Ivanka Menken

Well –  if I had received a dollar for every person who told me this in the past 12 years, I think I would have a nice little bank account by now! (hmmm – idea for new business model!!)

This morning the discussion came up again when we were talking about ITIL Service Management implementation and what is involved with it all… the reason was a potential client who was under the impression that you ‘install’ ITIL Service Management, just like you install a new piece of software. It’s pretty intuitive and you don’t need any training either. Just read the manual and you’ll be fine… There is no real value in classroom courses anyway, right?

Well – wrong actually, and I will tell you why: 

1. Attending a classroom course is like having your personal consultant for the duration of the class. And better still – you will have a multiple of consultants because every program has a large amount of experience sitting around the table!
   I mean – when was the last time you hired a team of consultants for 3 days for the total amount of $ 1495? Exactly… NEVER! Any decent consultant with a proven track record and experience will charge that amount per hour.. and then some…
2. The discussions during a classroom course are invaluable. As I wrote in a previous blog, in one of my ITIL V3 Intermediate Classes we had a discussion about the difference between ‘continual’ and ‘continuous’. Both terms are used in the ITIL books, and if you don’t have a discussion about it, you will probably never think about the reason WHY both these words are used… Exactly! You can hear the coin drop in the classroom when I discuss the reason why it is called Continual Improvement and not Continuous improvement. All of a sudden it all makes so much more sense!
3. When you attend a private (in-house or in-office) classroom course, you will notice that all students start talking the same language. You  and your colleagues have gone through the same experience and have learned the same words and have a shared understanding around certain issues. This will be very important when you get back to your operational working life. You don’t get this from reading the books, because only reading the books leaves room for interpretation and assumptions… discussing it in class doesn’t (as much) 
4. Classroom courses are never just about the ITIL theory. There is always that little bit of extra that you don’t get from reading the books, or signing up for an eLearning course. Implementation considerations are always discussed, people management is always a hot item and most of the assignments in the ITIL V3 Intermediate programs are about workflow management, report writing skills  and give you the opportunity to improve on your leadership ability.
   These extra-curricular activities and discussions bring a lot of value to the workplace as it makes the actual implementation project smoother and more focused.
5. And last but not least: a safe environment.
   During a classroom program there are a number of skill based assignments that are addressed. As students in the class you are given the opportunities to make mistakes and to have the option for trial and error. You are not demoted or made redundant from your job when you make a mistake! You are not ridiculed or are missing out on a bonus because you didn’t quite get it the first time. It is the perfect opportunity to learn from your mistakes to make sure you will NOT make them in your work environment!  

To me it is easy: there is always a business case for classroom training! The catch is, that you will need to find an education partner (like The Art of Service ) that uses this approach to their classroom programs. Teaching is more than a regurgitation of theory… it is an opportunity to grow and make connections with knowledge you already have!

So when implementing ITIL Service Management, and when you want it to be successful…, don’t forget the education component! It is part of your Continual Improvement Program!