From my first role in IT service management, ITIL was the foundation for successful best practice.

Working as first level support – with the ambition to become a manager of a service integration or IT operations team – the job was about incident, request, problem, change management and it was a growing part of the business.

To really support customers it was important to organize better; moving the organization from “quote-unquote ITIL” to really using the framework to improve processes across the board.

This ITIL learning accelerated after I joined Capgemini Government Solutions which is a part of the wider Capgemini family in 2018 – using ITIL Practitioner’s guiding principles to really support my work. And this, with the company’s backing, was a natural progression to ITIL 4 Managing Professional, ITIL 4 Strategic Leader, and a greater maturity in IT skills and knowledge.

Value co-creation

For me, the true relevance of ITIL 4 is the co-creation of value, its adaptability and flexibility.

By working with customers and embracing what they’re looking for, it’s easier to adjust over time to better suit what they see as value as well as how your company sees it.

As a service delivery manager, co-creation of value is at the forefront of your mind. For example, when working with support teams it’s better to take the approach of “How can you help me to help you?” rather than “do this”.

By each side coming to the table and collaborating 50-50 about the best thing to do, you can then fit a solution to what the business needs. This is a culture change – less competitive, more willing to talk and be helpful rather than trying to be number one or saying, “we beat you!

Companies are now seeing that giving people a helping hand leads to more success and both internal and external stakeholders seeing you in a better light.

ITIL 4 Strategic Leader in global service delivery

Certifying in ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy – and so achieving the ITIL 4 Strategic Leader designation – has given me an even wider perspective and a holistic view of global service delivery.

It helps me recognize the teams coming up with opportunities and thinking how we can add value to the conversation; connecting with people both before and after service integration. As well it helps me recognize that ITIL is not just for IT, but that it can be used for any digitally enabled service throughout the business.

And it’s changed how I approach and interact with different teams: instead of making assumptions, it’s better to step back, collaborate, empathize, and understand what’s happening.

Cultivating a digital mindset also puts teams in the right place to develop a digital culture – one that is more flexible and adaptable through AI, agile and automation.

The success of adopting ITIL 4 comes down to what might seem like small things – an innovative culture, people feeling safe, co-creation of value – but these things are actually huge and change the whole atmosphere.

Complementary best practices

Being certified in several best practices besides ITIL – including PRINCE2, Six Sigma and SAFe 4 Agilist – has shown me that they’re not in competition but each enhance a company’s ability to be successful.

In the ever-changing world of IT we live in today, Agile methods and DevOps fit together really nicely with ITIL. Flexibility is key as well as having different frameworks for different situations.

So, as more companies embrace the need for adaptability in IT, working within the ITIL 4 framework will set you up for success.

Source: Axelos Blog: Jonathan Wafford – Global Service Delivery Lead, Capgemini Government Solutions