Beginners Guide to ITIL - help or hindrance? Managing Production Systems Dennis Adams a s s o c i a t e s Management and Infrastructure SIG Meeting Beginners Guide to ITIL - help or hindrance? Can it help me? What are the pitfalls? Dennis Adams 4th October 2006 (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems Introduction Why we are doing this … (Target Audience) Confused by what ITIL is? Heard the buzz-words, but not sure of the substance? Scared by the prospect of being inundated with too much processes, so that your teams are unable to get any work done? These are all typical reactions from technical leaders and managers when faced with the ITIL “hype”. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce what ITIL is really about, and take away the mystery. Explain and Justify PROCESS to TECHNICAL Audience. “ITIL for Dummies” ? (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems Topics to Cover What is ITIL ? What do we mean by a “Process Approach” to the world as a different way of looking at how we work together ? What are the main Processes within ITIL ? What some of the main Processes look like in more Detail The importance of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Conclusions: Don’t “Implement ITIL?” (!?) Time for Questions… (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

The ITIL definition of IT “Service” - is this helpful ?? Managing Production Systems The ITIL definition of IT “Service” - is this helpful ?? “An integrated composite that consists of a number of components such as management processes, hardware, software, facilities and people that provides a capability to satisfy a stated management need or objective.” This sort of verbal obfuscation is what gives PROCESS a bad name… ! Dictionary of IT Service Management (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Think of MANAGING IT as PROVIDING a SERVICE Managing Production Systems Think of MANAGING IT as PROVIDING a SERVICE SERVICE DELIVERY BUSINESS IT SERVICE £ SERVICE SUPPORT What we really mean is this. We increasingly have to think of IT as more than a collection of technical bits (servers, databases etc.) We need to think of IT as being a SERVICE and that we, as technical people and professionals, SUPPORT that Service. We then DELIVER that Service to the BUSINESS, for the purpose of making MONEY. Align IT services with the needs of the Business Improve the Quality of the Service Reduce the long-term costs (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Think in terms of PROCESSES rather than SKILLS Managing Production Systems Think in terms of PROCESSES rather than SKILLS Functional Organization Process Approach When we start thinking of IT as a Service, then we start thinking about how do we manage it better. Say “what are we trying to achieve overall?” Rather than “what does this team do?” Using a Process Approach, we no longer think in terms of individual technical teams “doing their own thing”. Rather we think in terms of the overall goal which should be directed to the main goals of the organization. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems What is ITIL? ITIL = “Information Technology Infrastructure Library” A Library of Processes books outlining “good practice” for managing IT Infrastructure. A set of ready-made “how to” references. ITIL IS A NON-PRESCRIPTIVE REFERENCE ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark, and a Registered Community Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ITIL revision 3 is currently being written. A British Standard (BS 15000) certification (BS 25000 to come). Linked to ISO 9000 Quality Certification. ITIL was conceived by the British Government who approached various organisations and experts to write the books which were originally published in the 1980s. These were revised in 2001 and 2002, and the library has expanded in scope since then. The latest version is being developed for publication in 2007. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

An Analogy: Remember Development Methodologies? Managing Production Systems An Analogy: Remember Development Methodologies? Hobby craft developer Quick and Dirty Prototype and User Design Waterfall Development Structured Design Method Sometimes these methodologies can get in the way, sometimes they help. Either way, they can be useful, if you “pick-and-choose” what will help you. And remember - ITIL is NON-PRESCRIPTIVE - IT does not demand that you do anything! Anarchy ? JFDI ? Paralysis of Analysis ? Development Methodologies define Ways of Working to ensure that we do things in a Repeatable, Professional manner. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

PRINCE 2 (Projects) ITIL (Infrastructure) Managing Production Systems PRINCE 2 (Projects) ITIL (Infrastructure) DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTION Initiate Document the Configuration Design New Application Releases Infrastructures Changes Build Identify root-cause of Problems Just as PRINCE2 is a methodology, an approach, which can be used successfully by development teams to manage projects, So ITIL is an approach, a set of “best practices” for managing the day-to-day support activities in Production. Resolve Customer Incidents Test Service Desk / Help Desk Deploy (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

The ITIL Library of Process Books Managing Production Systems The ITIL Library of Process Books ICT Infrastructure Management Security Management Service Delivery The Business Perspective Application Management Service Support This is what the ITIL library actually consists of. Recently Added: Introduction to ITIL Software Asset Management Small-Scale Implementation Planning to Implement Service Management Key: “CORE ITIL” Main Volumes Supplementary Volumes (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

The Core ITIL Books: IT Service Management Managing Production Systems The Core ITIL Books: IT Service Management Capacity Management Availability Management IT Service Continuity Management. Service Level Management IT Financial Management Service Desk Incident Management Problem Management Change Management Release Management Configuration Management Service Delivery Service Support As mentioned, the key volumes are SERVICE DELIVERY and SERVICE SUPPORT. They are often what is called “Core ITIL”. Most people, when they talk about ITIL, are thinking of these two books only, and the chapters in them. So, when we talk about ITIL, we need to understand what is meant by these 11 topics. User Support Control Processes (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

EXAMPLE: Process to manage CHANGE Managing Production Systems EXAMPLE: Process to manage CHANGE Request for Change Change Review Log RFC Inform Users Assess Priority Approval Impact Analysis Change Scheduling Categorize Testing Plans (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

EXAMPLE: What is CAPACITY PLANNING ? Managing Production Systems EXAMPLE: What is CAPACITY PLANNING ? BUSINESS CAPACITY MANAGEMENT Future Service requirements from the Business Future Capacity from the Business Resource Requirements in future. CAPACITY PLAN SERVICE CAPACITY MANAGEMENT What are the existing requirements? Are we meeting SLAs? How well are we utilising existing resources today? RESOURCE CAPACITY MANAGEMENT How well are we using existing technology? Are we using each component appropriately? What future technologies could be better? (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

EXAMPLE: The activities in CAPACITY PLANNING Managing Production Systems EXAMPLE: The activities in CAPACITY PLANNING Resource Utilisation Business Strategy Business Planning Service Level Thresholds Monitoring Analysis IT Strategy Tuning Service Level Exceptions Implementation IT Business Plan Resource Utilisation Exceptions Ensuring we can meet our SLAs (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Some Best Practices in the ITIL Library Managing Production Systems Some Best Practices in the ITIL Library How to get the best benefit from a SERVICE DESK Single point of contact, Monitoring and escalation on behalf of customers. A systematic way of managing INCIDENTS: Log / Classify / Investigate / Diagnose / Resolution Being Pro-Active: PROBLEM MANAGEMENT Root Cause Analysis, Kepner & Tregoe Analysis, Ishikawa diagrams. Keeping track of IT Assets: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT Stopping dangerous changes: CHANGE & RELEASE MANAGEMENT Impact Analysis and Authorisation before Changes Being Customer-Focused: SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT Bean-Counting: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Charge-back to reflect the cost to the Business. CAPACITY: Prediction instead of Panic AVAILABILITY Design for continual up-time DR and BCP: IT SERVICE CONTINUITY Risk Assessment and Planning (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Why implement ITIL-based processes? Managing Production Systems Why implement ITIL-based processes? ITIL emphasises that IT should be seen as a service to the business. ITIL could be (part of) a Quality Management strategy to improve the quality of the IT Service for the business. Introducing clear processes should enable the company to grow and/or bring on more staff more easily. Being based on a “best practice” approach means that you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Cost reduction - Standardising “how you do things” can simplify and reduce costs. Professionalism / Clear points of contact with external organisations and stakeholders. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

The BEST WAY to Implement ITIL Service Management? Managing Production Systems The BEST WAY to Implement ITIL Service Management? Service Desk Incident Problem Change Release Configuration Configuration Management Database (CMDB) (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems …or MORE LIKE THIS ? Service Desk Incident Problem Change Release Configuration Configuration Management Database (CMDB) (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

.. Just Some parts of a theoretical CMDB HARDWARE Specification Location Owner Financials Software USERS Applications Contracts Incidents INCIDENTS Applications Hardware Resolutions CHANGES Applications Users Equipment SOFTWARE Licenses Versions APPLICATIONS Users Hardware SLA Applications Users Contracts O/S Equipment RELEASES Applications KNOWN ERRORS Incidents INFRASTRUCTURE SOFTWARE e.g. Oracle PROBLEMS Incidents Resolutions B C P DOCS AVAILABILITY STATISTICS SERVICES Applications NETWORK Linkages Dependancies DEFINITIVE SOFTWARE LIBRARY DEFINITIVE HARDWARE STORE

Case Study: Understanding Applications and Machines Data Collection Processes Hardware in Data Centre New Equipment Purchasing Server Naming Configuration Management: Naming Conventions Applications on machines Change Control: Usage of Machine Application Listing Release Management: Applications Objective: Impact Analysis of Applications <=> Machines

Managing Production Systems Pitfalls and Warnings “Organisations should not be over ambitious when implementing Service Management” (IT Service Management “Little ITIL”). DON’T “IMPLEMENT ITIL” ITIL is a Framework of Best Practices, not a Prescriptive Manual Use what is useful, when and where it is useful. Remember that any IT Process will only work if the participants have the right data in the right place at the right time. Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Remember that the objective is to document and implement repeatable processes in order to make the organisation more efficient and/or more responsive to customers. ITIL should never been seen as an end in itself. Fact One: The books themselves are meant to guide; they are not steadfast laws. None of the authors, contributors or publishers ever expected organizations to adhere to every word of their publications. Fact Two: You can't implement ITIL with just processes and technology. You must address the people involved as well. ITIL demands attention to three components: people, process and technology. Changes in process improve efficiency and effectiveness. Changes in technology reduce costs and accelerate responsiveness. But you ultimately have to change people to develop the culture you need to better support the business and optimize availability of critical IT services. (Brian Johnson) (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems Some Recommendations See ITIL processes as a way of standardising what is already done / should be already done. Everyone should benefit from simplified and clearer ways of doing things. Consider the ITIL Foundation Exam For most IT Infrastructure Professionals, it is “common sense” Looks good on the CV Gives you a common “vocabulary” for discussing how things are done Emphasises “customer focus” and “process” 40 questions multiple-choice, pass mark is 25. Keep asking “what is the business benefit ?” (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Further Useful Information Managing Production Systems Further Useful Information OGC Home Page for ITIL: http://www.itil.co.uk TSO (The Stationery Office): http://www.tso.co.uk http://www.get-best-practice.co.uk/itilProducts.aspx IT Service Management Forum (itSMF): http://www.itsmf.com Interactive Forum: http://www.itilcommunity.com ITIL Toolkit: http://www.itil-toolkit.com Key Skills Training: http://www.ksl.org, http://www.itiltraining.com Square Mile Systems: http://www.squaremilesystems.co.uk Pink Elephant Consultancy: http://www.pinkelephant.com Dennis Adams Associates: http://www.dennisadams.net What is the itSMF? A not-for-profit organisation owned by its members, the itSMF is a major influence on, and contributor to, industry best practice, Standards and personal development, working with a wide range of governmental and standards bodies worldwide.Formed in the UK in 1991, there are now national chapters in an ever-increasing number of countries. There is an International body that guides and supports existing and emerging chapters, their website is www.itsmf.org. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems Questions? Is ITIL a panacea for all IT Infrastructure Management challenges? It never claims to be ! It is a set of good practice processes to be used as a “toolkit” ITIL itself speaks about: Process / Product / People. Implement ITIL as part of a Strategic Cultural change in the organisation, which should include: Metrics, Operational Tools, Processes, Standards. Can you implement “parts” of ITIL and ignore the rest? Yes. Remember that to make processes succeed you need appropriate data. (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Managing Production Systems Dennis Adams Managing Production Systems a s s o c i a t e s More Questions ? (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005

Beginners Guide to ITIL - help or hindrance? Dennis Adams Managing Production Systems a s s o c i a t e s Management and Infrastructure SIG Meeting Beginners Guide to ITIL - help or hindrance? Can it help me? What are the pitfalls? Dennis Adams 4th October 2006 http://www.dennisadams.net (c) Dennis Adams Associates Ltd, 2005