We’re kicking on a large ITIL / ITSM maturity improvement project for a new project next week (Hi Chris!), so one of the many many things to prepare is a “current state” map of the client’s various processes.

Incident Management was fairly straightforward; every organization has a slightly different way of handling Incidents but they tend to follow a general pattern. Problem Management, as a formal discipline, tends to be reactive and not well-defined, so there wasn’t much to that process either.

But then we come to Configuration Management. Since you’re familiar with ITIL (or why else would you be reading this blog?) you know that Configuration Management is tied into EVERY ITIL process. But is it a process itself, in the sense we normally think of it? Sort of, yes.

For example, consider the lifecycle of a Configuration Item ( CI ) or an Asset, if you’re an IT Asset Management background. Start with the Request, there’s an assessment, planning and approval cycle, frequently there’s a purchase / procurement cycle, receiving, test / implement to production, maintenance, and retire / dispose.

Now try to draw a flowchart that links each granular detail of all of those steps, not only to the CMDB, but also to each of the other ITIL processes… fun stuff huh?

So what’s the value of all this work, to document “current state”?
Here it is: if can’t agree on where we are today, it’s going to be hard to agree on what needs to be done to get where we’re going.

That’s one of my personal hard-learned lessongs about implementing ITIL. Don’t skimp the due-diligence project management best practices.

Also, don’t forget to register for Evergreen’s change management webinar and learn how to Take Change Management from Firefighting to Fire Prevention

Also, check out our WhitePaper on “Nine Steps to Implementing a Successful CMDB”.

Keep up the good work
Scott

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