5 Steps to Successful ITIL Adoption

Step 4: Plan beyond the "technology project"

Be sure to plan beyond the initial people- and process-based change activities and technology implementation. A common error is to plan for a shorter adoption window than is realistic, normally driven by how long it takes to install the technology. Moreover, do not plan for the technology implementation to take a year. Rather, get the technology up and running quickly and tweak as needed based on real-world execution rather than how your old ITSM tool was set up.

Step 5: Regularly communicate ITIL's value and involve the IT and non-IT stakeholder

Ensure that your core ITSM team and executive sponsor(s) have a consistent message on ITIL's value, plans, and implications in a language that will resonate with IT and non-IT audiences. As an example, be clear in your messaging that ITIL is not a silver bullet for all of your IT service delivery woes or even the "desired" future state -- rather it is a "compass" to that destination. To do this effectively, you will likely have to tailor your message based on the audience because IT professionals expect and likely require another layer of detail than a business user needs. From there, set clear expectations on who will be involved and what their role will be. Likewise, be sure that that all parties responsible for ITIL's success -- not just those in IT operations -- are exposed to ITIL awareness, education, and training.

Stephen Mann is a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, serving Infrastructure & Operations Professionals. In his role, Stephen helps IT leaders and their teams understand the business value of service management, develop their strategy, evaluate and select vendor tools, and implement service management processes such as those espoused by ITIL.