The objective of the ITIL service management framework is to provide guidance
to all types of organisations that provide IT services businesses,
irrespective of their size, complexity or whether they are commercial service
providers or internal divisions of a business. The framework shouldn't be
bureaucratic or unwieldy provided it is used sensibly and in full recognition
of the business needs of the specific enterprise
solutions have been deployed successfully around the world for over
20 years, Over this time, the framework has evolved considerably. The original
publications, of which there were over 40, tended to be and function-
based. The next ation reduced the number of books considerably, taking a
process-based view and concatenating topics to reinforce the integrated nature of
service management solutions. The latest iteration, the 2011 Edition, now provides
a broader, holistic service lifecycle approach.
The generic nature of ITIL is both a strength and a weakness
Since it is generic
it truly can be applied to any organisation of any size in any market sector
and regardless of whether the service provider i
internal to the business or a commercial enterprise. However, organisations have to adopt and adapt the
guidance that it contains to their specific requirements, which in some cases
requires considerable effort and commitment.
Unfortunately, much of the focus in learning programmes is on the specifics of terminology and process definitions included within the ITIL volumes, which means
that individuals aren't always equipped to make the necessary decisions about how
to implement key processes and functions. Organisations should not be seeking to
implement ITIL, but to implement a service management solution based on ITIL
that meets the needs of the organisation.