Outlining some common myths about ITIL and ITIL implementations.

1. Top 10 Myths about ITIL debunked.
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2. 10 common Myths and Misconceptions about ITIL
ITIL ("Information Technology Infrastructure Library") is a
framework for IT Service Management and provides a set of
specialised organisational capabilities for providing value to
customers in the form of IT services.
But there are so many myths, misconceptions and just plan
lies about ITIL that's it's often hard for anybody to know what
to think.
Let's examine a few of the biggest myths about ITIL and
debunk each of them.
Let's get started.

3. Myth #1: ITIL will fix the chaos.
CIOs and IT Management are always looking for a quick fix for
controlling and managing IT activities, projects and programmes.
In reality ITIL processes are a significant change to employees work
and transition projects will run for months or years. If projects are
not setup properly the chaos will be even worse in the beginning.
"There is no silver bullet."
- Fred Brooks

4. Myth #2: ITIL is an IT industry standard.
IT service providers claiming "ITIL compliance" give the false
impression that ITIL is somewhat of an IT standard.
Reality is that ITIL is a set of "good practices". As ITIL is no standard
there is no ITIL compliance. ITIL compliance is no more than a
marketing slogan.
ISO/IEC 20000 is the international standard for IT service
management. ISO/IEC 20000 provides guidance on the
implementation and application of service management systems.

5. Myth #3: ITIL is an "all inclusive" package.
The ITIL lifecycle implies that the entire process framework
has to be implemented to gain any business benefits.
Reality is that many enterprises and organisations benefit
from implementing only some ITIL processes such as incident
management and change management.
"Many ITIL implementation start and finish with incident management.
This provides short-term customer satisfaction."
- Robert Stroud

6. Myth #4: ITIL is a governance framework.
Getting IT activities, projects and programmes under control
with the help of ITIL is an essential step in facilitating the
implementation of IT governance.
Reality is that ITIL does not address IT governance in a
comprehensive way.
ISO/IEC 38500 or COBIT are proven IT governance frameworks.

7. Myth #5: ITIL can be implemented out of the box.
ITIL consists of a series of books that describe good practices in the
IT domain.
Reality is the ITIL describes WHAT to do, not HOW to do it. ITIL is not
a hand book for organisations to improve IT services and daily
operations.

8. Myth #6: ITIL is a quick fix.
ITIL provides a set of good practices that can be applied in a
few weeks time.
Reality is that ITIL is not a list of simple tips and tricks.
ITIL implementations require an extensive change
management project to adjust people's mind sets.

9. Myth #7: ITIL will fix ALL IT issues.
ITIL will rectify all issues occuring in IT operations and
software development.
Reality is that ITIL is focusing on IT operations and does not
bridge the gap to software engineering, e.g. the book about
Service Design does not address the area of requirements
engineering.

10. Myth #8: ITIL is a cost-cutting initiative.
ITIL will make IT operation cheaper.
Reality is that ITIL will align IT services and business. Hidden
cost may be identified, over engineered IT services may be
identified but cost may not necessarily go down.

11. Myth #9: ITIL projects cost a fortune.
A full blown implementation project of ITIL processes requires
a huge amount of man power and resources.
It's a fact that a full blown implementation is expensive - but
why not start small. Setting up incident managent and change
mangement will provide higher customer satisfaction in a few
weeks time.

12. Myth #10: I can do ITIL without a CMDB.
ITIL can be implemented with no more than an inventory list.
Reality is that a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is the
foundation of all ITIL processes. ITIL projects without setting up a
proper CMDB are doomed to fail in the long term.

13. How can I learn about ITIL?
Read ITIL books, articles & blogs a lot. After that read even more
about ITIL.
Attend training courses and seminars, finally become a certified "ITIL
Expert".
Educate your IT employees. ITIL v3 Foundation Certification provides
a great starting point into the ITIL world.

14. Recommended links
www.itil-officialsite.com
www.apmg-international.com
www.itskeptic.org
www.coreitsm.blogspot.com
www.makingitilwork.blogspot.de

15. Contact
Slides prepared by
Torsten Laser
ITIL Expert
E-Mail: torsten.laser@googlemail.com
LinkedIn: http://de.linkedin.com/in/torstenlaser
XING: https://www.xing.com/profile/Torsten_Laser
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