IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT FORUM THE JOURNAL OFservice THE Ta l WINTER 2014 K

The next steps for Global Best Practice

The 7 building blocks for ITSM Success

Is mobility making your operations more agile?

Supplier management – the difficult teenager of the ITIL processes? SUN TZU - survival of the service management fittest Business Driven Pragmatic Approach

iwwCow.icore-ltd.recom Experienced Consultants service management Proven Service Solutions at its best Accelerated Delivery Blended Best Practice

iCore the missing piece in your service management jigsaw

For more information about iCore’s range of services please contact [email protected] or telephone 020 7464 8414 IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT FORUM Business Driven service THE JOURNAL OFservice THE Ta l K WINTER 2014 THE JOURNAL OF THE Pragmatic Approach CONTENTS IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT FORUM TALK iwwCow.icore-ltd.recom Experienced Consultants C E O comment an d e d I T O R I A L 4 Industry news 5 service management Proven Service Solutions The latest ITSM products, services and customer stories Accelerated Delivery itSMF UK news 9 Update on the Big4 Agenda, new Member Referral Rewards Scheme, ITSM14 The next steps for Global at its best Call for Speakers, Contributor Award renamed for Ashley Best Practice The 7 building blocks for Blended Best Practice ITSM Success Chairman’s update 12 Is mobility making your ITSMF UK chairman John Windebank reflects on an eventful 2013 and outlines his hopes operations more agile? Supplier management – the diffi cult and plans for the coming year. teenager of the ITIL processes?

Spotlight on jane suter 14 SUN TZU - SURVIVAL OF THE SERVICE Service Talk interviews Jane Suter, recently appointed to the new role of Marketing & MANAGEMENT FITTEST Sales Lead on the ITSMF UK Management Board. 31

BIRMINGHAM WELCOMES ITSM13 17 We report on our 22nd Annual Conference and Exhibition, dubbed “an outstanding success and a fantastic experience” by outgoing chairman Colin Rudd. Chief executive Mike Owen AND THE WINNER IS... 18 A round-up of our annual ITSM award winners and finalists. Editor Mark Lillycrop The 7 building blocks for ITSM Success 20 For more than 20 years now, organizations have tried hard to adopt the ITIL best practice framework in the hope of improving their ITSM - and for most of them the results fall well Designer below expectations. Submission of the Year winner Patricia Speltincx considers what Preview could be done differently. www.preview-design.co.uk

The next steps for Global Best Practice 24 All communications to: As the new joint venture between Capita and the UK Government takes on responsibility for ITIL and PRINCE2, AXELOS chief executive Peter Hepworth shares his thoughts with itSMF UK, 150 Wharfedale Road, Service Talk. Winnersh Triangle, Wokingham, RG41 5RB Supplier management – the difficult teenager of the ITIL Tel: 0118 918 6500 Email: [email protected] processes? 26 Allan Stear provides some pointers to help with the selection of future suppliers. ITIL is the registered trademark 5 tips for better Service Level Agreements 28 of AXELOS Limited. itSMF is a Charles Fraser offers his top tips for keeping your SLAs on track registered word mark of the IT Service Management Forum (International) Ltd Cloud, complexity AND configuration 30 Richard Horton reports on events at the recent Transition Management special interest Disclaimer group meeting, where attendees wrestled with the implications of change, release and Articles published reflect the opinions configuration management in a cloud-based world. of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or his employees. SUN TZU - survival of the service management fittest 31 While every reasonable effort is made Barry Corless draws on an ancient source of wisdom in his quest to demonstrate the to ensure that the contents of articles, benefits of good service management. editorial and advertising are accurate no responsibility can be accepted by the Is mobility making your operations more agile? 33 publisher for errors, misrepresentations Rob Stroud considers the distinction between changes that require heavyweight and any resulting effects. processes and those that would benefit from a more agile approach.

© The IT Service Management Forum NEXT (itSMF) Ltd. 2014. All rights reserved. THESTEPS MORE FOR AGILE? Material within this publication may iCore not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission THE GLOBAL IS MOBILITY the missing piece in your BEST of The IT Service Management Forum MAKINGOPERATIONS YOUR (itSMF) Ltd. service management jigsaw FORBUILDING ITSM SUCCESSBLOCKS For all editorial, advertising, reprint or PRACTICE subscription enquiries, please contact For more information about iCore’s range of services [email protected] please contact [email protected] 20 24 33 or telephone 020 7464 8414 WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 3 editorial

locating a microscopic container in the about the new Member Referral Rewards Time to try middle of a wood, and signing your name Scheme, which offers Masterclass places on an even smaller piece of paper located to those who introduce their friends inside to show that your detective work and acquaintances to the benefits of something has guided you to the right spot. OK, the membership. We even have a new Chief weather wasn’t perfect for such active Executive at ITSMF UK, Mike Owen, who new? family pursuits and even the dog began to introduces himself below. lose interest after the third treasure trove. I hope you had But as a new experience and a variation on We hear from Rob Stroud about the an excellent the usual postprandial stroll, geocaching need to be agile in dealing with change Christmas has a lot to recommend it – particularly for management; Allan Stear offers a and New Year those who refuse to be parted from their structured approach for finding the right – though it phones on Christmas Day! service supplier; and, in the first of a new probably seems a series of articles, Charles Fraser offers 5 distant memory New experiences are what ITSMF UK is tips for better service level agreements. by now. all about - exchanging ideas, innovations Barry Corless introduces us to the and ‘war stories’ via the physical enlightened management style of Sun The Christmas/ meetings, online forums, Twitterchats Tzu and there’s a chance to read Patricia New Year and other channels that members can Speltincx’s award-winning article on the holiday period share. I like to think that ServiceTalk 7 Building Blocks for ITSM Success. offers a great is a key part of this process, keeping opportunity to readers up to date with the latest Whatever your interests, there are some spend time doing something different developments in the organization and excellent new ideas and perspectives from the normal routine. For me, this sharing the valuable knowledge of our in ServiceTalk to share with your ITSM year’s ‘new experience’ was geocaching. guest contributors. organization. And if you would like If you haven’t tried it yet, geocaching is to share your experiences with other a kind of online treasure hunt that allows In this issue, for example, you can catch members, please do let us know. you to locate hidden trinkets in the up with details of our new Management countryside (deposited by other players) Board in John Windebank’s report Mark Lillycrop with the help of a set of map coordinates to members; find out about the Big4 Marketing & Publications Manager provided by a smartphone app. There’s Agenda which is shaping ITSMF UK’s [email protected] something weirdly satisfying about strategy for the year ahead; and learn @marklillycrop

Introducing Mike Owen, our new Chief Executive Hello! I’m delighted to be taking up the role Time Warner, British Telecom, Lloyds Bank, associations, a large social care charity and a of ITSMF UK’s new CEO, and I am very much Barclays Bank, Grant Thornton, and the further education college in the Thames Valley. looking forward to meeting and working with NHS. My roles were predominately in sales, everyone involved with the Forum. marketing and business development. I’m particularly pleased to be joining ITSMF UK because of the sheer potential the My job will be to build on the successes and In terms of professional background, I’m organization offers in terms of contributing skills of our members, partners and staff, and principally a marketer and general manager/ to the overall IT profession - helping to further develop and grow the value, influence MBA rather than an IT specialist, but I have advance and support professional standards and reach of the organization, ensuring run (as CEO/MD) two IT-centred member- and knowhow, people’s skills, project it always provides a first-class service to based companies, both in the health sector. outcomes, management processes, and the members and stakeholders. The first was a new ‘dot.com’ e-commerce f u t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e s e c t o r. enterprise (set up as a joint venture between I’ve actually been five pharmaceutical multinationals and their IT management is crucial nowadays to every involved with UK trade association) whilst the second was enterprise and organization. It should go member-based a company that provided software support to the heart of business strategy and drive organizations services for NHS facilities and estate managers. operational processes and competitive and the wider advantage, not just focus on technology as not-for-profit Over the last few years my professional is so often the case. There’s also, of course, sector for several experience has also included being a part- a whole host of wider developments and years now. I’ve time partner/consultant in a small strategic issues relating to the IT sector, ranging held operational advisory firm which I co-founded, together from technical and policy factors like cloud director roles, with several non-executive board positions. computing, data privacy and cyber security for example, to more management-related issues like with Birmingham My consulting work has included working with securing successful time and cost outcomes Chamber of both SMEs and mid-sized non-profit bodies. for IT projects. Commerce Notably, since late 2012, I have worked with (Membership Director), the Chartered the International Federation of Landscape This is a very exciting and fast-moving field Institute of Arbitrators (Marketing & Training Architects in the role of strategy/change to be in. It is for ITSMF UK to step up to this Director), the Institute of Translation programme director, assisting a global board challenge and provide the best support it can. & Interpreting (CEO), and a UK trade to revitalize and restructure their worldwide I look forward to working with everyone at association representing the UK consumer operations across 90 countries: this recent ITSMF UK - and with our wider stakeholders - healthcare sector (Communications & experience will be very useful, I am sure, to help make sure that we seize that exciting Commercial Director). within the context of ITSMF UK. opportunity together! My earlier career includes management My recent or current non-exec/trustee roles Mike Owen roles across both the commercial and public include a variety of charities, member-led Chief Executive sectors, including Baker Perkins Engineering, and public bodies including the British Safety Council, the Landscape Institute, two housing [email protected]

4 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 MANAGINGindustry RISK IN THE CLOUD news SBM Offshore successfully implements FrontRange’s HEAT Swiss Re Service Management replaces 20 legacy FrontRange, the Hybrid IT software company, has announced the successful use of its applications HEAT Service Management solution by SBM Offshore. By deploying HEAT Service with Management in the cloud, SBM Offshore is consolidating critical service desk functions ServiceNow that will now be delivered globally through a single, unified platform. ITSM tools “SBM Offshore’s goal was to provide a global service that is transparent for users no matter where their location,” said Carlo van framework, FrontRange’s HEAT solution der Stoep, Group IT Director at SBM Offshore. integrates IT best practices with voice and FrontRange’s HEAT Service Management workflow automation. This enables service in the cloud provides SBM Offshore with desks in organizations, like SBM Offshore, a centrally managed, 24/7 global support to easily request a service or change, plan center. SBM Offshore’s didn’t want to for appropriate remediation measures implement a tool that only provided incident and automatically approve and authorize management, but a solution that offers a requests. In addition, HEAT is designed to fully functional service management suite. implement change requests for users, audit the successful completion and service level As the industry’s only hybrid service agreements associated with the change, and management platform that supports cloud, control an organization’s service portfolio on-premise and/or a combination of the to ensure enhanced service quality and two deployment options with a common customer satisfaction. Swiss Re has reduced the cost and complexity of running a large service management operation by replacing 20 legacy applications with a cloud- CGI maintains the only 5-star based ITSM tool from ServiceNow. The Swiss reinsurance firm, the second largest in the world, has 13,000 IT certification in the world users across scores of offices in 21 countries, and was the original owner from the Service Desk Institute of the Gherkin building in the City of London. Providing support for employees are 2,400 IT staff who deal CGI has been re-accredited for the should be immensely proud.” with approximately 150,000 service second year with a 5-star certification The 5-Star accreditation, awarded by desk calls, 290,000 incidents and by the Service Desk Institute (SDI) 380,000 service requests each year. for its UK service desk. CGI remains the SDI, is described as the ultimate the only organization in the world to level of quality and delivery for world- In order to improve oversight of have achieved the 5-star standard, class service desks and serves as IT problems occurring across its recognition of its extremelly high levels an aspirational guide for all service organization, which runs around of client service. management organizations. In 2012 980 business applications, Swiss Re the SDI introduced the 5-star standard implemented a ServiceNow IT service Tessa Troubridge, Managing Director, to recognise those progressive management (ITSM) tool in 2009, SDI, said, “The service desk at CGI is organizations that are able to deliver allowing it to replace a number of truly world class. The strength of the the highest possible level of customer separate applications. CGI brand and culture, the investment service. in its people and the empowerment of By introducing the software as a individuals through being ‘members’ To award the 5-star service (Saas) management system, has been a crucial factor in the certification the SDI Swiss Re was able to remove a range service desk maintaining 5-star carried out a of disparate software applications world class status for the four day audit that it had previously relied on and second year running. This is an incorporating numerous Java applications developed unprecedented achievement of feedback in-house. which the whole team at CGI from clients and staff, and These applications have been replaced worked alongside by a wide variety of ServiceNow members to modules, including those relating to understand how IT asset, configuration, and content the team provide management, as well as data archiving services to a broad and certification tools. Swiss Re is also range of organizations. CGI planning to introduce an application improved on its scores from its development management module in previous audit to retain its accreditation. future.

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 5 industry news

BCS partners SysAid launches complete with QA to patch management solution to deliver Best enhance ITSM offering

Management SysAid Technologies Ltd, a global leader “We are proud to announce this agreement in ITSM software, has announced an with GFI, a leader in security software. It Practice agreement with software provider allows us to offer one of the best patch GFI Software to integrate a new patch management solutions on the market,” portfolio management solution into its ITIL-certified said Sarah Lahav, CEO of SysAid. “We software. The new feature will be available now provide the unique capability of in both cloud and on-premise editions, audited patch process through change BCS and QA are partnering to deliver offering SysAid customers the most management, providing our customers with PRINCE2® as part of the full Best advanced help desk-integrated patch a robust solution that meets their daily IT Management Practice Portfolio (BMP) solution on the market. needs.” from AXELOS - the joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Capita plc. The SysAid’s patch management software “Patch management is an important task BMP product set comprises ITIL® and is designed to fix problems and update that many companies fail to do properly the PPM® portfolio of certifications, computer programs, secure vulnerabilities or not at all. Our award-winning patch which includes PRINCE2. and improve usability and performance. management technology will enable It provides a clear inventory and full audit SysAid’s customers to automate a very Adam Thilthorpe, Director of control including approvals and dates of important task for IT admins and help them Professionalism at BCS, said: “We are installations. This ensures that processes fix vulnerabilities in their network that delighted to be working so closely with are well documented, performed correctly, could be exploited by cyber criminals,” QA in delivering the BMP portfolio of and comply with regulations. Sergio Galindo, General Manager, certification including PRINCE2. We pride Infrastructure Business Unit at GFI, said. ourselves on delivering high quality, rigorous certifications that are respected by those working in the industry. We offer a complete learning pathway for IT and project management professionals, GameStop selects Cherwell enabling career progression and clear validation of their skills.” Service Management

The world’s largest multi-channel video Cherwell President and CEO Vance Brown game retailer, GameStop, has selected said, “We are excited to have GameStop Cherwell Service Management for their join the Cherwell family of customers, ITSM solution. Cherwell is replacing a major and having another global leader choose competitor where the incumbent ITSM Cherwell Software further validates that we product is being retired by the vendor, and are building industry leading technology.” will be used for internal support as well as Flexibility, ease of configuration, and store support. value delivered by Cherwell were the key factors in the decision made by GameStop. Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, GameStop is ranked 273 on the Fortune 500 and retains more than 45,000 employees worldwide. The company operates 6,650 stores in 15 countries as BCS has an extensive range of well as online. Always on the cutting professional certifications with over 60 edge and committed to delivering internationally recognised certifications great gaming experiences, in 11 key subject areas: Service GameStop offers the most Management, Programme, Portfolio and popular games, quality hardware Project Management, Business Analysis, and an extensive collection of Solutions Development, Architecture, game accessories for PCs, next IS Consultancy, IS Governance and generation gaming consoles and Information Security, Data Centre mobile devices—allowing gamers Management, Agile and Sustainability. to play anytime, anywhere. Bill Walker, Commercial Director, QA, says: “The BMP portfolio includes some of the most world-renowned certifications in business today. Having worked with BCS for a number of years in delivering ITIL, offering the full range of certifications through the Institute seemed like an obvious and natural choice for QA. We are really excited about this new partnership with BCS.”

6 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 MANAGINGindustry RISK IN THE CLOUD news

Reed & Mackay steps up IT Express Metrix support for 300 staff using introduces Sunrise Software free software

UK-headquartered service two independent help desks. The ability licence management company Sunrise to process emails automatically, store Software has supplied its flagship information centrally, report on data compliance service desk solution, Sostenuto, accurately and integrate closely with to leading corporate travel agent other business systems such as Active solution Reed & Mackay. The company has Directory were key prerequisites for implemented Sostenuto to consolidate Reed & Mackay. Express Metrix, a leading provider of IT systems and introduce a consistent and software asset management (SAM) set of processes across the company’s After carefully evaluating the marketplace, Reed & Mackay solutions, has released a free, full- dual service desk environment. Since featured version of its enterprise-class implementing the solution, Reed & selected Sunrise Software primarily for its flexibility and the high level software compliance solution to help Mackay has boosted productivity, more organizations overcome budget enhanced IT user satisfaction and of customization provided by the Sostenuto ITSM solution. or resource restrictions and achieve created a measurable framework that audit-ready licence status. Available to demonstrably supports its corporate Marilyn Dunk, Head of Reed & Mackay organizations with up to 1,000 machines Quality and Continuous Improvement Online commented, “Sostenuto and offering a rich set of features allowing programme. stood out from the crowd in terms of IT professionals to track and manage To maintain its competitive edge in flexibility and configurability. We could licence compliance status, the Inventory the fast-moving travel industry where tailor the screens ourselves, making Edition of Express Software Manager agility is critical, Reed & Mackay turned it even easier to use, which was vital provides enterprise-class functionality to Sunrise Software to provide a new, for encouraging everyone in the IT combined with exceptional flexibility and more efficient system to manage its department to share the same system ease of use, says the supplier. and adopt new ways of working.”

ISACA selects CEO of AXELOS Rob Stroud praises the Global as its 2014-2015 Best Practice president community

ISACA, the AXELOS CEO Peter Hepworth has marked • confirmation international the start of 2014 and the full launch of that the governance the business by thanking the Global Best Accredited organization Practice community for its valuable input Consulting and owner and support over the past six months. Organization of the COBIT (ACO) scheme framework, has Since AXELOS was formed in July 2013 as will continue in selected Robert a joint venture between the Cabinet Office 2014 Stroud as its and Capita, practitioners and Accredited international Training Organizations (ATOs) from across • confirmation president for the world have helped to shape the that the ITIL the 2014- development of the business by offering Software 2015 Board their experience and expertise at forums, scheme will of Directors. workshops, conferences and via social continue in Stroud, a regular ServiceTalk columnist, is media channels. 2014 vice president of strategy and innovation This vital input has played a key role • memorandum of understanding at CA Technologies. Earlier in his career in the formation of the ITIL and PPM reached between AXELOS and itSMF he spent more than 15 years in the finance roadmaps, which outline the priorities and International, outlining how the two industry, successfully managing multiple strategy for AXELOS in 2014. As well as organizations will work together initiatives in both the IT and retail banking setting up the new business infrastructure sectors related to IT service management over the past few months, a number of • launch of the ITIL Maturity Model and and process governance. He joined major milestones have been announced self-assessment service CA Technologies from the Australian including: • launch of the Official ITIL Foundation computer security company Cybec, where Exam App. he was responsible for the company’s • confirmation of the successful successful global expansion, including Examination Institutes (EIs) to operate See the interview with Peter Hepworth on entry into the North American market. all Global Best Practice exam schemes page 24.

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 7 masterclassES SERVICE LEVEL FROM MANAGEMENT 19 February Service level management is a broad but critical topic PROACTIVE PROBLEM for service managers, and is of continual interest and relevance to all IT providers and their customers. MANAGEMENT Using a mixture of presentations, ‘war stories’ 4 March provided by delegates, and facilitated discussions, this Masterclass will cover some or all of the following: This masterclass introduces a number of activities that will get you started in the most elusive of disciplines. • How to get from requirement to solution – i.e. Attendees will have the chance to swap ideas, discuss creating SLAs that are fit for purpose issues, share solutions and generally get down and • Considering SLAs from a lifecycle perspective dirty with proactive problem management. (not just Design) – i.e. similar to test-driven Facilitated by Barry Corless of Global Knowledge, development; look at the end state first and then former chair of itSMF UK and current vice chair of work out what questions to ask, etc. the Problem Management Special Interest Group, • The relevance to and connection with service the class will cover: mapping and service catalogues. • Trend analysis The leader of this Masterclass is John Sansbury, who advises clients on service level management • Major Problem Reviews and service management as a consultant, ITIL • The link with CSI trainer, author and examiner. He negotiated, • Creating problems where there are no incidents, documented and established service level a.k.a “Following up hunches” agreements for all IT customers when he worked for • Targeting support action London Electricity (now EDF). • Linking with the development environment

MEMORABLE METRICS BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL 27 February SERVICE CATALOGUE This masterclass, presented by service management 27 March consultant Barclay Rae, identifies issues with current IT reporting (particularly operational This Masterclass, led by distinguished ITIL author reporting) and provides practical suggestions on and ITSM consultant Colin Rudd, provides a brief how to improve and develop really useful reports explanation and discussion of the theory of the and metrics, targeted at different stakeholders. service catalogue and then focuses specifically on the practical aspects of establishing an effective The programme offers a mixture of presentations service catalogue. It will include discussions and around current thinking on IT metrics and dashboards, assignments on: with sessions on how to build up ‘bundles’ of reports (often using existing data) both for internal IT and • The use of a service catalogue external customer/user consumption. • The blockers and pitfalls This in effect is how to do CSI and the session • The enablers includes a number of suggested measures and • The structure and design of a service catalogue metrics that can be used to improve service quality • The content and relationship required within a and also demonstrate the value of IT. service catalogue. At the end of the event, delegates should be able to design and implement an effective service catalogue for their organization, recognising the pitfalls to look Masterclasses are held at the itSMF out for along the way. UK office near Reading, and all classes Book your place through the website at are limited to 14 delegates. Attendance fee - £395.00 + VAT for members and www.itsmf.co.uk or £795.00 + VAT for non-members. call 0118 918 6500 itSMF UK news THE BIG4 AGENDA – GUIDING ITSMF UK THROUGH GOING BACK 2014 AND BEYOND TO BIG4 BASICS IN After an extensive period of Managing complexity consultation with ITSMF UK members through social media, phone meetings • Using complexity to your best PROBLEM and face-to-face discussions, the advantage Management Board have announced the • Making the innovations work for you MANAGEMENT Big4 Agenda topics for the coming year. From single source to multi-source ITSMF UK will use the Big4 Agenda there have never been more ways REPORT to drive the development of services to deliver your IT products and to our members - master classes, services to an increasingly demanding seminars, special interest groups, One of the key ‘back to basics’ customer base - no doubt tempted by regional events and more. This will issues in the Big4 Agenda is problem the ‘goodies’ on offer elsewhere. So provide members with the capability, management. Getting back to the rather than just coping with today’s skills and knowledge they need to gain basics of problem management (or complexities of cloud, multi-sourcing, increased value from their investments indeed any ITSM process) will ensure BYOD and big data, turn them to during 2014 and beyond. Each year we that there are reliable, repeatable your best advantage and make your will review and revise the Big4 Agenda processes in place that reduce costly customers delighted. at our annual conference. errors and enable new products and services to be brought to market The Agenda items are: ITSM and Agile smoothly and glitch-free. And as a result, customers get the quality of • Harnessing the power of Agile and service that they expect. To support Back to basics ITSM this, during the fi nal quarter of 2013, • Is your organisation bullet proof? • Are you ahead of the pack? itSMF UK’s Problem Management We have all seen the damaging Special Interest Group (PMSIG) asked The pace of change in the industry headlines of how errors in service member organizations to complete is relentless. Customers want an delivery can bring an organization to an on-line maturity assessment. The increasing number of new products and a standstill and unable to deliver a outcome provided a focus for ongoing services delivered in ever decreasing service to its customers. Getting the activity amongst PMSIG members in timeframes. Harnessing and ITSM basics right will ensure that there support of the Big4 Agenda during integrating the power of DevOps, Agile are reliable, repeatable processes in 2014. The results are available to and ITSM will enable your organization place that reduce costly errors, enable view in a new report called ‘Problem to deliver new products and services, new products and services to be Management – State of the Nation.’ more quickly and with less risk, in brought to market smoothly and glitch- environments of increasing complexity, “Admittedly, the participants in the free, and ensure that your customers competition and change. survey had an above-average interest are getting the quality of service that in problem management,” said SIG they expect. If you would like to join the discussion vice-chair Barry Corless, “which is around the Agenda topics, make sure why they were involved in the special Skills you catch our Big4 Twitterchats on interest group, so this may not be Wednesday evenings at 8.00pm. The • Developing a capable and creative representative of the industry at next two are on 12th February (Agile/ workforce large. But it means that any issues DevOps & ITSM with special guest thrown up in the report are likely to • Investing to save Stuart Rance) and 12th March (Skills be even more acute in the broader with special guest Matthew Burrows). membership.” From developing your ITSM Just follow hashtag #itsmbig4 and professionals of the future, through to make sure you include the tag in your He went on to say, “The research developing capability throughout your own tweets. showed 80% of organizations failing organization through motivated, well- to get to level 3 (CCMI - Control) when rounded teams and individuals, this taking problem management activity topic is about getting the maximum as a whole. There are many paths value from your greatest asset. you could take to improve but, based on our results, we found the top 4 to be: Dedicated process ownership, Proactive action, Business focus and Better measurement.” The full report can be found at www.itsmf.co.uk/pmstate

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 9 itSMF UK news

MEMBERSHIPan exciting new REFERRALscheme REWARDS for members New Member Referral Rewards Scheme

We are delighted to announce the launch 1. Refer another organization - 2. Upgrade your existing of the new Member Referral Rewards the more members you bring, the greater organization - if your organization Scheme. ITSMF UK members who refer the rewards. This also applies if you have moves from a single individual to a higher new organizations to ITSMF UK or increase just joined another organization that level (Organization/Company 5 or above), their own organizational membership will does not yet have ITSMF UK membership. you get rewards! be rewarded with Masterclass places. The scheme applies to brand new members, but also to organizations whose For more information, contact Existing ITSMF UK members can get membership lapsed more than 6 months [email protected] or phone rewards in one of two ways: ago - just contact us for details. 0118 918 6500.

ITSM14 – conference dates and call for SPEAKERs

This year’s ITSMF UK Annual Conference and Exhibition will be returning to the Novotel London West in Hammersmith on 10th and 11th November 2014. The refurbished venue offers some exciting new opportunities for networking and learning. Just contact the office for more information or look out for further details! If you’re interested in joining the speaker programme and have an idea for a presentation, you can download the Call for Speakers Guidelines and Form at www.itsmf.co.uk/ITSM14. Please read the guidelines carefully before completing the form and remember to let us have your application by the deadline of 28 February 2014.

10 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 itSMF UK news

Contributor of the Year Award renamed in memory of Ashley

The Management future bear the name of Ashley Hanna, Macmillan Cancer Support, collected Board have who died at the end of last year following more than £6000 last year thanks to decided to a long illness. Ashley was a Management the generosity of our members and rename one Board member, ITIL author and reviewer, friends, placing it in the top 1% of of our most ISO/IEC 20000 examiner, and most of all Justgiving accounts. Our intrepid ABC coveted awards an inspiration and mentor to numerous team will be taking part in Reading in memory of a ITSMF UK volunteers over many years Half Marathon again on 2nd March. truly dedicated (see the Chairman’s Report on page 12). If you would like to support them, volunteer. The please visit www.justgiving.com/ Contributor of the Ashley’s Big Challenge, a fund ashleysbigchallenge. Year Award will in established to raise money for

NEW MEMBERS

A warm welcome to the following, who INDIVIDUAL • Leigh Academies Trust joined us in the fourth quarter of 2013. Josephine Hastings • Holistic Service Management International • MDB Consulting and Training ORG/COMPANY 25 Tony Brough Mike Baker • Ministry of Defence • 1st CM • New Habits Cliff Wallis Richard Page Liz Moor • Archimago • Orange Business Services ORG/COMPANY 10 Simon Miller Olivier Jarrar • Thunderhead.com • Associated British Foods • Procter and Gamble Asif Farooqi Adrian Sheward Gail Andrew • De Beers UK • Southampton Solent University Patrick Baxter daniel Cooper ORG/COMPANY 5 • eu-LISA • SunGard Availability Services (UK) • Allstate NI donka Raytcheva/Patrick Wallaert Anna Moran John Jenkins • Fen View Limited • Swisslog UK • Cambridge University Press Matthew Fursedonne Linda Woodford Marion Nightingale • Hitachi Consulting • City and Islington College Jonathan Wright Mark Jenkins STUDENT • IFDS • Thomas Stephens • iXglobal Arturo Cowling/Matt Corbett Anne Veen Thomas Stephens • IG Service Consulting • University of Leicester • Virtrium Iain Gosling Edward Dennehy Jonathan Morley • JP Morgan Chase Bank

Ian Horrabin

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 11 chairman’s update

Time GE

FOR CHAN

in social media from personal to business of over 5% in 2014. Businesses will place use; and the continued mass adoption of extreme demands on their internal and tablet devices and the resulting ‘bring your external IT service providers as they own technology’ impact in our workplaces. strive for growth, and those involved All of this occurred within the context of in the management of IT services will continued extreme pressure on IT budgets need to evolve their organizations’ ITSM and ever-increasing business demands for capabilities rapidly to meet these demands. greater agility and rapid change. To address our members’ need for change, The creation of the AXELOS joint venture we announced the ITSMF UK Big4 Agenda between the Cabinet Office and Capita for 2104. These areas for action - Back to plc to run the Best Management Practice Basics, Skills, Managing Complexity and portfolio, including ITIL, also prompted a ITSM & Agile - were identified through great deal of comment within our industry an extensive period of consultation in 2013. Our member organizations in with ITSMF UK members through social the training and academic sectors have media, phone meetings and face-to- been the first to see some of the initial face discussions, and underpin all of our effects of this change, and we expect activity for the year ahead. the planned outcomes of the AXELOS roadmap for ITIL to become directly We have also established a new ITSMF UK chairman relevant to the majority of our members Management Board with a structure – over the 2014-2015 period. We saw one approved at an Extraordinary General John Windebank of ITSMF’s core strengths demonstrated Meeting - that is geared to drive change, as the chapters collaborated with our and the new and existing Board members reflects on an International Executive Body (IEB) are now settling into these pivotal roles. eventful 2013 to reach an agreement with AXELOS At the same time, our Chief Executive Ben which was announced in November. This Clacy has moved on from ITSMF UK, and and outlines his Memorandum of Understanding sets out I would like to record our sincere thanks a framework for cooperation between to Ben for his dedication and commitment hopes and plans the two organizations globally, including over many years. Since joining ITSMF UK collaboration in the development of new in 2006 Ben progressed quickly through for the coming products and the recognition of ITSMF as the organization, having responsibility for year. a key stakeholder in the future of ITIL and business development, sales, marketing, Global Best Practice (see the interview events and membership before becoming with AXELOS CEO Peter Hepworth later in Chief Executive in December 2010. Ben has very clearly made a significant contribution 2013 was a significant point in time for the this issue). to the evolution of ITSMF UK over what IT Service Management community. Many factors sparked debate within the has been a very challenging period, and Throughout 2013, approaches to managing ITSM community in 2013. 2014 needs to be although he will certainly be missed by IT services evolved to address the a time for action, not just deliberation. The us all, we wish him every success in his continued growth of cloud computing as economy is at last showing some healthy new role as Director of Operations and a mainstream component of IT service signs of recovery, which is resulting in Development at the Foundation Trust solutions. We also saw a significant shift predictions of global IT spending growth Network.

12 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 chairman’s update

Management Board Leavers: 2013 Management Board • Colin Rudd • Don Page • John Sowerby

Management Board Joiners: Vernon Lloyd Don Page Rosemary Gurney Governance and Ethics • Claire Agutter Sales & Marketing Lead Member Engagement Lead Director • Peter Saul

Changing Roles: • John Windebank (Vice Chair > Chair) • Rosemary Gurmey (Member Engagement > Vice Chair) John Windebank Colin Rudd John Sowerby • Jane Suter Vice Chair Chair Service Development Lead (> Sales & Marketing)

I would also like to say a personal thank you to Colin Rudd, Don Page and John Sowerby, who have completed their two-year terms as Chairman, Sales & Marketing Lead and Service Development Lead respectively. Each of David Jones Jane Suter Alan Thomson these individuals has made a significant Service Delivery Lead Finance Director contribution and their presence on the Management Board will certainly be missed. Colin Rudd has been successfully 2014 Management Board elected onto ITSMF International’s IEB and I’m sure will make a major impact in that role. I am also delighted to announce that we have appointed Mike Owen as our new Chief Executive. Mike is an MBA and Vernon Lloyd brings with him extensive experience and Jane Suter Rosemary Gurney Governance and Ethics expertise in senior management roles Sales & Marketing Lead Vice Chair Director across commercial, public and charity sectors, working with large organizations as diverse as Baker Perkins, Time Warner, British Telecom, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank, Grant Thornton and the NHS - as well as a number of SMEs. He also brings with him considerable knowledge of the membership/not-for-profit sector, having Peter Saul John Windebank Claire Agutter worked as CEO/MD for three member- Member Engagement Lead Chair Service Development Lead based organizations and in various operational & trustee director roles (including both trade and professional membership associations such as the international Chartered Institute of Arbitrators). He is currently completing a role as strategy/change programme director with the International Federation TBA of Landscape Architects, and will be David Jones Commercial Alan Thomson formally starting with us on 5th February. Service Delivery Lead Management Lead Finance Director

As many people He served ITSMF UK in many roles, Cancer Support through fund-raising will know, Ashley including Chair of the Publications ESC initiatives under the banner of Ashley’s Hanna passed on the Management Board, was a prolific Big Challenge. From sponsorship of away at the end author, highly regarded editor and senior ITSMF UK members taking part in the of 2013 after a examiner. He was awarded the ITSMF UK Reading Half-Marathon to donations lengthy illness. Paul Rappaport Award for Outstanding at our Awards Dinner charity raffle, Ashley was a Contribution to IT Service Management the running total raised so far is great inspiration in 2010. Ashley will be sadly missed by over £6,000. Further donations can and true friend us all. be made at: www.justgiving.com/ to many people ashleysbigchallenge within the global During 2013 ITSMF UK has supported Ashley Hanna ITSMF community. Ashley’s chosen charity, Macmillan

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 13 ServiceTalk interviews Jane S Suter, recently POT appointed to the new role of Marketing & LIGH Sales Lead on the ITSMF UK Management JA T Board. OSUTN ERN E

Times are tough for membership forward. They really played a part in our organizations generally. How would you choice of the Big4 topics. The Twitterchat say we can best demonstrate value to focus will now turn to each of our agenda potential members? items before, in October, we ask you to help us select the Big4 for 2015. So if you are Our strength has always been the free on Wednesdays, at 20:00 GMT on the opportunity we provide for quality middle Wednesday of the month, then do networking and the sharing of ideas join us (hashtag #itsmbig4). and experiences. Moving forward, the Big4 Agenda gives us a unique chance I certainly think that social media should be Jane, how did you come to join ITSMF UK to focus our products and services on one of the ways that service managers and and what qualities and experience do you the key issues that affect our members’ professionals share ideas and experiences, bring to your new role? organizations and their customers in 2014. but I am aware that many of our members I’m thrilled with the enthusiasm that the do not use social media to any great I originally joined as part of a new Big4 Agenda has generated both in this extent. So I want to make sure that we keep organization membership and went country and also abroad. all of our communications and networking along to an ITSMF UK regional event channels open, so that our members can in Portsmouth. I was fairly new to IT I never forget that the success of the contribute in the ways that they are most at the time and had never even heard ITSMF UK is very much dependent on the comfortable with. of the ITSMF UK but had just been fantastic support that we get from our appointed to manage the Marketing and volunteer members, the office team plus What other ideas are you trialling to boost Communications for our ISO/IEC 20000 all of our sponsors. As a volunteer myself, ITSMF UK membership? accreditation project. I find ‘volunteering’ fulfilling and would highly recommend it to our members – plus We have just launched our Member Referral The event far exceeded my expectations we now have the Elite Volunteer scheme Rewards scheme which allows members both in terms of content and networking that will reward you for your efforts. to bag prestigious Masterclass places opportunities - all of which played a key for successfully referring new member part in building my confidence for the role You recently introduced Twitterchats to organizations. The scheme applies if a and the ultimate success of the project. So the member events programme to discuss member refers another organization or if I’ve been a fan of the ITSMF UK ever since! the Big4 Agenda – how successful has this they themselves upgrade from an individual been? Is social media the way forward for membership to the organization level. Since then, I became the first Chair of the service managers to exchange ideas and We’re conscious that our members move (then) newly formed London and South experience, would you say? between organizations, so this scheme is East region before joining the Board. also an incentive to get their new employer Although the ITSMF UK has been using Marketing, communications and sales signed up and getting the benefits that social media, I don’t think we have really are things that I really enjoy doing and, membership of the ITSMF UK brings. fully exploited its potential yet. The in the past, I have developed marketing Australian Chapter, through Kathryn If you were granted one wish for improving campaigns that resulted in coverage in the Howard and Brad Busch, have been brilliant service management, what would it be? national press. in helping us with our social media strategy I think that many of the issues are caused What are your priorities for the next six and getting the Twitterchats off the ground by communications, in particular in months? – particularly as I am still a relative social media newbie myself! listening to what customers, colleagues My key priories are to grow our membership, and stakeholders are saying. So my big to make sure that we get our messages The #itsmbig4 Twitterchats have been wish is for everyone to pause, blot out right using the appropriate communications our first social media ‘events’ and I was their own thoughts and then really listen channels, and to attract new sponsors and delighted with all of the Big4 Agenda effectively (and I include myself in this!) partners to the ITSMF UK. thoughts, comments and ideas that came

14 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 not sure what Here is what one Marval customer itsM software said to help you decide is right for your organisation? Marval assisted To improve your iT supporT at every stage, at all times – their service, conTacT marval

T: +44 (0) 1536 711999 overall Motive E: [email protected] was not profit, but the W: marval-group.com Twitter: @marvalgroup Facebook: MarvalSoftware satisfaction to see us

Scan the QR code to visit the Marval website succeed.

c hris stavrinides, it customer services Manager, Oxford University Press

MONITOR ITSM self-assessment and benchmarking online ITSMF UK have introduced a low-cost self-assessment offering for members, covering a wide range of factors that contribute to best practice Service Management.

Achieving excellence is not just about having mature ITSM processes, although this is a significant factor. If we are to be successful we must align with business goals and deliver best value to our organizations. MONITOR aims to measure these elements, allowing members to identify strengths and weaknesses and areas for improvement. MONITOR will also provide you with a body of evidence to support decision making and underline IT business value.

For more information, visit www.itsmf-monitor.co.uk A4_A5 ad 11/12/2013 09:19 Page 1

EXHIBITION | EDUCATION | NETWORKING | EXPERT ADVICE The UK’s leading IT Service Management and Support event Where the industry meets to do business

Sponsored by: Supported by: In partnership with

www.servicedesk360.com

Register FREE online at www.servicedeskshow.com quoting priority code SITS111

16 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 S GHAM IRMIN B WELCOME ITSM13, ITSMF UK’s 22nd Annual the Co-operative Banking Group, Virgin with service management issues to resolve, Conference and Exhibition, has been Media, Everything Everywhere, Jaguar and a lively interactive plenary session dubbed “an outstanding success and Land Rover, UK Government and many chaired by itSMF UK’s incoming chairman a fantastic experience” by outgoing more organizations, who took up itSMF John Windebank. chairman Colin Rudd. Held for the UK’s invitation to share their experiences first time at the International Convention and successes. The conference also provided a great Centre in Birmingham, the event saw chance for networking, with round tables to an increase in delegate numbers over The awards evening this year was hosted discuss the future of service management last year and once again provided the by novelist, TV celebrity and former and the Global Best Practice portfolio, most comprehensive programme of Cabinet Minister Edwina Currie, who ITSM and education, and ITSMF UK’s own service management presentations presented nine awards to the leading lights Big4 Agenda (discussed in more detail in and networking opportunities available of our industry. This year’s Paul Rappaport the Chairman’s Report). anywhere. Award for Lifetime Achievement in ITSM went to Stuart Rance, while QBE, the A big thank you to the sponsors, exhibitors, This year’s packed programme included Met Office and EE scooped the member volunteers and staff who made the keynotes from ex-fighter pilot Jo Salter, awards for Project, Team and Innovation conference possible. management guru Eddie Obeng, AXELOS of the Year respectively. See the full list of This year the Annual Conference returns CEO Peter Hepworth, and Library of winners and finalists overleaf. to London. For more information about Birmingham Director Brian Gambles. There was also a ‘drop-in clinic’ for those the Call for Speakers, see the ITSMF UK The agenda featured presentations from News section.

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 17 WI AND T NNERHE IS...

SERVICE MANAGEMENT PROJECT OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Marval Software Presented to the organization that, in the judges’ view, has completed the most successful and challenging IT Service Management project during the year.

WINNER: QBE FINALISTS: EE, Land and Property Services

SERVICE MANAGEMENT TRAINER OF THE YEAR TEAM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Fox IT Sponsored by Axios Systems Presented to the individual who, in the judges’ view, has been the most successful Presented to the members of a team that, and consistent IT Service Management in the judges’ view, have supported each trainer during the year. other and their customers in providing inspirational service delivery and significant business benefit.

WINNER: The Met Office FINALISTS: CGI, EE

SERVICE INNOVATION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Peoplecert Presented to the organization offering the most novel product or service offering that has been developed over the past year.

WINNER: Jim Davies, Smatra WINNER: EE FINALISTS: Andrew Jacobs, QA; FINALISTS: BSMimpact, HP Adam Poppleton; Brightoak Consultancy

18 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 and the winner is...

CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR Sponsored by OpenText Presented to an individual who, in the judges’ view, has made an outstanding contribution to the itSMF UK organization as a volunteer in the last year.

WINNER: Alison Cartlidge, Steria FINALISTS: Helen Sussex, John Groom, Sandra Whittleston, Stuart Wright, Kevin Holland, Martin Neville, Jane Humphries, Tricia Lewin, Michael Hall, Paul Offord, David Backham, Paul Gillen, Steve Straker, Tony Brough, Paul Laird, Stephen Morgan, Tony Oxley, Barclay Rae, Damien Moore, Dave White, Jason Deverell, John Moore

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ITSM (PAUL RAPPAPORT AWARD) Presented to an individual who, in the judges’ view, has made a sustained and outstanding contribution over a number of years to the field of IT service management. It is the itSMF UK’s ultimate recognition for IT service management professionals.

WINNER: Stuart Rance, Optimal Service Management

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by IT Training Zone Presented to the author of the article or white paper that provides the most informative, educational, and thought- provoking ITSM content.

WINNER: The Seven Building Blocks of ITSM Success by Patricia Speltincx, SM2 FINALISTS: ITIL Process Management Framework by Ian MacDonald, the Co-operative Group • A Definition of Proactive Problem Management by Paul Offord, Advance7 and Steve White, Kepner- Tregoe • Do you need Problem Management? by Michael Hall, Deutsche Bank

STUDENT OF THE YEAR: STUDENT OF THE YEAR: ITIL ISO/IEC 20000 Sponsored by APMG International Sponsored by APMG International Presented to the ITIL student who has Presented to the individual who has achieved ITIL Expert through the current achieved the highest marks in the ISO/IEC ITIL qualification scheme between 1 August 20000 Consultants examination during 2012 and 1 August 2013 with the highest the year. average score across all Intermediate and MALC modules. WINNER: Sandra Heydorn (award collected by Markus Bause) WINNER: Melvin Kenyon FINALISTS: Samuel Shepherd, Bernd FINALISTS: Adam Lampon, Kostas Tsatsaris Papachrissanthou

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 19

G FOR HE KSITS T SU M ILDIN CCE BU LOC SS B

For more than 20 years now, organizations have tried hard to adopt the ITIL best practice framework in the hope of improving their IT Service Management (ITSM). Let’s face it: for most of them, the results fall well below expectations. Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Wise man! Is it not time to stop doing more of the same thing and to consider a change? Patricia Speltincx considers what could be done differently.

A service organization, like any other management. It is a common management Processes are widely acknowledged and organization, wants to achieve success; concern. Therefore, general management accepted as a key building block for ITSM but this requires several key elements and organizational theories apply and can success. Processes are recognised as to work together. I love the metaphor of help us see problems encountered in our the foundation of the ITIL best practice building blocks in this context because service management world from a wider framework and of the ISO/IEC 20000 it offers a good illustration of the way perspective. standard. I will not spend more time that organizational success is gradually discussing this block because everybody constructed. Success does not just My objective in this article is to identify tends to agree that processes are happen, you have to build it. and discuss the seven blocks that are necessary. However, if they are necessary, needed to build sustainable success in are they sufficient? I don’t think so. I take So the question is, what blocks are needed ITSM; and to do this by adopting a wider as proof the fact that, after more than 20 to build success in ITSM? Naturally, most perspective, combining ITIL with general years of ITIL adoption, organizations still people would turn to the ITIL framework management and organizational theories. struggle to derive actual benefits from and ITIL provides part of the answer processes. ITIL looks so simple at first by describing one of these building THE TWO OBVIOUS glance, suggesting that all you need to blocks, the processes, in detail. Some BLOCKS do to reap benefits from processes is to other blocks are just mentioned but not learn best practices and do the same in developed in ITIL and others are simply Let’s start with the two obvious ITSM your organization. The reality is not that outside its scope. building blocks: technology and processes. simple. From my own experience, I have found it Technology is trivial: you could not The service management community really interesting to go beyond ITIL, to provide IT services without technology should stop dreaming that processes think ‘outside the box’, simply because and tools being involved. That’s as far as it on their own, implemented as a cut and the question of developing organizational goes for this one! paste from best practices, will resolve success is not specific to service all their problems. Processes are key 20 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 the 7 building blocks for ITSM success

but believing that they are sufficient on uncertainty also compensates for the I wanted to mention ‘problem solving’ their own is nonsense. Processes are limitations of processes, applications and explicitly to highlight its importance just a management tool, nothing less and infrastructure…” to the success of the organization, but nothing more. this capability will naturally emerge by People have a massive potential and developing the first three skills mentioned Imagine you dream of setting up a great it is key to the success of service above. restaurant and the only assets you have organizations to develop and tap into the are an excellent cookbook full of recipes, potential of their people. Note that the first three skills correspond the best kitchen appliances, and experts to three of the five disciplines that P. in kitchen appliances. Do you think you will Key skills that really make a difference Senge argues are needed to develop a be successful? Of course not. and that should be developed are as learning organization. follows: It is the same for IT services. You All these skills are acquired through FOR don’t build good IT services just with Personal mastery personal development. The business world documented processes, IT technology and tends not to like this idea of personal This is about self-control, self-leadership, IT experts. They are necessary but not development but this is really what is autonomy, ability to focus our energy, sufficient. needed. Personal development leads to ITS ability to have the right attitudes, to act personal efficiency, which in turn leads according to our values. Personal mastery So other blocks have to be considered. to the organization’s efficiency, which is is key to personal efficiency. Personal exactly what is wanted. SU M THE FIVE ADDITIONAL efficiency is key to the organization’s efficiency. Before going to the next key building BLOCKS block, let’s remember what René Ability to challenge mental CCE I have called the following blocks ‘key Descartes said about common sense: blocks’ because, in my opinion, they models “Nothing is more fairly distributed than are enablers for processes and tools. I common sense: no one thinks he needs This is about realising that we are will go as far as to say that, if these five more of it than he already has.” subjective beings and that we see the blocks have not reached a certain level world as we are and not as the world It is the same here. Most people see of maturity, processes CANNOT bring actually is. It is about accepting that there when others don’t have these skills but SS benefits and could even be counter- can be several truths and valid viewpoints think that they themselves possess productive. other than ours. It is about challenging them. This can be one of the reasons why How did I come up with these five our mental models and progressively organizations invest so little in personal blocks? By integrating my own changing our perception of the world to development. service management experience with get closer and closer to reality. This open- management and organizational theories. mindedness is key to efficiency. 2. Management In this context, I think of authors such Will Schutz argued that it is not the The next key building block of successful as P.M. Senge (The Fifth Discipline), J.K. difference between people that was the service organizations is management Liker (The Toyota Way), W. Schutz (The real cause of team inefficiencies but capability, i.e. the way the business Human Element), J.Collins (Good to Great), mental and behavioural rigidities. manages its assets, and in particular R. M. Grant (Contemporary Strategy people, in order to achieve its objectives. Analysis), and W.E. Deming (Out of the Ability to work and learn in teams This capability is in the sole hands of Crisis). managers and executives. Imagine the energy that is wasted today Let’s take a look at these additional in tensions and conflicts. Organizations Here is what ITIL says about it (Service building blocks in detail. would greatly benefit from developing Strategy – Appendix B – B.1 p381): people’s ability to work and learn together “Management is a system that includes 1. People in a really cooperative way. It is well- leadership, administration, policies, Here we are thinking of people as known that the potential of a cohesive performance measures and incentives. individuals and teams, and I include staff team is far greater than the sum of the This layer cultivates, coordinates and managers. For service organizations, individuals’ potential. and controls all other asset types. Management includes idiosyncratic people are a key asset. Their level of Problem solving motivation and engagement has a massive elements such as philosophy, core influence on the quality of services I don’t talk here about technical problem beliefs, values, decision-making style and delivered to the customers and therefore management but about the general ability perceptions of risk. It is also the most on the profitability of the organization. of an organization to resolve problems distinctive and inimitable type of asset that are preventing it from creating value deeply rooted in the organization…” All current management theories agree on and achieving its objectives. the importance of developing people for The key message here is that management the success of the organization. Here is an I observe that, when facing a problem, plays a critical role as a lever for all the interesting extract from the ITIL Lifecycle people tend to focus their energy assets of the company, and in particular Suite (Service Strategy – Appendix B – B.5 on defending themselves and their for the other key building blocks of ITSM p382) viewpoints, proving they are right, proving (people, organization, culture and ITSM it is someone else’s responsibility or fault, strategy). You can have the best people “The value of people assets is the capacity finding excuses for what went wrong… All but, without good management, you do for creativity, analysis, perception, these behaviours have in common that the not use their potential to good effect and learning, judgment, leadership, energy is actually taken away from the you don’t keep them. communication, coordination, empathy problem resolution. and trust. Such capacity is in teams Of all the blocks needed to build a and individuals within the organization, Efficient problem solving is about successful organization, management can due to knowledge, experience and considering that each of us is responsible be considered as the cornerstone. skills… They are the most versatile and (not guilty) for the problem and able The critical importance of the potent of all asset types because of to contribute (‘able to respond’) to its management capability is often totally their ability to learn and adapt,… people resolution. It is about looking at it as a underestimated although experience assets are the only type that can create, common problem and focusing all our shows that one main cause of failure in combine and consume all other asset energy on its resolution. implementing ITSM is indeed inadequate types. Their tolerance of ambiguity and WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 21 the 7 building blocks for ITSM success management. Unfortunately, management technology in isolation, as is often the it is facilitated by a clear organizational often consists simply of managing targets case in ITSM projects. structure. and performance, which is a minute part of what it should be doing. Continuous improvement New roles and responsibilities From the managerial point of view, The concept of improvement is coupled Introducing service and process introducing formal ITSM processes is with the learning organization. The whole dimensions requires new roles to be not as trivial as it seems because the point of learning is to then act in order to defined and enforced, e.g. service owner, organization moves from a pure hierarchy maintain and improve efficiency, cost- process owner, service level manager. to a matrix or even a multi-dimensional effectiveness and distinctiveness. This Too often, service management best structure. Instead of having one clear is part of the quality culture and it must practices are developed within the scope management line, i.e. hierarchical, a new be more than just buzzwords. It has to be of projects (temporary by nature) which, transversal managerial dimension is added part of the managerial culture. when they end, leave a responsibility for process and/or service management. void because the key roles have not been This represents a massive change both for Empowerment of staff created in the permanent structure. staff and for managers. To be successful Empowerment of staff is promoted by with this change, a high-level and mature most modern management theorists. Another common situation is that management capability is required. Although it is often used too lightly processes are designed according to best practices but nobody receives enough Although it is important, it would take as a fashionable concept with little authority to enforce them, e.g. the release too long to develop here all the issues understanding of its real depth, manager cannot stop an application going encountered when moving to a matrix empowerment of staff makes full sense in live although there is a red light from service organization, but I want to this complex world. The service industry testing; process managers or owners emphasize the fact that the classical needs people who are autonomous and are external consultants with limited ‘command and control’ hierarchical who are committed to the quality of the authority… management style no longer works in this services they deliver to customers. People context. Something different is needed. need to be given the power to get there. To achieve success, serious attention must be given to define and enforce the It is essential that managers understand Cooperation needed roles and responsibilities. that developing successful ITSM involves Quality services depend on cooperation more than just imposing new work Rules and systems processes on staff. A critical success between people from different teams. This factor for the introduction of processes is is the essence of the matrix organization. An organizational framework must be a change in the managerial mindset. Although most managers agree on this defined according to the way that services and processes will be managed, e.g. There is a need to develop a management fact, the prevailing management practices how will resources be allocated, how will philosophy that is adapted to the actually promote internal competition priorities be set, how will priority conflicts use of processes. This is what I like rather than cooperation. There is often be settled, how will decisions be made, how to call ‘management BY processes’, a fundamental contradiction between will stakeholders coordinate activities. to distinguish it from management management based on objectives and targets and the wish for better OF processes. The key principles of Guiding bodies management by processes are: cooperation between teams. Cooperation cannot just be wishful ITIL mentions a few guiding bodies such Learning organization thinking. The roots for it are in a as the IT Steering Group, the Service Management Office, and the Change The current business world is complex and well thought out and sincerely lived Advisory Board. These are just a few in constant change. The time has passed management philosophy. examples and experience shows that when a few individuals could acquire Nowadays, most managers are so busy others might be needed. and hold all knowledge needed for the managing their targets that they don’t company to be successful. To survive, an take the time to think about management For the service organization to be organization nowadays must be able to philosophy - developing a vision, successful, it is key to set up the continuously learn in order to adapt to principles, and core values. coordinating groups in a way that allows unavoidable changes and to competition. them to perform their roles effectively, Too often, management is more about making decisions, allocating resources, Systems thinking figures and budgets than people and setting priorities, arbitrating conflicts, etc. organizations; it is more about managing Systems thinking is the fifth discipline results than the actual system generating of P. Senge (I don’t give them in order! 4. Culture the results. To be fair, all the above Remember, I had already mentioned three: concepts are talked about and used as You will have understood by now that personal mastery, mental models, team buzzwords but they are rarely acted upon. moving from an IT organization to a learning. You will have to read further to As a consequence, a lot of energy is spent successful IT service organization find out the missing one). For P. Senge, in tensions between managers and staff involves a massive cultural shift. Without systems thinking is the cornerstone of the with poor services and poor efficiency as the appropriate culture, all the efforts learning organization. In short, it is about the end result. invested in introducing ITSM best seeing the big picture when analysing a practices are in vain! So the ability to situation or resolving a problem. 3. Organization adopt an appropriate culture is a key A service organization is a complex building block to success. This is widely system made of interconnected Success will also depend on the ability acknowledged as the biggest challenge elements and is itself part of a complex to move from a pure hierarchical and a major cause of failure in ITSM environment. It is essential to see it and to organization to a matrix. Efficient end- projects. So let’s have a closer look at this think of it in that way. to-end processes and services indeed building block. require a high level of coordination and According to this systemic view, all cooperation between various technical Everyone accepts that the culture of IT the building blocks I am talking about teams but also between the hierarchical staff must evolve from a technology focus in this article must be considered and managers and the new transversal to a service focus and from a best efforts developed in an integrated way. It does managers (e.g. service and process to a process-based approach. Although not make sense to consider processes and managers). This will not happen unless this deserves attention and effort, I think

22 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 the 7 building blocks for ITSM success that this is the easy part of the cultural defined as part of the wider corporate 4. There is a benefit to thinking ‘outside change. What managers tend not to see is strategy to guarantee alignment and the box’ and embracing general that the biggest cultural change is not for coherence. management and organizational IT staff but for themselves. theories. The ITSM strategy should cover high-level Developing successful ITSM represents guiding principles and planning for: At the end of the day, a service a change in working practice for staff organization is still an organization and but it represents a far bigger change for • the definition of the main ITSM building needs good management. managers who have to adopt a different blocks we have talked about so far, i.e. management style, adapted to the use of people, management, organization, By identifying the key capabilities service processes. This is where the real difficulty culture, processes organizations need to develop in order to be successful, I have described an ideal resides and, unfortunately, in most cases • the way to develop them, including it is not even acknowledged so, a fortiori, vision. I am aware that my message can proper change management to facilitate sound somewhat theoretical. it cannot be overcome. the cultural and organizational change. However, “There is nothing so practical As I have already mentioned above, The advantage of such a strategic exercise a manager’s challenge is to develop as a good theory”, as Kurt Lewin said. An is that it drives the key stakeholders to ideal vision is indeed like a star guiding a learning organization, to adopt a shared vision for ITSM. And here it is, systems thinking, to set up continuous you on your journey, especially when the the fifth and final discipline of P. Senge to journey is long like this one. It gives you a improvement, to empower staff and to which we alluded earlier. promote cooperation. What a challenge! clear idea of where to go and allows you to Let me open a parenthesis. “Begin with the end in mind” (Stephen R. This cultural building block is a difficult Covey). Therefore I hope that, no matter one to put in place because, first of all, it The five disciplines of the learning how far from your current reality my has to be acknowledged as a challenge for organization (systems thinking, personal message may sound, it can help you to and by managers; and secondly, it takes mastery, challenging mental models, take some steps in the right direction. time and patience and it cannot be tackled shared vision and team learning) are the directly. It is only achieved as an indirect five capabilities an organization must If you are not a manager in your result of the development of the other possess to be successful. This theory organization, you may feel that all this building blocks. developed by P. Senge in The Fifth is not within your sphere of influence. Discipline is a great source of inspiration But whatever your position in your 5. ITSM strategy for any service organization, any team organization, there is something you and any individual who wants to learn and can do at your level to contribute to the Last but by no means least, I want to progress. improvement of at least one of the key discuss the need for an ITSM strategy building blocks. to be defined at the highest level of the Let’s close the parenthesis and go back to Here are two final quotations to consider. organization. the shared vision. “If you want to live a long life, focus on I need to clarify that, when I talk here In P. Senge’s own words: “When there making contributions.” Hans Selye about ITSM strategy, I do not mean is genuine vision (as opposed to the all- strategy for services as described in too-familiar ‘vision statement’), people “Make the best use of what is in your the ITIL Service Strategy publication. I excel and learn, not because they are power, and take the rest as it happens.” mean the need to define a strategy for told to, but because they want to… The Epictetus developing service management. practice of shared vision involves the skills of unearthing shared ‘pictures of the Let’s recap on the key capabilities that we future’ that foster genuine commitment have identified as being necessary for a and enrolment rather than compliance. service organization to be successful: In mastering this discipline, leaders learn the counter-productiveness of trying to • developing people’s potential and buy-in dictate a vision, no matter how heartfelt”. • adopting a management approach that is adapted to the use of processes CONCLUSION • adapting the organizational structure to Congratulations on getting this far! cope with the new managerial approach Thanks for your interest and here is the conclusion. These are the key take-aways • instilling a service and cooperation from this article: culture both at staff and management level. 1. ITSM is more than implementing processes according to best practice These capabilities go beyond pure ITSM ITSM is a capability and more and affect the whole organization. specifically a managerial capability that In addition, we have established that can be developed through the complex the cornerstone of our structure is the assembly of resources and capabilities adoption of a different management (building blocks). approach. There is very little chance 2. Besides processes and technology, that this can be tackled just at the IT other key blocks are needed to build level or within the scope of a traditional a successful service organization. ITSM project. There is very little chance By adopting a systemic approach, I it can happen without reflection, self- identified five additional key blocks: questioning, commitment and genuine people, management, organization, engagement at the strategic level of the culture and strategy. Naturally, these company, simply because this is where are not applicable only to service most control and influence are exerted. organizations but to any organizations. For real efficiency, the energy impulse Patricia Speltincx is owner, consultant, must come from the top. 3. Management is the lever for the other coach and trainer at KEY to YOU building blocks. ([email protected]) This is why an ITSM strategy should be WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 23 NEXT TSTHE EP FORS AL B ST GLO E B ICE

PRACT

we have just under 40 people in place. We will subsequently be resourcing up to 50 As the new joint venture between people around the end of Q1, to deliver on Capita and the UK Government takes everything we’ve promised to deliver. In addition, we’ve been working on the on responsibility for ITIL and PRINCE2, tender process for the examination AXELOS chief executive Peter Hepworth institutes. That was concluded in September, and the results were talks to ServiceTalk about the communicated to the ATOs. So there are now nine global exam institutes who have insights he has gained from six months a right to market and promote all of our portfolio of products. This marks a big spent engaging with service and change from the past, when only APMG project managers around the world. had rights over PRINCE2 and PPM. There has been a lot of interest among the EIs and ATOs in expanding into the broader portfolio, so training companies focusing ST ServiceTalk PH Peter Hepworth on PPM will be able to move into ITIL and vice versa. This has been very well received; Peter Hepworth, we last spoke in the I’m very pleased with the way things are it involved a lot of work, of course, as we summer, shortly after you joined AXELOS progressing. Since the summer we’ve had to ensure that the whole ecosystem as CEO. Now, as the new company takes been busy putting together the AXELOS of exam institutes, the accredited training control of the Global Best Practice team, many of whom have transferred organizations and consulting organizations portfolio, how would you describe the to us from the Cabinet Office. As of the had all the right access to the right training challenges and events of the last six beginning of January when we formally and examination materials, and that they months? take over responsibility for the portfolio, received the right support where necessary.

24 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 the next steps for global best practice

So as well as setting up a new UK-based October, and at the Estonian conference PH company, we have been very focused I heard a great presentation on DevOps on business as usual and ensuring by the chair of the chapter, Kaimar Karu. I would say our discussions have been the continuity of the guidance and What’s very encouraging for me - and very positive overall - not without their qualifications. The books aren’t changing, different from what you might read in challenges, of course, but the Best Practice neither are the exams, and the exam some social media - is that the DevOps community has a constructive approach, credentials are all still valid, which is key enthusiasts I meet speak passionately and what we tend to hear are proposed for organizations that are putting staff about the need to put a core ITIL-based solutions rather than negative criticism. though Foundation and Intermediate structure in place to support DevOps and This positivity has helped us to formulate courses. But at the same time we are get it working successfully, otherwise it’s and validate our roadmap. We haven’t working on the things that will change by the Wild West in terms of processes. Some finished by any means, and there are many taking part in product workshops within of the things you read online suggest it’s all discussions within the global community the best practice community. As well as about DevOps now, but I don’t believe that’s that we are still keen to have. attending the ITSMF UK conference in how the community is implementing it. Having said that, we’ve moved on from November, I’ve been travelling around It’s essential for us to publish information passively listening. We’ve also started the world, visiting ITSMF USA and Japan, to deliver, and a little earlier than we attending chapter and government about complementary frameworks and how ITIL will work with other approaches expected. We’ve launched our first app in meetings in Australia, and latterly taking response to consumer research, we have a part in ITSMF events in Germany and to service management. This is very much a part of the roadmap. In many ways these new ITIL maturity model, we have changed Estonia. I’ve given keynote presentations and confirmed the operating model for EIs, and run workshops to validate the ITIL new approaches are keeping ITIL relevant and bringing it forward; we need to engage and we’ve addressed the way we work with and PPM roadmaps we published back training, consultancy and product vendors. in November, and I’ve taken part in with all schools of thought, and we’re discussions on social media and online. So encouraged by the free exchange of new As we move forward through 2014 we’ll it’s been a very busy time all round. ideas. keep evolving the roadmap and keep collaborating with the community (within ST ST the context of agreements like the one with Do you find big differences in the What about the academic community? the ITSMF). I think we’re set up for success issues that are raised and the topics of How are discussions going with the and look forward to hearing the ideas discussion as you travel around the world? universities and business schools? coming in.

PH ST PH There are differences, certainly, which is We had meetings with academic Thank you very much, Peter. why it’s important to travel widely and representatives at the UK conference hear everyone’s perspective. This is one and also in the USA and Australia. of the things, I believe, that AXELOS can These were a very productive first step. achieve more effectively than the Cabinet In late January, we also have a series Office, which was restricted in the amount of workshops with UK universities of travel it could do. What’s good to see and business schools – their interest though is that the main priorities are is in ensuring that their offerings are the same wherever I go. When I present relevant to the workplace, and they the ITIL and PPM roadmaps in Germany, have seen considerable success in using USA or Australia, our ideas around value ITIL and PPM to help them develop proposition, relevancy and career pathing marketable qualifications with academic are well received by the local communities. underpinnings. We are very keen to assist Translations and localization of material them in moving these initiatives forward. often come up in discussions, of course; ST but language is not always the main differentiator. In Australia, for example, The Memorandum of Understanding most businesses are SMEs so there is between AXELOS and ITSMF is less interest in case studies about huge an exciting announcement for our enterprises that might be relevant to community. How do you see this other audiences, and more take-up of relationship developing? publications such as ITIL Lite which are specifically geared to smaller businesses. PH So we are constantly aware of the need Yes, discussions around the MOU began to tailor materials to accommodate local back in June, and we’ve done a lot of needs, but I would say that our high-level work with Colin Rudd, Bartosz Gorczynski objectives receive validation worldwide. and other members of the international community to progress this. ITSMF has a ST thriving community with chapters around We’re hearing a lot about new approaches the world, and it’s great to close off the to service management, particularly Agile year with an action plan and a strong and DevOps (in fact, ITSM and Agile is ongoing relationship. I look forward to one of the Big4 Agenda items), and some building on this agreement in the months commentators suggest these approaches ahead and working with the ITSMF are actually threating the future of ITIL. community to help guide our thinking. To what extent are they shaping your plans for the BMP portfolio? ST Last time we spoke, you said you would be PH in ‘listening’ mode for some time running Yes, we’re finding a lot of interest in Agile up to the beginning of 2014. How far have Peter Hepworth is CEO of AXELOS, and DevOps in some (but not all) markets. the things you’ve heard during this time the owner of the Global Best Practice I attended DevOps days in New York in surprised or challenged you? portfolio.

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 25 Choosing the most suitable nt supplier of a product or lt service can be u ? an expensive es lottery during agerhe itil the contract pplier lifetime and at Su thet difficeenof tprocess review/renewal This description (more or less) is presented services have been around for some to students at all ITIL ma foundationn coursesageme time, few have actually gone through a time. This is no and in many cases that is their first and full business cycle. Very close attention different when last awareness of this process. However should therefore be applied to the known if adopted and maintained, supplier contentious areas including: considering IT management can provide long-term • Data ownership – who owns what, on benefits for your organization. suppliers, except what terms? Supplier management is a process that, • Where are support boundaries? that they aren’t once set up, will facilitate the monitoring always as easily and control of your current suppliers in • What is the charging basis, if any, for addition to being a formal process for exceptions? compared, or the engaging new supplier organizations. Guidelines should be set up and adhered • How do suppliers (and sub-contractors) differentiators to for contractor negotiations so that the adhere to organizational security identified. If process is as transparent as possible. controls? • Unrealistic or inappropriate targets. only there was Why do we need a process? If it’s not in the contract, it won’t happen What are the key benefits? (or you’ll be paying for it!). Organizational some sort of changes can render existing targets structured We know that all teenagers love guidance, impossible to achieve. Worse still, they rules and simple steps to follow. OK, may involve tie-in for long periods approach. maybe not, but adopting a formal supplier without the chance to change them. management approach at all stages of Allan Stear the service lifecycle will provide on-going • Identifying performance breaches. benefits to your organization, including: Only clear, consistent Service Level looks at some Agreements (SLAs), backed up with of the basics • Ensuring your supporting, external Underpinning Contracts (UCs), combined services are aligned and underpin your with good service management processes of supplier business services, goals and targets will provide the focus for supplier • Maintaining clear ownership and performance breaches or dips. One management, but awareness of supplier and contractual simple way to flag these up is to capture also provides issues where SLAs are breaching due to the supplier (third-party) contribution. some pointers • Protecting your business from poor Simple SLA breach keywords enable supplier performance which may prove quick reporting and review: • Safeguarding availability of service useful when • Using suppliers in the right places for Agreed (34) considering your organization and getting value for existing money and future But what are the likely challenges? Priority Override (1) suppliers. Documentation (2) Retrospective (2) Some of the typical challenges 3rd Party (16)

Lack of encountered can include: Resources (4) More and more of our services are reliant • Moving targets and continually changing Diagnosis (7) on suppliers fulfilling their contractual Customer (9) obligations. But how do we ensure we’re business and IT needs. This is often out getting value for money, the right service of the hands of IT, but expected to be levels, reviewing contracts when we need reacted upon, designed in and overcome. • Knowledge drain. This works both ways. to and have accurate information for Sweeping business changes may result in We often see examples where suppliers renegotiation? The answer, amongst other having to adopt suppliers on the say-so position themselves as knowledge things, is supplier management. of finance/legal/purchasing department custodians. The organization then relies criteria (without always undertaking a more and more on externally managed “The goal of the supplier management lifecycle costs assessment). IP, which is a difficult situation to turn process is to manage suppliers and the around without a clear strategy. It’s often services they supply to provide seamless • Supplier management and the cloud. There are potential issues here in also the case that certain individuals quality of IT service to the business, from supplier organizations are A-team ensuring value for money is obtained.” organizations without strict supplier/ contract management. Although cloud standard; but what happens when

26 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 supplier management – the difficult teenager of the ITIL processes?

they go missing? We don’t want to be The process referenced in your ITSM tool). Create a lining up alongside the B-team. What is schedule and document the outcomes by lt their approach to knowledge and skills All suppliers of one sort or another should category in the records (for simple audit u ? management? be in scope of one or more processes. evidence), then the reporting side of things Clearly some suppliers will contribute more becomes easy. es • Training approach. What about to the bottom line than others, but this is the supplier’s attitude to training? where applying a scalable process fits in. • Service improvements. These can be ager Understanding technology is one thing, outputs from anywhere in the service he itil but how about your organizational Considerations for a supplier lifecycle. policies/processes and procedures? To • Evaluation/selection of suppliers. put it another way, the technical service management process he difficeen Selection decisions should be based on t t of tprocess might be spot on, but the quality and The Supplier Management Process (SMP) business needs, not fancy trivial features satisfaction may be dire! itself relates to one or more supplier and and functions. Other factors involved are • The blurring of boundaries - especially contract database(s), with clearly defined risk/impact and overall costs. in the operational support side of things categories, roles, responsibilities, metrics • Supplier exit. Exiting or terminating - can be a tricky area to manage. This and interfaces. This is where the adoption a contract should be designed in from can result in staff not having a clear of international standards (such as ISO/IEC the start and clearly documented in the understanding of where responsibilities 20000) can help, in order to benchmark process/policy; once again, it needs to be and interfaces stop and start. The whole your suppliers on a level playing field (it supported by legal guidance. point of using suppliers is to get value for also demonstrates commitment of the money and quality service, where agreed. supplier to adopting quality standards). Key elements of the process should include: Cutting through the sales hype Supplier management types • Clear scope. Guidance on what is/isn’t So there we are, we’ve carried out our due and relationships covered. This is often better achieved diligence, checked the capability, quality, using legal advice. published performance metrics, but what To successfully select the most appropriate else should we be considering as softer type of supplier relationship and • Roles, responsibilities and activities. criteria? management, there needs to be a clear Clear guidance on who is expected to understanding of the business objectives do what, to what level, how, where and Important considerations when sourcing that are to be achieved. This should be when. Special attention needs to be suppliers can and should include whether driven by a combination of the supplier given to involvement in changes, end-to- or not they: end SLAs, and the updating of records type, value/importance and the risk/ • Can prove a track record of partnership impact on services and the business. (including configuration items). One of the key responsibilities is communication • Contribute to the wider industry – awards, In most organizations it helps to group across all levels of the organization, so events etc. these types into one or more categories. defined communication plans must be • Have an active service improvement These often include strategic, tactical, agreed and followed. operational and commodity suppliers. culture Characteristics of these types include: • Metrics, performance and monitoring. • Can demonstrate value-add, as well as These need to align with their category contractual adherence Strategic and business impact. Once again these • Significant, often long-term or unique must form part of the selection process, • Are prepared to be benchmarked against partnerships as once in place modifications may prove international standards difficult. Clear, aligned underpinning • Sharing confidential strategic information contracts should support relevant Key The happy medium - let’s • Senior management engagement Performance Indicators (KPIs). A common not forget that the ideal mistake is to rely purely on the supplier relationship with suppliers Tactical to provide this information. On rare occasions this can lead to higher charges should be win-win • Significant commercial activity being levied than the service levels being delivered actually merit. So we should really be viewing that difficult • Regular contract and performance teenager as a valuable family member, who reviews • ‘Regular’ reviews. Good supplier is just as important in the grand scheme of relationships involve planned, regular • Middle management engagement things as everyone else; moreover, one who reviews and flexibility for reviews based can make or break the family harmony and on exceptions. The term ‘regular’ clearly Operational always has the ability to embarrass us in needs to reflect a sensible level and front of guests! • Operational products and services interval. • Junior/operational management Performance, KPIs and service quality, engagement exceptions and expected changes are all important areas to include in supplier Commodity reviews. These are to review a number • Relatively low value products and of additional aspects including: overall services – easy enough to chop and supplier suitability, cost, feedback, change if needed service improvement activities raised/ implemented, and the planned joint • Junior/operational management roadmap. Clearly this can then lead to engagement renegotiation and/or termination (and let’s The amount of effort dedicated to not forget further expansion). managing the supplier relationships is The reviews need not be onerous but Allan Stear is an ITSM Consultant at therefore in proportion to what they simple task activities with checklists Marval Group contribute to the business. as controls (all the better if they can be

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 27

er

tt S e THE things Service the books Levelgreeme nts TIPfor b A don’t tell you Tip 1. Keep each service level Tip 2. Drop the caveats (stop Charles Fraser agreement ‘short and sharp’ making excuses!) offers his top tips How short? Two sides of A4 – maximum. Most SLAs are full of caveats. Alright, you can have an additional title for keeping your page, but the core contents of the SLA Do any of these seem familiar? They are all SLAs on track should be limited to two sides of A4. examples taken from real ‘live’ SLAs that I have come across: To keep to this length you need to remove all of the ‘padding’, all the sections that • The availability targets for all Tier 1 Service level agreements - what a waste of really add nothing to the SLA – and your applications will not apply in the case of a time they are! SLA will be all the better for this! serous network issue Now don’t get me wrong – I am a great Don’t be tempted to include sections on • The resolution time for incidents will believer in the value of SLAs. They are the things like as batch turnaround times, not apply if the underlying cause of that cornerstone upon which effective IT Service service continuity arrangements, change incident is found to be a ‘bug’ Management is based, and they are central management procedures, service hours, • These service targets will only apply to building and maintaining a positive details of how to contact the Service Desk, during normal working conditions (‘normal relationship between the user community security, printing, etc. None of these are working conditions’ were not defined in and IT. actually needed in an SLA – so don’t include the SLA) You really cannot understate the benefits of them. • E-mail will be deemed to be available good SLAs, but… Instead only include the sections that are should the e-mail server not be It’s just that… well… I rarely see good really needed, that are going to be of some unavailable. Please note: it may not be service level agreements. Almost without value and that actually add something the technically possible to send or receive exception they tend to be documents SLA itself. My suggested list of contents for emails when the e-mail service is available written by IT, from an IT perspective, that a typical SLA would be: • The service performance targets as stated are generally just about what IT thinks it • Introduction - containing a brief in this SLA will not apply in exceptional should (or should not) do. description of the service and who the conditions. Exceptional conditions are As a result most SLAs are largely unused customer is those which IT deems to be outside and unloved. They sit on a shelf gathering • Duration of agreement – start and end acceptable limits of technical stability dust, only seeing the light of day when date of the SLA (the maximum duration (does anyone actually know what this somebody in IT needs to check the definition should be 12 months – see Tip 4) means?) of Availability just to make sure that the last Get rid of caveats like these! They e-mail outage does not count as a period of • Service quality criteria and targets – how undermine the purpose, integrity and value unexpected unavailability! will service quality be measured, and what level of service does IT commit to provide? of any SLA. Now I am not saying that there Because of this, it would be fair to state that are never truly exceptional conditions – the great majority of SLAs are at best a • Service performance reports and there clearly are. But there is no need to list waste of time and effort, and at worst they reviews – when will the service reports be these in the SLA (especially when they are can actually lead to a deterioration in the produced (and what will they contain) and often defined using some form of pseudo- relationship between the user community when will service reviews be held? legal jargon). and IT. • S i g n a t u r e s– customer and IT The problem is that these caveats make This article provides you with 5 simple and representatives signing the SLA it look as if IT is trying to avoid being held practical tips to help make sure that your responsible for meeting its commitments. And that’s all! Anything else is just SLAs are worthwhile and that they do add They tend to focus attention on what IT unnecessary padding, waffle. value. These tips are not intended to provide cannot or will not do. They accentuate the an exhaustive and definitive list of all the Now, no cheating! No appendices, and most negative. This tends to undermine the whole things you need to consider when putting definitely no Glossary of Terms. If you write point of having an SLA (which is essentially SLAs in place. Instead they are intended an SLA that requires a glossary you have to demonstrate the positive). to provide you with some key nuggets of written a bad SLA. Start again and remove practical advice that are not found in any all ambiguous and technical terms, all Tip 3. Do not use availability of the standard ITIL books. They come acronyms etc. And don’t be tempted to use to measure service quality from my experience of helping multiple a really small font, that’s also cheating! organizations to set up and maintain truly It is an unfortunate truth that most SLAs effective service level agreements. Oh, and of course all the usual stuff. Write as are still written from the IT perspective. simply and as clearly as possible. Do not use There is no getting away from the fact pseudo-legal or technical terms. It is also This is about more than the language that some of my tips contradict the advice essential that the service quality criteria used (although technical terminology and provided by ITIL. This is not meant as a and any service performance targets are abbreviations are still very common). It is criticism of ITIL. Rather it is simply an easy to understand and are written from also about the fact that, almost without honest reflection of where I have found the user and not the IT perspective. But you exception, the service quality criteria and that the advice given by ITIL does not work know all this. service performance targets found in SLAs effectively in a real world situation. are defined from the IT perspective.

28 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 5 tips for better service level agreements

Availability is the perfect example of this. By far the most common service quality criterion found in an SLA is ‘availability’. And the most common service performance target would be ‘all the nines’ e.g. 99.xx%. The problem is that nobody actually understands availability - what it really means. Yes, it is defined in the SLA (usually very badly and from a technical (system) perspective!), and yes somebody in IT can tell you how many minutes’ unplanned downtime is acceptable with an availability level of 99.89%. But to the typical IT user availability means nothing. It is therefore a completely meaningless measure of service quality. But this is not all - it gets worse. Availability-based service targets are actually a source of potential conflict between IT and the users. This arises because the way availability is measured rarely reflects the user experience (and expectation) of what availability actually is. time any single unplanned service outage Tip 5. Finish your service would last. So IT provides figures to prove that the catalogue before starting to availability targets are being met (all the Of course for this to work you would have develop SLAs graphs are green – back slapping all round), to agree with the users what an unplanned but the user perception is very different. service outage actually is. And you would Don’t be tempted to rush into starting to The users cannot put any kind of figure on of course have to be able to measure the develop SLAs before you finish your service it, but their perception is that there seems number and duration of unplanned service catalogue. Otherwise, you are likely to fall to be a lot of time when they cannot use outages as experienced by users. into the trap of trying to develop SLAs the service as they had expected to. But even with these issues it is still a before you have any clear definition of your significantly better way to measure service services. This means that the person tasked So IT is confused. The availability targets with developing and agreeing the SLAs is are being met, but the users think service quality than using availability and the 99.xx% that means nothing. forced, usually under pressure from tight quality is poor. The users are confused. To deadlines, to start by defining the service them the service quality is poor, but IT is itself. insisting this cannot be the case because Tip 4. Keep them up to date the targets for availability are being Service level agreements are not written in The result is usually an inconsistent achieved. IT thinks the users are being stone. It is essential that they are kept up definition of services, and (because of time unreasonable and the users think IT is full to date and relevant. You must be prepared pressures) the danger once again that the of it! to update them at any time to reflect service will be defined and documented from the IT and not the user perspective - So now, instead of helping to build and changing service quality requirements, IT capabilities etc. focusing more on what a technical IT system develop a positive relationship between the does rather than on what IT services and user community and IT, the service level To make sure this happens you need to business outcomes are delivered. agreements are themselves becoming a ensure that every SLA has an expiry date. source of conflict and mistrust. I would suggest a maximum life span of If you already have SLAs in place, but no definitive service catalogue, I would urge So how do you avoid this? 12 months. This forces you to review and update each SLA on a regular basis, and you to develop one as quickly as possible. First, and most importantly, DO NOT this in turn ensures that you avoid the Once you have this in place you should include availability as a service quality very common problem of having lots of revisit all your SLAs to ensure they are criterion in your SLA. What should you use completely irrelevant and out-of-date SLAs consistent (in terms of definition of services instead? Well anything you like… anything in place. etc.) with the service catalogue. that reflects service quality from the user (and not the IT) perspective. Maybe Many IT organizations seem reluctant reliability and service recovery (see later)? to update an SLA that is in place. The argument is that it just takes too much Secondly – restrict the service quality work to constantly update SLAs. This is the criteria and associated performance wrong attitude. If you take this approach targets that are in your SLA to a few you will indeed cut down on the amount of key and meaningful things. Do not try to work required to maintain your SLAs, but measure everything – this is just confusing. it will simply mean that the SLAs you have Instead concentrate on what is really in place are increasingly irrelevant and important. obsolete. A suggestion: instead of availability, why Because the service quality criteria and not use reliability (MTBF) and service performance targets in the SLA will become recovery (maintainability - MTTR) as increasingly meaningless, the fact that IT your key service quality criteria and is meeting the targets is simply irrelevant. Charles Fraser is a highly experienced freelance have service performance targets for This will again lead to deterioration in the ITSM consultant. His areas of specialist expertise both? Reliability would be defined as the relationship between IT (who think they are include ITIL process maturity / effectiveness maximum number of unplanned service performing well) and the user community assessments, and helping organizations to outages within a given time period, and (who cannot understand why IT thinks they achieve ISO20000 certification. He can be service recovery would state the maximum are performing so well!). contacted at [email protected]

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 29

d n an io t d, y u t ra

figu lo n C co complexi

SIG chairman Richard Horton (second right) with members of the Transition Management SIG at the event

technologies change what the contents of the CMDB look like. Consumers need Richard Horton reports on events at to understand what they have bought as this will help identify what areas the recent Transition Management they have to worry about and where the special interest group meeting, provider’s responsibility starts and stops. The management of the Cloud from a where attendees wrestled with the consumer’s point of view is really about understanding boundaries and managing implications of change, release them appropriately. What is required for billing and the management of cost is and configuration management in a an area where both parties will have an Cloud-based world. interest in the configuration. The day as a whole provoked lively discussion, with a couple of workshops Is ITIL theory still relevant when we look at are embraced to make this happen, and drawing out the perspectives of both the shifting context within which we do our what are the broader implications of all provider and consumer and exploring IT Service Management today? this? What, for example, does it mean for how they work together. A workshop on change and release management to adopt configuration took us back to the question That’s a broad question stimulating much the fast paced ‘bleeding edge’ approach debate. The latest Transition Management I started with, the relevance of ITIL. After to change that has been necessary to brainstorming a range of ideas, we picked SIG meeting homed in on some specific succeed? Sean highlighted how looking aspects of the topic, while still leaving out the top five and then prioritized at the challenge of NoOps is helping Atos them. What we were left with dovetailed it general enough to allow wide ranging deliver simple flexible services. discussion. We focused our attention on the nicely with ITIL theory. Cloud and such Cloud and what that means for how we do Jason Knight of Jaguar Land Rover then developments may change the landscape Service Transition, specifically managing offered the consumer’s view. Working and how we think about it but the ITSM release and configuration. We set our stall with TCS as an integrator, JLR have faced factors we need to take into account still out at the start – our hosts, Atos, are fully a different set of questions as they have remain. immersed in providing Cloud services sought to establish control over systems. and have embraced wholeheartedly the What are the implications for delivering challenges of moving to this from other a seamless service when you have models of service provision. So the multiple Cloud offerings contributing to contributors to this event represented both that service? The focus here was less on provider and consumer sides of the service technology and more on processes, sharing model. knowledge and relationships that allow for the restrictions that Cloud offerings bring. Sean Catlin of Canopy, Atos’ Cloud Clarity over responsibilities and definition partnership with EMC and VMWare, gave of tight processes has enabled effective us the provider’s perspective. There control of releases at JLR. are many flavours of Cloud: what does Interested in joining the providing a range of offerings mean for the From here Peter Mills of Arqiva guided us provider? How should the provider think through considerations of configuration. Transition Management special differently to provide the economies of Although the Cloud makes the picture interest group? Contact the scale required to make this work while still complex for us, configuration management office on 0118 918 6500 for providing offerings which will be attractive has had to cope with similar complexities further information. to potential customers? What technologies for some time. Virtualization and other

30 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 SUN TZU

AND THE

survival

management of thefi servicette st

Barry Corless draws on an ancient source of wisdom in his quest to demonstrate the benefits of good service management.

In trying to make service management source is the often quoted book The Art more accessible to the masses I often draw of War written by Sun Tzu, a 5th Century parallels with events and philosophies BC Chinese general. On the basis that outside IT and business. Modern life one should never let the age of the advice provides many examples but every so cloud our judgement, I recently took the often you can reach back into the annals of opportunity to delve into this ancient text. history and find inspiration there. One such

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 31 MANAGINGsurvival RISK IN THE CLOU ofD the service management fittest

I first came across The Art of War when based processes to achieve a consistent only ever be as good as the people using both Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen level of service for which business them. An impressive array of weapons in referred to its advice in Oliver Stone’s customers can plan really any different? the wrong, untrained hands can actually do 1987 Hollywood blockbuster Wall Street. greater harm than good, simply because Watching a re-run some years later, I With our five constants ‘in the bag’ we the customer may expect so much more. decided to download the e-book onto now move onto another facet of Sun my i-Pod and see what all the fuss was Tzu’s advice. Sun Tzu talks about seven • Where is constancy best displayed in about. I was immediately impressed by the considerations that will define who will reward and punishment? Sun Tzu believes relevance of the book and, reading it for a win a battle. We all work under constant that “Soldiers must be treated in the first second time, I began to draw parallels with scrutiny of our value benchmarked instance with humanity, but kept under the ‘battles’ that many CIOs, IT managers against other service providers. It seems control by means of iron discipline”. If a and service managers may need to fight inconceivable that we won’t come up service manager is a dictator and does not with other service providers. against them at some point to ‘battle’ for strive to win the respect of the team, the business or ultimately our jobs. “Pick your team will not follow; or worse still, they Sun Tzu talks about the Art of War being battles” was Sun Tzu’s guidance. When he may only pretend to follow. Conversely the path to safety or ruin. Well, service did go into battle he seemed to have the if the leader is adored by his people but management certainly matches up there. bases covered again. refuses to discipline them, the result is This first part of the Chinese general’s equally unproductive. The key is to find a advice concerns five constants, the Here are the seven considerations for the balance between the two. mastery and understanding of them being service provider organization going into key to victory. Know them and you will not battle: Sun Tzu’s principles of war readily find fail, preaches the master tactician and many modern parallels if applied to service • Are you in line with the ‘moral law’? provision. I’ll leave the last word with strategist. The five constants and their Sun Tzu was trying to tell us the just ITSM equivalents are: Gordon Gekko from Wall Street. He knew will win. The service organization best the power of information, preparation, 1. The moral law – Roughly translated positioned to align with the culture strategy and design before ever getting this is Sun Tzu saying “know the and objectives of its customer will be close to making a trade or going into battle organization, its values and its successful. Yep, it really is that simple. for a company. I’m not suggesting we objectives”. No service provider can • Who has the best leader? People follow should break the law to win business but ever hope to succeed without the dual leaders because they want to. People look at Gekko’s source of wisdom: focus provided by a simple strategic follow managers because they have to. target and the understanding of its own They’ll go the extra mile for a leader they and customer organizations’ cultures. trust and who trusts them. The leadership I don’t throw darts at 2. Heaven – Understanding times, seasons, and influence of senior management a board. I bet on sure day and night were high on Sun Tzu’s and champions is a key success factor in things. Read Sun Tzu, list of imperatives for war. Providing many aspects of service management, quality service is a thousand times particularly transitions. The Art of War. Every more difficult if we are unrealistic • Who is in the best place with regards battle is won before it is about timescales, fail to take account to Heaven and Earth? The physical high ever fought. of mission-critical periods or are just ground or perhaps a river to protect plain ignorant when resource planning a flank, maybe even the timing of an and setting customer expectations. attack, were the types of advantage Who’d have ever believed that using the How many times have you seen false Sun Tzu said were crucial. It is never the checklist and tactics of a 5th Century BC promises as part of aggressive project absolute guarantee of victory but the Chinese general would lead to success in IT plans, with activities planned right service provider with the best toolsets, service management? It’s my contention through the prime holiday season in information, processes and services tends that Sun Tzu would have made a hell of a August or at financial year-end? to enter any battle with a significant service manager and a fearsome opponent 3 . E a r t h– Distance and terrain are next… advantage. in a tender situation. translated, this means the dangers and • Where is discipline best enforced? risks posed by the ground you intend to Sun Tzu certainly didn’t believe in wage war on. Sun Tzu was obviously an circumventing process. The army must exponent of the baseline. He talks about obey the commander’s orders. The studying and learning from a baseline commander can’t be everywhere, so it is before going into battle, weighing up essential for his lieutenants to understand the feasibility of the battle based on the the plan of battle and have the freedom to ground. Sun Tzu had mountains, rivers, operate within it. Was Sun Tzu one of the and valleys; in ITSM we have services, earliest exponents of a sound governance tools, people, processes and price. model? Governance will define which is 4. Commander – Leadership had to come the better service provider. The service into the equation. Sun Tzu chooses to provider that can still operate even personify this in the commander of his when its leaders are isolated and out of army, retaining the loyalty of the troops. communication will be victorious. A well trained commander must be • Which army is stronger? In Sun Tzu’s experienced in going to battle, familiar battles, the better fed, resourced and with the five constants and able to get supplied army will stand the ultimate the best out of the resources available. chance of winning. The right resources, If you’re a service manager and have in the right place and at the right time, never been in that battle, what on Earth can make you look, feel and actually be have you been doing? stronger. Capacity management and 5 . M e t h o d– Sun Tzu believes in balancing supplier management were as vital to Sun Tzu’s efforts as they are to yours. the marshalling of the army, the tactics Barry Corless is Business Development Director and the finances in a drive to produce • Who is best trained? All the hardware, at Global Knowledge and vice chairman of the constancy. Is the idea of using ITIL- software and processes in the world will Problem Management SIG.

32 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014 Y MORE AGILE TIONS ? IS MOBILIT

MAKOPERAING YOUR

I was at an event in a hotel in London recently when I had to call for assistance Rob Stroud considers the distinction with Internet access. I was constantly between changes that require heavy- swapping one IP connection for another as I moved about the hotel and I noticed that weight processes and those that would I needed to log in again and again. When the service desk operator asked me how benefit from a more agile approach many connections I needed, I replied 5 and was quickly given the ‘unlimited’ code - as

WINTER 2014 SERVICE TALK 33 MANAGINGis mobility RISK IN THE CLOUD making your operations more agile? according to their records I was already importantly integrity of the information types in order to better identify changes. In at 5 and I had only connected a single and the business processes they support. short, fewer changes for the CAB meeting device. This reminded me of the growth or maybe even fewer CAB meetings. in IT and the number of mobile devices Clearly, all changes are not created running applications. The conundrum for equal and the problem with many IT Those of us involved in service most IT service management organizations organizations is that we have been treating management must start getting engaged is that these mobile apps more often than them all with similarly heavyweight with the business and the application not bypass the IT infrastructure and our processes. Service management must development function at the point where service management processes, yet the evolve so that we can use agile approaches change is initiated, back at the demand users are expecting us to deliver service where practical to respond to rapidly phase, so that we can help to identify those as if we owned and ran the service. In short changing business expectations. changes that can offer quick benefits with minimal risk, and implement them more mobility is raising the expectations that the I strongly recommend that we take a business has of IT like never before! rapidly using an agile approach. Meanwhile, lead from our application development those changes which are high profile, high Think for a moment about an app on your brethren who saw this change occurring risk, and require lengthy development smartphone. The app evolves in frequent well ahead of operations. In 2001, a can be effectively communicated to the updates, sometimes almost daily, and the group of visionaries got together to business in terms of the value of good consumer thinks little about these changes develop “The Agile Manifesto” (http:// controls supported by the current good (in fact many updates auto-install). If you agilemanifesto.org/). The scope of the practices. Expectation setting with the look at the list of enhancements for an app manifesto was to uncover better ways business! update on your phone, you will see that of developing software, individually each list starts with a series of bug fixes. and through communities. While Agile A good example of this approach can be Today’s consumers expect that, should software development focuses on keeping seen at a retail bank operating in North an update fail, a solution will be available code simple, testing often and delivering America. The bank has implemented within a few hours; otherwise the chances functional bits of the application as soon a process that identifies changes that are that they will flip to an alternative as they’re ready, the Agile Manifesto was target innovation, such as a new client product. created as an alternative to document- assessment web form that is perceived to driven, heavyweight software development have little impact on the overall business Working in the service management processes such as the Waterfall approach. but could offer real innovation, leveraging world over the last decade, many of us Of course Waterfall still exists – this web and mobile delivery, if DevOps is have been maniacally focused on the methodology is used for large changes used as a philosophy. The development performance, availability and reliability to “systems of record” – but the focus organization are constantly updating of systems which were buggy and failed for application development is matching their new products and services (without regularly. To resolve what some called the correct demand type to the correct sacrificing testing, which is automated) the “traditional operations problem,” execution process. while branch systems can use a more we implemented highly structured and traditional ITIL-like process. Then changes rigorous systems using frameworks such It is time for the operations organization to the core banking system, a system of as ITIL for incident problem, change and to get agile and we in service management record, is managed according to traditional release across organizations. We removed must transition to implement processes processes. The results include increased developers’ access to production systems, than can support rapid change. For business satisfaction with faster time to grouped changes into releases that were example the tried-and-true change market for new business services, while the only implemented within specified change management process, where every availability of the core systems is at record windows, and ‘de-risked’ everything— change is highly documented, reviewed levels. almost to the point of organizational by a Change Advisory Board (CAB), and paralysis. then scheduled in a change window, will What is clear here is that one size for no longer suffice. Much of today’s change change doesn’t fit all. Where is your Today, the delivery of IT-enabled - such as website updates or changes to organization in this evolution? How quickly business is quite consistent in quality a mobile app – simply doesn’t fit these are you adapting? Remember, if you do and availability. The new generation of criteria. not evolve you will soon be irrelevant or savvy business professionals is leveraging by-passed by Shadow IT… more of which technology as a major disruptive weapon, Now, not all change is agile in nature and next time! but in an evolutionary, rather than traditional organizations have started to revolutionary way. Yet we still have introduce pre-approved changes that are backend systems that our business typically automated across the lifecycle depends on for day-to-day functioning using an orchestration or automation and these MUST be effectively managed tool. That said, we need to go further and to ensure not just availability but more accelerate the categorization of change

Rob Stroud is Vice President, Strategy & Innovation, at CA Technologies and winner of the 2013 ISACA Wasserman Award.

34 SERVICE TALK WINTER 2014

Tuesday 25th MARCH 2014

Midland Ho

tel, Manchester • Members: £199 +v

L FU

VICE er

ITION AT CCESSSERS er offlaces U b S N o p k twr £300 + V at • Non-members: £325 +V ial mem TRA fo ec - boo Sp

The handover from service design to transition is one of the most critical stages in the life of a service. Whether opting for rapid deployment with new frameworks such as DevOps or taking a more structured and formal approach to transition, the basic skills and disciplines remain the same. This practitioner-led AT seminar builds on our earlier service design seminar to focus on the core elements of successful service transition: careful planning and support; tightly managed release and deployment; effective service validating and testing and strong change management.

Presentations include: • Planning and supporting a successful transition - Rob Stroud, CA • The bumpy ride to service transition - Theresa Wright and Neil Meddick, Computacenter • Successful release and deployment - Anna Leyland, Steria • Managing change - Peter Hubbard, Pink Elephant

To book your place, please visit www.itsmf.co.uk, email [email protected] or phone 0118 918 6500. Scan the QR code with your To take advantage of the ‘two for £300’ offer, smart phone for please phone 0118 918 6500. further details