Improving service delivery: not just about improving technology

However, creating a service-oriented business architecture is not simply a case of plugging improved technology into the organisation, and in fact requires a complete mind shift in the way businesses and people operate.

Technology is seen as something of a silver bullet, and organisations tend to throw software, faster processors and the like at a problem in the hopes of fixing it. This is a typically reactionary approach towards dealing with challenges, but because technology solutions change so often it does not provide an adequate or long term answer. A more sustainable approach requires a focus on improving processes and educating people, which will drive infrastructure improvements accordingly.

Another legacy issue that stands in the way of improved service delivery is that of isolated silos, especially within IT organisations where roles tend to be fragmented. This leads to inconsistent processes without consideration for other areas, in turn leading to a lack of co-ordination of efforts.

Focus on processes, people

In order to address this it is once again necessary to focus on processes and people rather than only technology, shifting from implementing technology for technology's sake to focusing on delivering quality services in time, within budget and so on. Improvement of services should be the driver of change with technology simply acting as the enabler.

The strategy of the organisation needs to permeate the entire enterprise, and each individual employee needs to know the impact they have on the business and achieving its goals. This can only be achieved by a change in attitude, from both leaders and employees, which in turn requires sound leadership and communication. The end goal of the organisation should be service delivery, and everything needs to be linked to this output with the aim of achieving it.

The best way to improve service delivery, both internally and externally, is to adopt a business service approach. This means focusing on the value of the organisation's services delivered to its customers.

They're the IT department's customers

Ultimately users of IT Services are the customers of the IT department, and it is for these internal customers that IT services should be aimed. Once users have the tools they need, and internal service delivery is improved, they will be able to deliver business services better, more effectively and profitably. In addition, in order for IT to service internal customers effectively, it needs to understand the business so that it can provide the correct services efficiently and reliably.

All of this hinges off focusing on processes and improving these. At the end of the day, implementing repeatable and accountable processes creates sustainable best practices that can be used time and again, whether an employee has been with the organisation for 10 years or one month. This provides a solid base for the continuous improvement of processes and ultimately, for service delivery.

Transforming services requires a mind shift not just from a focus on technology to a focus on process, but also from isolated silos to an integrated, enterprise-wide approach. Processes need to be repeatable and accountable so that they can be entrenched as formal best practices, and any IT initiative should be viewed from a business perspective rather than an internal IT perspective, allowing the organisation to become service-oriented and ultimately proactive in dealing with service as opposed to the reactive approach of the past.

A new generation of IT service professional

Along with this shift in thinking about service delivery comes the need for a new generation of IT service professional, where IT is no longer the core competency of the job. Moore's law proves that IT is changing so fast that hiring an individual whose sole qualification is in the IT field means that by the time they graduate, first year knowledge is sometimes outdated.

Delivering successful IT services does not rely solely on IT skills, it requires competent and motivated people with fundamental characteristics such as good communication and problem solving skills, to manage process driven IT service delivery. These individuals need to be fast learners, process driven, focussed on the customer and on delivering revenue, with cross-skills and analytical capabilities.

While they do require a certain level of IT literacy, this is secondary to the skills mentioned as IT is dynamic and a certification simply provides an entry point. On top of this IT service professionals need to be result and quality driven, self motivated with passion for the job and the adaptability to move with this dynamic market.

Transforming IT service delivery requires a whole new way of thinking, from a shift in focus towards processes rather than technology to a whole new outlook on what makes a good IT professional. By incorporating these changes in outlook and thinking, organisations can ensure that IT delivers services with real business value to its customers - the users - who in turn will enable better external service delivery, happier customers and finally an improved bottom line.