Modern ITSM must Integrate Business and Development Teams

The concept of IT Service Management (ITSM) has been constantly changing since it emerged. Having started out as an approach for managing data centers, ITSM is now considered a key component of corporate strategy that affects not only IT, but the entire business operation.

Looking back on this evolution, it is not surprising that the requirements have continued to change over the last two or three years: today, ITSM teams have to pay particular attention to the organization of distributed teams and find answers on how to drive the migration from traditional on-premise infrastructures to the Cloud.

Traditionally, IT teams have acted as the central engine of IT Service Management. Specifically, their role was to minimize the risks of IT incidents through extensive change reviews, comprehensive documentation, and repeatable processes. However, the problem with this approach, within the modern technology landscape, is that it lacks visibility, which makes it slow. High velocity creates significant disadvantages in an environment where high velocity is extremely important.

The Challenges of the Modern Working World are Obvious

After the pandemic, many organizations have not returned to the classical working model - being physically present. Hybrid models and distributed teams require an even stronger focus on self-service options in ITSM.
Traditional ITSM models are only evolving to a limited extent with the needs of modern business and development teams.
Cross-functional collaboration is severely hampered by teams using disparate tools.

Harmonization Between IT and Development

To minimize risk, IT teams have traditionally exercised caution or even strict control when assessing and releasing changes by developers. Development teams, in turn, strive to deliver updates quickly and at a high frequency to increase customer value. This high level of friction reinforces the formation of silos and often leads to momentum being missed.

Adopting a modern ITSM approach requires Development, IT, and Operations to work together on a common platform to foster cross-team collaboration. Modernization also includes the automation of processes, workflows, and repetitive tasks to reduce silos and accelerate innovation. At the same time, it requires strengthening risk and issue management, faster service recovery after incidents, accelerated decision-making processes, and better prioritization of critical development work.

A Modern Toolset Builds on an Adaptive Architecture

In the traditional ITSM approach of a central "command and control" center, service delivery is standardized by putting IT in the driver's seat and keeping the development and management of services in their own hands.

From a distance, this approach may appear efficient, but upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that other service teams suffer. Teams tend to find that their needs are not met due to the lack of customization of complex legacy ITSM solutions, which are often tailored to the requirements of a small, specialized administrative group.

This creates a bottleneck for other teams to develop and deliver their own services. And that leads to slower operational processes, dissatisfied service customers, and high costs when scaling Service Management to the business and development teams.

But what does a modern approach look like? These teams need the ability to develop and customize their own service systems on a platform that offers a comprehensive IT overview without creating barriers. This fosters greater autonomy, as business and development teams act as full owners of their services, thereby reducing dependency on IT.

For example, an HR team could develop its own service desk that meets the exact needs of that team and its customers. As this solution is based on a common platform that IT can fully oversee, both IT and the business team can be assured that company standards are being met.

Organizations that adopt a modern ITSM approach have significant benefits: less operational friction between teams, better alignment with the needs of the respective service target groups with shorter response times, and closer cross-team collaboration in Service Management. This balanced model simultaneously creates autonomy and alignment and empowers teams of all types to provide and deliver better services faster.

Jira Service Management for the New Generation of IT Service Management

Modern teams need modern software solutions. Jira Service Management brings service teams together on a unified platform and provides an environment for cross-functional collaboration. With Jira Service Management, the organization can empower all teams to respond individually to their specific business needs and deliver excellent services to their target groups.

Do you have any questions? As an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, we are delighted to assist you in all aspects of introducing and effectively utilizing various Jira products within your company. Feel free to get in touch with us!

Further Reading

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