How to Plan an ITIL Infrastructure Implementation
In the last guest blog post from Erin Palmer he looked at how to manage IT chaos with the adoption of ITIL infrastructure. In this second guest post he takes a more detailed look at five key points from the TWDC case study that can help plan a successful ITIL implementation process of your own.
1. Generate the Buzz
ITIL adaptation takes skilful planning, a strategic implementation schedule, and the participation of key players who will be in full support of the transition. Follow the success of TWDC’s strategy and help your constituents see how the adaption of an ITIL infrastructure can address current IT concerns and will help them use IT more efficiently. Implement a top down educational plan and select key players for advanced training, or bring on talented ITIL leaders with the experience to help make the transition as seamless as possible. Once the people in the organization grasp the positive potential of ITIL for the company’s growth, then the process begins to form a life of its own. This process cannot take place without the commitment to funding resources, time, and human resource development necessary to achieve success.
2. Assemble Powerful Teams
Taking the time necessary to build talented teams with leaders that have both the technical experience and the strong communication skills to articulate the overall vision and goals for the team is essential for success. The TWDC case study underscores the fact that successful ITIL adaptation takes time. Looking at the current role of IT in your organization and being clear about what you would like to see with regard to data management, reporting, efficiency, delivery, maintenance, etc. is vital to building a plan with clear goals and measurable outcomes. Selecting a team that will help you implement the changes necessary to reach your new profit and efficiency goals is easier if you are clear about what you want to truly achieve with the adoption of an ITIL infrastructure. Putting the time in to train and assemble strong leaders for the project will build overall trust in the process and will help safe guard against breaks in service and diminish other challenges as the project gets underway.
3. Keep Clear and Regular Communication a Top Priority
From the moment you start to generate the buzz, until the process is complete and running smoothly, communication is vital to keep all constituents informed and connected to the momentum of the project. Every leader needs to be fully fluent in best practice methods for communicating technical and non-technical aspects of the process to a wide variety of users. The message needs to be adapted to the recipient, not the other way around. Skilled ITIL leaders are aware that the CFO, the help desk worker, and the marketing manager have differing IT related roles and will need to hear about the ITIL infrastructure engagement process in a language that makes sense with examples that are relevant. Throughout the process regular updates and the celebration of milestones builds confidence in the process and builds a more cohesive team.
4. Strategically Build an ITIL that Serves Your Needs
The best part about the ITIL infrastructure is that it is flexible. You can integrate what works without “reinventing the wheel.” Taking time to collect insightful research gained from involving all teams who use IT in the beginning of the project will lead to a stronger ITIL implementation with less adjusting later. Strong ITIL leadership can ensure that the ITIL infrastructure will grow with you. A strategic ITIL infrastructure bolsters revenue by streamlining processes like ordering, and delivering products. Redundancy in storage is decreased thus speeding up servers. Everyday processes like scheduling, stocking inventory, maintaining client communication, performing system maintenance, and generating specific data to track progress in key areas, are all made more efficient, timely, and profitable with ITIL adaptation. Data security also increases with ITIL which can bolster client confidence. In order for ITIL to serve you well, you need to be clear about the realistic goals within your budget and then proceed if the resources are there to support the project.
A strong ITIL infrastructure generates the data that is needed to make maintenance and long term adjustments efficient, leaving more time for growing your business and leading your organization into new markets with confidence. Engaging in industry-wide best ITIL practice methods will help you build the strategy you need to assure you have a successful and integrated ITIL infrastructure with all teams in your organization driving the momentum forward to new goals and profitability. As e-commerce continues to expand and competition in the global market place increases, ITIL data can be a powerful tool to guide your growth. Case studies show that implementing an ITIL infrastructure can increase profitability; these case studies also reveal that the plan takes time, company-wide support, and team cooperation to succeed -three important factors to weigh heavily when considering an ITIL plan for you organization.
As I mentioned last time Erin works at Villanova University and this article comes from their new ITIL training course. This course is part of the overall IT Service Management training program.