Job Roles that require ITIL Certification

I am frequently asked by my participants about which job roles require ITIL certification. I have given a list of the roles below which is not exhaustive.

1. Service Desk Analyst
2. Service Desk Managers
3. Problem/Incident Managers
4. IT Support/Operations Managers
5. Service Managers
6. Network Administrators
7. System Administrators
8. Transition Managers
9. Project Managers

If you are in a role that is responsible for the delivery of IT Services within an ITIL implementation it is imperative that you get trained and certified in ITIL.

New Change Management Qualification from APMG

APMG has recently announced a new Change Management Qualification "Change Management Practitioner". This course buids on the knowledge of the four change areas from Foundation course. APMG already has a 60 Question, 1 hour Foundation Certification Exam on Change Management. Candidates have to score 30 out of 60 to obtain a pass in Foundation exam. Candidates have to score 40 out of 80 to obtain a pass in Practitioner Examination. The following are the four modules that comprise the Change Management Qualification:

• The Individual
• The Team
• The Organization
• The Change Leader

You can appear for the Change Management examination through any of the British Council Centers across India.

OGC announcement of ITILV2 Certification Retirement

OGC has recently announced the withdrawal dates for ITILV2 exams. The withdrawal dates for specfic products are as follows:

• V2 Foundation will retire on 30 June 2010.
• V2 Manager will retire on 31 August 2010.
• V2 Practitioner will retire on 31 Dec 2010.
• Foundation Bridge will retire on 31 Dec 2010.
• Manager Bridge to cease on 30 June 2011.

For more details visit http://www.ogc.co.uk

Why focus on Process Improvement ?

Many IT Professionals have asked me this question, 'Why focus on process improvement when we have to focus on improving software products and services?'. My answer is 'Improvement in processes result in improvements in products and services'. Please READ THIS ARTICLE for a better understanding of the four goals of process improvement and what drives them.

The Cost of ITIL Expert Certification through V3 Route

I am providing the approximate cost of V3 Expert certification, costs may vary depending on the vendor you choose. The cost is exorbitant and I do not see anyone getting immediate benefit after the EXPERT tag he/she is given after the certification. Please find below the approximate costs:

Foundation Course: Rs.10000 (Majority of you would do it online or self study)
Lifecycle X 5 = Rs.2,50,000 (Average of Rs.50000 for a Lifecycle Course)
Capability X 4 = Rs.2,40,000 (Average of Rs.60000 for a Capability Course)
Managing Across Lifecyle = Rs.1,20,000
Total Costs (Lifecycle) = Rs. 3,25,000
Total Costs (Capability) = Rs.3,15,000

The demand for Intermediate courses is slowly growing. There is a high demand for V2 Manager courses which offer an inexpensive route to V3 Expert certfication. For aspirants who are paying from their pocket it is advisable to take one or two courses relevant from Intermediate stream and be a practitioner. It is not worth spending that much of money chasing the Expert certificate and end up not using it.

10 Hot Skills for 2009

It does not surprise me that Information security, Project Management and ITIL are amongst the top 10 skills for 2009. Please read the white paper from Global Knowledge here. Though there are not too many certified professionals on IT Governance and TOGAF, there is increased awareness in India about IT Governance, TOGAF, ISO 20000 and ISO 27002.

Outsourcing, ITIL and the ISO 20000 Certification

Vendor (Service Provider) Selection is a vital process in Outsourcing Management. Vendors go on to become partners in an outsourcing relationship.Clients Project Managers are very well aware that vendors whose IT infrastrucure is ITIL processes driven are capable of delivering high quality IT services. Therefore it is imperative for the client to specify ITIL process compliance as mandatory requirement in RFP at the Vendor Solicitation stage. It is therefore very clear that External Service Providers are looking at adapting ITIL process to demonstrate their quality service delivery capabilities. It is also a huge advantage if a Vendor (service Provider) can adapt IEC/ISO 20000, the only international standard for IT Service management. A vendor organization can claim compliance with a standard such as IEC/ISO 20000 and can put such claims in their documentation. Read this article.

5 Infrastructure Trends to Watch for in 2010

Earlier this week i happened to read Ram Mohan's article on IT Trends to watch in 2010. This article highlights the importance of ITIL and predits increased adoptation of ITIL standards in 2009-2010. Read the article here.

New complimentary qualification in ITILV3 Certification Scheme

Service Catalogue Management which is a new Process in ITILV3 is now a specialization qualification in ITILV3 certification.The importance of service catalogue should not be underestimated in IT Service Management. Pink Elephant which has been teaching this course at Practitioner level (in ITILV2) is associated with this qualification along with newScale, the world leader in Service Catalogue solutions. For more details please read here. There is a book authored by Rodrigo Flores and Troy DuMoulin called "Defining IT Success through the Service Catalog". You can order the book here

The ITIL Tool Assessment from APM Group

APM Group has launched a new ITIL Tool assessment scheme where ITSM tool vendors can apply for independent assessment and obtain an ITIL process compliant badge. This is an advantage to customer/users as they do not have to go through the tedious process of tools assessments in their ITIL Projects. ITSM Tool vendors will be given permission to use the ITIL Trade Mark to confirm that the software has been licensed by OGC.

Organizational Change Management for ITIL Success

One of the Key Success Factors in ITIL is Change Management. ITIL explicitly states that as a success factor. Senior Management commitment and support is necessary for Organizational Change Management during ITIL implementations. Why? Because ITIL implementation is an Organizational Change Project. When we talk about Change Management here we are talking about the "P" in People, Process and Technology (PPT). Please do not forget the other invisible "P" (Guess?). Change expected is in the Attitute and Behaviour which are culturally constrained. Therefore this requires a Cultural change. Changing Behaviour and Attitude is difficult. Change does not happen after training courses. Behaviour change is complex and requires commitment. An approach to Manage Change from lamarsh & Associates.

Next step in your ITIL Certification Journey after V3 Foundation

Intermediate level courses are the next step after V3 Foundation Certification. I have listed 3 of the "Capability" courses available in the market today and explained each of these and the target audience. All capability modules are 5 day courses and all Life Cycle modules are 3 day courses. There are Four "Service Capability" Modules. Service Capability Modules are role based.
Intermediate Service Capability Module: Operational Support & Analysis (OS &A)

This course explains the processes, roles and activities of the Service Operation phase of the Service Management Life Cycle based on Version 3. This course is for participants who wish to have a deep level knowledge on the process activities of the service Operation Phase. Key processes like Incident Management, Problem management are taught here along with the Technical, Application, IT Operations and Service Desk functions and how these functions contribute to the Service Operation and Analysis. This course is ideal for those who are working in Operational Roles.
Intermediate Service Capability Module: Release, Control & Validation (RC &V)

This course explains the processes, roles and activities of the Service Transition phase of the Service Management Life Cycle based on Version 3. This course is for participants who wish to have a deep level knowledge on the process activities of the service Transition Phase. Key processes like Release Management, Change management and Configuration Management are taught here along with the Service Validation & Testing, Service Evaluation and Knowledge Management which are new to Version 3.This course is ideal for those who are working in Operational Roles.
Intermediate Service Capability Module: Service Offerings & Agreement (SO &A)
This course explains the processes, roles and activities of the Service Design phase of the Service Management Life Cycle based on Version 3. This course is for participants who wish to have a deep level knowledge on the process activities of the service Design Phase. Operational staff involved in Service Portfolio Management, Service Catalogue Management, Service Level Management, Demand Management, Supplier Management, Financial Management and Business Relationship Management who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities.

Certification: 90 minute examiniation on the last day of the course consisting of 8 multiple choice, scenario based, gradient scored quetions. Participants need to score 28 out of 40 (70%) to obtain a pass and certification.

I will write about Lifecycle modules in the coming weeks.