3 guidelines to successful ITIL training

After hundreds of hours in the classroom as a trainer and significantly more time out at companies as a consultant; I have heard the stories, seen the struggle and experienced the frustration of unsuccessful ITIL implementations. However, it doesn´t have to be like this and one of the key components is training. I would like to share my view of what is important when considering ITIL training.

ITIL list and define the roles, processes, functions and supporting information systems that ideally would be in place to deliver customer aligned, cost efficient and high quality IT services. However, before using the best practice advice and generic architectures described, you do need to understand it on a fairly deep level. Because, you will face the challenge of adjusting it to your organizations specific needs and constraints. Don´t believe those who say you can implement best practice out of the box, it is just not true.

This is where ITIL training comes in to help you understand best practice and underpin your efforts to adjust it to your requirements. Even though it is not uncommon, it is not sufficient to just send people to ITIL courses. If you want your organization to be successful when deciding to undertake ITIL-training, a few basic principles should be considered.

1. A clear purpose
It is my experience that training can awaken awareness, provide knowledge or develop competence. What would benefit you? Do you need your staff to understand and support coming organizational change? Maybe there is a management team that has to be able to make well informed decisions about the future organization, or a group of people that has been given the responsibility to design and implement new processes. Whatever the reason for ITIL training, it should always have a clear purpose.

2. In a planned context
Furthermore, when a person goes through ITIL training, possibilities for significant improvements in the way the organization works are unlocked, with the emphasis on possibilities. ITIL training itself does not directly change anything, but can be a fantastic tool to enable and support change. Also, to become a process oriented organization you need other skills that are not at the core of ITIL e.g. Organizational change, project management, facilitating works shops, e t c. Don´t make the mistake of relying solely on ITIL training.

Therefore, ITIL training should always be set in context together with other initiatives. This also goes for the timing, since training is easily forgotten and the initial effects of gained knowledge, enthusiasm and energy vanishes; if not followed up.

3. Training is not enough!
Finally, there is a clear difference between training for the challenge of changing the way your organization works and training to be able to execute the activities in a new way of working. These are two very different objectives and often confused when it comes to ITIL training.

It is my belief that many managers send their staff on traditional ITIL training and actually expect them to do their job better and for things to automatically improve when they come back. Instead, the result is often that the employee understands how things could be organized and changed, but without the mandate to do anything they simply become frustrated. ITIL training does not remove the need for designing processes to your specific organizational requirements, or the need for hands-on training for all concerned personnel.

Summary
Many organizations spend serious money on ITIL training, which could provide enormous benefits if the training has a clear purpose, is set in a planned context and not expected to be the only necessary skill, or to create change in itself. Failing to follow these basic principles will most likely lead to a waste of time, energy and money spent on training.

However, if you adhere to these guidelines, your chances of success in moving towards being a service and process oriented IT-organization will multiply, as will the value you provide to the business.

Qualify ITIL Training by 3gamma

Joacim Åstedt
3gamma Sweden