The IT Skeptic - support

A Cynefin model of ITSM support levels

skeptic — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 19:48:20 +0000

The Cynefin model is a useful model for thinking about the situation you are in.

In service support, changing the channel changes little

skeptic — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 23:22:26 +0000

I'm all for improving the support channels, and social media can do that. But don't confuse that with any fundamental change in how we do - and ought to do - service support.

Improving service support for Real IT

skeptic — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:04:20 +0000

I think all ITSM practitioners know exactly what idealised service support looks like. It's all well and good painting these idealised dream pictures. The value comes in describing how to get there. There are certain obstacles:

The Standard+Case approach: applying Case Management to ITSM

skeptic — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:44:25 +0000

Here is an exciting new approach to categorising and resolving any sort of activity "tickets", such as requests (including incidents) on a service desk, problems, or changes. It is called Standard+Case until somebody comes up with a better name. I know there is so much to read these days, but if you have anything to do with service support or change management, read this. It'll change your year.

Standard+Case is a synthesis of our conventional "Standard" process-centric approach to responding, with Case management, a discipline well-known in some other industry sectors such as health, social work, law and policing.

S+C addresses criticisms of approaches like ITIL for being too process-centric and not allowing customers and knowledge workers to be empowered. S+C does not seek to replace or change ITIL or other theory: it expands and clarifies that theory to provide a more complete description of managing responses.

It provides a good skills path for service desk analysts that fits well with gamification. And Standard+Case is applicable to Problem Management and Change Management (and Event Management...) as well as Service Desk activities. S+C applies to anything that requires a human response: there's either a standard response or there isn't.

For more information about Standard + Case, see the Basic Service Management website.

User self-help - a skeptical view

skeptic — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:37:47 +0000

Continuing our debate about social media it occurred to me what a load of bollocks this idea is that users are going to support each other without a service desk.

Getting IT development to support production - a people problem

skeptic — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:29:02 +0000

A LinkedIn discussion which I have now lost (LinkedIn having one of the worst search capabilities on the planet) asked about how to get Development to provide Level 3 support to Production incidents. It's a people problem.