The Service Desk and Mark Twain

Some meaningful insight from our guest blogger, Donna Knapp:

Upon hearing that his obituary had mistakenly been published in the New York Journal, Mark Twain is famously quoted as saying “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” 

The same can be said for the service desk despite the blogs here and there that are suggesting that factors such as social support, self-help, bring your own device (BYOD), virtualization, cloud computing and wide-scale outsourcing are minimizing the service desk’s role.  

The reality is that those factors are changing the service desk role, but not minimizing it. Increasingly organizations are realizing that the need for support and therefore the service desk’s role must be considered when making strategic decisions such as BYOD or a move to virtualization or the cloud. Service desks must, in turn, embrace this more strategic role and make the transition from reactive to proactive.  

 

One way that service desks can make this transition is to take a more disciplined approach to Knowledge Management and by pushing that knowledge to its customers via self-help. Self-help can include not only access to knowledge bases, downloads, and patches but also facilitated community forums. Such an approach is not only cost-effective ($6/self-help contact vs. $22/service desk contact according to HDI), it also represents a positive response to customers’ increasing tendency to Google or Tweet first and only then contact the service desk. 

Other ways to make the transition to a more strategic, proactive service desk include a more formalized approach to Problem Management that not only feeds Knowledge Management (e.g., workarounds and known errors) but also seeks to eliminate recurring incidents, thus freeing service desk resources to work on new and more complex incidents. And therein lies an important point; self-help can only address known issues. The dramatic technological changes facing the IT industry are resulting in plenty of new incidents, many of which are complex in nature given peoples’ increasing tendency to access data, information and knowledge across a wide array of platforms and technologies. And here’s another important point to keep in mind… as organizations adopt practices such as virtualization and cloud computing, connectivity becomes critical and so incidents that stand in the way of that connectivity are now viewed as major.  

This means that service desks must find ways to collapse the traditional tiered approach to escalation and solve as many incidents as possible at the first point of contact. This approach has long been known to be cost-effective for the service provider. An incident that costs $22 to solve at the service desk, costs $62 at level 2 (e.g., desktop support) and $85 at level 3 (e.g., the application or network teams) according to Metricnet. It is easier said than done; however, as it requires refining or perhaps even reengineering the processes that dictate how the service desk interacts with higher-level resources such as the technical and application management teams.

 

Rather than talk about the benefits to the service provider; however, the service desk must learn to communicate the positive business benefits of these practices such as increased productivity and improved ability to adapt to and leverage emerging technologies. To demonstrate value for money going forward, the service desk’s focus must shift away from traditional reactive practices – no matter how well they are performed – to a more proactive enabler of customer productivity. That’s something we can all appreciate isn’t it… enabling us to use technology to innovate, collaborate and get our jobs done efficiently and effectively; rather than get in our way. What the service desk must not shift away from is what has always been its hallmark – excellent customer service.

Don't Drink the Kool-Aid!

Have you ever heard someone talk about “drinking the Kool-Aid”?   If you "drink the Kool-Aid", you buy into a new concept, initiative or way of doing things.    In our space, it is often used to describe an individual’s acceptance of new or improved service management processes by drinking the “ITIL Kool-Aid”.

I am not sure how the concept entered into our common vocabulary, but it has terrible origins.   In 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana, over 900 members of a cult drank cyanide-laced Kool-Aid as part of a mass suicide.   Approximately two hundred of the dead were children who were fed the Kool-Aid by their parents.

Still want to drink it?   It’s poison.

If we treat ITIL like an IT cult or religion, we are potentially poisoning the perception of some of our most important and influential stakeholders.  Many application developers already consider ITIL a four-letter-word.  Why?  We need to work towards stakeholder alignment, not alienation. 

ITIL was never intended to be perfect, complete, prescriptive or auditable.   It was intended to provide broad-based guidance that is scalable to any organization or vertical market.   To ensure sustainability, you have to foster an environment that allows individuals to buy-in on their own timeline – some will be early adopters, others will require proof of concept.  Both are OK. 

While your program is maturing, encourage confidence, creativity, dialogue, metrics, analysis and even healthy conflict.  Not blind acceptance and certainly no Kool-Aid.

               

MALC 2011 Has Been Released

The new MALC 2011 exams were released yesterday.  In addition to providing updated guidance from the ITIL 2011 library, the new MALC reflects a continual improvement review based on feedback from learners, Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) and end user organizations.  

According to APMG, "The new syllabus emphasizes the cross-lifecycle focus, from the two perspectives of managing services across the service lifecycle, and of managing the practice of service management across the service lifecycle. The MALC Review project involved extensive consultation with stakeholders, in order to base its findings and recommendations on the most comprehensive feedback. The new MALC takes a managerial, strategic perspective of ITIL across the lifecycle. It has been our aim to produce a MALC syllabus and examination which is deserving of its position as the final 'capstone' leading to the prestigious ITIL Expert certification.”

The MALC 2011 exam will be more difficult than other intermediate exams since it leads to the ITIL Expert designation.  The new exam is case study-based, now has ten questions and the exam duration extended to two hours.  Learners will have access to the case study during class and for use with sample exams.  Testing will be at Blooms Levels 4 and 5.

ITSM Academy will be conducting its first MALC 2011 course the week of June 4th.  MALC 2011 is based solely on the 2011 edition of the ITIL core books and the ITIL 2007 books cannot be used as a substitute.

Candidates who took their course using the 2007 edition of the books and need to retake the exam can do so until August 31^st.   When scheduling retakes with an Examination Institute, please make sure to indicate which version you wish to take.

Intermediate Courses and Bloom's Taxonomy

ITIL Lifecycle and Capability courses and exams are built based on Bloom levels 3 and 4

• Bloom 3 – application – measures ability to use information in new ways to solve problems, predict results, tell how, when, where and why 
• Bloom 4 – analysis – measures ability to distinguish between different parts, understand how parts fit together, identify causes, recognize hidden meanings, draw conclusions

These courses are intended to provide “how to” knowledge as opposed to ITIL Foundation’s “what about” knowledge.

Effective learning and study techniques for learners taking Bloom levels 3 and 4 exams include:

• Do your pre-class reading and in-class homework assignments
• Actively participate in class discussions, debates and assignments
• Use the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) reading and study technique 
• Create complex mind maps to tie terms, concepts, and activities to key topics (Visual/Kinesthetic) 
• Practice mapping ITIL concepts to real world situations/problems 
• Create inductive diagrams - diagrams that illustrate inductive reasoning which involves moving from observations to a theory 
• Create deductive diagrams - diagrams that illustrate deductive reasoning which involves starting with a theory and confirming (or not) that theory

Want to become an ITIL Expert?  In May, 2012, the new Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC) syllabus and exam will be introduced based on Bloom level 5.  Stay tuned to my next blog for more information on Bloom Level 5 and MALC.

ITIL Foundation and Bloom's Taxonomy

In this second of a series, we explore the learning and testing objectives of  ITIL Foundation  based on Blooms Taxonomy.  We also look at some helpful study hints.

ITIL Foundation is based on Bloom Levels 1 and 2:

• Bloom 1 – knowledge – measures recall of terminology and specific facts

• Bloom 2 – comprehension – measures understanding of ideas and the ability to translate or explain concepts

Bloom's Taxonomy uses verbs to describe expected the level of learning and thinking.

Bloom level 1 measurable verbs include: define, describe, find, identify, know, label, list, match, name, outline, recall, recognize, relate, reproduce, select, state.

You can see from these verbs that at Bloom level 1, you should be able to, for example, define the purpose of a given process or list the five aspects of service design. You must also be able to make associations or relate basic concepts such as impact + urgency = priority.

 

Bloom level 2 measurable verbs include: classify, compare, comprehend, convert, defend, discuss, distinguish, estimate, explain, extend, generalize, give an example, infer, interpret, outline, paraphrase, predict, restate, summarize, translate.

You can see from these verbs that at Bloom level 2, you should be able to, for example, classify given examples as either incidents or service requests.

You must be able to translate definitions into your own words and provide an example. You should be able to, for example, summarize what all the warranty processes have in common or predict what will happen if we don’t consider the warranty processes during Service Design and Service Transition.  

Essentially, ITIL Foundation equips learners with the ability to understand, explain and translate basic ITIL terms and concepts into real world examples.  That is why ITIL Foundation certification is recommended for most staff and suppliers to ensure a common vocabulary and understanding.

Effective learning and study techniques for learners taking Bloom levels 1 and 2 exams.  These will vary based on your individual learning style and can include: 

• Take notes/rewrite notes (visual/kinesthetic) - highlight important points in color
• Reread course materials (visual/auditory/kinesthetic)
• Complete available study aids (visual/auditory/kinesthetic)
• Create and use Flash Cards (visual)
• Record notes, read notes aloud, discuss terms and concepts aloud (auditory)
• Create mnemonics to aid memorization (auditory)
• Partner Quizzing (verbal)
• Create simple mind maps and diagrams to tie terms and basic concepts to key topics (visual/kinesthetic)
• Read a composed document such as the Introductory Overview of ITIL that provides a “big picture” perspective

ITIL Foundation is not intended to enable you with the ability apply the concepts (Bloom 3) or analyze your the current environment (Bloom 4). That focused level of learning and thinking is available in the Intermediate (Capability and Lifecycle) streams. We will explore the relatiomship between Bloom levels 3 and 4 and the Intermediate courses in the next blog.

Your Learning Style and Bloom's Taxonomy

Each of us has a unique learning style.  Do you prefer to "see" or "hear" or "do"?  The answer will not only affect the way you learn, but also the way that you study or prepare for an exam.   

Learning styles include:

• Visual – learn through seeing
• Auditory – learn through listening
• Kinesthetic – learn through moving, doing, touching

Most of us do not use one style exclusively, although we will likely have a preferred style.  Recognizing your primary style will not only help you get the most from your ITIL certification course, it will also help you adapt your study style to the demands of the Bloom level being taught and tested.

A visual learner will likely take a much different approach at Bloom level 3 (applying) than a kinesthetic learner.  The visual learner may draft a very detailed flowchart while the kinesthetic learner may do a mock run-through of the process.

In the next few weekly blogs, I will map Bloom levels to the levels within the ITIL Qualification scheme, including somlearning-style suggestions for learning and study techniques.  

Who was Benjamin Bloom and Why Should I Care?

Benjamin Bloom (1913 – 1999) was an American educational psychologist who contributed to the classification of educational objectives and to the theory of mastery-learning (an instructional method that presumes all students can learn if they are provided with appropriate learning conditions). Bloom headed a team that developed a taxonomy, or structure, through which educational objectives could be organized according to their cognitive complexity. The cognitive domain deals with a person's ability to process information and use it in a meaningful way. Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall of facts, through increasingly more complex and abstract levels of thinking.

Simply put, Bloom’s Taxonomy helps educators categorize learning objectives and assess learning achievements.

Why should you care? The ITIL syllabi and exams are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy in increasing levels of difficulty and complexity. ITIL Foundation, for example, is tested at Blooms Level 1 and 2. The upcoming MALC 2011 course will be testing at Blooms Level 4 and 5. That's a pretty big difference.

Understanding Blooms levels helps to set your expectations, therefore increasing your ability to

• Realistically estimate the time and effort required before and during the class
• Engage with your instructor and other learners in class
• Pass the certification exam
• Use the knowledge that you gain in class

Bloom’s taxonomy includes measurable verbs that can be used to describe and classify knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors and abilities that we expect to observe in learners. The theory is based upon the idea that there are levels of observable actions that indicate something is happening in the brain (cognitive activity). By creating learning objectives using measurable verbs, instructors know explicitly what the student must do in order to demonstrate learning. This improves the ability of the instructor to help you achieve your learning goals and pass the exam. 

Over the next few blogs, I'll dive a little deeper into the different levels of Blooms Taxonomy at the different levels of the ITIL Qualification Scheme. Stay tuned!