The 5 Key Reasons Why Initiatives Fail

Someone on Twitter recently asked me, “What are the 5 main reasons IT Service Management projects fail.” I really didn’t have to give it much thought. After 30 years practicing ITSM the reasons are pretty much top of mind. So I quickly rattled off the following: No plan Unrealistic expectations Skepticism Poor requirements Not doing…

ITIL Processes are No Panacea

What are you really trying to do with IT service management (ITSM) Are you focused on aligning your organization with ITIL or some other framework; or are you concentrating on process improvement? Too often I see the two confused; with ITIL alignment mistaken for process improvement instead of being treated as one tool in the…

Is it Possible to Achieve a Return on ITIL?

There has been quite a few arguments in trying to prove or debunk that ITIL can produce any kind of ROI. The pragmatic answer is: Yes it can, but not as easy as ITIL guidance can hope for. Let’s step back and define what ITIL is. A simplistic view is that ITIL is a set…

Swept Away by the Geek Whirlwind?

Quite by coincidence as I’m writing this (I came up with the title last night), a remnant Tsunami that devastated Japan is just now hitting Hawaii — with apparently far less devastating effects. But, in fact, this column was inspired by something far more trivial (yet, somehow, related — at least that’s how it feels):…

Critical Design Elements for the Cloud

By now you have heard the hype about providing services in the cloud. You cannot ignore it — the cloud is everywhere and organizations are gathering in conference rooms to determine how they can take advantage of the shift from traditional to utility service delivery. One of the key questions relating to the cloud is…

Managing Change is Managing Risk

What does an ERP release, a bug fix, and maintenance on an electrical generator all have in common? They are all changes to an environment that must be managed. Let’s take these examples one step further and review the potential impacts on the organization. What if the bug fix was for the Web portal which…