There are four main aspects to any ITIL implementation; we all know People, Process, Products and Partners. More recently I’ve been adding in Performance as a 5th element for success. Recently I was trying to explain some of this in simple everyday context. So I used the Car analogy.
To reach a planned destination (business objective), requires the seamless convergence of a roadmap and instructions (process), a vehicle (product), a driver (people) and many Partners (Car manufacturer, Petrol stations, satellite owners/operators, etc). Even if the roadmap is accurate, the vehicle must the capable of making the journey, and the driver must be fully trained and knowledgeable in a variety of disciplines, including vehicle operations. If any of these are lacking the destination may remain difficult or impossible to reach. Strangely enough in this analogy we are very interested in the Performance element. How fast the car can go in safety, the speed of the Sat Nav in finding your position, and relaying the instructions to you, too slow and you miss your turning! Performance is key.
We can make things really easy now for the Driver by using advanced technology. Reducing the risk of not adhering to rules and regulations is something IT is good at and in the car analogy the same applies, leaving more time for the Driver (people) to focus on the end goal or objective. My car is extremely clever, so much so that when I hire/rent a car I forget standard operations, like turning on the lights when it’s dark, finding the wiper switch when rain starts, all these mundane elements are automated for me. Now the roadmap and instructions are also automated, making me even more lazy (I used to check maps and note down my journey plan), but now I have confidence I’ll arrive at my destination using satellite navigation, which talks and shows full directions/instructions. It will even make alterations dynamically if I make a mistake. The technology is so clever I can even talk instructions to my car, providing the destination details, asking it switch from Radio to CD and play a particular track. If I forget my Seatbelt, I get a warning, if I leave the hand brake on I get a warning, I cannot select Reverse or Drive, unless my foot is on the foot brake. Very clever automated monitoring and reporting features. This is automation, fully integrated with my vehicle; ensuring things are practical, achievable and attainable (albeit at a price!). So now the critical elements really are the Driver and Performance. The Driver still needs to know the basic rules of the road and law (Governance and compliance), and the simple operation of the technology (start the engine, select Drive, release the brake, and steer following the voice instructions). Now with all this automation, the driver is left to other important tasks, like hands-free business calls!
This analogy also works well with the ABC’s Attitude, Behaviour and Culture. If you have an attitude of self sufficiency and don’t like using technology, the Sat Nav will never be used and the obvious advantages never obtained. If your behaviour inside the car is such that you talk a lot to your passenger, you’re more likely to ignore the instructions and get lost or miss the warnings resulting in something more serious. Certainly in the UK we all know the new driving culture on motorways these days, where people decide to ignore the Highway code and drive in the “fast” or ”overtaking” lane all the time, even when the other slower lanes are empty, this culture shift drives me mad – it’s often faster to drive and overtake on the slow lanes these days. We need to understand all the ABC’s we have to deal with, and the 5 “P”’s for successful journeys. Technology automating processes, assisting in adherence to governance, and simplifying once time-consuming and difficult tasks are all available and advisable, but please don’t forget the “people” side of the equation.
Now with any analogy, we need to relate it back to the point in question. Reviewing this one should be easy and self explanatory. I’ll let you think about that in your business context. I hope it makes a difference to your thinking.
Any feedback and comments are always welcome!!
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20th April 2010
A great article! I like really like the car analogy and will use it in the future. Thanks!
Jon Dowell
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