What do Tiger Wood's swing and ITIL have in
common? The question is no joke! Both Tiger Wood's swing and ITIL
are best practices.
Here's the analogy:
When a beginner golfer picks up the clubs for the first time,
the instructor doesn't say "keep hitting the ball till you figure
out your swing?" Instead, they recommend one of two common grips,
basic stance, and straight left arm. These are best practices. In
other words, they provide a way to do something based on what is
commonly viewed as the best way to do it. A best practice is
simply a way of doing something, based on how others have
successfully done it before, that helps you quickly achieve a
level of competence.
Is the best practice the end goal? No. Best practice provides a
baseline, or starting point. It's a way to quickly achieve
results, that you can then build on and adapt to your unique
needs. In golf, many players copy Tiger Wood's swing to improve
their game. But there is only one Tiger Woods! If you are shorter,
less flexible, weaker, or less practiced than Tiger (as most of us
are), then you need to adapt Tiger's swing to your unique
requirements.
The same goes with ITIL. ITIL is a set of
best-practice guidelines that are based on how others have
successfully managed IT. These guidelines help you quickly achieve
an expected level of performance. Is ITIL the end goal? No. Based
on your unique and changing requirements, you should identify key
areas of requiring exceptional - performance, and adapt ITIL to
meet your needs.
So you're not a beginner golfer? Your
organization already has IT service and support process in place?
Best practices can still help. Use best practices to go back and
improve areas that are currently effective, but t still need to be
enhanced. Look at how others have done it, and modify as needed
to help achieve the goals of your unique circumstance.
Your take away - adapt ITIL best
practices to improve IT service efficiency. Look for solutions
that implement ITIL out-of-box, but are easily adapted to your
unique requirements. Leverage the best, but don't get stuck with
a golf swing or an IT process that doesn't quite fit your needs! |
