Previewing the thought-leadership content from the Keynote Theatre being offered at the fast-approaching Service Desk and IT Support Show, analyst Ovum turns its attention to ITIL2011, the controversial update to the body of best practice literature, in our third exclusive preview article.  Ovum’s Adam Holtby says that rather than automatically vilifying the update, we should take time to understand how the changes can help everyone delivering IT services. 

Service departments that may have invested in ITIL V3 employee certification before the ITIL 2011 revisions need not panic.  The ITIL syllabus and exams may have been updated, but there is currently no requirement for employees who are already ITIL certified to undergo new certification and subsequent exams.  ITIL has always been a framework of guidance, rather than a “one-size-fits-all” collection of processes, roles, and functions.  Regardless of an organisation’s size and how many processes it currently adopts, or plans to adopt in the future, ITIL should not be viewed as a “one-time project.”  Organisations need to focus on making ITIL a common language and culture. If this is done effectively, ITIL will deliver real value.

ITIL 2011 is not a new version of ITIL
In July 2011 the revisions to the ITIL V3 service lifecycle suite were published, containing updates across all five stages – significantly within the service strategy publication.  This is not a new version of ITIL (as was the transition from V2 to V3), but an update to the existing framework.  The core publications, as mentioned in the official ITIL update FAQ, are to now be referred to simply as “ITIL,” and all five books – service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement – have been republished.  The term “ITIL 2011″ is being used to distinguish from the 2007 version.

The ITIL 2011 revisions are the most significant to the framework since v3 was published in 2007.  These updates have been made in response to inconsistencies in the text and diagrams of all five stages in ITIL v3.  These inconsistencies were recognised through advice from the change advisory board and the training community – teachers wanted to make ITIL easier to teach, and students felt it could be more readable – and other issues raised via the change control log.  (It is nice to see that ITIL practices what it preaches in terms of continual service improvement.)

ITIL 2011 revisions offer further guidance on how to deliver more value
ITIL 2011 introduces some new processes, with two in particular (strategy management and business relationship management) aimed at better integration of IT strategy with that of the business.  Business relationship management has been formalised as a process, with the business relationship manager the process owner.  Adopters of this process and role could find it useful in improving communication and expectations between the business and IT.  The business relationship manager should understand the strategies of both IT and the business, and act as a communication asset for both.  This unified business and IT voice could prove invaluable in improving the value of IT services delivered to the business while providing IT with a vision of the business demands.

The service strategy publication now gives reference to the impact of cloud computing, but does not detail best practices aligned with delivering a cloud-based service.  Cloud computing will continue to influence the way IT services are delivered, and although some consideration to cloud computing is given, more detailed ITIL best-practice guidelines would be welcome in future revisions.

Within continual service improvement, the CSI register is a welcome inclusion that could prove invaluable in better identifying and formalising potential areas of improvement.  The CSI stage and, more specifically, the behaviours and mentality that it aims to encourage, were a welcome addition in ITIL v3.  As with the ITIL best practice framework as a whole in order for continuous improvement to be successful it needs to become embraced by everyone and become embedded as part of the culture of IT.  All involved need to share the same vision and be encouraged to contribute toward it being realised.  The CSI stage has become integral in identifying improvement opportunities across all processes and lifecycle stages.  The CSI register gives visibility of such improvements.  It is a resource containing any identified improvement opportunities across any of the five stages of the ITIL framework.

The CSI register should document all improvement opportunities, including the associated benefits and proposed time to completion.  The information submitted to the register needs to be accurate, and expectations surrounding priority and time scales need to be realistic.  It is therefore important that only those with the relevant awareness and power of decision lead action on suggested recommendations in the register.  If supported effectively, the CSI register could be a valuable resource, giving visibility and practical relevance of improvement opportunities that senior management can make calculated decisions upon driving innovation within the IT department.

Documented inputs and outputs and improved diagrams bring clarity
The lack of clarity between the transition and interaction of all five of the lifecycle stages has also been addressed in the 2011 revisions.  With previous versions of ITIL it was common for value to be lost between stages due to lack of clarity of what the required inputs and outputs where.  All stages now have documented example inputs and outputs that provide guidance on transitioning between the various lifecycle stages and the processes within them.  This inclusion has been made to bring some practical insight into how the different lifecycle stages interact. Improved diagrams and process flows also provide further guidance across all stages.

The business is becoming increasingly dependent on value being created by IT, further encouraging IT as a key business enabler.  The ITIL 2011 revisions further facilitate this, more so than any version of ITIL published before it.  The framework, if adopted and embedded within the culture of IT, can assist organisations in practically delivering and displaying such value.

View more of OVUM’s ITSM research on our YouTube channel.

Adam Holtby, analyst, IT service management (Twitter: @adam_holtby)

www.ovum.com (Twitter: @OvumICT)

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