http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/troy A Weblog Dedicated to the Uncharted Reaches of ITIL Space en t.dumoulin@pinkelephant.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-17T18:23:01+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/pr41_the_evolution_children_of_service_level_management/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/pr41_the_evolution_children_of_service_level_management/#When:18:23:01Z Customer Satisfaction Is All About Strong Positive Relationships! As IT is emerging from its technology centric shell and stepping up to its role as a strategic partner and service provider within the business value system the roles required to manage this relationship have evolved over time. The evolution of ITIL from its first versions to the recent release of the 2011 edition have seen major shifts in the practices and processes supporting customer engagement and relationship management. Join Chris and I as we discuss this evolution of Service Level Management as it has spun off necessary practices such as Business Relationship Management, Service Catalog Management and Supplier Management. Show Notes: Good reactions to the last show on Scrum Biology and ITIL – two subjects you wouldn’t have thought go together Major change over last 3 versions of ITIL – what has happened? History of SLM – big shifts. In v2 service agreement was major part, also definition of a service, catalogue concept was there, customer engagement – used all to be part and parcel but was focused on process. Version 3 focused on service as the reason for all of this. In recent edition 2011e business relationship management was extracted but also promoted higher. What is the role of service level management now? Or is SLM a system comprised of 3 processes. Underpinning contracts still need to be done Become more of a back office supporting structure rather than on stage presence Processes seem to go from structural, to front & centre, to back office Gathering data, analysis, equipping the BRM by giving them the data they need to make decisions Should still be an accountable person (internal owner) for outsourced parts – accountability cannot be outsourced How do you get started? Start small. First agree that SLAs and BRM are important It’s all about leadership Don’t judge yourself too harshly for failing People sometimes don’t want to take on accountability because they think it’s an increase in workload – in fact it can be a reduction. It’s about clearly communicating your needs Brené Brown’s book on accountability: The gift of imperfection Troy’s Thunder Bolt Tip of The Day: If all these things evolved over time within ITIL why not look at the same thing for your organization For additional content on this subject: Practitioner Radio Episode 3 - Service Level Management and SLAs Practitioner Radio Episode 7 - The IT Service Catalog Practitioner Radio Episode 15 - Business Relationship Management “The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing.” ~John Russell, President, Harley Davidson To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2013-05-17T18:23:01+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR40_using_agile_scrum_for_itsm_projects/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR40_using_agile_scrum_for_itsm_projects/#When:20:00:29Z Sometimes Rapid Incremental Improvement is More Important Than Game Changing Transformation At Pink my team and I have the privilege of having several conversations a week with customers who want to improve their ability to deliver customer value via improved practices. However, before offering advice we have learned that it is important to ask questions and listen carefully to how organizations want to improve. For example: In many cases the company we are talking to has a time sensitive goal of moving everyone in IT off a current tool or should I say collections of processes and tools onto a common process and 1 new ITSM tool in as short a time as possible. No matter how you look at this type of goal it represents a Major Transformation that will mean significant and rapid change for everyone within the scope of the project. However, there are times where the focus is on achieving rapid incremental improvements (Quick Wins) focused and prioritized based on the “Customer Value Perspective” not internal IT efficiencies or major systems upgrades. In the latter example a more Agile approach to change is perhaps a better fit. In fact the this scenario is a perfect fit for an AGILE / SCRUM approach to Process Improvement. Join Chris and I in this episode of PR Radio where we look how organization’s can leverage this popular development and project methodology in respect to ITSM Projects.  NOTES: Pink-washed: overwhelmed, fun Scrum in 10 minutes video Scrum is a development methodology Agile is a principle in product development that looks at short sprints to get small packages print or production ready TLC told us in the 90’s - don’t go chasing Waterfalls! Prince2 says check back every big block but Scrum focuses on even smaller sets of tasks – sprints and releases Figure out your release then evaluate User stories drive product backlog and wish list Daily meetings – Kanban /scrum meetings Easier to measure success - quantifiable Focus on value – outcome for customer. What have you done for me lately? Prioritize tasks by customer need / pains Voice of customer is not usually a natural skill for IT people Outside-In thinking Assessment and recommendations should be written with customer in mind Look at short term, mid-term and long term releases Transformation is very different to incremental improvement – transformation is about fast, over-arching change, whereas incremental improvement is about getting better by making small changes Design, build & deploy in pieces rather than all at once Suits our ‘distracted’ society. We’re all in constant change Different people suit different methodologies – not necessarily either / or A sprinty spark (or a sparky sprint) can get you moving If it’s not about the customer it’s a waste of money See book Run, Go, Transform Dev and Ops aren’t used to thinking about end customer value – more asset optimization Could apply Scrum to personal human objectives Do we consider ourselves when putting customer first? Moving the family across the country is a transformation – moving schools, new house, address changes, insurance, jobs etc everything pretty much has to be done all at once.  It would be possible to do it incrementally but it would take a lot longer. Some things are not suited to scrum approach. Scrum is good when you have little budget – make small changes you can do yourself, bit by bit, build momentum as it proves value and get buy in Troy’s Thunder Bolt Tip of The Day: consider using an agile scrum methodology to achieve your continual service improvement goals, especially when you’re after incremental improvement Troy’s and Chris’s Thoughts What Are Yours? We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.  ~Mariam Wright To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2013-04-18T20:00:29+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/pr_39_service_orchestration/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/pr_39_service_orchestration/#When:22:14:47Z All Good Orchestra’s Need A Common Score In Order To Play In Harmony Or Else They Delivery Cacophony The power of a good analogy is that it allows someone to describe a complex and sometimes conceptual idea in a simple manner that most people can understand without interpretation or detailed explanation. This is in essence the principle behind the term “Service Orchestration”. First: Consider the premise that today’s Enterprise IT functions are made up of a mixed group of diverse suppliers (internal and external) and becoming even more diversified and complex as we integrate cloud and online services. Second: Now ask yourself’s how in the world will an organization keep all these moving parts synchronized in order to play their designated part in the larger value service system or even get them moving in the same direction? To achieve this desired result you need three key critical success factors: Strong IT Leadership that believes in the principle that all players in the IT value system need shared values, priorities and practices in order to deliver service in a harmonious fashion. A defined and shared IT Operating Model outlining they key elements of the Demand, Plan, Build, Run Value stream A set of Enterprise IT Governance Roles that will play the role of “Conductor” for all the various parties participating in the Service Orchestra Join Chris Dancy and I Live at Pink13 as we explore these key principles:   Show Notes: Recorded in front of a live audience at Pink13 PR - 19hours of audio! ‘Outcome Leasing’ is happening Need harmony between suppliers Even Enterprise Architecture is struggling Is information actually used? Essentials for an orchestra: 1 conductor 2 a common score Conductor must understand the full score Not everyone has to be involved in writing score Who is the conductor? Don’t blame the supplier when you haven’t got a common score Not likely to get this right first time Orchestras within orchestras but no-one wants responsibility for the entire picture Must be built for change The Service Lifecycle Value Stream is a ‘score’ The IT Operating model is the score at a Management Practice level The Service Management Office has to be broad thinking Systems thinking essential – everything is related to everything Organizational Design Challenges stemming from the Industrial Revolution / task specialization CMDB is different now – it’s a system diagram of relationships Number 1 issue is lack of systems thinking Fixing the bigger problem creates the value No-one is managing above the domain level Without a common score and conductor you won’t make music anyone wants to hear And the band played on… Troy’s Thunderbolt Tip of the Day: you have to understand and manage the larger system for generating value to delivery service orchestration Troy’s and Chris’s Thoughts What Are Yours? “Sometimes there is a 36-piece orchestra going off in my stomach.” ~Willie Nelson To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2013-03-09T22:14:47+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_38_-_pink13_preview_show/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_38_-_pink13_preview_show/#When:20:10:36Z Looking Forward With Great Anticipation & To An Amazing Event! On today’s show Chris and I invite you to a Pink13 Preview - Trailer with our Special Guest George Spalding who shares his inside knowledge about the must see elements of this years IT Service Management conference. Show Notes: Chris’ Trivia: what happened this day in January 2011? Pink11 video went viral – social media Episode 22 recorded at Pink12 was 2nd most listened to ever Practitioner Radio Ep39 will be recorded live at Pink13 on 18th Feb – Grand Ballroom, 7.30am Pink13 Schedule Attendance this year looking good Social media: @theITILexperts also @Pink_13 for live updates Hashtag #Pink13 for all tweets Streaming keynote sessions live! Increase of HE and government organizations attending Re-invent for new generation Different speed tracks needed Pink getting into training on frameworks Reasons for attending change year to year IT is still trying to do more with less – EFFICIENCY Heroism doesn’t scale well! Accommodating wi-fi for multiple devices Can you really be in two places at once and take it in? Adapting events to the multi-tasking, multi-device era Bobble heads are back! George’s Thunderbolt Tip of the Day: Pink13 – be there or be square! Troy’s, Chris’s and George’s Thoughts What Are Yours? “Part of show business is magic. You don’t know how it happens.”  Sammy Davis, Jr. To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2013-01-29T20:10:36+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR37_trains_tunnels_and_plate_spinning_for_it_services/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR37_trains_tunnels_and_plate_spinning_for_it_services/#When:17:14:28Z Managing The IT Service Portfolio Can Sometimes Feel Like Spinning Plates The only constant in the universe is Change! This is certainly true when we look at managing the incoming business Demand for IT Services. The question then becomes how do we effectively manage the volume of change through the value stream of “Demand, Plan, Build Run”. The answer is not very well if we organize and manage this value stream as separate IT disciplines and practices which is the reality for most organizations today. Rather than focusing on establishing an operating model that looks at the full supply chain flow most organizations will optimize these three areas as individual silos with very tenuous connections. Join Chris and I as we speak to our guest speaker Jack Probst about the concept of an IT Factory and the critical nature of an IT operating Model. Show Notes: Jack: Itsmf USA President Elect for 2014 Plan, Build, Run – define who does what Ep19: ITIL & Beyond 2013-01-29T17:14:28+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/a_brief_look_inside_pinkscan_online/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/a_brief_look_inside_pinkscan_online/#When:22:08:37Z Taking A Look At PinkSCAN Online For those of you who may be interested in Pink Elephant’s Online ITSM Self Assessment Tool I have recorded a screencast this weekend while checking out the cool new features of Camtasia for Mac 2.3 Show Notes: Blog Article: Deploying vs. Documenting Best Practices Blog Article: Why Bother With Process Assessments Pink Online Webpage “He who knows others is learned; He who knows himself is wise.”~Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching ITIL & Beyond 2013-01-27T22:08:37+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_36_2012_year_in_review/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_36_2012_year_in_review/#When:17:15:38Z Looking Ahead by Looking Behind! As I work in my home office during the Christmas Break I have already seen several year in review TV documentaries looking at the highlights of 2012 and looking forward with hope at what the new year will bring. In keeping with this tradition join Chris and I as we review the top 3 shows from 2012 and consider what they mean for our industry as we bravely journey on to a new year. Show Notes: January 24, 2011 was the first Practitioner Radio Reverse Practitioner Radio on “Self Service” Episode 35 SOUNDCLOUD STATS - TOP 3 - FROM LEAST LISTEN TO MOST SoundCloud Practitioner Radio Home MOST LISTENED TO NUMBER 3: 450 Listened on SoundCloud - Dealing With Rogue Support Agents - Practitioner Radio Episode 27 - June 9, 2012 MOST LISTENED TO NUMBER 2: 640 Listened on SoundCloud Pink Elephant 2012 LIVE RECORDING - The Service Management Office - Practitioner Radio Episode 22 - March 4, 2012 Practitioner RADIO LIVE at Pink 2013 MOST LISTENED TO NUMBER 1: 800 Culture & ITSM Transformation Projects - Practitioner Radio Episode 21 - Feb 13, 2012 ITSM Weekly Podcast July 2012 DevOps with John Willis Edward de Bono Six Hats Beyond Literacy Project Troy’s and Chris’s Thoughts What Are Yours? Troy’s Thunder Bolt Tip of The Day: Keep listening in 2013 “Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.” ~Thomas Sowell To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2012-12-27T17:15:38+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_35_customer_self_service/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_35_customer_self_service/#When:16:48:29Z Looking At Self Support Options Through A Practical Lens Product Support is a DNA element for all service providing organizations. As such many organization’s begin their Service Improvement efforts in this area. Customer Support when done right is a great contributor to customer satisfaction, when done wrong will often drive your customers to alternative suppliers and products. In this light establishing Self Service Options seems like a key contributor to creating Raving Fans! Or is It? Many organizations implement these service options with cost cutting goals or simply to keep the customer from disrupting what is considered higher value work. In these scenarios Customer Self Service can be a MAJOR pain in the Customer posterior! Join Chris and I as we look at these questions. Show Notes: Opposite day on Practitioner Radio Chris Dancy’s ITSM History Self Service in the 80’s 90’s What types of people used web portals in the 90’s?Self Service is about CHOICES, not about tools. People want IMMEDIATE responses Wait we should wait define what we mean by “Self Service” Self Service is about choice Don’t make me think Context, Classification and Presentation User experience assessment Should all 1st level response, be forced through a portal? Ian Clayton, Inside Out BYOD is about SUPPORT, my CHOICE in support Chris goes to BMC to meet with the CIO about employee value Employees who are out to HURT the company vs. companies that just want to do their job better and faster? “How does that pipeline get filled or CSI work in a world, the REAL world of ITSM? It’s social….let’s stop fooling ourselves.” Self service should be “I have a request for something that I don’t need immediately” Anger, Entitlement and Social Media for Self Service “I’d rather have the wrong answer NOW, than the right answer an hour from now” Engagement and Feedback systems are the NEW SELF SERVICE IT portals usually only do two things, “GIVE ME SOMETHING” or “COMPLAIN TO ME” Things like “Get Satisfaction” offer two other options “Give Praise” or “Share and idea” Wendy Lea CEO Get Satisfaction on ITSM Weekly Podcast Self Service and “scheduling” the “genius bar” concept Apple is hitting the same wall, IT did a decade ago. Reboot your phone before coming to the store. We need new metrics in Self Service Experience Metrics for 2013? (Yes we list them) We measure RISK, not BENEFITS CHRIS’ THUNDERBOLT TIP OF THE DAY?! When considering self service options, always put yourself in the seat and role of the customer, understanding their time, environment and context will change the tools and processes they will select when using self service. Chris’s & Troy’s Thoughts What Are Yours? “If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” ~Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes   ITIL & Beyond 2012-12-27T16:48:29+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR_34_-_online_learning_emerging_trends/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/PR_34_-_online_learning_emerging_trends/#When:22:00:09Z Today’s Fast Paced Online & Connected Workforce Is Looking For Virtual Learning Opportunities In our business and home lives we are increasingly becoming connected to online social networks which parcel out to us our daily dose of news, entertainment, communication, shopping and family connectivity. Combine this with a business economy that is looking for more efficient ways to achieve results with fewer resources, the growing trend for younger generations to prefer online environments as a means of communication and the sheer reality that lives are simply getting more complex and you have the perfect storm that is driving an emerging trend toward online education options. At Pink Elephant we have observed this trend as our clients respond with growing enthusiasm to our Self Paced & Instructor Led Online Offerings Join Chris, and I as we discuss this interesting evolution with a guest Chris Yardley. Show Notes Online Education Trends E-learning Online Learning and the Millennial Generation Humanity has splintered: Time spent in Virtual vs Physical environments Learning is not just taking it in but re-sharing your learning through Social Media The Perfect Storm – Changes in Economy, Culture, Technology Advancements, Social Media Started as Cost Savings to New Learning Styles The Vacation did not exist until the photos are online Classic school systems incorporating online Learning Management Systems Organizational changes related to virtual workers requiring different methods and mediums to support learning goals Trends: Companies looking at more efficient and flexible models to do training in bite size pieces, mobile, or blended / modular approaches to learning The Technology, Process, People Pendulum Audible Online Books Available “Blocks” time for education have diminished requiring new levels of flexibility Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Crowdsourcing Education and Support (Mentormob) eLearning Moving to hybrid – engaging models FloraTV SoundCloud Multi Tasking Not Efficient for Learning Pass rates impacted by Online Learning? Measuring Online Learning with a Wooden Ruler Experiential Learning PR Radio Show Organizational Personal Development & eLearning The Importance of eLearning in emerging markets and geographic distribution Troy’s Thunder Bolt Tip of The Day: Online and Web Based Learning is an emerging and important part of personal and corporate development. Every organization needs to take a long hard look at how to best use this rich and effective resource we have online. Troy’s, Chris’s & Chris’s Thoughts What Are Yours? “There are two fundamental equalizers in life – the Internet and education.” - John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems   To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes ITIL & Beyond 2012-12-14T22:00:09+00:00 http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_33_itsm_is_just_bsm_with_it_examples/ http://blogs.pinkelephant.com/index.php?/troy/practitioner_radio_episode_33_itsm_is_just_bsm_with_it_examples/#When:22:45:50Z All Service Organizations Have The Same Basic Value Streams Those of us who spend their lives researching, documenting and promoting best practices for IT Management can often be accused of over complicating things. We talk about this framework and that standard and describe the complex integrations of inputs and outputs, etc. etc. etc. However, recently I have been doing a lot of thinking about this and with a healthy dose of Lean Thinking added to my reality filters I am starting to see that we can be accused over cooking it a bit. Not that you don’t need the details when you are looking at specifics. However, lets not go overboard in our pride to think we have come up with the meaning of life and the answer to world hunger. In fact the IT Management concepts we so proudly debate and argue over are simply echoes of a larger concept called Business Service Management. Join Chris and I was we discuss the concepts of Service Management within the larger business ecosystem. Show Notes: Pocket PR Radio What is BSM? Unfortunately the confusion around the term Business Service Management often stems from one of the following incorrect assumptions: Business Service Management is analogous to IT Service Management or ITIL Business Service Management relates specifically to an ITSM Tool suite BSM is a Concept of Business Service Orientation Reaching For The Future with BSM: On The Path Towards Business “Oriented” Service Management Business Service Management is the parent principle of IT Service Continuity Management Every business / service organization have the same basic DNA type of practices All service organizations have the same basic structures for producing value. Market Demand Analysis & Planning Demand Intake & requirements generation Product / Service Design Product / Service Launch / Change Processes Operations / Support Service Productization Webinar: The Separation of History not Reality or Logic Incident Management is only one aspect of Product Support Business Relationship Manager – Customer Liaison Encyclopedia Sales Men and The Service Catalog Management Systems & BSM IT Operating Model Cycle / Lead Time Service Level Management and BSM Cycle Time and bringing products to market What’s the difference between Incident & Bug Tracking Portfolio Inputs for CSI Operational Excellence – Continual Feedback Loop for Product and Market renewal No standard’s body capturing a common view of BSM Who Needs another set of books? Shout out to Stewart Crymble Business Shared Services including IT Specialist Groups Dealing with redundancy by consolidating specialty IT Functions Gartner Article on IT Budgets = A Decade of Devaluation in IT Observations: Most service organizations need enterprise / shared services that support the Governance and Management aspect of the value chain. Many organizations are starting to see IT shared services begin to consolidate into business shared services. Troy’s Thunder Bolt Tip of The Day: Remember when we are talking about Business Service Management it is the Parent of ITSM. We need to understand are Possibly Business Shared Services. Troy’s and Chris’s Thoughts What Are Yours? “Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large.” ~Mahatma Gandhi To subscribe to Pink’s Podcasts on iTunes   ITIL & Beyond 2012-11-09T22:45:50+00:00