From leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to optimizing existing processes, IT Service Management is generating waves all over the world. According to Allied Market Research, the global cloud ITSM market size valued at $4,323.0 million in 2018 is projected to reach $15,668.0 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 17.4% from 2019 to 2026.
The need to align IT services with your organization’s larger demands can be intimidating, but starting without a defined roadmap might lead to change that is less desirable.
Step 1: Build your ITSM roadmap
An ITSM roadmap, at its most basic level, is a document that explains your organization’s current IT status and where you’d like to be in the future, along with a set of procedures to get you there. An ITSM roadmap must include action items, processes, and goals.
When creating the ITSM roadmap, there are three factors to keep in mind:
Where is your organization now?
Begin by reviewing your organization to discover the areas that require the most development and the ones that need the most rapid change. This activity is essential to the overall success of your operations and provides the foundation for your service management plan.
Where should you start?
Dig deeper into the areas that are generating the most significant sources of pain in terms of quality, efficiency, cost, and customer happiness. Invest time and effort and assess the impact of each change you make.
Where would you like to be?
It is mandatory to put your plan into action to understand where you want your organization to be and when you want it to get there. Figure out your ideal state as an organization, how long it will take to get there, and how you’ll measure your effectiveness when you arrive at the roadmap’s end.
Achieving the goal
Having a strategy for overcoming your organization’s flaws will be critical in gaining the support and funding you’ll need to implement a successful strategy as outlined in your ITSM roadmap.
This strategy can be presented as a service management roadmap of related projects, each addressing a specific gap and all aimed at achieving the following goals:
- Improving organizational understanding and acceptance of ITSM.
- Implementing highly effective infrastructure processes.
- Increasing efficiency through automation, and
- Increasing customer satisfaction through high-quality and cost-effective services.
Due to lower costs and higher agility, cloud ITSM solutions are becoming more popular in APAC. APAC will grow significantly as sophisticated technologies are used, providing better prospects for service providers. Improved business performance and lower operational costs drive the increased adoption of cloud ITSM solutions in this region. IBM, HPE, and Microsoft are some of the major competitors in this market.
Step 2: Select the ideal ITSM tool
Being future-ready requires more than just understanding the value of the ITSM roadmap. You must select the correct ITSM tool.
There are three steps to choosing the best ITSM tool for your business.
Focus on your vision
The vision might vary depending on the size of the company. Create a support structure to help you realize your vision. Gather your stakeholders and figure out what they require. You can utilize digital design and focus groups to accomplish this.
Determine what services you’ll offer and how you’ll deliver them.
Understand the demands and service expectations of your users:
- Methods/channels for engagement
- Use of Self-Service
- Service Level Agreements
Your organization should consider user happiness. Engagement tactics such as self-service/service catalog, chat: via chat-bot or live chat, phone, email, or walk-ups can be exploited.
Determine the features and select the tool
Once the support services and how you will supply them have been determined, document it as required product features. Most suppliers will gladly respond to a request for information (RFI); therefore, a formal RFI can be formed out of these features/business requirements lists containing product features, license requirements, and implementation services.
Apply the Moscow principle (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have) to identify features required for each category that can assess ITSM tools. The “must-have” category should have the highest weight during the final selection. Base the final decision on finding a tool that strikes a good balance between price and functionality and choosing the best vendor to work with for implementation. Having a clear list of needs before beginning the process will help.
If you want your organization to ride the ITSM wave, it is time you have a clear idea about your roadmap and invest in the right tool.
