ITIL - ITSM: Key tool for training your staff in Incident Management

Have you ever wondered why ITIL - ITSM standards are key tool for training your staff  in Incident Management? Let’s see why.

On the one hand and as end users; we usually pay more attention to services such as Internet access, use of mail and printing.  In other words, we give little or null attention to the production and management of technology.

Rephrasing the idea, we just let the experts to take care of that for us. And this is particularly frequent in our work environment: Seeing a HR Manager worrying about updates in networks or systems is not an image we often watch.  

Therefore, it’s really important that the IT staff in our company understands the importance and scope of its functions.

On the other hand, we found the standards ITIL - ITSM.

When naming ITIL - ITSM, we refer to set of best practices aimed for the departments of Information Technology (IT); underpinned with international standards for Service Management (ITSM).

Then, it comes up that IT staff must perceive as client anyone navigating through the networks it manages. This, coupled with security features and protection, and proper customer service.

So, we meet three important elements: 1) IT Staff; 2) ITIL - ITSM standards for Incident Management; and 3) Customer management with security standards.

In other words, ITIL - ITSM molds relationships and processes necessary to provide optimal services in technology at all levels.

In short, IT Staffs must know Best Practices to provide best services.

Then you may ask, how are they related with services? To answer your question, we pose other questions:

• Is your IT staff aware of its role as Service Operator?

• Do you know what is its priority? If management and operation of technological devices; or customer services and its impact on the company's reputation?

If you don’t know how to answer to one or more of these questions; then it’s time to review how your IT Staff has been working.

More than standards, ITIL - ITSM are key aspect for training in Incident Management: Their main objective is aligning IT services with your business needs. This is the reason why millions of people have been trained in their use.

ITIL - ITSM helps to plan, implement and comply measures and improvements under a single framework with global impact.

Similarly, ITIL - ITSM standards provide processes description, procedures and tasks; and give checklists to apply to organizations.

In addition to simplifying processes, ITIL - ITSM standards add value and maintains a unified referral frame to work into.

For these reasons, most large companies in England and the United States adopt them and recommend their application.

Now the question is: Where to start to use ITIL - ITSM as key tool for training your staff in Incident Management?

It’s true: ITIL - ITSM are so extensive that only to explain them, it took five books.  So yes, applying ITIL - ITSM for Incident Management is an overwhelming task.

The reason why this is particularly difficult, is that to apply best practices, you necessarily must change the culture of your organization.  

In other words, applying ITIL - ITSM for Incident Management starts a change process that generates resistance. It also involves both, technology and processes; and also, how people perceive and use them.

Baby steps to form a Multidisciplinary IT Team based on ITIL - ITSM for Incident Management

As part of their research strategies, Forrester Research applies annual surveys to more than 500,000 business leaders in the world.

Then, according Forrester, the interaction between employees and customers are high priority: The company's reputation depends on the client’s perception.

In addition, Forrester serves as a guide to rank in order of importance the service management processes. And here we have the results of their surveys:

1. Incident management
2. Occupational health and ergonomics
3. Customer service
4. Operating Systems
5. Network Devices
6. Software Servers

Lesser in rank of importance, we found: Continuity or disaster recovery; version management processes; problem management; financial management and skills or capability management.

Based on these findings, arise recommendations related to the order or hierarchy with which technology departments must address their ITIL processes.  

So, it's a good idea to start the implementation of best practices for incident management; and following, service management.

In addition and in parallel, they must attend configuration, availability and change management, as they are very interrelated.

Incident management

Incident management restores unplanned services disruption or degradation due of an incident. It also includes performance failures.

At this level, causes aren’t taken into consideration, but short term solutions. Any degradation of service must activate a process to restore them.

To manage incidents, the Service Desk staff should:

• Identify the incident
• Register the incident
• Categorize the incident
• Prioritizing the incident
• Diagnose and resolve; or
• Refer it to a higher level of support if necessary.
• In parallel, they must communicate with users throughout the process.

In parallel, Incident Management involves collecting data and create more permanent models to solve problems quickly and effectively.  These models should include:

• Definition
• Logic Sequence
• Responsible
• Schedule solution
• Process remission or scaling
• Preservation diagnostic tests

Once you have the macro plan for the implementation of ITIL standards - ITSM, you can organize and apply it as follows:

• Commitment and training
• Implementing successfully any change in the organization requires commitment from Senior Management. On them depends the project’s formality.Right after, the staff’s training should begin.It is highly recommended to start with a small group, preferably from IT.  They in turn will be multiplying agents of change in the rest of the organization.This is the reason why this staff should be well trained; and must possess a number of specific skills (such as knowledge, skills and abilities, and some personality traits) to make easier the transition.
• Language
• Apprehension of new terms is the beginning of any process. Following, create conditions and be persistent in the shift to “IT Process".In other words, you must begin by instructing your personnel in the new terminology to use from now on.  Compiling and explaining a small glossary explained in departmental meetings serve this purpose.Off course, you should emphasized that the all team must use this language throughout the change process. This includes troubleshooting, customer service, and between team members and management.
• Case Study
• Studying past incidents or events that affected service quality helps with the purpose of reinforcing the process initiated with the acquisition of new language.Recurring problems are a good source. Obtain meaningful data on them and then, analyze their causes, and explain the problems with the language.As part of the process, ask your team to explain solutions; and introduce ITIL - ITSM for incident management and best practices to adopt/adapt in each case. Don’t forget to compare the situation with the desired.Developing web applications or systems are very useful to collect and record the results.
• Evaluation
• This part gives us the possibility of measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the plan, and its implementation.  In this sense, ITIL - ITSM for training staff in Incident Management gives the opportunity to rethink the plan, whether in phases or completely; taking as starting point questionnaires specially designed to identify sensitive areas for improvement.