Service Management and ITIL: When IT and Digital are the organization

IT and digital have become the organization

The IT industry has existed for about 80 years and, up until relatively recently, its relationship with an organization was mostly transactional.

However, the past decade or so has brought a re-evaluation of that relationship: ITSM has grown, developed and is simply no longer part of the IT organization exclusively; IT and digital services have become the organization.

Consequently, the work of those in service management is so much more critical to success. This evolution is what makes ITSM an enabler in organizations and having ITIL on your CV an essential requirement.

How does ITIL 4 resonate with the challenges of today?

When matching the knowledge and competencies in ITIL 4 with the challenges faced in today’s organizations, I think the most obvious place to start is the guiding principles: these are the key to unlocking the organizational value of ITIL.

When building digital services, starting with a focus on value ensures you can speak to stakeholders in the organization about what value means to them and the ultimate customer or user of the service. So, for example, is the value of a digital service saving someone’s life or getting a product into the market faster?

Contrary to some views of what ITIL does, this approach is no longer bound by processes but facilitating real business and human conversations that help take a product or service to market with genuine value. ITIL 4 guides the service management professional in principled ways of working which both colleague and customers will find easy to understand and relate to.

In terms of specific ITIL modules, ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy has empowered me to speak to executives at board level. This includes explaining the value of bringing strategic review cycles down from 12 to three months; enabling decision makers to keep a keen eye on what’s happening in their market and to pivot – a course of action so incredibly relevant to the world today.

But it’s the way ITIL 4 has allowed me to engage with the board that’s different: by talking in terms of the guiding principles and three-month strategy reviews as a way of improving organizational efficiency, it’s what they want to hear (and without using the word “process” once!).

Also, this approach helps when working with employee teams: by speaking about what value means to them and enabling their productivity, they feel less alienated by the imperative to change.

Why study and certify in ITIL 4 this year?

More and more IT and digital professionals are recognizing their potential value as revenue makers and innovators across a range of departments in organizations.

The internal and external customer today has grown up with digital experiences – from smartphones to streaming services – and a service management professional with ITIL 4 expertise can take a holistic approach to delivering digital services and value.  

And for the ambitious career builder, ITIL 4 can take you into any industry or company on the planet; from the boardroom at a bank, in government, working on Formula 1, within NASA or Google, you can use ITIL 4 to be a success. This is no longer about working solely in an IT department, but wherever you want.

Future-proofing ITIL in organizations

When people complete an ITIL course and return to work, having a community of other practitioners which comes together to discuss learnings and how to deliver value in their organizations is a way to ensure ITIL principles are put into practice for the long term.

Building communities in organizations and industries – focused on lessons to learn and how to improve practice – will lift overall interest in accreditation and implementation of these valuable skills and competencies. Doing so will also enable you to review your own learning and where relevant log this as CPD points at MyAxelos to maintain your designated certification.