I’m often asked by companies just starting to roll-out formal Service Management processes which ITIL version they should use. The answer I give them depends on a number of factors:
1. Have they got any formal processes in place already? If they have there is a good chance that these have been based on a version of ITIL, even if they don’t know it. Chances are that these processes have been in place for some time and have therefore been based on ITIL v2. In this scenario I would advise them to continue with the version they are already familiar with, at least until all the existing processes have been audited. If the majority of existing processes are deemed fit for purpose following an audit stay on your existing version of ITIL. If most of the existing processes are being discarded you might as well start from scratch on v3.
2. Do you have any staff with ITIL qualifications? If you have staff with v2 qualifications you probably want to implement v2 first. If, however, you’ve got someone with the v3 Master or Expert qualifications you might want to go straight to v3.
3. Are you going to need outside help? The number of v3 qualified consultants is rising quickly but there are still many more people with v2 knowledge than with v3. Also, most of the pitfalls of a v2 implementation have been discovered (sometimes painfully) whereas v3 is still largely unknown in the live environment. One further consideration is cost of outside help. Because of the shortage of qualified v3 consultants their advice is likely to cost you more money in the short to medium term. You may, of course, make long term savings by missing out v2 entirely but many businesses don’t plan this far ahead.
4. The final consideration is the nature of your IT Department and its attitude to new technology. Are you normally early adopters or do you like to wait for a solution to be fully tested and bug-fixed by others before you commit to it. If you are one of the few companies to have already implemented Vista throughout the business you are likely to want to jump straight into the relatively untamed wilderness of v3. If you prefer to play it safe you will be much happier with tried and tested v2.
Tags: Implementation, IT Service Management, ITIL, ITSM
October 7, 2008 at 8:02 pm
You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I’ve spent most of my time here just lurking and reading, but today for some reason I just felt compelled to say this.