Defining ITOM Success and Overcoming Challenges with Tailored Solutions

In the ever-changing world of IT Operations Management (ITOM), a clearly defined path to success is pivotal. Without it, organizations may face numerous challenges that lead to a reactive environment, reducing the effectiveness of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). But what does success look like, and how can organizations reach it? We spoke with Ryan Weber, a leading expert in ITOM practice, to understand the challenges and the roadmap to success.

Ryan, who leads the ITOM practice at Cask, has dedicated her career to providing innovative solutions that aim for ground-leveling change. With her passion for innovation, Ryan meticulously works with organizations to design solutions that scale with maturity. Her seasoned experience as an ITOM solution architect for ServiceNow and cloud offerings has enabled her to offer value through best-practice business offerings.

Challenge: Not Defining What Success Would Look Like

One of the most significant challenges, according to Ryan, is that many clients embark on ITOM implementations without defining success: “not being able to identify actual clear use cases.” She explains that a common problem is buying a new technology and being asked to implement it, “but not really taking the time to understand what is the business value that it’s going to provide.”

Overcoming the Challenge with a Tailored Approach

Ryan’s approach to overcoming this challenge is both working closely with the project sponsor, and understanding the project’s various stakeholders. She highlights the importance of creating a roadmap aligned with the organization’s ability to mature with the technology. And this starts with identifying realistic goals for the organization.

“We really start to work one-on-one, not only with the sponsor of the project but understanding the various stakeholders,” Ryan explains. “We’re actually making sure that we create that roadmap … that’s tailored to their ability to not only consume, but mature along with the tool.”

Practical Steps and Recommendations

Ryan’s insights lead to the following recommended steps:

1. Define your use cases: Understand the business value, functionality, and goals of the project.
2. Create a CMDB roadmap with gap prioritization: Identify the realistic goals that the organization can achieve.
3. Address the issues and order of work: Understand the resources, capabilities, and limitations of the organization.
4. Align with Organizational Change Management: Ensure a smooth transition and long-term support for what has been implemented.

The end result of following these steps is reduced risk of wasted spend, and better support by organizational change management.