Planning and Managing an IT Service Management Assessment

Planning and managing an IT Service Management (ITSM) assessment is a key project undertaken when an IT organization aims to develop its IT service effectiveness and business value. The key steps included are highlighted below:

Step 1: Understanding the scope, purpose, and expected outcome of the assessment

It would be suitable to confirm the assessment's scope, the objective, and the expected outcome and define what data is to be collected at this stage. The assessors (particularly if they are not internal staff) need to understand the business goals, IT goals, vision and mission, and IT strategy. This is normally done by looking at documented IT strategy and plans and interviews with the project supporter to get his vision and goals.

Step 2: Planning and Preparation

Several factors would need to be considered when preparing the assessment. A copy of the organization chart should be obtained. The organization chart gives useful information that helps the planners identify the key managers and stakeholders and who may need it. Meeting and interviews will be planned and scheduled at least one or two weeks ahead of the original event. Meeting or interview rooms would want to be booked. Any visits to blocked sites should be highlighted, and permission obtained. The output is normally a fairly detailed project plan. A typical assessment would have a duration of two to three weeks.

Step 3: Kick-Off Meeting

A kick-off meeting is recommended. The kick-off meeting begins the assessment formally. Invited attendees may enter process managers, interviewees, stakeholders, data providers, and external consultants involved in performing the assessment. It is a good method to invite the project sponsor or most senior stakeholders to this meeting and say a few terms to define the assessment's purpose, show management support, and introduce and enable the assessors. Depending on the culture, the sponsor might have to establish expectations that the assessment's purpose is not an audit, and all staff should help with the assessors fully.

Step 4: Data Gathering

The scope of the assessment would usually cover only the key Service Operations and Service Transition processes. Data are collected through interviews, reviewing documentation, workshops session, and site visits. Visits to the service desk and information center may be necessary. A checklist of questions is usually used. A maturity-based assessment would aim to limit the level of maturity of each ITIL process. Other data to collect involves the availability of tools, skills, evidence of continual improvement, organization role and responsibilities, availability and quality of documentation, metrics, reports, circulation, and usage reports.

Step 5: Analysis

The scores are tabulated using spreadsheet tools and presented based on the responses to the questions gathered. A maturity-based assessment might use the 5-level ITSM maturity models to rate the individual process. Spider diagrams or bar charts can compare the current state with the desired state and highlight essential gaps and deficiency areas. Benchmarks with the ability levels of other companies in the same industries are useful. That is one benefit of engaging external consultants to complete the assessment instead of conducting a self-assessment. Gaps, issues, and constraints should be identified compared to the vision, purpose, goals, and objectives. The analysis should involve highlighting potential risks to the condition and reliability of present service delivery.

Step 6: Action Planning

Having understood the current state versus the aspired state and armed with the information obtained in the earlier steps, viable resolution approaches would require to be identified, including products and services needed. An IT service improvement initiative may need multiple sub-projects to address what wants to be done each step of the way. Each project should be determined with possible project scope or charter, estimated timeline, products, costs, and services.

Step 7: Presentation

The presentation may not be a lengthy session to discuss the details of the assessment or findings. Instead, it should be a high-level, executive presentation focusing on key pain-points uncovered, business implications, and the recommended clarifications and next steps. The desired outcome is to explore sponsorship and approval from the management team to proceed with service development action plans.

Step 8: Produce the Assessment Report

An approved assessment report should be produced. This report proposes to document the assessment's objectives, issues uncovered, key findings, and solutions proposed. This document is essential as it serves as the baseline against which comparisons of the "before" and "after" pictures of the situation can be made subsequently.