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This might prove fruitful in the short term but will cost the organisation later in the operational arena and when trying to apply some form of financial governance. So how do you know how much to invest and when? There is no right or wrong answer - it’s about being pragmatic and looking at what is required in the bigger picture. What is the long-term driver of the organisation? How is IT expected to support the business objectives? Financial support must be available before, during and after the adoption and adaption to the ITIL best practice framework. On many accounts, I’ve witnessed the benefits of ITIL best practices deteriorate because there has been no focus on ensuring ongoing financial support to aid in the practical application of improvements. Recently, I’ve seen some clients maintaining a reactive focus - only willing to invest when there is a potential problem or when something has gone wrong.
3. Short-term versus Long-term wins Short-term wins will ideally address current pain points or areas that can show continued progress. The focus is really to ensure that momentum continues and management commitment is maintained throughout the implementation best practice journey. It is true that the ultimate success of the practical application of best practice will be judged on whether the long-term wins have been achieved. However, it’s also important to recognise that achieving long-term wins also relies on accurately identifying the short-term wins. Short-term wins will ideally address current pain points or areas that can show continued progress. The focus is really to ensure that momentum continues and management commitment is maintained throughout the best practice journey. In terms of duration and what it means for the organisation and of course IT, short-term wins should be defined at the start.
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Most short-term wins I’ve set out when adopting and adapting to ITIL have been based around a number of months to deliver a piece of work which is also aligned to the bigger picture of applying best practice as a whole. Expectations have to be managed with the identification of short-term and long-term wins. Customers and other stakeholders have to be aware that achieving short-term wins does not guarantee the achievement of long-term wins. In fact, you are also likely to make changes to some long-term objectives based on what is achieved in the short-term, this is also another trend that I’ve started to notice with a number of clients.
4. Momentum is Vital Momentum is identified within a number of the tips provided. Why is this so important? For the answer, I would direct you to some amazing research that was carried out by W.E. Deming on continuous quality improvement. The Deming Cycle is based around 4 key stages: Plan, Do, Check and Act. I’ve noticed with a number of ITIL initiatives that IT organisations are very good in the Plan and Do stages, but I still have strong reservations as to how good IT organisations are at the Check and Act stages based on any recommendations put forward. If we take the classic project management methodology as to what constitutes a project closure, it may be based on whether the deliverables have been achieved (and acquiring customer sign off). However, does your project management arena within IT ask the key questions that could determine whether a project is actually successful or unsuccessful? For example, before a project is formally closed, has the project manager discussed how momentum will continue post project closure, and has this been agreed upon with the customer? This is one of the simplest questions to ask but it is often ignored, as some project managers may not want to become involved, or they may see this as outside the scope of their work. A classic situation of focusing on the here and now, without thinking about what might lie ahead for tomorrow. This is not a criticism of some project managers, but a reality check that this is a culture we are creating and accepting in some organisations.
Top 10 Tips for Adopting and Adapting to ITIL®
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