Digital transformation can be defined in many ways.
All agree that managing this new paradigm will require new methods of working, new technologies and more collaborative ways to create value. This was the driving force behind ITIL(r)’s most recent iteration.
ITIL 4 is likely to be three to four years behind schedule. ITIL(r), Practitioner can be a useful and attractive stick plaster but it still leaves a sever process-obsessed wound. ITIL’s position at the top of “digital”, could not be guaranteed, with other frameworks such as DevOps or SAFe constantly evolving.
It has never been about having the best framework. I believe that organizations that are able create something for themselves, understanding all options, and accepting all possibilities, are the ones that will succeed. ITIL may have been stronger, more robust, more inclusive and more inclusive because of DevOps and its ilk.
I was honored to have been able to participate in the guidance process for 18 month with other outstanding people. Many of the content is still restricted by commercial reasons, so I have to be cautious. You will be able to predict the direction of most new guidance, I believe. This blog will be focused on three areas ITIL 4 will address, which, to my mind have been crying out for attention.
1. People
ITIL has not been a great company to manage people. In fairness to many of its great authors, it has not been a central point. The ITIL elite believe that other frameworks do it better so they can get on with their work. ITIL’s problem was its inability to conceal the need for additional capabilities within the middle paragraphs that discuss another topic. Sometimes it can be interpreted as trying to reinvent everything. Many saw Transition Planning and Support merely as a half-hearted attempt at re-creating project management at ITIL. ITIL Practitioner started to repair the damage by focusing on Organizational Change Management, (OCM) without trying to recreate Kotter’s ADKAR and Prosci. ITIL 4 will continue the journey from OCM and emphasize the need to deliver in areas like Workforce and Talent Management and Project Management.
2. Process
It was clear that ITIL’s 2011 sub-iteration revealed that there were twenty-something processes. Many people were terrified to death by this revelation, and simply continued their lives where only two or three processes would have sufficed. This was further enhanced when processes were divided into Lifecycle phases. This created the false impression that ITIL was the only value. Capacity Management is not a single process. It has always had other uses beyond Service Design. It contributes to the following: Demand (Strategy), Transition(Deployment), and Problem (Operation). These issues will be addressed by ITIL 4, which examines your systems holistically. The community wanted to see a fundamental shift in ITIL 4. ITSM capability should not be limited to certain phases. It was obvious in v3, but the structure didn’t emphasize it enough. The holistic view removes the process from the equation and places people (processes, goals, technologies, skills, etc.) in the center. The center. An increased ITSM capability. These two changes should end the outdated perception of ITIL as a process-heavy behemoth. They will also help to bring the “adopt and adapt” mantra to the forefront in delivering best practices.
3. Technology
ITIL was caught between a rock & a technical wall of technology. It has learned to be gre
