In my last blog post I discussed three of the most important parts of the “ITIL® Service Strategy” book. In this post I will give the same treatment to the “ITIL Service Design” book.
Triple Constraints
In any project, and especially in design activities, how the three constraints of resources, schedule and functionality are managed will ultimately impact value.
Realistically, every design project works with a finite set of resources, a limited schedule and a defined level of functionality that is required. The triple constraint model says that if any of these three things change, they will likely affect the other two areas. For example, if I want to reduce the number of resources assigned to a design activity, I might have to increase the schedule or reduce the level of functionality delivered.
Application of Constraints
Design is the act of progressively applying the constraints that affect a service provider until an acceptable solution remains.
Constraints include, but are not limited to:
- Desired level of warranty
- Desired level of utility
- Schedules and other resources constraints
- Copyrights, patents, and trademarks
- Values and ethics
- Technology constraints
- Compliance with standards and regulations
- Existing commitments
- Policy and governance constraints
- Capability constraints
- Comparative unit costs
These are some of the potentially numerous constraints that affect a service provider. A service provider that is able to understand these constraints and arrange them in a way that allows for an acceptable service solution to be produced is a service provider that provides value to its customers.
Definition of the IT Steering Group
Most adoptions of ITIL that I’ve seen fail, failed because of ineffective definition and/or application of governance. In other words, whether or not an organization abides by best practices is a choice. Organizations that are successful tend to create effective governance structures that communicate and enforce policies and rules.
The IT Steering Group is defined in the strategy book as a group that directs the organization to produce and manage services that give the highest value to the business and generate the highest return on investment. Additionally, the IT Steering Group plays a key role in prioritizing different design activities.
There are many things that are useful and important about the “ITIL Service Design” book. This post discussed triple constraints, application of constraints and the IT Steering Group, which are three of the most important concept discussed in the “ITIL Service Design” book.
Related Courses
ITIL Foundation
ITIL Awareness