Columns | ITSM Portal

08/03/2010 The scope of the body of knowledge
In my previous column, I looked at the definition for body of knowledge. Using this as our next starting point, we now need to look at the scope of this body of knowledge for service management: what...
03/03/2010 What is a service catalog?
Organizations will have different levels of knowledge with regards to their understanding of what constitutes a service catalog. With respect to their level of knowledge and understanding of the...
01/03/2010 Don't implement ITIL!
Seems like the wrong message to be posted on a site such as ITSM Portal. Quotes such as “We are implementing ITIL” or worse, “We are doing ITIL” is something I hear often. I think this...
01/03/2010 Managing changes and their impacts on the business
Changes to IT systems and applications are driven by the business factors such as changes in business models (marketing, financial, revenue, credit, etc), changes in regulations, mergers and...
23/02/2010 Lesser-spotted ITSM frameworks - 8
Are you seeking to gain certification for your organization for two or more of these standards at some stage over the next few years? ISO 20000 (IT service management) ISO 27001 (information...
17/02/2010 What is a body of knowledge?
Before I start exploring the various topics mentioned in my previous column, I need to come up with a consensus on the definition of the term body of knowledge. There are many different...
11/02/2010 Pitching enterprise architecture
Many words have been written on enterprise architecture in attempting to understand its meaning and usefulness. Having recently switched companies, I now need to pitch my motivation in my quest for a...
08/02/2010 I have a certificate …..trust me! I know what I’m doing
I was prompted to write this column as a result of a discussion on LinkedIn started by Sandeep Patwardhan. The discussion was ‘Which one is better ? ITIL certification or sound knowledge about it...
03/02/2010 Building the body of knowledge for service management, part 1
I believe that it is high time that the IT community (consultants, educators, trainers, hardware, and software vendors) start cooperating towards building a sensible body of knowledge for service...
01/02/2010 Seven habits of highly ineffective IT managers
According to that reliable UK source, The Sun, the last week in January is the most depressing of the whole year. We’ve got no money after Christmas, it’s the peak time for colds and flu, and the...
25/01/2010 Politics and ITSM adoption
When we launch an ITSM adoption effort, we have plans for everything: project plans, resource plans, documentation on the process scope, timelines, milestones and so on. But the one thing that...
21/01/2010 ITIL and Web 2.0
CSI, alongside with service strategy, is one of the most important components of ITIL. CSI deals with metrics that constitute the basis for the PDCA quality improvement cycle. It presents the process...
18/01/2010 Lesser-spotted ITSM frameworks - 7
Very big businesses are involved in Lesser-spotted frameworks – 7 (IT-CMF) – a framework for optimising the business value from IT investments. This will be a framework to watch in 2010. The...
14/01/2010 Why a service catalog?
The failure of IT to show the value to the organization and its role in the achievement of business outcomes may leave IT vulnerable in the sense that it is seen as not being as strategically...
23/12/2009 Process not working correctly? Add more process!
Abraham Maslow is credited with saying that “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” In my opinion, effective process engineering requires that you use a...
17/12/2009 Reducing OPEX to fund innovation
IT is like a living creature under continuous evolution. The ability to head this evolution towards a permanent alignment with business operational and strategic needs is one of the most wanted...
16/12/2009 How to get good customer satisfaction results
I suppose one way might be to offer better service, but that is not what I am writing about in this column. Improving survey results is easy and people do it all the time. Unfortunately, many do it...
10/12/2009 Is ITIL a good qualification?
Degree; MBA; MCTS; ACA; PMP……………… We are told from an early age we need good qualifications. And in a volatile world where careers span many organisations, the need for professional...
07/12/2009 Why don’t we ask the users?
It staggers me as I look at the development of our industry. The hype and trends. The way there is now a focus on business and IT integration, not alignment. ITIL V2 was all about alignment, ITIL V3...
30/11/2009 Implementing configuration management using ITIL v3
The ITIL framework provides guidance on establishing excellent IT service management with a strong focus on continuous process improvement. I have been working in the process improvement field for...