Management support

Senior and Middle Management support is needed for all ITSM activities and processes, particularly in Service Operation.

Senior Management support is critical for obtaining and maintaining adequate funding and resourcing. Rather than seeing Service Operation as a ‘black hole’ for investment, Senior Management should quantify and champion the benefits of good Service Operation. They should also be fully informed of the dire results that can occur because of poor Service Operation.

Senior Management must provide visible support during the launch of new Service Operation initiatives (such as through appearances at seminars, signatories to memos and announcements, etc.) and their ongoing support must be equally well demonstrated. Entirely the wrong messaging can be given if a senior manager fails to turn up to an important project meeting or launch seminar. Even worse are senior managers who support the initiative verbally, but abuse their authority to encourage circumvention of the Service Operation practice.

Senior Managers should also empower the Middle Managers who will be directly responsible for Service Operation. Supporting the initiative publicly, but then overriding budget requirements or necessary changes, will harm both the implementation and ongoing Service Operation initiative.

Middle Managers must also provide the necessary support – and in particular this should be demonstrated by their actions. If a middle manager is seen to be circumventing or overriding an agreed procedure (e.g. implementing a change that has not been through the Change Management process) then this gives the clear message that others can do the same – and that the procedure is worthless and can be ignored by all. Middle Managers should go out of their way to make their support known, not just by their words but also by their actions and adherence to the organization’s agreed processes and procedures.

Middle Managers should also give their full support to hiring staff to support the process, instead of accepting the need for formalized Service Operation and then simply increasing the workload of existing staff to get it done.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 976