, to reconfigure itself in such situations, HP, & IBM. We described how RTI will automatically. Therefore: change the rules of Service Management, 1. Change tasks and manual intervention by moving much of the burden of are reduced. managing systems from people to the 2. This in turn results in a reduction in technology, leading to a reduction in human error and risk. known errors before they give rise to complexity and cost: enabling the 3. Thereby a reduction in calls to the customer impacting incidents. infrastructure to become more dynamic service desk. Although much of the incident and adaptable. 4. Hence a reduction in the volume of management function will become We described how some Service calls and a reduction in severity of automated, the expectation is that Delivery functions will change from those calls received. problem management will shift its focus manual and reporting activities to and become much more proactive. encoded procedures; while other Incident Management Failures will still occur and, although their functions will become more significant RTI systems will have a major impact on impact will be reduced, the root cause than they are today. Incident Management, because they will will still need to be identified. In this article we explore the impact enable faster identification and resolution Problem Management will be changed on what is traditionally the strongest of of incidents, and lead to a reduction in by RTI because it can provide tools to ITIL disciplines in most companies – the human intervention. RTI systems monitor the underlying infrastructure Service Support functions. continually monitor the health of system. and to pin point root cause more They automatically re-configure the effectively. This enables problem Service Desk infrastructure and provision services to management to become more proactive. A Service Desk is typically the main maintain service levels in response to It should also allow most problem contact point within the IT department situations that may cause an outage or a managers to focus on application errors for its customers, and will therefore be a degradation of service. and improvements in user training, both key factor in how the IT department is Loss of a service could be caused by of which can have significant impact on perceived. It is typically a single point any number of things (see table below). the efficiency and effectiveness of your through which to channel customer If this is a typical list then incident business. contact; there may be variants or volumes should be reduced significantly. additions: Change Management G To handle special types of call, such as Problem Management Change Management ensures that all requests for information in response Problem Management has both proactive changes to the production environment to a Major Incident and reactive elements. Reactive Problem (whether they be hardware or software) G Localised – possibly departmental – Management supports Incident Manage- are implemented in a controlled manner. helpdesks that may take calls for a ment while Proactive Problem The change management process particular user group or helpdesks that Management is concerned with facilitates the movement of requested may take calls for a specialist locally- identifying and solving problems and changes from inception to supported system. implementation in a controlled manner. Initially, it is not obvious that RTI would Causes of loss of a service RTI will automate all have any impact on Service Desk routine changes inside G processes. However, the number of Network problem Automatically handled by the abstracted resource customer calls should be significantly RTI pool, thereby enabling G reduced as a result of the RTI Storage problem Automatically handled by changes to be dealt with management system taking automated RTI in a faster and more G action. Desk top failure Dependant on cause may efficient manner. This A failure or potential bottleneck in still result in an incident should also reduce the Loss of CPU G Automatically handled by

such environments can often be change management L anticipated in advance of any degradation RTI overhead and thereby

38 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 39 the total cost of ownership. Many of the impact of these definitions are templates are at the core of tomorrow’s activities that are categorised today as understood by all parties to the service management. changes, would merely become scheduled agreement. Testing must be undertaken system events; for example the addition and must be more comprehensive than is Conclusion of processing power on demand via a currently the norm. In conclusion, the advent of a completely pre-agreed, pre-tested policy. automated RTI environment affects Normal changes will be significantly Configuration Management Service Support and Service Delivery at a reduced as some of the day to day In Configuration Management fundamental level; and, hence the IT and changes are superseded by the RTI terminology, IT infrastructure the Business that it supports. system. Initially, many of these automated components are referred to as At the very least, we will need to shift events will be handled as normal changes: ‘Configuration Items’. Configuration our current preconceptions about the until such time as the IT department has Items include hardware items, software current ITIL disciplines: confidence that the system can components, network items, G Capacity Management, Availability accurately interpret the service documentation and any other part of the Management and Configuration definitions. IT infrastructure, or items associated Management almost entirely Eventually, these events will become with it, that you wish to control. disappear. either routine changes or scheduled Through virtualisation and abstraction, G A drastic reduction in effort and system events. RTI allows us to change the entire way in resources for Incident Management, Due to the inbuilt resilience and which we view configuration items. Once Service Desk, Change Management, reliability of an abstracted resource pool a configuration item has been introduced Release Management and IT Service emergency changes will also become to the resource pool it will be Continuity. exceedingly rare events. However, the automatically allocated to different G Problem Management, Service Level change process will have to be extremely services, according to the predefined Management and IT Financial robust when dealing with additions to service description. RTI will automatically Management become critical the virtual resource pool, and many track and record the configuration item priorities to effective IT services. companies will have to supplement their usage and assignment: thereby providing But the opportunity is this: the current change testing and impact completely accurate identification and technology, such as RTI, could help to analysis to cater for this. status accounting. solve the Service Management headache, The new configuration management by enabling computing resources to self Release Management function will still require a process to manage through policy automation. This Currently, Release Management plans, introduce and decommission an asset; in turn will extend the Service prepares schedules, distributes and and these assets will still need to be Management focus beyond the traditional installs all the components of a release. physically labelled. process improvement and organisational RTI requires a level of maturity around However, all other functions will be alignment, to enable lower costs, higher Release Management processes that will totally automated. With RTI, fewer availability and greater agility. in return provide enormous business infrastructure components require RTI will herald an increase in efficiency benefits. RTI provides facilities for explicit management or configuration, and productivity and demand a new automating software provisioning. thereby speeding up deployment of maturity to IT processes, a maturity that Inclusion into the resource pool requires services. will result in an unprecedented increase rigorous release management but RTI will eliminate the overhead of in the efficiency and the responsiveness thereafter reallocation is automated, Configuration Management on the of IT in delivering service to the enabling high utilisation of assets with the business and the IT function, enabling Business. minimum of intervention. accurate tracking of configuration items As a consequence, the Release in different data centres and even Endnotes Management function in most companies different countries. RTI enables the ©SUN ™ THE NETWORK IS THE COMPUTER will be the first function to change. This storage of service definition and ©2003 Sun Microsystems,Inc .All rights reserved. Sun, ,Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Suntone ,and will ensure that as part of the handover configuration templates. These can then the SunTone logo are trademarks or registered into production, the new service be used for recreating services both for trademarks of Sun Microsystems,Inc.,in the United definitions are produced in conjunction test or production, and for Disaster States and other countries .All other trademarks with the business; and, in turn, that the Recovery purposes. These infrastructure are trademarks of their respective owners. ITIL Business Benefits itSMF is sponsoring Market Research into support buy-in to ITIL projects’. clarify the messages on the real business the cost and quality benefits of the ITIL The research work will involve value achieved by their organisation approach. This will see itSMF lead the independent research by an external MR from their ITIL project. industry by providing independent company into up to 100 organisations The work with the MR company will information on the cost benefits, quality who have implemented an ITIL approach be managed and reviewed by a small benefits and Return on Investment (ROI), for some or all of their Service itSMF team of industry experts, reporting of ITIL implementations and projects. Management, looking in detail at the to the itSMF board. ‘We are responding to requests for itSMF- actual benefits achieved. If you would like more information on sanctioned statistics on the actual business Most importantly the output from this this or would like your organisation to value of ITIL’ said Aidan Lawes, itSMF CEO, will be presented and published in ‘non- participate, please contact: ‘this should help to spread the benefits operational or non-ITIL’ business Barclay Rae via the itSMF office message clearly at board level to language – and aimed at senior people to ([email protected]). I

40 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 41 Service Catalogue Launches At this year’s 12th Conference and Exhibition the itSMF launched their Service Catalogue. The Service Catalogue is an informative brochure which updates our members on the services and benefits that are on offer from the itSMF which has been developed by our Service ESC. If you require a copy of the Service Catalogue Mary Fishleigh, Chair Services ESC then please email [email protected]. in proud possession of the Service Catalogue People on the MOVE

Experienced Service Management consultants Paul Whitlock and Paul Gurr have joined Plan-Net to head their newly launched Service Management arm. Gurr and Whitlock each have over 15 years real world Service Management experience in FTSE 100 companies; Whitlock joins Plan-Net after 6 years with Vodafone UK, whilst Gurr was previously working with 3 UK. Since their appointment, Whitlock and Gurr have been instrumental in establishing PlanSMart – a suite of four Service Management services that assist with reviewing, planning, improving and implementing effective Service Management processes and systems.

Joining CEC Europe, the international Service Management company, are Andy Smith, Geoff Maginess and Nicola Reeves. Andy has many years experience and will divide his time between lecturing and consultancy. He leaves EDS to take up this new role. Geoff Maginess has worked for many years in the role of Account Manager for FoxIT and Sanderson. Geoff will continue in this role concentrating in the North. Nicola Reeves has considerable experience in process re-engineering, training testing and supplier management and will join the consultancy and training team.  Press Releases  Members should send items of interest to other members to the itSMF office ([email protected]) which will pass them on to the Editor for consideration and possible inclusion in future issues

O2 Selects Digital Fuel For evelopment, O2. “Digital Fuel allows us to Benny Lehmann. “We are proud to be Contact Centre Performance employ an innovative balanced scorecard selected for a second project by O2. Management Solution approach that combines quantifiable and ServiceFlow will now provide a standard Mobile network operator O2 (UK) qualitative measures to drive both customer platform that manages the delivery of O2’s Limited has selected Digital Fuel’s satisfaction and operational excellence.” innovative wireless services as well as their ServiceFlow platform as the contact Digital Fuel ServiceFlow tracks, excellent customer service.” centre performance management analyses, and presents comprehensive platform for its UK customer service performance metrics from all employees, operations. The contract covers 4000 contact centre components and service Hornbill Continues Growth seats in four O2 contact centres and applications, delivering custom role-based and Expansion represents the second major contract views and management capabilities Basilica select Hornbill Solution between the two companies. appropriate to each level in the for service delivery to ServiceFlow will provide O2 with a organisation. Industry studies find that Regus worldwide total performance measurement system such performance management systems Hornbill Systems Limited, an to deliver consistent metrics and reports, can dramatically improve customer innovative provider of solutions that spanning individual advisors for the entire satisfaction by focusing the entire automate organisation’s support request customer contact operation. Role-based organisation on key customer-centric processes, has continued its impressive dashboards will permit employees to performance metrics. At the same time, start to 2003 by announcing the contract monitor their own performance against clear and objective performance to supply Basilica with its IT service objectives while providing management measures and reports greatly increase management solution, Supportworks. with the information necessary to employee productivity and job Hornbill’s solution is key to Basilica’s measure and manage employee satisfaction, and enable efficient and ability to support Regus, the worldwide performance and customer service auditable management decisions. operator of business centres. quality effectively. “Improving contact centre performance Basilica Computing is a service-focused “We are committed to delivering the best has immense client benefits and is a natural solutions provider who recently won the possible customer experience,” said Richard fit with our focus on enterprise services bid to support all 439 Regus locations Holden, Head of Strategy and Business management,” noted Digital Fuel CEO, worldwide. Regus offer a global network

42 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December of fully equipped offices and meeting IT service management perspective.” incoming incident details and update the rooms which can be hired for an hour, a A key benefit for Basilica was the easy system with latest action and resolutions day, a month, a year or longer. way Supportworks differentiated codes. Basilica has initially launched the Regus deploy state-of-the-art between incidents and problems. Supportworks web SelfService telecommunications with an IT “Understanding the relationship of incidents component to VIP customers, typically infrastructure powered by HP so across such a distributed environment will be the MDs and Operations Directors at “resident” workers can easily hook into a key to our ability to manage problems pro- larger Regus sites, for self-resolution of network for full office operability and actively and ensure the correct resources are issues, incident logging and request maintaining these services are a critical deployed to maintain our service level tracking. part of the Regus proposition and now a agreements with Regus. The fact we have Briggs concludes. “Speed of delivery is crucial element of the support contract transparency within the solution is a important to us as it is part of Basilica’s won by Basilica. tremendous benefit to those managing value as we build our services business and Basilica’s support centre is located at delivery.” continues Briggs. target other organisations, like Regus, who their UK headquarters in Hertfordshire Pat Bolger, sales director at Hornbill wish to outsource IT services. It was and the Regus contract win gave the adds. “As a vendor embracing ITIL we have significant in building our relationship with Service Delivery Team the opportunity to an adaptive framework and common Hornbill that they too share the value of re-assess their IT service management language that ensures processes relating to delivery. Not only did they deliver to our very systems, as Paul Briggs, the Company’s ITIL services can be realised within the tight project deadlines but the solution is transition manager, explains: “Regus truly is solutions we provide to our customers. For perfectly aligned to our processes and a global organisation with locations on every organisations such as Basilica the process of commitments to support Regus.” continent and every major city so the managing end-to-end services is important Although the contract sum remains contract win provided us with an ideal time not just for demonstrating value to their undisclosed out of deference to Basilica to appraise our delivery in terms of our customers but also to ensure value is derived and their agreements with Regus, processes and the technology we use. We from third party service providers within their Hornbill are already discussing the next knew best practice methodologies, such as control.” phases that include using Assetworks to ITIL, would provide immediate process Hornbill’s professional services team help manage standard desktop configur- improvements and the ability to automate installed the main server at Hertfordshire ations and Supportworks designable those processes through a solution would and provided 30 concurrent licenses on workflow for managing change requests significantly speed the delivery of our the Regus Service Desk. Supportworks and its customer survey module to help services. After careful review Supportworks web clients will be used by Basilica’s shape future service delivery provided the capability we needed from an remote support groups to receive requirements. I DIARY Date Meeting Venue Comments December 4 French Conference La Défense – Paris December 4 Management Board & Council of Members Reading office December 9-10 German Conference Munchen Veränderung als Chance zur Stabilität December 11 Seminar The Marriott Hotel, Edinburgh December 11 SW & Wales Regional Somerset CC, Taunton December 12 Institute Council Reading 2004 January 6 Vendors ESC Reading January 8 Publications ESC Reading January 12 Services ESC Reading January 20 BS 15000 ESC Reading February 2-4 US Government Event JW Marriott, Washington Framework for Achieving Operational Excellence in Government IT February 5 Seminar – Title to be confirmed Moat House Stoke-on-Trent March 11 SW & Wales regional tba March 23 BS 15000 ESC Reading March 24-25 Norwegian Conference Oslo March 26 International Executive Board Meeting Oslo May 18 BS 15000 ESC Reading

SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December 43 DAVID FORSTER A Final Few Words Chairman itSMF mong the emails awaiting my members to stand up and offer their attention, when I arrived home services to keep the wheels turning. True, Afrom the office one day shortly we now have a superb full-time team at after the end of our conference, was Webb’s Court, but they are the engine what might best be described as “an offer room, the initiatives still have to come I could not refuse”. The Membership from the Management Board along with Services Manager was inviting me to pen the seven Executive sub-Committees and some words to the members, marking the Regional Groups which support it. I the end of my term in office as your first filled in that simple form, offering to Chairman. My first reaction was help, in 1994 and I have been involved inadvertently to delete his mail, but my directly with the Management Board ever ITIL training quickly overcame that since. My first job was as Membership conflicting messages: one says you owe temptation. My second reaction was to Secretary, I then spent a couple of years yourself, and your better half, a break and pretend I was on holiday and open it on the Publications Executive Sub- a spell doing just one job: another says, after the deadline for SERVICEtalk had Committee at the time when we were that’s selfish, you have a wealth of passed. Common sense quickly told me grinding out the programme for the first experience which can benefit itSMF in that would not work because I would major review of the original 10 volume numerous ways and a third says put need to contact him about other matters set of Service Support and Service yourself in the new Chairman’s shoes, and he would know I was “home”. My Delivery. Following that, I was asked if I would you want you hanging around your third reaction was to plead pressure of would be willing to accept nomination as neck like some albatross (or lingering like work, but never have I been unable to Vice-Chairman – a singular honour – and a bad smell!)? So I have taken the easy make time for itSMF, and I was not about I accepted without hesitation. Three way out: I have filled in my Council of to do so during my last month in the years later, following an extended spell as Members form but noted on it that “I am Chair. So I gritted my teeth, put the day Vice-Chairman, you elected me as your unable to join a committee but would like to job to one side (again) and emailed him Chairman. Now, two very short years participate in another capacity”. That of back, thanking him for his WAGI (“What later, my time is up and I must move on: course salves my conscience! It also A Good Idea”) and this is the result! as indeed must itSMF. enables the Management Board to pick I have been a disciple of ITIL since its I was tempted to assemble a pot-pouri me up, or put me down as it thinks fit – inception, involved in Service of milestones and achievements during something which it has probably been Management for almost as long and my time as Chairman, but that would itching to do at various times during the Service Manager of a seriously large necessarily be incomplete, because it’s last two years, but been unable to MOD IT programme for the last seven nearly always the less significant things, achieve! years. I am confident that my Service which are nevertheless always there in As I hand over the Chair to my Management Centre is a model of ITIL the background, that enable success in successor, my message to you is very best practice and I am equally sure that the bigger things. It would also be inex- simple. ITIL best practice provides us without ITIL best practice to turn to, cusably arrogant, for while I am enorm- with guidelines that must remain indeed to lean upon, the 500 systems ously proud of our progress during my responsive to changes in our that I have responsibility for worldwide, time in the Chair, I am entirely conscious environment and therefore dynamic. We, would have been an absolute nightmare of the simple fact that many, if not most, the itSMF members, can rarely influence to manage. In truth, I suspect they would of the foundations were laid by my the changes, but we must continue to have been unmanageable. It was also predecessors and the products have been provide the dynamism that enables patently obvious, in the early days of my delivered by anyone but me! I was also effective and efficient response to change. involvement with IT Service Management, minded to make mention of significant If we fail to deliver on this, someone else, that ITIL provided the same common individual contributions but I quickly or worse a lot of “someone else’s” will – sense and rational structure for Service realised that actually there are none. and what of best practice then? One Management that PRINCE did for Project I go nowhere without my fellow thing more: the themes of our last two Management. This led me, inevitably, to Directors and the Management Board. Conferences have both delivered very appreciate just what a vital role could be The Management Board achieves nothing powerful messages. Let me remind you played by an organisation such as the without the Executive sub-Committees what they were. In 2002: “Creating Stability emergent itIMF, as it was then known, in and Regional Groups and these latter in a Changing World” and in 2003: the entirely independent monitoring of two are entirely composed of you, the ”Breaking Boundaries, Building Bridges”. If ITIL guidelines and the protection of members! Furthermore, I need hardly those themes have not already struck a those guidelines from disproportionate remind you that without the support of chord with you, then think about them influence from vested and proprietary Webb’s Court, we all grind to a halt. So, again in the light of this message. interests. Twelve years on, that “no names and no pack drill”: which is a Thank you for your support, thank you appreciation is as true as it was then. most apposite quip as I have just watched for your encouragement and thank you itSMF is recognised across the globe as England win the Webb-Ellis trophy! for your individual and collective the de facto guardian of ITIL best I have been asked what role I am going contributions to everything we have practice and I am immensely proud of to play next in the continuing advance of achieved. Our organisation is a bit like a what has been achieved. itSMF and my answer has been “whatever milking stool: supported at three points In common with all volunteer itSMF wants me to do”: because it’s by ITIL, itSMF and the membership. organisations, no matter how vibrant and actually a very difficult question to Remove any one of these and it will fall successful, itSMF is totally reliant upon its answer. The voices in my head deliver over. I 44 SERVICEtalk Issue No. 64 – December