This document outlines 7 steps to improve IT service management (ITSM) practices. The steps are: 1) engage and listen to customers; 2) build services based on business outcomes; 3) invest in the service desk; 4) get problem management working; 5) report on useful metrics; 6) get the whole IT organization involved; 7) change how IT value is communicated to focus on business outcomes. Each step provides further details on actions that can be taken to implement the recommended changes in a practical manner focused on improving customer experience and business value.

1. 7 Steps to ITSMGoodness

2. ITSM Goodness
7 steps to
success…

4. Current dilemmas in ITSM
• Are we/will we be relevant? (ref cloud, BYOD, mobile, social,
gamification) Is ITIL relevant?
• What is the future for Service desk? Is it broken and does it need
re-defining?
• Should SLAs be banned? What's the point of a service catalogue?
What is a service catalogue?

5. We don’t need…ITIL

6. We don’t need…
ITIL, but we need to be:
 Consistent
 Reliable
 Efficient
 Profitable / Productive
 Delivering in line with
expectations

7. Moving on…?

8. What are practitioners saying?
We need practical help
We need to be doing stuff that's relevant for
the business
Where do we start?
How do we react to the new challenges and
'messages' from the industry?

9. 7 Steps to ITSMGoodness

10. 10

11. 7 steps to Happiness

12. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

13. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

14. 1 engage + listen to customers
o What do we do for them?
o What's important, who, when?
o What could we use as a simple measure of (IT) success?
o How do they prioritise ?
 Arrange short 121 meetings on improvement (not about 'SLAs')
 Let them use their own words - give them an open page / simple questions
 Keep the meetings/ interactions short
 Ask them about specifics - dates, times, key people

16. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

17. 2 build services based on biz outcomes
o Build and visualise a simple (1 page) view of services
o Organise into a relevant / useful structure / hierarchy
o Start to populate the services with information
o Use this as the data store (service database) for other service documentation
 Consider: brochure, user portal, business output view, tech info, supply chain
and process info
 Simple RAG view
 Develop reporting bundles, using relative weighting around metrics, including
customer satisfaction, NPS, availability, thresholds on events, moments of
truth

18. Service Structure
This will vary, but in essence there are several main types of
content, with 2 initial key documents:
• Service structure
• Service database
These first 2 documents provide the basis for a variety of
documents, depending on requirements and maturity.

19. Service Structure

22. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

23. 3 invest in the service desk
o If you want brilliant (awesome) service, hire brilliant people
o Service Desk Manager - pivotal, game-changing role
o 3-way pull - service desk team, customers, the rest of IT
 Get in control of statistics and motivation
 Get the department on-side and get authority
 Make tools and processes work for you
 Build a SD code of conduct
 Make it an aspirational place to work
 Be clear on basic rules and goals - give staff flexibility to excel
 Know your stats but keep an eye on the bigger picture

24. Service Desk Code of Practise
What’s our business / who are our customers?
What are our standards/ethics/codes of behaviour?
How do we provide service to our customers?
What are our services?
How is our success measured?
How do we deliver?
How do we manage?
Details…

25. A brilliant service desk:
 Is the focal point for the delivery of IT services - and is supported
by other back office and support groups
 Is regarded and actively supported by management as a valuable
asset, not just a cost centre
 Has high levels of first line and first contact resolution (70%+),
low levels of attrition (>5%) and minimal telephony abandon rate
(>5%)
 Has very high levels of customer advocacy and satisfaction ratings
 Is seen as an aspirational place
to work

26. Service Desk – World Class (sample)
Customer Advocacy
• Customers are happy to recommend the service received
• They are enthusiastic about providing references or testimonials
Efficiency
• Efficiency and performance are constantly reviewed with actions
• Metrics are publicised and promoted across IT and customers alike
• The organisation continually looks at optimising cost with BAU
Emotional Intelligence
• All are empowered to act beyond their normal remit
• Proactive behaviour is encouraged and regularly demonstrated
• Issues are seen as opportunities for improvement
• Issues are tackled with teamwork, customer focus and professionalism

27. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

28. 4 get problem management working
• Successful problem management will start to turn things around
• Think role and person more than process
• Top 10 department problems - what are yours?
• Visibility helps to find solutions
 Be clear on objectives and measures early in role
 Raise problems and get them solved (not necessarily solve them)
 Keep away from the phones and SD/incident/reactive comfort zone
 Too often seen as administrative
 Analysis should lead to focus on how to resolve
 Needs clout and strong communications/PM skills

29. Making Problem Management work
 More about ownership + people than just a process
 Problem Management – part analyst, investigator,
mostly project manager
 Spyglass and whip
 Visibility helps – teams/crowds solve more problems
 What are your top 5 problems?
 Not necessarily just the (successful)
ex Service Desk Manager

30. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

31. 5 report on useful stuff
• Use the service structure and business input to drive reporting
• Get a single page RAG view and work backwards
• Give teams and individuals the right information for them
• Establish a variety of regular reporting views and outputs
 'What goes on in IT'- don't give customers stuff just about what you do...
 Keep checking and reviewing for relevance + currency
 Regularly refresh - check for relevance and use...

33. System, not service, reporting

34. Overall metrics
Customer
Satisfaction
Net Promoter
Score Overall
IT QOS
Sales HR Service Logistics
Service
Treasury Service Budget
Service Desk

36. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

37. 6 get the IT org. working together
• Its not just the service desk
• Its not just about process - governance is key
• Processes, RACI etc. must be end to end
• Ownership ownership ownership
• Use reporting to highlight issues across teams
• Establish common goals and vision
• Velvet fist iron glove - management and common sense

39. 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
1. Engage and listen to customers
2. Build services based on business outcomes
3. Invest in the service desk
4. Get problem management working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the value

40. 7 change the pitch – sell the value
• Define success and promote its pursuit
• Establish and communicate good stories
• Be clear on message and media
 Use marketing and marcomms techniques
 Think of the audience you are communicating to
 Produce glossy and fun versions of the message
 Check that the message is being heard
 Communicate success and value
 Keep on doing this

41. Overall ITSM Goodness
• Go for the tangible – ‘eating the elephant’
• Don't try or expect to 'do ITIL' or do it all at once
• Measure and monitor - then do something with the data
• Culture eats strategy... 7 Steps to ITSM Goodness
• Keep doing the things that give value 1. Engage and listen to
customers
• Use information for decision making and to improve 2. Build services based on
business outcomes
• Hiring and keeping the right people is key 3. Invest in the service desk
• Management skills and training are essential 4. Get problem management
working
5. Report on useful stuff
6. Get the whole IT
organisation involved
7. Change the pitch – sell the
value

42. Practicalities
What can we achieve in 10 – 20 – 30 days?
• Run a workshop
• Hold meetings with Customers
• Engage with IT
• Define the Service structure
• Build the Service Database
• Produce a service ‘brochure’
• Define the service (process) supply chain
• Clearly define service owners
• Get customer feedback
• Build business metrics model
• Reduce cost of service request handling
• Use simple Customer feedback and NPV

43. 43

44. Thank you for listening…
www.itsmgoodness.com
@barclayrae
#ITSMgoodness
bjr@barclayrae.com
www.barclayrae.com
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