Service management tools are often used as a fig leaf to hide the incompetence of managers, "we need a better tool" is an easy found excuse. In practice, it's often not the tool, but more to the way you use that tool. And that has everything to do with the history of these tools.

"ITIL tools" for example, are strongly influenced by the history of ITIL itself. In the mid-nineties, during the rise of ITIL, all workflow tools were suddenly "ITIL tools". That became a great marketing slogan, so suddenly we had a whole bunch of so-called ITIL tools. And that has left its marks ....

Such a tool sold even better if you acquired some qualifications. The scores the most popular qualifications (eg Pinkverify, Axelos, Serview) attributed, was based on the number of "ITIL processes" covered by the tool. This sealed the fate of many tools, and the fight was settled between the tools that ranked highest.

"Our tool is certified for 15 ITIL processes ....".

If you came through with such a slogan, you would simply have to make it to the shortlist!

The user pays the price

Unfortunately, the user was the victim: they got the complexity of all these modules pushed down their throats. Firstly, because all the "prominent" suppliers offered their products in a modular product structure, and as a consequence they determined their business model on the same structure. Secondly, because most managers acted as sheep in the herd: if everyone buys these modules, you can't stay behind, now can you? As a result, many organizations are now stuck with an excessively complex tool, and far too many (expensive) modules - some of which are not used at all, and others only get in the way. Even worse, their every day workflows are managed with a system that is not based on the essence of the workflows, but on the specifications of the tool - which on its turn was based on the text of ITIL books. And if you then also hire some consultants who have gone through the entire ITIL training program, with their ITIL Expert certificate hanging over their bed, all too eager to show they know all about ITIL, then you're screwed...

A way out

Perhaps it is time to reflect on the workflows that you really want to manage.

Perhaps you would then be open to a simple approach that captures all of your customer interactions in no more than 8 basic workflows, in a holistic system of no more than 5 pure, non-redundant processes - the USM method.

Perhaps you then see a horizon where you have an easily configurable tool, which allows you to avoid both costs and complexity.

Are those tools available? Most certainly. Some tool vendors already have had the courage to set up a preconfigured version of their product in such a way that it supports such a simple method, with a simple and easy to understand process model, and some of these tools have already been certified. This version can then be installed much faster, because it is predefined. Moreover, such a configuration has the advantage that you will know beforehand what it looks like: the same as with the other users :-).

One prerequisite: you must accept that your processes are the same as those of your neighbor, and you only differ from them in terms of your organization, your resources, and the services you provide. But hey - if you do not see that, then you are condemned to always use expensive and complex bespoke tooling, with all its consequences. In an era where everything is turned into a commodity, tat doesn't seem to be a successful strategy any more.

Plenty of choice out there

If you still want to get another tool, have a look at one of the product lists that Inform-IT manages. You can choose from hundreds of products. Even Gartner checks these lists. Bear in mind, however, that you should determine beforehand what functionality is really needed and important, so you don't get fooled by the ITIL (or COBIT, ASL, BiSL, MOF, etc.) based sales pitch of the provider. Those are indeed in the provider's best interest, and are often contrary to the simple processes you should have, to get in control of your IT services ... Fortunately, more and more providers understand this, and allow the user to determine their own process modeling within a BPM function. If you then adopt a simple process model, such as the one in the USM method, you can actually avoid the pitfall of complex, modular, expensive and non-functional tooling. A predefined and therefore tested configuration, using that USM process model, would then deliver the most economical option.

See for yourself?

Check the USM method at USM Portal.