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Build an ITSM Tool Implementation Plan
Nail your ITSM tool implementation from the outset.
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Contributors
- Rod Weir, Founder and Managing Director, PRD Software
- Nicklas Fredriksson, CEO and ITSM Magician, Penguin Consultants Brasil
- Kamal Roz, IT Operations Manager, USO
- Gautam Bangalore, Business Analyst, Optus
- Michelle Hoyt, Enterprise Application Supervisor, Matanuska-Susitina Borough School District
- Anusha Das, IT Governance Analyst-ITIL, Oregon Lottery
- Ravi Prakash Singh, MS IS Student, Stevens Institute of Technology
- Brett Andrews, Managing Director, BAPTISM Consultancy
- Marty Miller-Crispe, Manager – Service Management Office, Griffith University
- Vlad de Ramos, General Manager, AIM Corporate Solutions, Inc.
- Pete Langlois, Systems Administrator, Century Bank
- Scott Walling, Co-founder, Monitor 24-7
- Pedro Soto, Managing Director, TOPdesk
- Roeland van Rijswijk, Service Management Consultant, TOPdesk
- Yev Khovrenkov, IT Consultant,
- Lucas Gutierrez, End-User Services Manager, City of Santa Fe
- Dave Smith, IT Trainer, Quanta Training Ltd.
Your Challenge
- An IT service management (ITSM) tool implementation can be a complicated task, requiring customized templates and workflows and correct integration with other tools that can be challenging to get right the first time to ensure the tool delivers value.
- If an RFP is required to select a service provider to implement the tool, it is critical to clearly structure the project tasks and service desk processes and services to develop the RFP.
- Managers without a project plan are often pressed into making decisions during the implementation without fully understanding their impact.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Buying a new tool is not a silver bullet for service desk woes. Your project needs to incorporate both a review of service desk processes and a product implementation to ensure the tool will support your current processes and any future processes you plan to implement.
- Whether or not you rely on professional services, there is a lot of work to do to ensure the project will be successful. It’s important to develop and manage a detailed plan to avoid hasty decisions that could undermine the tool’s value in the long run.
- Customization of the solution can hinder its performance down the road, but configurations can ensure the tool will deliver the value you need. However, there’s nothing wrong with an out-of-the-box solution if that’s what works for your organization.
Impact and Result
- Build an implementation plan to ensure the tool continues to meet business requirements in the long run. Make key decisions about configuration, integrations, and data migration before the implementation begins and you’ll have time to forecast the impact of your decisions.
- Include a service desk process review into the implementation plan to ensure you are not carrying over poor data and bad habits. The new tool doesn’t need to recreate your old service desk environment; it needs to create one that meets business requirements.
- A detailed implementation plan can help you decide whether your team can do the tool implementation in-house and identify requirements for the RFP if you choose to draw on professional services.
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should build an implementation plan for your ITSM tool, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.
1. Plan for the implementation
Determine the implementation project scope and goals, and get buy-in for the change.
2. Organize the approach and resources
Establish the approach to the implementation phases as well as the resources needed to complete the project, both internal and external.
3. Design, build, and test the ITSM tool
Plan and build the solution, including decisions on all necessary configurations to support service desk processes.
4. Deploy, monitor, and maintain the ITSM tool
Communicate any changes and train the users to adopt the solution before deploying it.
Guided Implementations
This guided implementation is an eleven call advisory process.
Guided Implementation #1 - Plan
Call #1 - Document goals, strategy, and business requirements. Identify and address potential objections.
Call #2 - Formalize an engagement strategy. Identify metrics to measure progress towards your implementation goals.
Call #3 - Set up diagnostic and receive results.
Guided Implementation #2 - Organize
Call #1 - Identify and document the scope of the implementation. Define and document existing and future processes the tool will need to support.
Call #2 - Evaluate pros and cons of different implementation approaches. Define what each phase will contain.
Call #3 - Develop and issue an RFP for professional services for implementation. Define roles and responsibilities of implementation team.
Call #4 - Track implementation tasks, timelines, and resources.
Guided Implementation #3 - Build
Call #1 - Identify and document functional tests to be performed.
Call #2 - Develop a UAT plan and test case scripts.
Guided Implementation #4 - Deploy
Call #1 - Develop a plan for communicating changes associated with the new tool.
Call #2 - Develop a plan to ensure the transition to the new tool and the go-live run smoothly.
Book Your Workshop
Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Plan for the Implementation
The Purpose
- Document goals and objectives of the implementation project and develop a plan to get buy-in for the change.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Clear understanding of the project goals, objectives, and success metrics.
- Understanding of pain points with current solution and end-user satisfaction.
- Plan to engage stakeholders and get buy-in for the project.
Activities
Outputs
Document goals, strategy, and business requirements from tool.
- Project Charter
Review pain points with current/previous solution, evaluate end-user satisfaction.
Identify potential objections and create a plan to address them and get buy-in for the change.
Formalize an engagement and communications strategy.
Identify metrics to measure progress towards implementation goals.
Module 2: Organize the Implementation Approach
The Purpose
- Define and document the scope of the implementation project, including the processes the tool will need to support now and in the future, as well as the approach to the implementation.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Understanding and definition of the scope of the implementation project as well as the scope of the solution.
- Understanding and definition of the current and future service management processes the tool will need to support.
- Overall approach to the implementation project (i.e. linear vs. phased), and defined project phases, if applicable.
Activities
Outputs
Discuss, identify, and document the scope of the tool implementation.
- Project Charter
Define and document the existing and future processes that the tool will need to support.
Choose an approach to the implementation (i.e. linear vs. phased).
If the implementation will take a phased approach, define what each phase will contain.
Module 3: Organize the Resources
The Purpose
- Decide whether to hire professional services to assist with the implementation and develop an RFP, then organize your internal resources with tasks and timelines for the project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Decision whether to hire professional services for the implementation.
- RFP for a consultant to assist with the implementation.
- Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for the project.
- Project plan with tasks, ownership, and timeline.
Activities
Outputs
Evaluate and decide whether to hire professional services for the implementation.
- RFP for Professional Implementation Services
Develop and issue an RFP to hire professional services to assist with the implementation.
Define the roles that will form your implementation project team and their responsibilities.
Assign and document roles and responsibilities for the implementation project.
Track your tasks, timelines, and resources for the project.
- Project Planning & Monitoring Tool
Module 4: Design, Build, and Deploy the Tool
The Purpose
- Make all necessary decisions to design and configure the tool to meet your needs, then develop a plan for testing the tool and training your users before deployment to ensure successful adoption.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Decisions on configurations, integrations, and data migration.
- Testing plan to ensure technical and performance requirements are met and the solution functions as designed.
- Training and communication plan to ensure both users and staff adopt the solution.
- Deployment plan to ease the transition to the new tool and release to users.
Activities
Outputs
Use the implementation checklist tool to determine whether you’ve made all of the necessary design decisions to build the tool.
- Implementation Checklist
Identify and document tests to be performed.
- User Acceptance Test Plan Template
Develop a UAT plan and test case scripts.
- UAT Results Template
Develop a plan for communicating changes associated with the new tool.
- Communication & Training Plan Template
Develop a training plan and allocate training modules.
Develop a deployment plan to ensure the transition to the new tool and go-live run smoothly.
- Deployment Plan Template
