ITIL Version 2.5: Will we see hybrids?
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ITIL Version 3 tells us how to run, whilst ITIL version 2 tells us how to walk. Many sites are only ready to learn to walk, so what then to do about the good ideas introduced in Version 3? Do we add a little 3 to the mix? or will that only cause confusion?
Imagine an organisation just taking the first faltering steps into service management. Throw V3 at them and they will run screaming. In the absense of any Version 3 for Beginners complementary guidance (yet), going with Version 2 is a logical choice for some time to come. (I'll bet it will be for a lot longer than TSO's plans to publish the V2 books - end of 2007 - so there is a business opportunity here for second hand book dealers: start stockpiling V2 books!)
But the temptation to include Request Management from day one is irresistable. It just MAKES SENSE. Likewise Service Catalogue Management. In some sites I'd consider some of the other new processes too: Event, Access, Info Security, Service Portfolio, demand, Supplier, but only where there was a pressing need. But Request and Catalogue stick out like a dog's ears.
What do readers think?
- mix and match V2 and V3? Version 2.5 anyone?
- Which bits of V3 ought to be in a V2 implementation?
Made in New Zealand 
Comments
Again...
Again, I don't think I agree with the premise. (See http://www.itskeptic.org/node/320#comment-1407).
ITIL v3 is not radically different in scope from ITIL v2, all volumes considered.
ITIL v3, as a whole, is radically different from the ITIL v2 Service Support and Service Delivery volumes.
But it's like comparing the engine of a 1997 car, to a complete 2007 car, and saying, "Boy they've really extended the scope of things here! Our mechanics have a lot more to learn!"
Charles T. Betz
http://www.erp4it.com
I agree with two provisos
I agree with two provisos:
1) even though the books were there in V2, that will come as a surprise to the majority of users (and even some practitioners :-D). Certainly the Foundation course barely alluded to them. So there is the published V2 and the effective V2. Most people were buying engines.
2) the car has changed. The whole lifecycle thing has gone from lip-service to integral.
V2 knowledge and experience
In my opinion, the main reason for choose V2 is the actual knowledge and experience of the version inside companies and in consulting firms. I´m conducting a starting project of ITIL "implementation" and our choice for the project is a little mix with 95% of V2 (support process) and 5% of V3 (some new ideas in service catalogue).
How about Request Mgmt
"The" Ricardo? Welcome.
So the improved stuff on Catalogue is the only bit of V3 you have picked up? How about Request Mgmt - not tempted?
Yes I am tempted
Hi The IT Skeptic,
The Service Catalog we are building has two tiers. One for the business services and other for the technological services. The technological services are not "requestables". For example: content delivery is a business service supported by three technological services: database service, web server service and application service.
The "requestables" services, in my vision could be another "tier" upon technological services, like "Update database values". And I guess this would be the target of the Request Management, right?
My concern is about the complexity that this services (a lot) would bring to the same document (Service Catalog) or to simply let this "requestables" services as procedures in each team.
Ricardo
PS: I hope you can understand me. Sorry for my poor english.
guidance is the key word
the thought of which book to buy is a dilemma, but you can always buy both and take what you need from both and leave the rest (presumably for later)...
John M. Worthington
MyServiceMonitor, LLC
Buy the ITIL3 books
When ITIL2 was launched it got a lot of criticism from the community: we just started to implement ITIL1. The books were not particularly well written. And I remember that we considered the capacity management chapter in Service Delivery of lesser quality then the Capacity Management book of ITIL1. That chapter was written by a committee of about 20 people. Looking on the discussions on ITIL3 reminds me of that time as well.
Pretty soon there were other, better, writers that wrote comprehensive books on ITIL and those became popular. Don't buy the official ITIL2 books, they are as horrible as the latest version.
Most of the ITIL2 guidance is also there in ITIL3. And as you do not implement all processes from ITIL2 all at the same time, I would not suggest it for ITIL3 either.
I would start with the Event-Incident-Request-Problem management processes from Service Operations, Change and Release/Deploy management from Service Transition, Service Portfolio-Catalogue-Level management as well. And I will start right away with the guidance from Continual Service Improvement.