Benefits of Following Best Practices

Kevin Burkholder Post in Consulting,ITIL Best Practices,Services

Achieve excellence through the adoption and adaptation of best practices in IT service management.

An attitude and a methodology aimed at aligning IT practices with business initiatives and priorities. It broadens the view of IT leaders to encompass not only technology and technical issues, but more so, business and corporate issues.
A set of publications providing descriptive (i.e. what to do and why) guidance on IT service management. ITIL is the de facto standard framework for IT Service Management best practices. ITIL defines overall IT Service Management as ten core processes that separate into two major functional groups – one for IT Service Delivery and one for IT Service Support.
  • Define, using industry best practices, IT service policies and procedures.
  • Align IT goals and processes with business goals and processes.
    • IT delivers and supports business services.
    • Guide IT decisions on benefit and value to the business.
  • Realize IT as a business success enabler not just a service to users.
    • IT costs relate to actualized return on investment.
  • Provide for measurable, realistic levels of service.
    • Document what, how, and when services are provided.
    • Define appropriate and expected levels of service.
    • Provide for increases in service levels through a value/costing/ROI model.
    • Eliminate unreasonable expectations.
  • Define staff roles and responsibilities.
    • IT staff.
    • Business & end users.
  • Meet financial goals.
    • Understand and control IT costs to the business.
    • Realizing return on IT infrastructure investments.
    • Manage IT contracts and assets.
    • Provide quantifiable cost and performance information.
  • Define and achieve business & end user goals.
    • Availability and performance of IT services.
    • Value-for-expense IT services.
    • Reliability of the IT infrastructure.
    • Support of hands-on IT users.
    • More responsive IT staff due to aligned priorities.
  • Develop and achieve internal (IT departmental) goals.
    • Advance skills – technical and business expertise.
    • Achieve expected service requirements.
    • Address security concerns.
    • Accountability.
    • Clearly identified priorities.
    • Improved satisfaction and more receptive environment.
  • Provide for innovation.
    • Flexibility of the IT infrastructure.
    • Ability to control changes to services and infrastructures.
    • Transferability of / shared knowledge.
    • Ability to harness technology.