Question

University X has decided to review its governance procedures. Senior executives are concerned that adherence to frameworks such as ITIL just add unproductive cost and unhelpful bureaucracy. They ask you to prepare a due diligence report on this form of governance. The executives want answers to the following questions?

What does research tells us about the realities of implementing ITIL? What are the success rates? What impediments have been experienced? How is it effectively deployed? Maintained? How has it generated value? In what direction is ITIL heading? What do you have to say about this challenge from the executives?

Answer 1

ITIL, also known as Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a Service Strategy, that helps the organizations understand the customers needs and how they can develop and deliver IT services to satisfy their needs, in the most effective and cost efficient manner. ITIL, is a set of detailed practices for IT Services Management (ITSM), focusing on the alignment of IT services with the needs of the business and the customers.

ITIL has FIVE stages in Service Lifecycle :-

• .Service Strategy.
• Service Design.
• Service Transition.
• Service operations
• Continual Service Improvement.

When we talk of the BENEFIT's of ITIL, they are as under :

1. Stronger Alignment between IT and Business
2. Improved Service Delivery and Customer Satisfaction.
3. Reduced Cost by optimal utilization of resources.
4. Greater visibility of IT costs and assets.
5. Low business Risk or service disruption.
6. Stable service environment to support changing business

There are multiple Test techniques that follow the 7 principles of testing. The testing results are very dependable and result oriented. Thus the success rate of testing is very high. There are failures during the process of product development and design, but once the product is in the final stages / finalized, the testing results are positive.

Implementation of ITIL improves the organizational productivity, makes working with partners easier, acts as an "internal Help desk", improves the efficiency levels and service Quality levels. Hence the implementation of ITIL has many fold advantages  

There are issues that arise mostly due to the implementation related confusions. This happens when it is highly process driven, and at times not service Centric; or overlooking business needs while developing the service catalog.

The future of ITIL is very bright as it is a process to improve the business process. The important thing is to develop the software with focus on the customers "Needs and wants". All the testing needs to be formally done before implementation of the software.