ITIL Blog - Featuring ITIL Training and Online ITIL Resources

Real-World ITIL Configuration Management - From Start To Finish

I recently interviewed Larry Klosterboer, the author of “Implementing ITIL Configuration Management”, for over an hour on best practices in implementing ITIL Configuration Management.

Larry’s got several large scale, complex CMDB implementations under his belt and he’s not afraid to share with you what really works, his 5 step framework, tons of techniques - as well as what definitely does not work.

Now, that’s my kind of interview!

We can often learn more from past mistakes than we can from just ‘what works’.

But what I really enjoyed about the Podcast is the extent Larry’s gone to lay-out for you, step-by-step, the key stages of planning, designing, building, implementing and enhancing Configuration Management.

If you are just starting out – or someway along your CMDB journey – listen to this practical, start-to-finish guide to help you establish a clear roadmap for success, customize standard processes to your needs and avoid the pitfalls and challenges that might just stand in your way.

You’ll learn practical tips on how to plan your implementation, deploy tools and processes, administer ongoing configuration management tasks, refine ITIL information, and leverage it for competitive advantage.

Throughout, Larry highlights his approach with lots of real-world advice and examples, and helps you focus on the specific techniques that offer maximum business value in your environment.

The Podcast is split into two 30 minute segments, covering: -

• Assessing your current CM maturity and setting goals for improvement
• Gathering Requirements to align ITIL with organizational needs
• Describing the schema of your CMDB
• Identifying, capturing, and organizing configuration data
• Choosing the best tools for your requirements
• Integrating data and processes to create a unified logical CMDB
• Implementing pilot projects to demonstrate the value of CM
• Moving from a pilot to wide-scale enterprise deployment
• Defining roles for deployment and ongoing staffing
• Leveraging configuration management information
• Measuring and improving CMDB data accuracy

I also twisted Larry’s arm to 'spill the beans' and take a deeper dive into Requirements Management and running CMDB pilot projects. These two sections alone are well worth a listen.

You rarely find anyone talking so openly about these two topics.


Listen to the Podcast

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How To Eliminate Problems Before They Impact Your Business

Free 67 Page Ebook - Ready To Download!

The S7VEN Sources of Problems

Eliminating problems before they impact your business not only makes good service sense but it also allows scarce resources to focus on other, more value adding, activities.

The whole emphasis of my ebook is to provide you with real world, proven, practical tips and techniques that can be adapted for you use within your own organization.

Written in an easily accessible style this pragmatic ebook reveals:

- How to quickly use the S7VEN Sources model to eliminate problems in your Service Operation

- Four essential ways to manage 'known errors'

- How to remove 'single points of failure' or SPOFs

- The secrets of a 'problem free' Service Transition

- How to create implementation plans that really work

- How to maximise Vendor results month after month

- How to eradicate 'blame culture'

It's taken me many months to consolidate these good practices into one easily accessible ebook - so I hope you enjoy it.

Most of all - I would like you to adopt the most suitable ideas and put them to good use.

Why not find out what the S7VEN Sources model can do for you in 2008!

Download your free copy now...

Download the_s7ven_sources_of_problems.pdf

I'd really like to hear what you think about this ebook: what did you like, what's the best idea that you are going to adopt, perhaps you have better ideas - afterall no-one has got the monopoly on great ideas!

Why not click the comments link below and share your thoughts...

ITIL Version Three Mindmap

I have produced this rather useful ITIL Version Three / Refresh Mindmap for anyone who needs to quickly learn what's included in which tranche for the ITIL refresh project.

A Mindmap really lends itself to this type of information because it makes it faster to absorb, whilst retaining the structure and context of the message.

The headings are a reflection of the OGC's official "Scoping and Development" report (part 1) which was recently published (see link below). [Please note - this is my own work and is to be viewed for educational purposes only]. 

What really springs to life, as you click through the linkages on the map, is how well structured the new lifecycle approach is - and - how well thought through the integration between the new five core texts is going to be.

Hopefully, this will see the end of any version 2 'navigation' challenges.

The Mindmap refers to the core new texts as well as the complimentary value-add material.

You can really get a feel for what's going to be included in: Service Strategies, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operations and Continual Service Improvement.

*How To Download and View the Mindmap*

1. To view the Mindmap you will first need to download Mindjet Mindmanager's FREE Viewier. *It's a large file*

Please visit this link to download the viewer:-

http://www.mindjet.com/us/download/mindmanager_viewers/index.php?s=2

(or visit mindjet.com and click 'downloads')

2. Next you can download the actual Mindmap here:-

Download ITIL_Refresh_Version3_mindmap.mmap

Further Resources:-

OGC Scoping and Development Report.


ISO/IEC 20000 - Free Audio Download and 40 page eBook.

ITIL Implementation Guidance From The Real World

Finding real world, practical advice, guidance and feedback on what 'works' and how to avoid the pitfalls of poor ITIL implementations is really something quite difficult to do.

Over the last eighteen months of Blogging about ITSM - I have seen relatively few articles or case studies outside of itSMF presentations and seminars (which are always good value for money - by the way).

So well done to Malcolm Wheatley, writing for CSO Online in Australia for seemingly scouring the globe for several perspectives and insights from battle scarred ITIL Implementors.

Before I highlight the link and let you have a good read of this excellent article, let's just take a minute to preview what Malcolm ensures you get to know:-

- How ITIL figures with Security Implementations and Controls

- ITIL Implementation for a 1,800 UK based Store Chain

- The Positive Impact on Organizational Structure

- How ITIL plays well with CoBIT, ISO17799 / ISO27001

- Improving Processes with ITIL

- Fast Tracking ITIL

- Business Process Transformation

Resources.


- Access the CSO Online Article "The Skinny On ITIL"

- Access "ITIL Implementation Strategies" - Free 2 hour Audio and Bonus Materials

ITIL Implementation Strategies - Free Access To ALL Resources!

The ITIL Implementation Strategies Teleseminar took place yesterday and I was extremely pleased with how everything went! Randy Steinberg, my guest for the call, packed tons of great content into the call - covering your top 12 most burning questions.

I would like to acknowledge Randy for his sterling contribution to this event and also thank everyone who sent in their most burning question.

We had so many questions, I had to group them into categories (12 in total) to ensure that we got through the content in the allotted 2 hours.

The 12 questions Randy covered in detail were:-

Q1. How can you best 'sell' ITIL to the board / Senior Management and persuade them that ITIL is the right thing to do in the first place?

Q2. How do you obtain buy-in for ITIL and overcome objections from anti-process colleagues?

Q3. How do you define and measure the ROI of ITIL in order to prove its value?

Q4. How do you maintain momentum and buy-in as the ITIL Implementation programme proceeds?

Q5. What 'soft skills' are required to implement ITIL?

Q6. How do you go about implementing ITIL at the very beginning - from scratch? What are the very fist steps I should take?

Q7. After alert monitoring, alert management and the helpdesk - where should I commence my ITIL implementation programme?

Q8. What are the main reasons why ITIL implementations fail? How can you overcome these reasons?

Q9. Can ITIL be used with other methodologies - such as CoBIT and Six Sigma? If so, how?

Q10. How do you implement ITIL in small (or not-for-profit) Organizations?

Q11. Where do you start to begin implementing the CMDB?

Q12. Where do you start to begin implementing a Service Catalog?

Randy answered all these question in detail - and then some!

I have made all the following materials freely available to you:-

- Audio Download of the Teleseminar (listen to it on your iPOD!)

- Teleseminar Executive Summary Notes (key bullets of each answer)

- Online Resource Guide (over 20 accompanying links to PDF's)

Plus, coming soon, I have the additional materials:-

- Full transcript of the Teleseminar (professionally edited)

- Mystery bonus items (you'll have to stay tuned!)

Randy also gave away two quality bonus items:-

- The Complete PDF of Chapter Three of his book, "Implementing ITIL", which provides a strategic view of all the key stages of ITIL implementation programmes.

- An ITIL'ized version of the DICE Model (Excel spreadsheet and PDf guide) which helps you to understand the overall chances of success that your ITIL Implementation projects currently face - and how you can improve your chances of success.

To access all of the above material and keep up to date with the release of the mystery bonus resources - you only have to visit:-

Ask The Service Expert

Once you have registered, you will have full and complete access as and when the materials become available.

We really want to hear your feedback!

Tell us what you think of the resources that we provided for you and the Teleseminar in general! Please visit:-

Ask the Service Expert Mini-Blog

Implementing ITIL: Project Success Prediction Model

I've just finished wrapping up the preparations for tomorrow nights free two hour Teleseminar on ITIL Implementation Strategies with Randy Steinberg.

I am going to announce the bonus materials live on the call - but wanted to give you a sneak preview of one bonus via the IT Service Blog.

Randy has adapted the Boston Consulting Groups "DICE" model and applied it to ITIL Implementation Projects.

This is a high level tool for predicting the overall success of an organizational change (in this case ITIL implementation) effort. It reinforces what needs to be in place to make that kind of a project successful.

While simple in nature, the results have been actually correlated from a study by the Boston Consulting Group over many projects. A reference to the Harvard Business Review article that describes this in much more detail is included with the documentation.

Randy has prepared a simple excel spreadsheet that you can adapt for your own organization, along with notes on how best to use the DICE model.

I can't reveal too much more here - so if you want to learn more - please register for the Teleseminar tomorrow.

If you can't make the Teleseminar - register anyway to gain access to the free bonus materials, audio files of the complete call and specially edited call transcript.

Register Here

ITIL, CoBIT and ISO: Overlap Or Complement?

By Jean-Pierre Garbani with Laura Koetzle and Thomas Powell.

In this excellent article the authors attempt to highlight the real differences between ITIL, CoBIT and ISO. Originally published on the CIO website.

To quote the article directly, “Today, Forrester estimates that 30% of $1 billion-plus companies are experimenting with ITIL and between 12% and 13% have implemented ITIL. However, ITIL is relatively weak in security controls and weaker yet in metrics and outsourcing, two areas where ISO and COBIT shine.”

"The three different best practices frameworks cover different domains:-

ISO 17799. This international standard — of which International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) released a revised version in June 2005 — aims to improve the practices and organizations around information security. It defines a global approach to security management that touches the responsibilities and organizations responsible for security as well as the policies, critical asset classification, and risk management. It is best used when security certification and overall definition of all security processes — logical and physical — is needed and basic rules for security defined.

ITIL. Originally created by the UK government, ITIL summarizes best practices for the implementation of IT management processes. ITIL defines the processes to be implemented to deliver and support IT services (most of the time, IT services today equal applications) focusing on the business (IT’s customer). The ITIL philosophy revolves around the service desk as a communication platform and the configuration management database (CMDB).

COBIT. COBIT compiles an up-to-date international set of generally accepted control objectives for day-to-day use by business managers and IT managers. It addresses IT governance and the key performance indicators associated with process improvement. At first glance, COBIT seems to overlap considerably with ITIL, but COBIT has clearly been influenced by problems raised by the insurance industry. Mergers and acquisitions, unification of processes, outsourcing and audits are main chapters of the COBIT framework.

Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:-

ISO 17999 provides security controls. It does not provide implementation guidance and does not specifically address how these processes fit into the overall IT management processes.

ITIL is strong on delivery and support processes. It describes how to structure operational processes but is weak on security controls and processes.

COBIT is focused on controls and metrics. It also lacks a security component but provides a more global view of IT processes at the IT organization management principles than ITIL.

ISO, ITIL, And COBIT: Complementary Or Overlapping?

Looking at these three frameworks, we reach the conclusion that they do in fact complement each other: you can supplement the IT operational process strengths of ITIL with the critical success factors (CSF) and key performance indicators (KPI) of COBIT, and both can make good use of the security processes and controls defined in ISO.

Examples of complementary elements between ITIL Service Support, COBIT, and ISO are:-

Incident management. Defined as an ITIL service support process, it has an ISO complement in case of security incidents as well as a COBIT delivery and support chapter.

Problem management. The COBIT delivery and support chapter defines incident and problem management processes that complement the ITIL problem management process.

Change, configuration, and release management. These ITIL processes have a direct complement in COBIT’s change management and configuration changes as well as in ISO’s operational change control, controls against viruses, and third-party security requirements.

COBIT and ISO also provide guidance, key indicators, and controls for the definition of service-level agreements, capacity planning, availability management, and business continuity, which complement ITIL service delivery processes."

Obviously we should add to this mix the introduction of ISO20000 the new international standard for IT Service Management.

Resources: -

Read the Full Article Here

Want an Overview of ISO20000? Read it Here

Need more information on ISO20000? Find it Here

Need more on information CoBIT? Find it Here

ITIL Implementation Best Practice - White Paper

I’ve just discovered a great report from Gartner whilst researching the search term “ITIL Implementation” on Google.

The 17 page “ITIL Implementation best practice” white paper answers these three questions: -

1. What converging global trends are encouraging IS organizations to adopt ITIL?

2. What best practices can accelerate ITIL implementation and help to successfully deliver benefits?

3. What lessons can we apply to ITIL from similar process disciplines such as the software Capability Maturity Model, Six Sigma and lean manufacturing?

The contents and structure are very well produced and includes: -

- The IS Credibility Curve
- Service Delivery Operating Models
- Which Process Improvement Model? (ITIL, MOF, CoBIT)
- Why ITIL?
- Service Management Certification
- Process and Structure
- Process Improvement and Culture Change
- Achieving Cultural Change
- Sourcing Best Practice To Maximise Service Value
- Technologies for IT Service Management and Process Automation
- Where Does IT Service Management Save You Money?
- ITIL Implementation Costs (Case Study)
- Recommendations

Read the White Paper Here – I recommend it to you.

Access Gartner's Site Here.