Challenges Associated With Implementing Business Service Management / IT Service Management - Part II

This is continuation of my earlier blog i.e., “Challenges Associated With Implementing Business Service Management / IT Service Management (ITSM) - Part I”.

As we continue to explore the challenges associated with implementing IT service management, these are some additional ones that should be considered as we embark on this journey. Let’s discuss these further.

Balancing resources between “fighting fires” and “new developments”

The chances are that if you are a lower maturity level organization that majority of your resources are engaged in fighting fires most of the time. When initiatives like business service management implementation are undertaken, special attention should be given to the number of additional resources that may be necessary to successfully deliver on new initiatives. In most cases, consultants may be an appropriate option. Higher maturity levels will enable organizations to dedicate more resources to new developments and to have fewer resources needed to keeping the lights on.

 

Lack of in-house business service management and ITIL expertise

Whenever transformational efforts are undertaken, it is critical to have subject matter experts advise and assist in implementing related components. For effective and efficient implementation of business service management, it is critical that ITIL experts are appropriately identified, acquired (if necessary) and engaged.

Multiple Independent Silos & Varying Maturity Levels

In most medium-to-large size organizations, there may be multiple independent business-aligned IT organizations and each may be at a different maturity level. How should IT Service Management implementation be planned and executed to ensure that associated complexities and risks are appropriately managed and that focused business service improvements are implemented?

Efforts required to improve service management processes

Mature service management processes provide the necessary foundation required to ensure that business services are managed effectively. Improving service management processes may mean major impacts on the way people and teams within an IT organization perform their day-to-day jobs in managing technologies. 

Longer turn-around times

In ITILv3, there are over 25 service management processes. Traditional service management implementation practices offer process-centric approaches. Service management process improvement focus may take longer times to mature thereby pushing the anticipated business service management driven business benefits further down; business benefits require that service chains for business processes are managed end-to-end. My experience in working with a variety of clients across industries has taught me that if it takes longer turn-around to demonstrate the business value of making any significant investments in improving IT, the sponsorship will likely to dry out and between management shuffles, the entire transformation will be at risk. We need a more innovative approach to deal with these challenges.