What’s The Purpose Of ITSM In Your Organization?

First things first. That's a phrase I've heard many different people say all through my life. Usually a leader will use this phrase to focus us on the approach for a task. I even remember my grand-mother on baking day saying "First things first" as she got her huge mixing bowl out from the pantry! However, in the context of IT Service Management I think this phrase comes into its own not so much when we describe WHAT we should be doing, or even HOW we should be going about things, but "first things first" in ITSM should mean "WHY are we about to do this ....?" Always verify the purpose before starting some new initiative. Always make sure there's a worthwhile benefit to the organization. That means the benefit needs to be relevant to our overall objectives for the business. For me, the purpose of ITSM has always been - to deliver reliable, worthwhile and cost effective IT services (those words "reliable", "worthwhile" and "cost effective" cover a lot of ground but you don't need me to elaborate on that - do you?) So, as you're about to make changes in the operation of your ITSM activities you should be asking yourself "Is this change going to help us deliver greater reliability of existing services, worthwhile new services, or have a positive effect on finances?" If the answer is "Yes" - well done! If the answer is "No" or "Not sure" - then you have more thinking to do. Keep in mind the purpose of ITSM. A few years ago that would be it for my subject today - the purpose of ITSM is to deliver reliable, worthwhile, cost effective IT services. But today, there's more ....! Recently, through the consumerization of IT, we see corporate IT being by-passed as new IT assets and services are sourced by others in the organization. That's not so bad when it's done effectively and efficiently with no unacceptable risks (such as data being compromised). But I have to believe this increasingly empowered workforce could still use some expert advice when making their decisions. So, I see an additional role (purpose) for ITSM - to provide counselling on the risks & opportunities of new trends in technologies and IT services. Do you agree? Or do you think it's just buyer beware! (Translation: "It's not my job!")

Like this article? Like

Comments

Post a comment