ITIL Framework Adaptation

Most people look at the new ITIL lifecycle and see a process. Eight stages. Start at Discover. End at Support. Repeat. That is not how it works. The ITIL Product and Service Lifecycle is not a cycle. It is a value chain. The official book describes the eight activities as stepping stones, not a fixed sequence. Here is what that means in practice. The 8 activities and what each one is actually for: → Discover: Continually align product roadmaps with consumer needs and organisational strategy. Not a one-off exercise. A continual activity. → Design: Create specifications and prototypes, detailing functionality, user experience, and operational framework. Product design is not complete without designing the related service. → Acquire: Secure and allocate resources efficiently. Ensures sustainability and scalability of products and services. → Build: Develop, integrate, and test digital products. Transforms designs into functional solutions. → Transition: Seamlessly introduce new or updated products into operational environments. Includes onboarding and offboarding of suppliers. → Operate: Maintain and monitor digital products and supporting systems. Ensures optimal performance and reliability. Normally invisible to users — until it fails. → Deliver: Provide services to users, manage onboarding and offboarding, maintain service quality standards, and gather consumer feedback. → Support: Identify and resolve incidents, fulfil disaster recovery procedures, and capture consumer feedback. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱: These eight activities feed each other in multiple directions. Product operations data flows back into Discover, Design, Build, and Transition. Deliver feedback shapes the next iteration of Design. The order varies depending on product architecture and organisational context. This is why the new ITIL calls them stepping stones rather than a pipeline. I have seen organisations fail their digital products not because the technology was wrong but because they treated delivery as the finish line. In this lifecycle, delivery is one stepping stone among eight. If you want to understand how to apply this in your organisation, I'd love to walk you through it. 🔗Book a consultation here: https://lnkd.in/dyyp6mmh #ITIL #PeopleCert #ITILTraining #DigitalTransformation #ProductManagement #ServiceManagement

When people say “We’re doing ITIL by the book,” I get nervous. Not because I dislike books, some of my best weekends involve thick manuals and espresso, but because businesses don’t run on books. They run on outcomes. Every week, I meet teams obsessed with doing things “the right way,” chasing SLAs like trophies, enforcing processes like sacred rituals. And yet, somehow, the business still isn’t happy. Here’s a thought: what if the business is the book? Your practices, your metrics, your tools, they should adapt to the story your business is trying to tell. Not the other way around. ·      If your customers care about speed, don’t obsess over forms. ·      If your board wants risk reduction, don’t focus on ticket closure times. ·      If your CEO loses sleep over market share, don’t sell him service availability stats. Good ITSM isn’t about perfect process. It’s about useful outcomes. The magic words are adopt and adapt. ITIL, DevOps, Agile, these are toolkits, not commandments. Use what fits. Tweak what doesn’t. Discard what’s irrelevant. The goal isn’t to pass audits with flying colors (unless the business needs that). The goal is to make IT a strategic asset, not just a support function. So next time someone says, “We’re following the framework,” ask this: is the framework following the business? Because frameworks don’t buy your product. Customers do.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 “𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙭” 𝙄𝙏𝙄𝙇 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 A common misconception I have experienced in ITSM is the belief that using an ITIL-aligned or certified tool out of the box automatically means you’re following ITIL best practices. While this might seem logical, it often leads to the opposite result: moving away from ITIL principles. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Out-of-the-box solutions are designed to accommodate a wide range of industries and organizations. However, tailoring is expected. These setups are starting points, offering opportunities to adjust and refine the tool to align with your unique processes and goals. By doing so, you unlock: • Streamlined workflows and increased efficiency • Better alignment with organizational objectives • Greater value delivery for customers Failing to customize can result in missed opportunities or even conflicts with ITIL principles like “Focus on Value.” 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗟 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 Unlike ISO standards, ITIL is not a compliance framework. ITIL provides flexible best practices, not strict rules. Tools claiming to be ITIL-aligned can support your processes but don’t guarantee compliance because no such thing exists. Without customization, you risk implementing processes that don’t reflect ITIL’s intent or your organization’s needs. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Tailoring has its risks, such as added complexity and maintenance costs, but balance is key: • Customize to meet key needs without over-complicating • Regularly review configurations to stay agile 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 ITIL isn’t about blindly following a tool’s design. Tools provide the foundation for efficient processes, but thoughtful tailoring ensures alignment with ITIL and success in the real world. What’s your experience with "out of the box" setups? How did that work out?

The Agile ITIL Leader: Merging Frameworks for Maximum Impact An ITIL implementation can often feel rigid and slow, a stark contrast to the dynamic, fast-paced world of modern business. However, for a senior leader, the key to success lies not in choosing one over the other but in merging these two powerful philosophies. The agile ITIL leader understands that ITIL provides the structure, and Agile provides the speed and adaptability. The goal is to create a hybrid approach that delivers maximum impact. Here's my perspective on how to be an Agile ITIL leader and bridge these frameworks: 🔄From "Big Bang" Projects to Iterative Improvements Traditional ITIL implementations were often large-scale, months-long projects. An agile leader breaks this down. Instead of a massive overhaul, focus on small, iterative changes. Use ITIL's principles like continual improvement and start where you are to make frequent, small adjustments. This reduces risk, provides quick wins, and allows your team to get valuable feedback from the business as you go. 🚀 From Process to Value Flow ITIL 4's Service Value System is inherently agile. It's about moving from demand to value as quickly and efficiently as possible. As a leader, you must focus on optimising this flow. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks. Empower your teams to make decisions that speed up the delivery of value. The conversation shifts from "Are we following the process?" to "How quickly are we delivering value to our customers?" 🤝From Silos to Collaboration Agile thrives on collaboration, and ITIL's guiding principle to collaborate and promote visibility aligns perfectly. Break down the walls between development, operations, and business teams. Use collaborative tools and regular meetings to ensure everyone is working toward a shared goal. ✨From Rigid Rules to Flexible Guidance ITIL isn't a rulebook; it's a flexible framework. An agile leader uses its principles as guidance, not as a mandate. They encourage their teams to find the simplest, most practical way to solve a problem (keep it simple and practical). This flexibility allows for rapid adaptation to new requirements and ensures that ITIL doesn't become a barrier to innovation. 💡From Reactive to Proactive Innovation By using agile methods within an ITIL structure, you free up your team to focus on strategic, high-impact work. Automating repetitive tasks (optimise and automate) and reducing recurring incidents allows your team to shift their focus from firefighting to innovation. Being an agile ITIL leader is about combining the best of both worlds. It's about using ITIL to create a stable, reliable foundation while leveraging agile principles to build a dynamic, responsive, and value-driven organisation. For reach Sagar Karmarkar Sina Vahed Sarani J. Abith Ali Su-Anne de Jong #ITIL #Agile #Leadership #SeniorManager #BusinessValue #Innovation

Most IT transformations stall …… not at the starting line, but somewhere in the messy middle. It’s not due to lack of frameworks. It’s due to lack of intentional progression. Many organizations adopt ITIL as a checkbox or surface-level language change. Processes are renamed, roles are shuffled—but the operating culture remains reactive. Here’s where they typically stall: 1️⃣Value Chain Blindness: Teams execute in silos without seeing how they contribute to value. 2️⃣Service Obsession: Services are cataloged, but not measured in terms of outcomes or stakeholder perception. 3️⃣CSI Fatigue: Continuous improvement becomes ritual, not relevance—drifting from real pain points. 4️⃣Process Rigidity: Incident, change, and problem processes are followed—but not felt. There’s no empathy, no context, just compliance. What helps? A maturity roadmap grounded in the framework … but adapted to where you are. Start by asking: ❓Are we managing work, or enabling value? Do we treat “resolved” as the end—or the beginning of accountability? ❓Is governance a checkpoint—or an accelerator? Then rebuild in phases: 1️⃣Awareness & Transparency: Map value streams, understand friction, and expose decision latency. 2️⃣Clarity & Ownership: Redefine services based on user value, not internal convenience. 3️⃣Enablement & Flow: Move from process management to value co-creation—across business and IT. 4️⃣Learning & Adaptability: Use CSI not just to fix, but to reframe how work is done. The framework isn’t the answer—it’s a compass. The real maturity comes when you stop asking “Are we compliant?” and start asking, “Are we relevant? ___ #ITIL4 #ITServiceManagement #ServiceValueChain #ContinuousImprovement #DigitalTransformation #ServiceDesign #ChangeEnablement #IncidentManagement #ProblemManagement #ITLeadership #OperationalExcellence #ITMaturity #ITStrategy #EnterpriseIT #ITRoadmap