SharePoint as an ITIL Implementation Tool [Revised Outline]

1. What is ITIL
   1. ITIL stands for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library
   2. Is a set of best practice areas for managing IT as services. These best practice areas follow the lifecycle of a service. These practice areas are: Service Strategy, Service Design Service, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continuous Improvement
2. Who should care
   1. CxOs especially CIOs should care in the wake of rising I.T. costs, the strategic importance of I.T. as an enabler, and the growing chasm between business needs and I.T. provided capabilities
3. Why are ITIL and SharePoint important together
   1. Processes develop to support ITIL best practices provide a coordinated approach towards managing I.T.
   2. When semi-automated or computer automated on platforms such as SharePoint ITIL improves I.T. performance
   3. ITIL along with methodologies such as Hoshin Planning and technologies such as SharePoint Improve alignment with business through display of relationships between business goals and technology capabilities.
4. What are the issues adopting ITIL
   1. Social/Political

i. Changing a business model is difficult, even a new model such as I.T. A culture of how I.T. organizations and staff behave has been well established in most companies so effecting a change can be difficult. Most I.T. departments are established as small development shops with the service delivery departments (operations and help desk) being seen as a lower skilled, paid and status role. As such a switch to a service model may be resisted by the existing culture and have political ramifications as the organization seeks to retain the Status Quo

1. Intellectual

i. A switch from a product to a service model requires a change in perspective. That change requires the capability to see the differences between the two and understand the changes needed both technically and, behaviorally. [It is not the technology but how you use the technology becomes the key]

1. Technical

i. The technical aspects of changing an I.T. business model can become daunting if not address through planning. Many of the processes and support technology to operate as a service have not been installed due to a lack of priority as new functional developments are typically prioritized

1. Financial

i. Converting to a Service Business Model can have significant financial implications both in terms of initial investment as well as ROI and customer satisfaction. The initial financial investment can be chilling if not planned and executed in a rational manner. Stakeholders may not be willing to invest in a large project with returns several years in the future as such staged investments maybe the best approach.

1. Change Management

i. Changing from one business model to another is a significant challenge. Changing business models typically means changes on multiple areas simultaneously; Strategies, Processes, and Behaviors, Financial metrics and technologies or technology usage. Keeping track of these changes and coordinating these from an integrated perspective supporting the overall objective become a critical factor.

1. How can SharePoint help
   1. SharePoint as a Service Catalog

i. SharePoint can be used as a repository for the definition of services. This same repository can be published to potential and existing customers to enable them to understand services available to them, how to order, service to be expected, know which services they’ve purchased as well as introduce new services that are to become available.

ii. Service Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB)

iii. With a minimum effort SharePoint workflows can be configured into a Service Order Entry System that will enable prospective customers to configure and order a service, submit, track and confirm delivery of services from the catalog.

iv. SharePoint can be configured into a Customer Account Management system that will keep track of customers, customer orders, order status and services provided thus giving I.T. Service Management Staff a complete picture of the services and performance a customer is receiving.

v. Self-Help and Technical Issue Knowledgebase Management

1. Explain benefits of how to create a FAQ and Issues Knowledge Base

vi. Help Desk Automation (ticket tracking)

1. Explain benefits of how to create a help desk ticket management system
2. SharePoint as a Performance Management System

i. Technology Monitoring and Reporting

1. Explain how SharePoint Dashboard could be used to display status of Servers and Applications from System Center and with additional programing display status of Business/IT Services [Performance Point and System Center Integration ]

ii. Policy Deployment Management (Hoshin Planning) Explain how Hoshin Planning can assist in more effective deployment of ITIL and IT/Business Alignment

1. Explain what Hoshin planning is and how it helps align and manage strategy deployment

• Hoshin Planning is a Strategic Planning technique developed in Japan during the TQM and Management by Objectives initiatives of the 1960s
• Unlike many other planning techniques, Hoshin, provides a means to link Strategy to Execution
• Hoshin Planning uses a set of cascading and interlinked matrices to refine strategic objectives into greater detail and actionable tasks throughout the organization.

1. Explain how to use SharePoint / PerformancePoint KPI rollup features to enable Hoshin Planning

• SharePoint PerformancePoint provides the ability to roll-up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measurements and associate them into higher level KPIs.
• This feature makes SharePoint’s PerformancePoint feature an excellent candidate as the technology infrastructure to support Hoshin Planning

1. Service Lifecycle and SharePoint Implementation Architecture
   1. Explain how various SharePoint ITIL components fit together to manage the Service Lifecycle
   2. Explain the Information Architecture of SharePoint-ITIL Portal and sub sites
   3. Explain the ECM & RM aspects of SharePoint ITIL

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