ITIL 4: Create, Deliver and Support: Reference and study guide

By Barclay Rae

The ITIL 4 Create, Deliver and Support (CDS) reference and revision guide is one of five ITIL 4 revision aids published by TSO, following on from the ITIL 4 Foundation revision guide. It summarizes the ‘core’ IT service management activities and focuses on the co-creation of value with the customer through leadership, team structure learning and incremental improvement. Key topics include planning and building service value streams, understanding key management requirements, plus how to create, deliver and support services. It will enable IT practitioners to deliver innovative reliable IT services and improve their quality of service. This pocket guide is an aid for revision and preparation for taking the ITIL 4 Managing Professional: CDS certification, and post-certification it is a quick useful reference. It summarizes key topics for exam preparation, includes key figures from the core guidance, provides an examination overview, tips for taking the exam and a summary table linking learning outcomes to references in the text and to core guidance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TSO
• Release date: Feb 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9780113318292

Book preview

1 Introduction

The service management domain is changing; it is transitioning from a mechanistic perspective to one that uses flexible and empowering models for organizations, teams, and individuals. ITIL 4 takes a holistic approach to building and modifying technology-enabled services, responding to demand by co-creating value via the service value system.

Successful organizations think holistically about the four dimensions of service management when designing and operating products and services. They are able to create a culture of cooperation and collaboration, breaking down silos and aligning goals across multiple teams. Such organizations are alert to employee morale and satisfaction, recognizing that internal stakeholders are as important as external ones.

ITIL®4: Create, Deliver and Support, in conjunction with the training programme and the ITIL 4 practice guides, contain concepts and tools for practical service management, focusing on the capabilities that are required for the industry professional.

2 Plan and build a service value system

2.1 Key concepts and challenges

2.1.1 Organizational structures

Definition: Organization

A person or a group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities, and relationships to achieve its objectives.

Service relationships require many and varied interactions between individuals and groups, both within and between organizations. Individuals and organizational structures:

•interact with information and technology

•participate in value streams and processes

•work with partners and suppliers.

There are many potential organizational structures. Some organizational structures are hierarchical, whereas others more closely resemble a network or matrix. A common approach involves grouping people functionally, although this can lead to individuals working in isolation with little understanding of what anyone else is doing. In contrast, cross-functional structures can leave the organization without a comprehensive overview of their portfolio and may result in duplication of effort.

Current organizational thinking favours self-organizing structures that work towards common objectives. Types of organizational structure include:

•Functional These are typically hierarchical arrangements based on organizational control, lines of authority, or technical domain.

•Divisional Divisionally based organizations arrange their activities around market, product, or geographical groups.

•Matrix Reporting relationships are organized as a grid or matrix, with pools of people who can move across teams as needed.

•Flat Some organizations reduce hierarchical reporting lines because they are seen as barriers that hinder decision-making.

The key differences between the various organizational structures can be described using the following characteristics:

•grouping/teaming criteria

•location

•relationships with value streams

•team members’ responsibility and authority

•sourcing of competencies.

Historically, organizational structures have been functional and hierarchical in nature, with military-style lines of command and control.

In the digital service economy, agility and resilience are vital for an organization’s success. Common approaches include:

•the faster and more flexible allocation of resources to new or more important tasks. Matrix organizational structures are adept at allocating or reallocating resources

•permanent, simple multi-competent teams that are assigned to work exclusively on a product. This may result in occasions when teams are unoccupied, but it ensures a high availability of teams for the development and management of products.

In order to adapt to more flexible and responsive ways of working, many organizations have adjusted their organizational structures. This includes ‘servant leadership’ and cross-functional teams.

Organizational structure changes should be managed carefully, as they can cause major cultural challenges within the organization if handled badly. It is useful to refer to the ITIL guiding principles and the organizational change management practice for further guidance.

2.1.2 Integrated collaborative teams

Collaboration and teamwork require an agreement on the definition of cooperation and collaboration. The behaviours necessary for effective teamwork also need to be defined, recognized, and reinforced.

Definitions

•Cooperation Working with others to achieve your own goals.

•Collaboration Working with others to achieve common shared goals.

With cooperation, there is a risk that individuals or teams work in silos. As a result, the individual or team goals are achieved but the organizational goals are missed. Collaboration is a practice where individuals work together to achieve a shared goal or objective. Cooperation and collaboration are vital for effective and valuable teamwork and service relationships.

Cooperation is important for standardized work with a clear separation of duties, especially where people from multiple organizations are working together. Collaboration is typically used in start-ups, where the shared idea of the organization’s mission unites individuals and inspires them to work closely together.

2.1.2.1 Align with the type of work

Behavioural science defines the work underpinning the operation of a service or product as either algorithmic or heuristic:

•An algorithmic task involves a person following a defined process that consistently follows a set of established instructions until the work is concluded.

•A heuristic task depends on human inventiveness and involves enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves.

The service designer needs to understand the nature of the work on which their service and process depends. Loose controls should be applied when:

•complex issues need to be navigated

•new solutions are required for unmet business needs

•customers would respond more positively if frontline agents had greater flexibility.

In such situations, employees (not just managers) are enabled to improve the overall outcomes. There cannot be a process or work instruction for every situation, so employees can add value through inventive and responsive heuristic work.

2.1.2.2 Learn through collaboration

Collaboration frameworks should be used to capture, refine, and re-use any knowledge acquired.

2.1.2.3 Servant leadership

Definition: Servant leadership

Leadership that is focused on the explicit support of people in their roles.

Servant leadership is an approach to leadership and management based on the following assumptions:

•Managers should meet the needs of the organization first and foremost, not just the needs of their individual teams.

•Managers are there to support the people working for them by ensuring that they have the relevant resources and organizational support to accomplish their tasks.

Servant leadership can often be seen in flat, matrix, or product-focused organizations. The servant style of leadership inspires individuals to collaborate with the leader to become more cohesive and productive.

2.1.3 Team capabilities, roles, and competencies

Traditionally, roles in IT followed technical competencies within the development and operational areas. More recently, organizations have struggled to build career paths for their employees as roles and job requirements are constantly changing.

The new workplace requires greater flexibility and the ability to constantly adapt to new requirements and technologies. There is now an expectation that professionals in IT and service management should possess a wider range of business competencies, demonstrable skills, experience, and qualifications. Many of these are established transferable business skills from other areas of work. However, these have only recently been recognized in IT as being of equal importance to technical skills and qualifications.

As the technology industry moves closer to becoming a mainstream business function, generic business and management competencies will increasingly become compulsory requirements for IT and technology roles.

Key message

Roles and jobs

A role is a set of responsibilities, activities, and authorizations granted to a person or team, in a specific context.

A job is a position within an organization that is assigned to a specific person.

A single person may, as part of their job, fulfil many different roles. A single role may be contributed to by several people.

2.1.4 Professional IT and service management skills and competencies

The structuring and naming of roles differs between organizations. The roles defined in ITIL are not compulsory; organizations should utilize and adapt them to suit their specific needs. The ITIL practice guides