How to implement ITIL?

Bhavya Godavarthi

Last updated 09/08/2024

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ITIL Implementation “When”, “Why” and “How”
ITIL, we all knew it is a best practice guide for IT Service Management. Yes, ITIL is a guide split in 5 Books and available to study. ITIL focus on “Customer Satisfaction”. Now that we understand what is Service Management?
Imagine you are the Project Manager/Service Delivery Manager and you have all the power to guide the team about the best practices to be followed in day-to-day Service Operations. You ensured all the team is following the same practice, but still “Did you find a gap?” or “Did you find something incomplete?”
Did you meet the Customer Satisfaction? Obviously NO, the above practice would be incomplete, as the sender and receiver of the Service is not just one –to– one mapping. i.e., One team (say 6 members) giving the service to Customer (only 6 members).
When you are working for an Organization either it can be Service Receiver or the Service Provider, there are many things to be considered when you want to apply the best practices you have studied in ITIL in reality. ITIL in reality is nothing but when providing the services to the Customer or when receiving the services from the Service Provider.
Consider you are working for Service Provider giving the Services to the Customer, and you want to apply the ITIL best practices, how you will know
1. What are the processes that we are agreed with the Customer?
2. How you will ensure your way of applying the ITIL best practices in the team matching the Customer requirements?
3. How you will ensure the Customer also following the ITIL best practices?
4. How you will ensure that you are team is meeting the Service Level Agreements?
5. Does the SLA Capturing mechanism agreed with the Customer?
Basically, it is not one team applying the ITIL best practices, it is mutually agreed between the Customer and the Service Provider about the ITIL best practices as a “Process” that needs to be aligned and followed. To achieve the Customer Satisfaction and to deliver the Services that are agreed with the Customer and to meet the Customer Expectation, that’s why any Organization need a separate focus on ITIL Implementation.
You are in the right direction, as you have completed the ITIL Study and your vision is to follow the ITIL best practices while providing the Services to the Customer, definitely it’s not one person ownership to achieve this, so now comes to the fact How to implement ITIL?
ITIL never says how to implement, ITIL explains what the best practices are. ITIL Framework can be implemented without tailoring i.e., ITIL AS-IS. (OR) ITIL fits in any of the framework to ensure the Quality of the Services. ITIL can be implemented by adding Agile Methodologies which is nothing “Agile Service Management”, ITIL can be implemented by adding our well known Governance Framework “SIAM”.
Let me explain you How to implement “ITIL AS-IS”, “ITIL Agile” and “ITIL SIAM” along with Pros and Cons.

2. ITIL As-Is

Out of my experience here is the best way to implement ITIL.
I’m introducing you to the ITIL Implementation Framework. This Framework is nothing but 4 Phases.

For a successful ITIL Implementation the detailed activities segregated for each phase in the above picture.

3. ITIL in SIAM

ITIL talks about the best practices that can be followed while delivering the services to the Customer. However, ITIL didn’t explain the Governance part of it especially when “Customer” is receiving the Service from Multiple Service Providers to achieve the common business objective.
We have SIAM framework only talks about the Governance mechanism when the Customer has Multiple Service Providers for delivering the Service, but it doesn’t explain end to end Service Management.
Now your organization completed the multi sourcing RFP approach, is in the need of using both ITIL Framework and the SIAM Framework. Let’s see on How to Implement ITIL in SIAM i.e., SIAM-as-a-Service?
There are certain Pre-Requisites to implement ITIL in SIAM

• Understanding of the SIAM Governance Model Framework
• Validate whether the Business Case for implementing the SIAM is justified
• Able to drive the streamlining of vendor management and sourcing processes
• Ensure all the required Outputs at “Discovery & Strategy” , “Plan & Build” phase are ready for smooth and successful ITIL implementation in SIAM
• Meet the checkpoints of Discovery and Strategy , Plan and Build phase

Below are the different phases of SIAM Framework. At the end of “Implement” stage, the new SIAM with ITIL model is ready to use.

Out of my experience here is the best way to Implement ITIL in SIAM.

Once done with Implementation, now you are in Run & Improve phase of SIAM.

4. ITIL Agile

We keep hearing the buzz word call Agile Service Management. It’s nothing but implementing the ITIL in Agile way. Agile is nothing but a mindset.
If you would like to implement the ITIL in agile way, first understand Agile Manifesto with respect to Services and understand the Agile Principles align that with ITIL.

Agile principles, as per the Manifesto and Principles discussed earlier come down to a number of core ones when applied to Service Management

Implement the above principles to achieve Agile in ITIL

5. Best Practices in ITIL Implementation

• Regular Customer Feedback
• Ongoing Change Management (Service Improvements)
• Customer Collaboration in Swift manner

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