ITIL Version 3 and the SME
Version 2 of ITIL went through "sunset" at the end of 2010 and more IT departments and companies moved to Version 3 more seriously. But what does this mean to an SME?
When Goitil was started, it was build around the concept of the interested parties being something like the businesses below:
- A business person with a chain of 4-5 convenience stores or petrol forecourt's
- A single operator running a car sales forecourt
- A single or multiple site franchise operation where no IT support is provided
- A medium sized manufacturer
Obviously the list above is quite general and has focused on specific industries but it gives a flavor of the size and background of the people who I thought might benefit from an introduction to Service Management. Since the site was launched an number of SME's have approached me about support and advice (as well as a wealth of Service Management professionals looking around for tit bits....).
So, Version 3 is now here and going back to the root of Goitil, what does it mean to the types of businesses listed above? (by the way, if you want a quick reminder of the structure of Version 3, it can be found here)
In simple terms, not much more that Version 2. I know that might sound disappointing but Version 2 was never really broke and actually fitted SME's really well. The lifecycle model of Service Strategy at the core with a clear route of Design, Transition and Operation does provide a more focused approach towards both suppliers and the development of new services. CSI (or Continual Service Improvement) does not immediately jump out as a publication or set of processes that will immediately add value to a SME. One for me to re-read I think!
But how do they benefit up for a SME?
Service Strategy: If you have an in-house IT department, this publication really makes you think about how they approach the service they give out. Are they trying to wow their internal customers and can they stand up against a possible outsourced competitor in terms of cost or performance? If outsourcing is already your bag, read this and ask yourself "is my supplier trying to wow me or are they happy to take my money each month an give me little in return?"
Service Design: Probably one of the best of the publications for a SME. For those organisations with lower cash flow levels or margins, errors in service design can be difficult to recover (especially in terms of cost). The Service Design publication gives a workable and well balanced approach towards the provision of new services and changes to existing services.
Service Transition: Unless the business has a lot of technical changes or new services, the Service Transition publication has limited use for the SME. The basic principles of change management are expanded to consider pilot phases and a more structured test and evaluation program.
Service Operation: Once again, not much new here for the SME. The basic principles of incident and problem management are well established from Version 2 and the new concepts may suit an organistion with a larger technical base or an outsourced service provider, but for smaller operations the basics should suffice
CSI (Continual Service Improvement): As highlighted earlier, the CSI section appears to offer little for SME's other than basic common sense approaches.
If you have found this of interest and are a small business owner, why not read a little more about us or how we could help you?
