David Cannon’s journey with the itSMF began in 1993, when there were just two chapters – the UK and Netherlands.  He established a chapter where he then lived, in South Africa, and went on to co-found the itSMF International, which was started specifically to support the creation of new chapters around the world.  It is a little known fact that he provided behind-the-scenes support when the itSMF USA got off the ground in 1997.

David currently works for Hewlett-Packard as an ITSM Practice Principal, but he has demonstrated leadership and commitment to the itSMF for 15 years, both at a national and international level.  This month we asked David about his experience with itSMF in the past and his vision for the coming year.

And now, a message from your new President…

In the beginning, the itSMF (or itIMF - IT infrastructure Management Forum - as it was called then) was little more than a group of passionate individuals and early adopters trying to build a means to network and learn from one another.  Few vendors were involved and member meetings were collegial.  Some of the early chapters seemed to operate more like country clubs, where all that was needed was a few drinks and snacks and the opportunity to talk to like-minded people.

Today the itSMF is an international organization with tens of thousands of members in over 50 countries.  Events are professionally organized, and learning is more formal.  Yet at the heart of it all is one principle – the itSMF is a forum – a   place to share ideas and to learn from one another’s experiences.  It is a place where we can help to build the industry we are all part of, and where we can foster professionalism in Service Management.  If we lose sight of that, we have lost the essence of the itSMF.

Maintaining this vision has not always been easy.  The itSMF USA is largely based on volunteer efforts, and our model has been to learn as we go along.  The USA has dynamics that are different to any other part of the world – the number of Local Interest Groups (LIGs), the diversity of our membership, the number of multinational corporate head offices, to name a few.  Every year we grow in our ability to deal with these dynamics – even if we don’t always get it right first time.

2007 was a landmark year.  Under the remarkable leadership of Leah Palmer, this organization has achieved clarity of purpose and vision moving into the future.  The strategy is clear – membership growth, industry professionalism, and knowledge leadership are our key directions.  We faced a concerted onslaught from individuals who tried to discredit this organization and attempted to disparage the significant achievements that we and our members have made.  We held one of the most successful conferences of any year in any chapter.  We have a highly motivated board and dedicated staff, who are all willing to take on the challenges of building the itSMF USA into a strong and vibrant organization that delivers real value to its members at every level.

So what is the vision for 2008?  For me, the vision can be summed up in one word - “Value.”  We can dream as big as we like, but unless we can deliver tangible value to our stakeholders every day, we will have failed as an organization.  This year the board and staff will commit their efforts to finding out what value our members expect from us, and then how we can deliver them in an effective and cost-efficient way.  Isn’t this what Service Management is all about?  Let’s find better ways of practicing what we preach!

This program will work at every level: from individual membership benefits; to better ways of communicating with and supporting LIGs; to better engaging our sponsors; to developing partnerships with allied organizations; and working more closely and meaningfully with the academic community.

None of these are new areas for us, but the organization has changed a lot over the years and they all need some serious evaluation and work.  The board and staff are looking forward to working with you to achieve some great things this year – The Forum e-newsletter will continue to provide you with news and updates throughout the year.

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