CSI approach

As  the  above  figure  shows, there  are  many  opportunities
for CSI.  The  figure  above  also  illustrates a  constant  cycle
for improvement.  The  improvement  process  can  be
summarized  in six  steps:
■ Embrace  the  vision  by understanding the  high-level
business objectives.  The  vision  should align the
business and  IT strategies.
■ Assess the  current situation  to obtain  an accurate,
unbiased  snapshot  of where  the  organization  is  right
now.  This  baseline  assessment  is  an analysis  of the
current  position  in terms  of the  business,  organization,
people, process  and  technology.
■ Understand  and  agree  on  the  priorities  for
improvement  based  on  a  deeper development  of the
principles  defined  in the  vision.  The  full  vision  may be
years away  but  this  step provides  specific goals  and  a
manageable  timeframe.
■ Detail the  CSI  plan to achieve  higher  quality service
provision  by implementing ITSM processes
■ Verify that  measurements and  metrics are  in place  to
ensure  that  milestones  were achieved, processes
compliance  is  high,  and  business  objectives  and
priorities were met  by the  level of service.
■ Finally,  the  process  should ensure that  the  momentum
for quality improvement  is  maintained  by assuring  that
changes become  embedded  in the  organization.

Since CSI  involves  ongoing  change,  it  is  important  to
develop an effective  communication  strategy  to support
CSI activities  –  ensuring  people remain appropriately
informed.  This  communication  must  include aspects of
what the  service implications are,  what  the  impact on  the
personnel  is  and  the  approach or process  used to reach
the  objective. In the  absence  of truth,  people will  fill in the
gap  with their own truth.
Perception will  play  a  key  role  in determining the  success
of  any  CSI  initiative.  Proper  reporting should assist  in
addressing the  misconceptions  about  the  improvements.  It
is  important  to understand  why  there  are  differences  in
perception between  the  customer and  the  service
provider.  Figure  2.4  identifies  the  most  obvious  potential
gaps  in the  service lifecycle  from both a  business  and  an
IT  perspective:
Service  Level  Management  has  the  task  of ensuring  that
potential  gaps are  managed and  that  when  there  is  a  gap,
to  identify  if  there  is  a  need  for  a  Service Improvement
Plan  (SIP). Often  a  large gap  exists  between  what  the customer  wants,  what  they actually  need,  and  what  they
are willing  to pay  for.  Add  to this  the  fact  that  IT  will  often
try to define  and  deliver  what  they ‘think’  the  customer
wants. As a  result,  it  is  not  surprising that  there  is  a
perception and  delivery  gap  between  the  Customer and
IT.