Spring Is Just Around The Corner… Whilst cycling in this morning there was still snow on the hills but also signs of spring just around the corner… In nature spring is a time of rapid change and this change is often cruel and time bound. The crocuses in the picture are in a race against […]

What is a Forward Schedule of Change? In short, it’s a document that lists Changes and their planned implementation dates. Interestingly, the term “Forward Schedule of Change” hasn’t been used officially in ITIL since v2. For ITIL v3 it was updated (in name only) to “Change Schedule”, and that terminology has remained in ITIL 4. […]

There’s a key distinction that’s often missed, between a failed Change and a failed Release (hereafter, referred to as an Adverse Release). It’s the difference between making a mistake about whether a Change will deliver value, and making a mistake in the execution of that Change. Although the value proposition is important – fundamental, you […]

Since 2007, the University of Edinburgh has trained many staff in Service Management best practice. 565 attendances on a Foundation in IT Service Management course (8 years of staff time) 178 attendances on a Practitioner or Intermediate course (3 years) 7 staff trained to Manager or Expert level (15 weeks) Training fees are in the […]

With Christmas rapidly approaching, I’m sure many of you will be looking forward to enjoying a whodunit, whether in print, film or game. I’d already referenced Holmes when introducing Kepner-Tregoe problem analysis and by popular demand have been asked to tell a story. So settle down and grab a mug – are you’re sitting comfortably?  […]

Long time no see ITIL Tattlers! The medical theme in Robert’s post last week has encouraged me to resume blogging duties. His post cleverly applies First Aid principles to ITIL and I’ve had cause over the last few months to have a lot of interaction with our amazing NHS, so I’d come to the same […]

Doing certain things now will give us breathing and thinking space to assess our next response. First aid training includes a pre-prioritised list of immediate actions. Battlefield medics use MARCH, which in priority order means: Massive hemorrhage – if this isn’t stopped rapidly, everything else is in vain Airway – ensure an airway, as without a […]

The sketch shows a general store front. Whilst it functions perfectly adequately for a film set, if you wish to buy vittles [1] you will be disappointed! What we may think of as Service may not be. It may be just a function. So what is the difference between a Function and a Service? Can […]

What is a Service? The ITIL definition, if you’re not familiar with it, is about co-creating value by “facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve, but without the ownership of specific costs and risks”. The first time I read this, it threw me a little. I thought to myself: “The way this is written, it makes […]

Whenever someone asks me for a report, my response is usually “Why?  What do you wish to achieve?” I’m not (just) channeling my inner Mordac, rather I’m trying to make the outcome as beneficial as possible. Firstly , a report always answers a question, but that question may be unstated or ill-defined. Secondly, the underlying […]