The new "Driving ITSM" Workshop Series

I am so excited aboout ITSM Academy's new "Driving ITSM" workshops.  These workshops are 'right-sized for the right-time' in that they focus on the knowledge an organization needs at specific milestones in their service management journeys. 

Driving ITSM workshops target the areas where most organizations struggle and provide grass-roots advice for meeting and moving beyond these challenges.

Classes in the Driving ITSM series will be available for corporate delivery and in our virtual classroom.  Course length ranges from 4 to 16 hours depending on topic covered.

Right now, there are four workshops in the series:

• The Building Blocks of Process Design
• Assigning Dynamic Roles and Responsibilities
• ITSM Leadership Skills
• Building Your Service Catalog

Stay tuned for news about additional courses in this series.  And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for meaningful topics.

Top CIO Priorities for 2011

Gartner recently released the results of a worldwide survey on Top 10 Business and Technology Priorities in 2011. It’s gratifying to see that IT management is number 4 on the CIO list. It’s equally gratifying to see that growth is number 1 on the business priorities list; along with continued vigilance with regard to costs and operational efficiencies.

Press Release: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1526414

Short Video: http://www.gartner.com/technology/cio/cioagenda.jsp

One of the interesting points made in the article is that despite the downturn in the economy, many companies continued their research and development efforts in recent years, they just haven’t been implementing the results of those efforts. What this means for IT organizations is that the next several years will feature rapid change that requires a strong foundation in IT management. As an example, the study indicates that while 3 percent of CIOs currently have the majority of IT running in the cloud or on SaaS technologies, over the next four years CIOs expect this number to increase to 43 percent.

The article goes on to say that to support this growth, CIOs must reimagine IT and lead it through a process of “creative destruction.” This includes redefining the central elements of IT such as its cost structure, people and processes. The article also states that two issues that stand in the way of supporting enterprise growth are: benefits realization (the achievement of business benefits) and IT skills. Skills are an issue because CIOs rely on bringing skills in from the outside whenever they need to get work done.

Looking for more priorities and predications? The following references a number of additional articles you may find interesting. http://careerisover.com/2010/12/12-best-articles-on-cio-business-and-technology-priorities-for-2011/

This Week: Destination ISO/IEC 20000 Webinar – Industry News and Updates

If you are not already a member of the itSMF ISO/IEC 20000 Special Interest Group (SIG), this is a good time to join.

The SIG is at the half-way mark of its Destination ISO/IEC 20000 program. This program consists of monthly webinars that are designed to provide a roadmap for ISO/IEC 20000 success; whether your organization defines success as using the standard as an assessment/benchmarking tool, or is striving to achieve certification.

This month’s webinar – Industry News and Updates – is designed to provide an update on the ISO/IEC 20000 series and on the changes to Part 1 being published later this year. The latest on individual training and certification will also be discussed.

Bring your questions and join host Donna Knapp and keynote Jack Probst for this existing webinar:

Date: Thursday, February 17th

Time: 1pm – United States – New York

URL**: http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/24714 

**First time users of BrightTalk must register prior to attending the webcast.

Agenda:  

• ISO/IEC 20000 series status
• ISO/IEC 20000 Part 1 updates
• Training and individual certification scheme updates
• State of the standard

If you missed any of the earlier Destination ISO/IEC 20000 webinars they can be viewed at:  http://www.brighttalk.com/webcasts?q=iso%2Fiec+20000.  

Past and future Destination ISO/IEC 20000 programs include:  

• Event 1 – Complete – Destination ISO/IEC 20000 Kickoff
• Event 2 – Complete – Getting Started – ISO/IEC 20000 Planning and Preparation
• Event 3 – Complete – Scoping and Eligibility
• Event 4 – Complete – Setting Up a Management System
• Event 5 – Complete – Conducting an Initial Assessment
• Event 6 – Complete – All About Audits
• Event 7 – 02/17/11 – 1pm ET (U.S., New York) – Industry News and Events
• Event 8 – 03/17/11 – 1pm ET (U.S., New York) – Achieving Certification
• Event 9 – 04/21/11 – 1pm (U.S., New York) – What Not to Do! (Lessons Learned)
• Event 10 – 05/19/11 – 1pm ET (U.S., New York) – Retaining Certification
• Event 11 – 06/16/11 – 1pm ET (U.S., New York) – Evaluating the Business Case (Post-Implementation Review)
• Event 12 – 07/21/11 – 11am ET (U.S., New York) – Viewers Choice

The SIG is actively seeking individuals to serve as presenters and panelists; particularly those who are using the standard within their organizations and so have “been there, done that” stories to tell.

Communicate your willingness to participate as a presenter or panelist at: iso-iec@itsmfusa.org

Introducing ITIL Lifecycle Bootcamps

IT organizations are under constant pressure to increase IT service quality while controlling costs and risks. These organizations need people who are skilled at using best practices to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of IT service management processes in support of business goals.

 

You may have heard the expression “ITIL® lifecycle courses are for people who work on processes, and capability courses are for people who work in processes.” ITIL lifecycle courses focus on a single stage of the ITIL service lifecycle and explore stage activities, process relationships, roles and implementation considerations. These courses accommodate the needs of people who are leading implementation and improvement activities and require a management-level view. ITIL capability courses focus on a cluster of processes and cover a detailed view of process inputs, activities, concepts, metrics and outputs. These courses are aimed at people who are involved in executing and improving an existing set of related processes and wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.

The ITIL Expert certificate is awarded to individuals who demonstrate a superior knowledge of ITIL V3 in its entirety. Achieving this level of certification benefits both the individual and organization by increasing the effectiveness with which ITIL is adopted. The ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme offers a modular approach to certification with many possible paths to ITIL Expert.

ITSM Academy’s exciting new ITIL Lifecycle Boot Camp program provides individuals looking for a balanced, accelerated, and cost-effective curriculum a way to achieve 15 of the 22 credits require for the ITIL Expert certification. The boot camp approach involves combining two lifecycle courses (e.g., Service Strategy and Service Design, or Service Transition and Service Operation) into an intense 5-day classroom-based experience. Although challenging, this approach makes it possible for students to understand the tight integration between lifecycle stages and processes and the benefits of realizing an integrated process approach.

To further control costs and time away from work, candidates can opt to take the Continual Service Improvement course in our virtual classroom. This innovative approach enables students to attend class via the internet while still reaping the benefits of live interaction with their instructor and classmates.

ITSM Academy’s innovative boot camp approach addresses many of the characteristics you may want to consider when selecting a training provider. Benefits include: 

• Course materials and delivery methods that match students’ learning styles 
• The resources and guidance students need to succeed before, during and after class
• Highly credentialed trainers with years of “been there, done that” experience who can keep students engaged and inspired while they are learning best practices 
• Practical assignments, classroom discussions and networking opportunities that enable students to immediately apply and put into action what they are learning
• Time-tested exam taking tips, sample questions and a mock exam that help students prepare for the exam
• High-quality, fully accredited course materials packed with value-add 

Individual certifications look great on your resume and provide tangible evidence of career growth but ultimately it is about using the knowledge you acquire to benefit your business. A well-rounded program enables you to maximize those benefits through the use of best practices.

ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, in the United Kingdom and other countries.

ITSM Academy at Fusion 2010 in Louisville, KY

I am thrilled to announce that ITSM Academy has been selected to deliver multiple educational sessions at the itSMF Fusion 2010 conference.  While the unfortunate flooding in Nashville necessitated a venue change to Louisville, KY, the program and conference dates (September 18-22) are the same.

Donna Knapp will be delivering FROM HELP DESK TO SERVICE DESK: USING ITIL® BEST PRACTICES as pre-conference training course on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday September 19.  This highly interactive course is designed to assist organizations in evolving from a Help Desk into a true best practice Service Desk.  Donna Knapp has over twenty five years experience in the IT industry  and is the author of two college textbooks on Service Desk and Customer Service best practices. 

On Sunday, September 19, from 12:30 to 2:30,  Michael Cardinal will be leading a free pre-conference workshop, PUTTING THE PRO IN PROCESS DESIGN.   This session describes techniques for developing, reengineering and improving processes, while managing the associated culture change. Attendees will also learn how to build a "custom framework" by drawing on guidance from multiple ITSM frameworks and standards such as ITIL, ISO/IEC 20000, MOF, Six Sigma and Cobit.  In addition to being a Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE) instructor, Mike has over 10 years of practical ITSM experience.

On Monday, September, 20th at 10:00 am, I will present on the tricky topic of  ROCK N' ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RESOURCES.  Regardless of size, budget or structure, many organizations struggle with fitting and managing the numerous ITSM roles and responsibilities within their current environment.  While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, I will provide practical guidance and explore different types of scenarios and models.  This session will be highly interactive with lots of audience participation.

Fusion 2010 in Louisville promises to be the best itSMF conference yet.  To learn more and register, go to www.itsmfusion.com.  See you there!

The V2 Practitioner Path to ITIL Expert Certification

Did you know that there are currently three routes to becoming an ITIL Expert?

For those starting ITIL with V3 earning 17 credits in the ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme gains entry into the capstone course, Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC). Passing the MALC exam grants the ITIL Expert credential. The ITIL V3 Credit Profiler helps candidates build a training plan based on existing and potential certifications.

The remaining two options are for those who possess advanced V2 certifications.

Individuals who are (or will) become ITIL V2 Service Managers have a five day fast track to ITIL Expert through the Manager’s Bridge course and exam. These are the only candidates who do not need to pass the MALC exam to become ITIL Experts.

Individuals with four clustered V2 Practitioner certifications (e.g., Support and Restore, Release and Control, Plan and Improve, Agree and Define) only need to take the Manager’s Bridge and MALC. The Manager’s Bridge course fills the gaps from to V3 and equips learners with the pre-requisite knowledge for success in MALC. Candidates must pass both exams to earn the ITIL Expert credential.

A learner who recently achieved his ITIL Expert through this path noted that the experience both affirmed and enhanced his prior V2 knowledge.

Keep in mind that options 2 and 3 will only be available for a limited time as V2 exams begin to expire this year. V2 Service Manager will end in August, 2010. V2 Practitioner exams will end in December 2011. The Manager’s Bridge exam will end in June, 2011.

ITSMP Diploma and Tuition Reimbursement

ITSM Academy's IT Service Management Professional (ITSMP)^SM Diploma Program offers diplomas in three (3) occupational disciplines based on IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices, frameworks and standards. The career paths are:
· Change Manager (ITSMP-CM)^SM
· Support Manager (ITSMP-SM)^SM
· Service Level Manager (ITSMP-SLM)^SM

View ITSM Diploma Tracks

Many of our learners have come to us for advise on securing Tuition Reimbursement for their education. The primary question is, "Will my company pay for my tuition?"

If your organization has an established Tuition Reimbursement policy, of course they will. You just need a business case stating the relevance of the education and and little patience. With this, your educational aspirations can be achieved.

But what if your company doesn’t publish a Tuition Assistance policy? In our experience, just because they don’t currently offer reimbursement doesn’t mean they aren’t open to the idea. It might just mean that no one has asked. Since Tuition Reimbursement is typically funded through the Human Resources’ benefit program, the cost of your training may not impact your department’s budget and you may be able to work with your boss to capitalize on this opportunity.

A great way to approach it is to create a list of ways your education will benefit the company:

• In the course of the program, you will be earning five (5) internationally recognized certifications
• Your new skills are based on industry standard best practices
• This education will make you more productive at work
• You will be able to take on additional assignments
• You will be able to be a leader in the workplace

Your list should be part of a short business case which includes the following benefits of earning an ITSMP Diploma from ITSM Academy.

Number one: Value

Most employers are concerned about the expense of
employee education.

Demonstrate that the benefits outweigh the costs and be as specific as possible. We can help you put together a precise list of skills you will be learning. Remind them that in addition to earning an ITSMP diploma, you will also achieve industry recognized certifications. Since each ITSMP track has been built to ensure that students are equipped with ALL of the skills needed to succeed in a specific process management position, you will be better positioned to take a leadership role when needed. Also, remind them that paying your tuition may cost less than hiring a new employee with the skills you are learning, not to mention the cost of training the new recruit.

Number two: Longer Employee Retention

One of the best ways to prove your commitment is to sign a retention agreement. This ensures that you will stay with the organization for a specific period of time after earning your diploma. Most companies who offer tuition reimbursement already have this in place.

Number three: Competitive Advantage

Specifically demonstrate how your diploma will relate to your current (or proposed) position. Cite examples of how your new skills can be applied to IT Operations. From the ITSMP Catalog, show them the courses which you will be taking. Explain how the courses benefit the IT Department and the overall organization, by completing this unique combination of education. And remember, studies show that an educated workforce will keep your employers ahead of the competition.

Your ITSMP diploma will move your company’s IT Service Management initiatives forward. And what do we know about ITSM? Done right, it will implement and internalize best practices, improve productivity and reduce costs. So when you think of it that way, your employer will reduce operational costs by funding your education!