President’s Corner – An Industry, A Profession and a Responsibility
By David Cannon, ITSM Practice Principal, HP
David Cannon reflects on what the “Julie Linden” affair has taught us about itSMF and its history and values, our industry as a whole, and how we must stay focused and energized as we move into the future. He also provides a Board Progress Update on several key projects.
In this issue, I’ve chosen to focus on our industry, our profession, and what the “Julie Linden” affair has taught us about the itSMF USA®.
Beginning in 2006 “Julie Linden” developed an elaborate scheme to destabilize the itSMF USA® through the “discovery” of an election fraud, followed by a series of emails, blogs and messages to the press. “Julie Linden” never identified herself and was unknown within the IT Service Management community.
As the independent investigation comes to a conclusion this month, one question keeps repeating itself - Why us? Why would anyone want to attack a forum existing mainly by the volunteer efforts of a group of sincere IT Service Management enthusiasts and professionals?
These questions caused us to focus on exactly what this organization is all about, and why we should care so deeply about its success.
An Industry
The IT Service Management (ITSM) industry is very new. We stand today where Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor stood 100 years ago. Then it was the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of a standardized way to manage and harness the power of technology.
Today the IT Revolution has ensured that IT is at the core of doing business, and now the industry has to figure out how best to manage this new information world.
ITSM is just such an approach, although it is still evolving and maturing. Whoever owns ITSM will play a significant role in the future development of the industry. There are many individuals and companies who are trying to position themselves to take on this role, and the “Julie Linden” incident represents just one of these.
However, it is in the industry’s best interest that this role is not played by an individual or a single company. The Information Age has introduced unprecedented levels of innovation and management challenge. Meeting these challenges will take collaboration and cooperation.
This is where the itSMF’s position is so important. We have access to the finest minds and experience in ITSM. Our members are all pioneers in the ITSM industry. Leading practitioners are pushing the boundaries of what ITSM can do for them, and their levels of innovation are legendary. Major vendors and thought leaders are represented at every level of our organization. And all of this experience is being shared through our LIG meetings, SIG calls, website and conference.
The ITIL® v3 project demonstrates just what can happen when our membership puts its collective mind together. Far from being a set of publications foisted upon us by the UK Government, ITIL® v3 is the fruit of extensive collaboration sponsored and driven by the itSMF globally. My belief is that ITIL® is just the beginning – we have not even scratched the surface of what is possible in ITSM. And if anyone can take the industry where it needs to be, we can!
A Profession
Okay, so our organizations are benefiting from this growth, what about us personally?
As the industry matures, so do the practitioners of the industry. In the past, ITSM was voluntary, and many of us found our way into it by mistake. Increasingly, we are being expected to demonstrate higher levels of professionalism. What does this mean? Professionals comply with three areas:
- They share a common body of knowledge. This body of knowledge must be clearly defined, but it is not a single publication. It refers to the minimum level of knowledge required for a person to be able to practice their profession. This means that our knowledge should not be restricted to what is in ITIL® or any other single source – there is so much more out there that is valuable to our professional growth.
- They are able to apply their knowledge. In medicine, doctors have to go through an intensive internship to test whether they can actually do the job they trained for. The profession is protected because only people who have proven themselves can practice it. While that may not be the case in our industry, since a state license is not required to practice ITSM, proof of competence may be a requirement to obtain an industry credential.
- They subscribe to a code of ethics. This does not mean that they have signed a document promising to be good. It means that if their practice is counter to the standards of the profession, they may lose their membership in the itSMF, as well as any itSMF credential they may hold, providing even further protection to the industry and to those served by the industry.
Our Responsibility
The itSMF is positioned to lead the ITSM industry and to develop the ITSM profession. But what is our responsibility? As I see it we have five core responsibilities:
- To document the nature and standards of our industry. This work started informally with ITIL® and expanded to ISO 20000, but it has grown far more complex. Some of the examination institutes and private companies have built their idea of what the industry should look like. While we appreciate this work, it’s really only happening because we have not stepped up and defined those frameworks ourselves. The exam institutes should be contributing to and executing against these frameworks, not building them. This year we are launching a collaborative effort at Knowledge Management on our website, and news of this will be announced soon.
- To protect the non-proprietary nature of the organization. It is our responsibility to ensure that the itSMF is not used as a means for a single party taking ownership of any core aspect of the industry. We need to protect the model whereby our learning is built into best practice, and where proprietary materials are mapped into an industry framework, rather than having the industry be subjugated to proprietary agendas.
- To set the standards for the ITSM Profession. Our members, not proprietary organizations, should be defining how we define professionalism in terms of the three criteria mentioned above.
- To provide a mechanism for professionals to validate both their qualifications and experience, and be recognized at a specific level of professionalism within a registry of professionals. The itSMF has a subsidiary, the Institute of Service Management (IoSM), which has been performing this function internationally for several years. This mechanism is also tied into a continuous career or professional development program, with mentorship, which ensures currency of knowledge and experience.
- To protect the value that we offer to our stakeholders. If there is no value then there will be no itSMF. Although the itSMF USA® is a nonprofit organization, it is clear that we have competition. The only way to thrive as an organization is to provide more value than anyone else.
Conclusion
It is clear that there is a lot more at stake in the itSMF than any of us imagined. What started out as a forum where people interested in IT Service Management could meet to exchange ideas, share experiences and debate new approaches, has evolved into something a lot more significant.
Unlike Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor, however, the way we respond to the challenges will not be the result of the actions of a handful of individuals. It will be the result of the collaboration of hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals: the ITSM Professionals and all members of the itSMF global community.
Board Progress Update
As with most projects, after the initial excitement fades away and before the tangible results are ready for release, there is a period of waiting (and sometimes frustration). I am pleased to say that the Board, our committees, and our staff have not been sitting around idle, and although you may not see all the fruits of their labors immediately, they are making some clear progress.
As I wrote in the last issue of The Forum, progress may take some time, and so I will continue to include a regular Board Progress Update in this column. This will show you what we are busy with and how we are progressing with the value-based organization that we introduced earlier this year. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your comments, suggestions and feedback as we target key growth or change areas.
Board Progress Update – May 2008
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Item |
Status |
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Employ an Operations Director to build an organization that delivers service to our stakeholders |
Phyllis Drucker was employed as Operations Director starting May 1st. She was replaced as treasurer by Kirk Holmes. |
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Re-define staffing model |
The new staffing model is currently in its final draft, with significant changes to bring an increased focus on strengthening Interest Groups and Member Services. |
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LIG/SIG Operations Guide Rewrite |
Several sections have now been rewritten in draft format and are under review in preparation for the LIG/SIG Leaders meeting. The new LIG/SIG Operations Guide is targeted for release at the LIG/SIG Leaders’ meeting in July. |
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New LIG Funding Model |
A first draft of the new funding model has been prepared by the Finance Committee and is under review. Some highlights include the ability of LIGs/SIGs to be able to carry forward funds generated from one year into the next year, and the ability to access funds more easily when preparing for an event. |
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Education Program for LIG/SIG Leaders |
The preparations for a leadership education event in July are well underway. LIGs/SIGs have been invited to send two representatives to the event, which will take place around the LIG/SIG Presidents meeting. The event, called “Down on the Leadership Farm,” is the first event in an ongoing education program for LIG/SIG leaders. |
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Implementation of the new Membership Administration/Content Management system |
The final action plan has been defined and we can expect to see this work being completed within the next three months. |
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Membership Knowledge Management Collaboration |
The Knowledge Management initiative is moving along and some initial targets have been identified based on a recent poll of member priorities. Look for more announcements soon via email and on the itSMF USA® website. This committee, led by Atlanta LIG member Andrew Brummer, is in need of additional volunteer help. If you are interested in joining the effort, please contact us at our new email address, knowledge@itsmfusa.org |
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Re-alignment of the Academic Committee |
The Academic Executive Subcommittee has been formally established and a new charter created. This committee consists of three working groups:
• Relationships and Communications, which will focus on developing relationships with key academic staff and institutions. This will be done at LIG/SIG level, to ensure communication and interaction at key locations; and at an organizational level, to ensure that the itSMF USA® is part of key projects that will impact the direction and success of the industry as a whole.
• Curriculum Development, which will support the development of consistent IT Service Management curricula which form part of academic programs. They will also ensure that these curricula are tied to industry professional standards and continuous career development frameworks
• The ITSM Research Center of Excellence (IRCOE), which will work with professional researchers and institutions to identify research opportunities, potentially source funding for these projects and provide access to research resources for studies. It will also provide a means for the results of these studies to be published. |
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Redefine our sponsorship strategy |
The first draft of the new sponsorship packages has been defined and is currently under review by the Advisory Board. |
About the Author:
Current itSMF USA® President, David Cannon, is internationally recognized as a leader in IT Service Management. He has more than 15 years experience in IT Service Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Service Management, the highest level of professional achievement in this field. David has provided training and consulting services to virtually every industry sector and at every level of management. He was also a key figure in establishing the IT Service Management industry in South Africa and the USA, both by establishing successful businesses and through his involvement in the itSMF. He was the founder of the itSMF South Africa, and a founder and director of the itSMF International. David has also participated in the ongoing development of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) and the Microsoft® Operations Framework (MOF).
Most recently, he co-authored the Service Operation book for ITIL® v3. His current role is ITSM Practice Principal within Hewlett-Packard, where he is responsible for establishing, building and supporting IT Service Management practices in Asia, the USA and Latin America.
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