Quick Wins in ITSM or Where’s the Gum and String?

Ron,  thanks for reading…I read your blog regarding quick wins and ITSM  I’m a bit concerned that you left out bubble gum, bailing wire and Velcro (my personal favorites) J Seriously though, in my fifteen plus years Program/Project Management experiences in IT and Service Management and software development, I’ve found the requirement to establish rapid time to value (aka “quick wins”) as simply the “nature of the beast” .  This is not some phenomenon unique to Consultants or IT Service Management… It’s a reality -  based upon straight up, out of the box project management and large program successes mindful of a corporate bottom line requirement for year to year return on investment.It’s a pretty good practice to put a monkey in the capsule & circle the earth a couple of times before you shoot for the moon.  

Of course getting too “quick win”,  schedule pressure focused , can also be illustrated with some not so pleasant space program analogies too.   IMHO, demonstrating measurable value enables you to continue on a much longer and more valuable journey – whether that’s in ITSM, SOA, large software development projects…or a family journey with the kids.    Ok, I’m an idealist at heart, who’s developed some real life scar tissue.   I’ve never seen long programs succeed that didn’t’ demonstrate enough wins to keep the sponsors/executives happy enough to continue the funding year in and year out. 

Simply put, It’s about balance to me.    Of course, like always, your mileage may vary J  Scott M. Davis

Process Consultant