The 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4 are the key messages of ITIL. They are designed to guide decisions and actions so the people who are responsible for managing and operating the organization’s service portfolio can benefit from these high-level best practices.
- Focus on value
- Start where you are
- Progress iteratively with feedback
- Collaborate and promote visibility
- Think and work holistically
- Keep it simple and practical
- Optimize and automate
These principles aren’t new. They’re influenced by ideas born in disciplines outside of service management (such as manufacturing and software development) but have now been proven in the service context.
Today we look at Focus on value:
Focus on value
It seems strange to say that service management shouldn’t focus on services, but focusing on value is about recognizing services for what they are—a vehicle for value. It is the outcome of the service which is of value to the customer, not the service itself. For example, a car hire service isn’t about having access to a car, it’s about getting from A to B. The car service is a means to an end. The technology, assets, people, and other elements are simply a part of that. And when people focus too much on the components of a service, it’s easy to become detached from the bigger picture of value, and wasteful elements can creep into the service ecosystem. The obsession with value, and the identification and elimination of wasteful activity, comes from Lean thinking.
The people who are part of the service supply chain must always ask: “Who is the customer?”, “Why do they need this service?” and “Is what I’m doing now helping to create value for them?” To focus on value, you must have a clear idea of what value means in each instance. To do this, you need empathy for the service consumer (a Design Thinking concept). Organizations must make efforts to identify the true needs of customers—so they can avoid designing services based on assumptions.
READ NEXT:
ITIL 4:
- ITIL 4 Guide
- What is the ITIL 4 Service Value System?
- Confused about the ITIL 4 Service Value Chain?
- A Brief History of ITIL
- ITIL4: Why Processes are now Practices
GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF ITIL 4:
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Focus on Value
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Start Where You Are
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Progress Iteratively With Feedback
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Collaborate & Promote Visibility
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Think & Work Holistically
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Keep it Simple & Practical
- 7 Guiding Principles of ITIL 4: Optimize and automate
4 DIMENSIONS OF ITIL 4:
- The 4 Dimensions of ITIL 4: Organisations & People
- The 4 Dimensions of ITIL 4: Information & Technology
- The 4 Dimensions of ITIL 4: Value Streams & Processes
- The 4 Dimensions of ITIL 4: Partners & Suppliers
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