ITIL V3 Small-Scale Implementation - Publication Review by Ivor Macfarlane, Chair of itSMFI's International Publications Executive Sub-Committee (IPESC)
As ITIL has evolved over its 20 year life, much has changed - not least the recognition of service management's importance to every organisation, regardless of size. A book specifically supporting the application of ITIL principles to small organisations was published in 1995, within the first version of ITIL. This was revised to support the guidance of ITIL V2 and has now been revamped as an ITIL V3 book.
However, while much has changed, much remains relevant, and the sensible pragmatic basis that supported us 20 years ago remains as relevant today and the new book reflects that. 'ITIL V3: Small Scale Implementation' will therefore look familiar to old friends of the previous versions, but will also be familiar to those coming from a new knowledge of ITIL, learned from the V3 perspective.
Core to applying best principles in small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) is the understanding that it must not rest on cutting corners, but on delivering all the essential components of effective service management, adapted as necessary to the environment and circumstances found within a specific SMB.
While the almost limitless diversity amongst SMBs precludes any 'one size fits all' approach, nonetheless this book sets out general principles that help SMBs to get the basic essentials right, and has advice on how to simplify some of the ITIL process approaches to fit their limited resources, and limited scale of requirement. Readers will benefit from an introductory level of ITIL knowledge, but the guidance is based more on common sense, and the need for an SMB to do all the essential things well, to provide a sound basis for success.
The key focus is a pragmatic one - focused on actually getting started and delivering support for the organisation's business, rather than a rigorous guide to setting up processes, based on the premise that it is more important to the right things well and quickly, then to be distracted by all that could be done.
