What Does it Mean to "Be Agile"?

It seems like the term “agile” is surfacing everywhere lately.  While originally intended for software developers, the term has permeated our IT culture and become part of our vocabulary.   While the word is commonly used, do we also have a common understanding of what it means to “be agile”?  Particularly in the context of service management?

Agile is primarily a state of mind that is reflected in a set of core values and principles.  By itself, it is not a framework, standard, set of practices or methodology.  It is more of a perspective than a prescription.  Agile values are embedded  into and brought to life through approaches such as Scrum, Kanban, DevOps and Xtreme Programming.  The concepts reach way beyond software development.  Agile is now recognized to be equally relevant to other domains such as service management or business process management.

At the heart of Agile is the Agile Manifesto – the output of a set of frustrated developers in 2001 whose collective goal was to refocus their community to what really matters.    

The Agile Manifesto is supported by a set of twelve principles that further elaborate on the core values.  The Manifesto and its principles can be viewed here.

At first glance, the Agile Manifesto may seem to diminish or obsolete everything we have taught and worked so hard to achieve in service management.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The authors acknowledge that they do value the items on the right, they just value the items on the left more.  Don’t we also? 

In order to “be agile”, we may have to refocus our community too.  Refocus it to be more business-centric than it-centric.  To refuse to prize flowcharts, documentation, tools and plans over successful business outcomes.  To collaborate with our customers and ensure that we understand and are delivering ongoing value.  

Mostly, we need to do JUST ENOUGH of the items on the right to deliver the items on the left consistently.   Agile doesn't negate what we do and teach in service management, it actually lightens our load and allows us to be true business enablers.  Awesome!

What would an Agile Service Management Manifesto look like?  Here is my vision:

This is certainly not perfect. I hope it is a starting point that opens a forum for healthy discussion and collaboration.   Let's do what the developers did - agree on a set of core principles that focus on what really matters.   

ITSM Academy recognizes that being agile is and will be an important aspect of the next generation of rapid innovation.  We have created a line of training for Agile Service Management  and are introducing new Agile and DevOps courses that marry agile values and frameworks to service management practices.   We are already actively delivering Certified ScrumMaster,  Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE) and DevOps Overview.  Coming soon:  DevOps Fundamentals  and Agile Service Management: Essentials.  Stay tuned!

Ten Years Later

This week, ITSM Academy will celebrate its tenth anniversary.    Our whole team will be in Fort Lauderdale at our annual “all hands” meeting. We will use this time to draw on each other’s energies, ideas and capabilities to review the past, assess the present and prepare for the future to ensure that we continue to deliver value to our customers and to each other.

Ten years ago, many organizations were unfamiliar with ITIL or service management.  Awareness was slow and mostly at the large enterprise level.    There was not a lot of ITIL education available in the US.  The primary areas of focus were Incident and Change Management. Lisa and I helped found the 9^th itSMF USA Local Interest Group in South Florida. 

Things have certainly changed.  Here are a few of my observations:

• ITIL is no longer just for the Fortune 1000 organization.  The need for service management programs and practices has transcended every vertical market including government, non-profit, global and local organizations.  This is a very positive indicator about scalability and the fact that you do not need a million dollar budget to manage your services.
• Service Management is shifting the focus from apps to services.  The definition of “service” is still not as business-centric as it should be but we are closer than ever before.  Service Catalogs are more common and are being used to request and understand services by both the business and IT.
• Service Management programs are maturing and moving beyond Incident and Change Management.  Today’s roadmaps include processes such as Problem Management, Demand/Capacity Management and Service Portfolio/Service Catalog/Service Level Management.
• More organizations are interested in implementing Service Management Offices (SMOs).
• While ITIL is a great service management framework, it is not perfect and cannot stand alone.  More and more organizations are integrating their service management practices with frameworks such as Agile, Lean, DevOps, Project Management and Cobit.
• Interest in organizational change concepts is increasing.  Change the way people think and you are more likely to change the way they behave.
• Mobile computing, the cloud, BYOD and other influences are forcing IT to move faster and be more efficient.   Traditional service management will need to upgrade to Agile Service Management and leverage methodologies such as Scrum to improve velocity and workflow.
• DevOps is revolutionizing the relationship and flow between IT development and operational teams. Organizations will have to assess and improve culture, automation, measurements and sharing (CAMs) in order to compete.
• The future is now.

Technical innovations over the past ten years have been remarkable – from desktops to laptops to smartphones, tablets and beyond.   The next ten years will be an even wilder ride.  We are getting ready - are you?

ITSM Academy's 2014 DevOps and ITSM Scrum Master Courses

Can you believe that 2013 is rapidly coming to a close?  I can’t.  In two weeks, we will give thanks for all of our blessings then move quickly onto Christmas and a New Year.  Wow! 

I am very excited about 2014 – it promises to be a year of transformation.   Business and technology innovations are transforming the way we live, think, share and envision the future.  IT professionals will have to keep up or be left behind.   Service management will be more relevant than ever, but how it is applied and which services it supports may be the difference between value creation and obsolescence.

To meet these changing needs, I am thrilled to introduce ITSM Academy’s  2014 lineup of Agile Service ManagementÒ  courses, including 

• DevOps Overview– a half-day high level introduction to the cultural phenomenon that is rocking the IT world and delivering real value by enabling organizations to build, deploy and operate quality software faster
  
• DevOps Principles – a two day experiential course that takes a deeper look at DevOps including its relationship to ITIL and ITSM.  This will also be a great opportunity to learn more about the “three ways” of DevOps that is detailed in our buddy Gene Kim’s bestseller “The Phoenix Project”
• ITSM Scrum Master ^TM– a two day hands-on opportunity to learn about Scrum processes from a service management perspective.  Attendees will experience practical ways to apply the same techniques used by software developers in order to develop and manage quality processes and services that meet customer needs

We are proud to be the first ITSM training provider to bring this important knowledge to you.  ITSM Academy has been involved in the Agile/DevOps community for some time and we have witnessed the steady paradigm shift from traditional IT to Agile IT.  We started down the Agile Service ManagementÒ  path several years ago with the Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE) and VisOps courses.  The addition of education about DevOps and Scrum injects the much needed human factor - modifying the way people think, behave, interact and work together.

The first virtual delivery of the DevOps overview will be January 24, followed by releases of the other course throughout Q1 2014.  Keep an eye on our website for further developments or email info@itsmacademy.com with questions or requests for more information.   I hope that you will take the opportunity to explore these concepts with us and experience the 2014 Year of Transformation! 

Top Ten Take Home from Fusion 13

Just got back from Fusion 13 in Nashville.  It was a good time seeing old friends, making new friends and basking in the service management glow.  Learned a lot, shared a lot, laughed a lot.

Our team collected their Top Ten Take Homes from the conference which have been collected into a slide deck.  Lisa and Donna even made some videos.

To learn more about our Top 10, please visit Lisa's "LisaLand" blog at http://mylisaland.com/2013/10/30/fusion-13-top-10-take-homes/.

Introducing the First Service Management Congress!

Something revolutionary happened this week at the itSMF/HDI Fusion 13 conference.   Something so special that I’m still overwhelmed by it's enormity.

I was honored to be invited to be a part of what was to be called the “Revolutionary Network” – a group of passionate, respected individuals who were tasked to think outside the box and reenergize and refocus service management.  It was a daunting challenge, to be accomplished over two fragmented days, culminating in an “unleashed” presentation on the last day of the conference.  We had no rules, no boundaries and were encouraged to be innovative and free thinking.  We represented ourselves, not our organizations.  We did not prepare; had no pre-conceived notions of what the result would be.  There was a lot of debate, discussion, loss of words and a preponderance of words.  The result is truly transformative.

Service management has lost its way – ITIL and similar service management practices have become commoditized, commercialized and canonized.    There is too much emphasis on process, not enough on people.   Knowledge is too proprietary, not open.   IT services overshadow business outcomes.   Certification trumps learning.    After years of “adopting”, we asked ourselves if the business is actually realizing the value that we intended to provide.  Sadly, we collectively shook our heads “no”.  We decided that it’s time to take the “IT” out of “ITSM” and commit to “refocusing our attention on a set of core values that help to enable individuals, leaders, businesses and communities.”

The result is a call to action, a set of rights and a commitment to core values.  Like the output of most revolutions, we formed a congress for, by and from the people that are passionate and invested in delivering value through service management.  Everything developed this week is a work in progress and, hopefully, will evolve through people and crowdsourcing.    Whether you are a practitioner, consultant, educator, leader, executive or vendor, you are the business and a key contributor to the future of service management. 

Please take a minute to check out the Call to Action and lend your support at www.smcongress.org.    Share it with your colleagues and co-workers.  Join the revolution!

From one of the "unleashed" session attendees:

"Even if I had not been able to attend any other part of Fusion, this session would have made the entire trip worthwhile."

"Coming out of this session, I knew I had witnessed something special. What I saw and took part in today was the start of a radical reinvention of the profession; valuing people, ideas, and outcomes over businesses, processes, and services. We're committing to ourselves and each other that our job is to tear down obstacles, connect people, and spur creativity."

The ITSM Academy Guide to Surviving Fusion 2013

Since 2004, the ITSM Academy team has been sponsoring and attending the itSMF Fusion conferences.    This year, we are doing something different – we will not be behind a booth but rather we will be in the trenches, engaging as presenters and attendees.  We feel it is equally important for us to share and update our knowledge through sessions, discussions and engaging conversations.

Sessions by ITSM Academy staff

We are excited to have been selected to contribute to this year’s body of knowledge:

• Donna Knapp, will be discussing The Service Desk State of the Future in Session 106 on Monday, October 21st from 10:14 to 11:15 am.
   
• Michael Cardinal will be presenting Measure Twice, Cut Once: Improving your Improvement Through Better Metrics in Session 302 on Monday, October 21 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
   
• I am joining some of my favorite industry colleagues as part of the “Revolutionary Network” and as a contributor to the Expert Insight on DevOps, Agile and ITSM at Sessions 404 and 504 on Tuesday, October 22 from 10:00 am to 12:15 p.m.  

Making the Most of the Conference

After all these years, we know a thing or two about navigating the event.  It’s our hope that this quick and easy guide to Fusion will help facilitate a more enjoyable experience.

• Things to Pack
• Transportation
• Accommodations
• Things to do in the Area

What should I pack?

First and foremost – comfortable shoes.   You will likely be doing a lot of walking from the convention center to the hotel and to, from and around the exhibit floor

With the average temperature in Nashville in October from the mid-sixties to low-seventies, what do you need?  Comfortable traveling clothes, business casual for the days and something nice for the party evening – you expect these.  But what should you bring besides the essential clothing items

• Business Cards
• Refillable Water Bottle
• Comfortable Tote Bag
• Sweater – it can be cold in there!
• Aspirin/Ibuprofen
• Granola Bars 
• Foot Rejuvenating Cream
• Fuzzy Socks

Another tip from our team, after a rough day on your feet, apply a liberal coating of foot cream, slip on the fuzzy socks and turn in for the night. This can make the difference between a good day and a bad day at conference. 

Getting around the area

For travel to and from the airport, the Gaylord does not provide free shuttle service. The service is $30 USD (reservation required). [see here] 

Where do you want to stay?

The Gaylord is a beautiful hotel, with many on location facilities, such as restaurants, bars and shopping. It may be too big and noisy for some, or just not the right fit for others.  In the near vicinity, there are a few other options, Courtyard Nashville at Opryland, Hampton Inn & Suites Nashville at Opryland, Best Western Suites near Opryland are just a few near the convention center. 

Things to do in the Area

Once Fusion gets up and running, they will keep your schedule pretty jammed packed.  Depending on when you arrive / depart you may have time to do some fun things in the area: 

• Country Music Hall of Fame (For Lisa!) -- Discover the stories behind the music as you view over 3,000 stage costumes, original song manuscripts and musical instruments. Many of the personal items of music legends are on display including Elvis' solid gold Cadillac. Admission includes a visit to the historical RCA Studio B and the Music Row walking tour. Allow at least two hours for exhibits and the tour.
• Main Street Live -- If you want to experience the cultural scene in Murfreesboro, Main Street Live would be a great place to start. A 400-capacity venue, it plays host to a vast array of musical events throughout the year. You can depend on Main Street Live to deliver some fantastic performances, with past line-ups including the likes of The Young International, Peelander-Z and Space Capone. It is a platform for local talent as well as nationally touting performers.
• Adventure Science Center -- The thrill of scientific discovery awaits you! Come explore over 150 interactive exhibits and programs for children and adults. View the heavens from the 40-foot Sudekum Planetarium. Climb seven interactive levels to the top of the Adventure Tower, and experience BodyQuest, an exciting tour through the human body.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can still use our discount code: SPKRF13 [register here]

Hope to see you at Fusion!

 

 

Axelos Future of ITIL Workshop

In a recent blog, I introduced Axelos, the joint venture between Capita and the Cabinet Office that will manage ITIL’s intellectual property and qualification scheme commencing in January of 2014. 

I had the privilege of participating in a Future of ITIL workshop sponsored by Axelos on July 17 and 18 in London.  My role was as an ATO but also as one of the representatives of the ATO Advisory Council (AAC).  The attendees came from several different organizations and perspectives.  Each brought a wealth of insight, experience and passion for ITIL.  

Notably absent were the ITIL Examination Institutes, omitted while Axelos was finalizing their commercial model.   Since then, Axelos has announced that they will not take on the role of Examination Institute like their predecessor.   This is a good decision.  

While the topics discussed went in many directions and spanned the past, present and future of ITIL, the central theme remained constant - increasing the value of ITIL to the customer and end-user organization.   The intent was not to make decisions; the intent was to have open dialog about what works, what doesn’t and suggestions for improvement.  The most impressive aspect of the workshop was the lack of opinion or comment by the Axelos representatives, including CEO Peter Hepworth.  They were there to listen and absorb.

Several critical success factors emerged including the need for international market research, continuing communication and the obligation to balance market stability with the desire to innovate (sounds a little ITIL-like, huh?).

If you would like more information about what was discussed, the following are good synopses:

https://plus.google.com/100336838208744115222/posts

http://www.theitsmreview.com/2013/07/future-of-itil-workshop/  

http://www.theitsmreview.com/2013/07/future-itil-workshop-shared-feedback/

Axelos has stated that this workshop will be the first of many.  In the meantime, they have been actively soliciting input and engaging with stakeholders via social media.   On Twitter, you can follow them via @AxelosGBP and @ChrisBarretski.  They have also established a Google+ page to post official ebulletins and other relevant information

https://plus.google.com/100336838208744115222/posts