ITIL implementation checklist

Home source: http://www.cce.umn.edu/pdfs/CPE/ITIL/Preflight_checklist.pdf

The following information is a checklist which comes from the University of Minnesota. The checklist used for the preparing of ITIL induction. Checklist includes eleven items which provided for somebody who consider before the ITIL implementation. The checklist’s content as following:

Organizational Support
The following organizational entities are aware of ITIL and are supportive of its goals:

1. CEO / President
2. CIO / CTO / VP of IT Operations
3. CFO / VP of Finance
4. IT Managers
5. Business unit Managers
6. Board of Directors
7. Union representatives

Baseline Assessment

1. A baseline assessment has been administered to measure the organization’s current compliance with ITIL processes, with a gap analysis that indicates areas of deficiency.
2. The organization has administered a survey of the IT department’s internal customers and users to determine a current level of satisfaction with the services it provides.

Scope of Implementation

1. The organization has determined which of the 11 ITIL processes / functions it plans to implement, in which sequence, and has created a timeframe for doing so.
2. A specific implementation maturity level has been agreed upon for each of the processes that are to be adopted. Stages of implementation include:

• Initial: The process is recognized but there is little or no process management activity.
• Repeatable: The process is recognized and is allocated little importance, resource or focus within the operation.
• Defined: The process is recognized and is documented but there is no formal agreement, acceptance nor recognition of its role within the IT operation as a whole.
• Managed: The process is fully recognized and accepted throughout IT, it is service focused with objectives and targets that are based on business objectives and goals.
• Optimized: The process is fully recognized and has strategic objectives and goals aligned with overall strategic business and IT goals.

Training Strategy

• A budget for training and certifying the staff has been created and approved.
• The staff that is to receive ITIL Foundation training has been identified.
• The staff that is to receive ITIL Practitioner training has been identified.
• The staff that is to receive ITIL Manager training has been identified.
• A training vendor has been selected.
• A training schedule has been created.
• An organizational change management strategy has been implemented.

Certification Strategy

• The number of staff to be Foundation certified has been established.
• Provisions have been made for purchasing and administering the Foundation exam.
• Provisions have been made for purchasing and administering the Practitioner exams.
• Provisions have been made for purchasing and administering the Manager exam.
• A policy has been established to accommodate participants who fail the exam.

Staffing

• Process owners have been identified for each ITIL process to be implemented.
• Key staff members have been empowered to carry out the implementation process.
• A CTO, VP of IT operation or other staff person has been selected to be responsible for overall implementation of IT Service Management.

Communication

• An ITIL implementation vision has been created, endorsed by upper management, and communicated to all stakeholders.
• A series of information sessions have been scheduled to apprise staff of the purpose and benefits of implementing ITIL.
• The Service Desk has established a procedure to provide regular updates to all internal customers regarding usage, trends and customer satisfaction ratings, either via email or the Intranet.

ITIL Resources

• Sufficient copies of the ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery books have been acquiredand are available in the organization’s resource center.
• An on-line version of these books, including a multi-user license, has been acquired and isaccessible to employees via the organization’s Intranet or other file server.
• An organization membership to the local itSMF (IT Service Management Forum) has been established.
• Mentoring and consulting by a peer organization has been arranged.

Reporting and Record Keeping

• The IT department is prepared to publish a catalog of the services they provide internal customers, with prices based on differing levels of service.
• A CMDB (Configuration Management Database) exists, is regularly maintained, representsan accurate inventory, and captures the data necessary to be an effective tool for those ITIL processes that depend on it.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs) have been created between the IT department and its internal customers and users, and are published in clear, non-technical language.
• Underpinning contracts between the IT department and external vendors are in place, written so as to be clearly understood, and renewed on an annual basis.
• Business continuity and disaster recovery plans have been created by the organization (not a vendor) that are current, simple, and detail the steps necessary to recover from unforeseen or difficult circumstances.
• A liaison has been established between the business units and the IT department to assure compliance with regulatory requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley.

Measurement and Assessment

• The Service Desk maintains records of all calls and their resolution, and publishes these regularly.
• A set of metrics, based on a recognized business measurement philosophy such as the Balanced Scorecard©, is in place to capture and analyze IT service management processes and their interrelationships.

Assuring On-Going Success

• An organizational change management class has been scheduled to provide the necessary training to key staff.
• An IT process improvement team has been established to monitor progress of ITIL implementation.
• ITIL terminology has been incorporated into the staff’s annual performance plan, with incentives for employees who suggest improvements in the IT service management.

In my opinion, the checklist is a very good material which provides a direction for the adopter to evaluate the organization current state is ready or not to induct ITIL framework to the organization. The eleven items in the checklist should help the enterprise avoid the mistake or missing the consideration whether components which they forget. I can not find this checklist which variable at other consultant company web site. May be that is a secret weapon for the consultant company as well.